Reviews

I absolutely love Esi Edugyan's fiction writing and I was really excited when I heard she was doing the 2021 Massey Lectures. Sadly though I found this collection lacked a cohesive theme. Some of the essays were more interesting than others. I did enjoy the ones about the history of Black people in Canada and the examples she discussed illustrating the many ways Canada hasn't always been the welcoming place we like to think it is. The strongest essays were definitely the ones commenting on race, while the ones about art and even her personal experiences I found myself skimming over. Much thanks to Anansi for my gifted hardcover copies! This was a good listen read by the author.

bobthebookerer's review against another edition

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5.0

Esi Edugyan's writing in this collection is fantastic, guiding the reader through various continents to articulate the experiences of Black people throughout history.

Whether looking at ancient Japan or modern Europe, Edugyan's writing is sharp and incisive, merging together personal stories with brilliant academic research. She is not afraid to cover topics like Rachel Dolezal's identity, or Black people's representations in art from the past to now.

I think it is this eclectic range of topics that oddly makes this book so cohesive- it feels like a sweeping, fascinating look at race and identity, drawing from its roots to understand its modern day permutations.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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