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drlisak's review against another edition
5.0
A complex and fascinating look at women who challenged the expectations of society, and as usual have basically been ignored for their efforts. This book resonated with me for the fact that I feel like so many of the issues and concerns still exist in modern society. Perhaps the lines between black & white have become more fluid and blurred, but they still exist. And, as races mix more and more often, that seems to threaten those who want to define race and identity as immutable. Too often still those who challenge societal norms, especially women who dare to "overstep" their roles and speak out against injustice with too loud voices, are treated similar to "Miss Anne." The connections between then and now are in many ways too close, we have come so far and yet, have we really?
danidesantis's review against another edition
4.0
Not many books ask questions about race in a both accessible and entertaining way. Kudos to Kaplan.
mary412's review against another edition
3.0
I would have liked a much shorter version of this group biography. Each woman was interesting, but there was too much detail for me.
dominiquejl's review
4.0
Meticulously researched, and full of great Harlem Renaissance gossip, and written with some great, sparkling prose, but taken as a whole, the project feels like one intended to rescue these women from obscurity, or unflatten them from being associated with just one story, but she’s pretty incurious throughout about black women, and most of the analysis about black men lacks a gender analysis that is raced. Loved the content, didn’t vibe with the argument.
wookieburgers's review against another edition
4.0
There is definitely some ironic privilege at work in a book that focuses on the white people involved in the achievements of black people, but I do feel this book offers some interesting insight into Harlem Renaissance writers. Personally I was very interested in the many interesting tidbits about Zora Neale Hurston. Also, I think an examination of how Harlem Renaissance writing was funded can give us insight into how much of that writing was written sincerely versus to please certain audiences. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book though is the exploration of allies in the fight for social justice and the fuzzy line between advocacy and appropriation. This is an important read for lovers of literature, as well as for anyone curious about allyship and social justice.
emmkayt's review against another edition
5.0
This was stellar! Well-researched and heavily end-noted, but also smoothly written and engaging. Kaplan’s interest is white women who chose to participate in the Harlem Renaissance, and her focus is on a half dozen of them in particular. They’re a really interesting bunch. Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, for example, had quite a life, from small town Texan wealth to bohemian San Francisco to marriage to a prominent black journalist. Lillian Wood, long believed to have been a black novelist, turns out to have been an older white teacher at a black college in Tennessee. And Nancy Cunard was quite something - a wealthy, headstrong Englishwoman determined to shed her background in solidarity with black Americans. Kaplan doesn’t merely bring attention to her subjects’ lives, fascinating as that would be. She draws on their stories to sensitively illuminate the contradictions of identity and race, and the complexities of their time. Really, really good.
ckthelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I learned so much about this Granbury family, the Cogdell's. Very interesting book and it's urged me to research more about this time period.