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weejman33's review against another edition
4.0
Rivaling but not quite matching the peaks of “Passing,” Thurman’s sinister portrayal of early 20th Century Harlem and its unforgiving nature sent chills down my spine.
havanaxo's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
A disorienting book. I don't know how to write about it. Maybe it's because the mind of the main character, Emma Lou, is always inscrutable to me, at one moment with an clear analysis of racism, misogyny, and colorism; at the next with the shallowest kind of disgust toward other black people because of their blackness; at one moment brave and secular; at the next with a kind of pearl-clutching why-I-never indignation over any fiddling with conservative social mores. This is either not a realistic character, or else it's far too realistic for me to follow.
Emma Lou isn't only marginalized all of her life because of her color, she's also consistently gaslit, everyone telling her she made up the problem in her head, or that her begrudging attitude made others treat her this way. I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of her final 'victory.'
Emma Lou isn't only marginalized all of her life because of her color, she's also consistently gaslit, everyone telling her she made up the problem in her head, or that her begrudging attitude made others treat her this way. I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of her final 'victory.'
synthzar's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
k_mcday's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
muzzystbrigid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
beehan__'s review
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nhill_02's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
hannah_greendale's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"More acutely than ever before Emma Lou began to feel that her luscious black complexion was somewhat of a liability, and that her marked color variation from the other people in her environment was a decided curse."
The Blacker the Berry is a work of satire that primarily follows Emma Lou, a young Black woman with a much darker complexion than everyone in her family (save for her father whom no one in the family speaks well of). It's a revelatory narrative of learned intra-racism and prejudice as well a tragic story of internalized racial shame.
What makes this book even more interesting is that when it was first published in 1929, author Wallace Thurman had done something taboo in saying out loud what was privately acknowledged but never publicly discussed: that colorism (i.e., discrimination based on skin tone) existed in the Black community. In the introduction to the book, Therman B. O'Daniel says of this:
"Even years ago when the story was written, there was certainly nothing unusual about novels about the prejudice of white people against black people. [...] But the fact that this book gives us a vividly described double dose of the color bias, with particular emphasis upon the prejudice of certain Negroes against black persons within their own racial group, was unique, and it was this element specifically, that made the novel different."
With its revelations about colorism, its glimpses of life during the Harlem Renaissance, and its redemptive conclusion, The Blacker the Berry is an informative and heartbreaking yet hopeful read, one that would be fascinating to explore in a university setting.
--
I'm grateful to BookTuber Denise La Rosa of La Rosa Reads for bringing this book to my attention in her video 12 Classics by 12 Black Authors.
The Blacker the Berry is a work of satire that primarily follows Emma Lou, a young Black woman with a much darker complexion than everyone in her family (save for her father whom no one in the family speaks well of). It's a revelatory narrative of learned intra-racism and prejudice as well a tragic story of internalized racial shame.
What makes this book even more interesting is that when it was first published in 1929, author Wallace Thurman had done something taboo in saying out loud what was privately acknowledged but never publicly discussed: that colorism (i.e., discrimination based on skin tone) existed in the Black community. In the introduction to the book, Therman B. O'Daniel says of this:
"Even years ago when the story was written, there was certainly nothing unusual about novels about the prejudice of white people against black people. [...] But the fact that this book gives us a vividly described double dose of the color bias, with particular emphasis upon the prejudice of certain Negroes against black persons within their own racial group, was unique, and it was this element specifically, that made the novel different."
With its revelations about colorism, its glimpses of life during the Harlem Renaissance, and its redemptive conclusion, The Blacker the Berry is an informative and heartbreaking yet hopeful read, one that would be fascinating to explore in a university setting.
--
I'm grateful to BookTuber Denise La Rosa of La Rosa Reads for bringing this book to my attention in her video 12 Classics by 12 Black Authors.
karlies's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75