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How To Be Black (2012)

by Baratunde R. Thurston(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0062003216 (ISBN13: 9780062003218)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

HarperCollins

review 1: I grew up in Asia and moved to the U.S. over a decade ago, and I could relate to a lot of the book. When you're a minority, it's easy to find yourself in a situation where you're the only representative of your race/ethnicity in a given place/space, and there's a certain type of anxiety, stress, and even anger that comes from having to be constantly self-conscious about every action you take and every word you say and how that may be (over)extrapolated. Thurston does a great job of capturing those feelings (and more) with humor and optimism. I really enjoyed his stories of growing up while straddling two different worlds and other little tidbits too, like his discovery of CNN International while he was in Senegal on a high school trip. (For me, it was the reverse -- I w... moreas disappointed to find that CNN in the U.S. was more similar to the E! Network than an actual news channel.) He also uses "doth protest too much" correctly, which I love because it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people misuse that phrase. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.
review 2: This was a consistently funny and bluntly honest read. "As a black woman" (Thurston said I should preface my sentences that way) who has repeated been told she was "not black enough" I enjoyed this satirical approach to how black people are "supposed" to be in the 21st century. The memoir pieces were probably my favorite, where he detailed experiences that I'm sure most minorities have dealt with. What I loved most was the ending, which took a more serious and philosophical look at "blackness" and encouraged black Americans to just be themselves "and the blackness will follow." less

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