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emeraldgarnet's review against another edition
2.0
The earlier sections where the author discussed her young childhood are the best parts. As the author describes more recent events, the writing grows disjointed.
cecile87's review against another edition
3.0
I'm having trouble with all the tone changes. I did appreciate the history at the beginning. I reverberated to some of the trials she experienced as I am also a black woman in this country. Call me dense, but the Little Women references eluded me. It's been more that 40 years since I read the book and I was never interested in any of the cinematic versions.
I don't know to whom she was directing her story. Some members of my book club felt she was writing to white folks and not to us as black women. Some felt that had Margo been happy about her status in Negroland, she would have never written the book. If she had risen to the top tier of this group, she'd be like the rest--silent about it.
I've been slogging through this memoir and probably won't finish it.
I don't know to whom she was directing her story. Some members of my book club felt she was writing to white folks and not to us as black women. Some felt that had Margo been happy about her status in Negroland, she would have never written the book. If she had risen to the top tier of this group, she'd be like the rest--silent about it.
I've been slogging through this memoir and probably won't finish it.
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fascinating memoir into a cultural experience I was not familiar with before. It is important to read stories that add complexity to our understanding of others. I also loved that it was set in Chicago so I recognized the landmarks mentioned.
marthaos's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I listened to this as my non-fiction read for May as part of the @another.chapter.podcast non-fiction reading challenge. It was an interesting read, it was very informative and it looked at the Black elite and upper class, a side that is often overlooked in cultural discourse.
The book was really well written, well researched and well structured. The first half was very much based on Black history and recounting specific lives of black people, taking in the civil rights movement, the feminist movement and contemporary life in America, whereas the second was more of a personal history, describing the author’s own childhood and coming of age and her experience of life among the elite and the many examples of when she came up against racism.
The descriptions of skin tones and hair types I found interesting as it was very clear cut despite very subtle but clearly important differences and struck me as the author’s own summation probably based on her family’s history handed down orally and her own lived experience and observations. The complexities that should not be, but often are, overlooked are what makes this book stand apart. Too simple a telling of a story does justice to no-one.
Personally I found the facts and historical accounts at the start heavy going but I can understand how it was important to provide context and taught me a lot. More interesting to me was her own story which I found compelling, so rich in detail and eye-opening.
This book showed me how little I know and definitely made me feel like I have a duty to be more informed, to keep learning and I would definitely recommend it.
The book was really well written, well researched and well structured. The first half was very much based on Black history and recounting specific lives of black people, taking in the civil rights movement, the feminist movement and contemporary life in America, whereas the second was more of a personal history, describing the author’s own childhood and coming of age and her experience of life among the elite and the many examples of when she came up against racism.
The descriptions of skin tones and hair types I found interesting as it was very clear cut despite very subtle but clearly important differences and struck me as the author’s own summation probably based on her family’s history handed down orally and her own lived experience and observations. The complexities that should not be, but often are, overlooked are what makes this book stand apart. Too simple a telling of a story does justice to no-one.
Personally I found the facts and historical accounts at the start heavy going but I can understand how it was important to provide context and taught me a lot. More interesting to me was her own story which I found compelling, so rich in detail and eye-opening.
This book showed me how little I know and definitely made me feel like I have a duty to be more informed, to keep learning and I would definitely recommend it.
cgcpoems's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
I’ve only put down a few books in my life in the middle of reading them. Generally, even if a book is terrible, I soldier through on the off-chance that by the end things will be better.
I came incredibly close to giving up on this halfway through, and now that I’ve finished it I think it wouldn’t have mattered if I had. I had a number of issues with the execution of this book, not to mention the fact that it’s labeled a memoir when it’s really a non-focused autobiography that meanders into other subjects. The writing was incredibly stiff, and the author’s tone throughout was off-putting. I didn’t know what to make of this.
There was no flow to this “memoir” told through choppy sections. Why did the author explain to us their use of initials instead of names within the text and not in a note before or after? Things like this made the book unenjoyable, and had me upping the speed on the audiobook just so I could get through it.
I’m glad Jefferson has told her story—the more stories in the world, the better we are for it. But her memoir fell flat, and was wildly disappointing.
I came incredibly close to giving up on this halfway through, and now that I’ve finished it I think it wouldn’t have mattered if I had. I had a number of issues with the execution of this book, not to mention the fact that it’s labeled a memoir when it’s really a non-focused autobiography that meanders into other subjects. The writing was incredibly stiff, and the author’s tone throughout was off-putting. I didn’t know what to make of this.
There was no flow to this “memoir” told through choppy sections. Why did the author explain to us their use of initials instead of names within the text and not in a note before or after? Things like this made the book unenjoyable, and had me upping the speed on the audiobook just so I could get through it.
I’m glad Jefferson has told her story—the more stories in the world, the better we are for it. But her memoir fell flat, and was wildly disappointing.
jazzyjaz6's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The narrative style of Negroland is perfect for those in interested in a wide range of genres and writing mediums. Jefferson's memoir is raw and real and the fluidity of the styles within the book is the only way to accurately capture her life.
khartke's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0