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a2lulu's review
4.0
A short themed memoir with vignettes of his life during Jim Crow, its waning, and aftermath. He grew up in New Orleans, was educated in NC and Atlanta, and had family in the Delta region where he visited after he left and lived in New York.
(One of my favorite stories - during the years of the OPEC oil crisis he was driving in SC with his family at night and was pulled over because a trooper was perplexed by his “Boycott Gulf” bumper sticker. He ended up giving him “an impromptu account of the persistence of Portuguese colonialism in Africa and Gulf’s complicity in sustaining it. The trooper was attentive and clearly wanted to make sense of it all.” )
Throughout, but mainly at the end, he weaves in analysis on contemporary conversations about race and history. The last chapter revolves around New Orleans in 2017 when 4 Confederate monuments were taken down and he happened to be there for family reasons during the furor over it.
My spouse got this book after reading a recent profile of Reed in the New Yorker. I picked it up out of curiosity and was captivated.
(One of my favorite stories - during the years of the OPEC oil crisis he was driving in SC with his family at night and was pulled over because a trooper was perplexed by his “Boycott Gulf” bumper sticker. He ended up giving him “an impromptu account of the persistence of Portuguese colonialism in Africa and Gulf’s complicity in sustaining it. The trooper was attentive and clearly wanted to make sense of it all.” )
Throughout, but mainly at the end, he weaves in analysis on contemporary conversations about race and history. The last chapter revolves around New Orleans in 2017 when 4 Confederate monuments were taken down and he happened to be there for family reasons during the furor over it.
My spouse got this book after reading a recent profile of Reed in the New Yorker. I picked it up out of curiosity and was captivated.
aebrossbooks's review
informative
fast-paced
5.0
One of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal is the ability to listen to the voices who have lived through the history of the world. And while the people who share them cannot always be here, the records they leave behind are valuable Windows into those periods that have come before.
Adolf L. Reed, Jr. shares his experience of the Jim Crow South as a Black person growing up in it. He paints a picture of a social structure that wasn't always overt, but was always present and threatened the lives of the Black individuals who were surrounded by it. He is also careful to explain that while there has been progress, there is still a social order that undergirds much of the South and the United States in its entirety that very much sees BIPOC individuals as lesser than.
However, and perhaps more importantly, the author takes the time to highlight how weak white supremacy truly is. It is perpetuated by the myths that it can sell to people. The author illustrates that while horrendous and dangerous, the Jim Crow era and the white people holding power during it fell to pieces fairly quickly. White supremacy can only be perpetuated as much as people believe the lies that it tells.
I definitely recommend this read. It's important to educate ourselves by listening to the voices of those who have experienced far more than we have.
Adolf L. Reed, Jr. shares his experience of the Jim Crow South as a Black person growing up in it. He paints a picture of a social structure that wasn't always overt, but was always present and threatened the lives of the Black individuals who were surrounded by it. He is also careful to explain that while there has been progress, there is still a social order that undergirds much of the South and the United States in its entirety that very much sees BIPOC individuals as lesser than.
However, and perhaps more importantly, the author takes the time to highlight how weak white supremacy truly is. It is perpetuated by the myths that it can sell to people. The author illustrates that while horrendous and dangerous, the Jim Crow era and the white people holding power during it fell to pieces fairly quickly. White supremacy can only be perpetuated as much as people believe the lies that it tells.
I definitely recommend this read. It's important to educate ourselves by listening to the voices of those who have experienced far more than we have.
janthonytucson's review
5.0
I received this book as part of a book club I subscribe to and as such this is the first time I have read anything from Adolph Reed Jr. 10 pages in I stopped to Google him because I was just blown away by the rich tapestry he artfully weaves through each paragraph. A remarkable writer, and man, who beautifully and powerfully illustrates the painful and at times mundane dynamics of the transition from the Jim Crow Era to our current era and how his personal lived experience in that transition is important to the narrative we tell about this history.
Thank you Dr. Reed.
Thank you Dr. Reed.
ed_w's review
medium-paced
3.25
Mildly interesting, particularly the last chapter (where more political content is brought in).
beepbeepbooks's review
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.5
goated. Reed is so cogent, so understanding of the limits and purposes of his analysis. A stellar book