The Underground Railroad was a network of safehouses and kind souls who brought slaves to freedom. It was only a railroad metaphorically, and the peopThe Underground Railroad was a network of safehouses and kind souls who brought slaves to freedom. It was only a railroad metaphorically, and the people who saved enslaved persons were called conductors and those enslaved persons themselves were called passengers.
The Underground Railroad was vital and brave. They brought many slaves to freedom in Canada and elsewhere. Some interesting stories occurred, such as the guy who mailed himself to the North in a box and the girl who disguised herself as a white woman, with her husband pretending to be her slave. ...more
Phillis Wheatley was a great poet, as I can tell from this poem I read in my history class. In it, she tells a bunch of rowdy college students to stopPhillis Wheatley was a great poet, as I can tell from this poem I read in my history class. In it, she tells a bunch of rowdy college students to stop sinning. I can relate. ...more
Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player. Yes, I am writing a review about a baseball player’s biography so close to the Super Bowl. Jackie RobinsoJackie Robinson was a great baseball player. Yes, I am writing a review about a baseball player’s biography so close to the Super Bowl. Jackie Robinson was just that important.
Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player in the major leagues after they were integrated. There were black ball players in the major leagues before they were segregated, but after they were segregated, black baseball players had to play in the “Negro Leagues.”
Jackie Robinson was a strong man. He had to be, because he faced racial discrimination on and off the field. His Negro Leagues team had to stay in bad hotels, and when Jackie Robinson was signed onto the Brooklyn Dodgers, white spectators would call him racial slurs. Jackie Robinson had a thick skin, and in fact was chosen to integrate the major leagues because of it.
Jackie Robinson was a trailblazer. He had the perfect personality and ball skills to be a trailblazer. Jackie Robinson was a great role model, but other black ball players should be recognized too, like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige....more
I liked this book when I read it as a kid. It was very charming and I especially liked the idea of the cat catalog. The two brothers, Julian and Huey,I liked this book when I read it as a kid. It was very charming and I especially liked the idea of the cat catalog. The two brothers, Julian and Huey, were great characters. They made me want to name my kids Julian or Huey. Why not? Julian has a great Roman pedigree and Huey is better than Hugh. Now, I just like seeing black kids in a story from the eighties that doesn’t depend on them being black. ...more
Martin Luther King Jr was a great civil rights leader. He started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and other actions to increase cMartin Luther King Jr was a great civil rights leader. He started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and other actions to increase civil rights for Black Americans. He was an admirable leader and if he was not assassinated, he would have done even more. Even if MLK was a flawed man who takes away a lot of admiration from other civil rights leaders.
Martin Luther King Jr was African American. He was born in Georgia and got his doctorate degree at the age of fifteen. He was privileged compared to a lot of other black people—his father even visited Germany and then got the idea to rename him and his son Martin Luther—but he still faced discrimination because of the color of his skin. MLK faced a lot of pushback and negative PR from white people, but this book only mentions it when hard racists express opposition, and doesn’t mention what MLK thought of the “white moderate”.
Martin Luther King Jr was a family man. This biography mentions his beloved wife, Coretta Scott King, but doesn’t mention anything bad he did to her. This biography mentions his kids, and how horribly his kids were treated when King moved his family into a poorer area. The kids and grandkids are now carrying on his legacy.
Martin Luther King Jr was a hero. Or at least, that’s the uncontested perspective of the book. It treats the new wave of black activists who want more violent and active action, like Malcolm X or the Black Panther Party, with disdain, rather than how they were probably good-intentioned men with different goals. This book also doesn’t mention MLK’s socialist leanings. If he wasn’t assassinated, he might have ended poverty in Chicago. MLK has some flaws, but he was more heroic than most, and I’m glad his birthday is a national holiday....more
This story doesn’t have enough of Kenny imagining himself as a superhero in it, but that didn’t matter to my enjoyment. I liked this story, but it hadThis story doesn’t have enough of Kenny imagining himself as a superhero in it, but that didn’t matter to my enjoyment. I liked this story, but it had a lot of flaws. Paramount among them is that it certainly feels like white authors trying to write about a black kid and failing. I didn’t realize it as a kid, but I knew that something was off. That was probably the thing that was off.
In this book, Kenny is a bit of a nerd who likes chess, and is bullied at public school in Washington DC. The school is mostly black, befitting the demographics of the nation’s capital, and is presented as an impoverished sucky school full of bullies. This book made me really glad I went to a private school, where I wouldn’t be bullied for being a nerd.
This book’s plot is a bit weak, but I do like the characters. Despite Kenny having an air of hating his own heritage, he’s a pretty loveable superhero nerd. I heavily relate to his relationship with his grandma. Other memorable characters include two kids both named Quaashie and Preemie, one of the only white girls in the school. This book has a lot of issues, and I wouldn’t give it to my own kid, but it was pretty entertaining, and it gave me a glimpse into an unfamiliar world....more
Barack Obama is a former president of the United States, the 44th to be exact. This book was published right when his presidency began, which makes itBarack Obama is a former president of the United States, the 44th to be exact. This book was published right when his presidency began, which makes it a bit outdated. For instance, this book doesn’t mention some of Obama’s more controversial actions, like the Affordable Care Act or continuing to intervene in the Middle East, probably because he wasn’t in involved in them at the time of publishing.
Barack Obama was Hawaiian. He was born in the good ol’ US of A, not in Kenya, Indonesia, or anywhere else.
Barack Obama was mixed-race. His father was Kenyan, and his mother was white. Barack Obama, however, has a very strong African-American identity, and was hailed as the US’s first black president. He was a trailblazer.
Barack Obama is pretty controversial. He might be the best president of the 21st century, which would be terrifying because Obama was pretty average all around. It is not my place to declare my politics in a book review, but suffice to say this book is pretty fawning of Obama. Probably because it was published too early for Obama to do any typical presidential things that would be judged as bad by child readers....more
An excellent poem about the trauma the author, a Vietnam vet, faces. He describes going to the Vietnam Memorial at Washington DC and remembering all tAn excellent poem about the trauma the author, a Vietnam vet, faces. He describes going to the Vietnam Memorial at Washington DC and remembering all the war dead. This poem is incredibly sad and made me feel so bad for the men who fought in Vietnam. The symbolism is stark and shows painful images. This poem also goes into how the author feels he is perceived as a black man. Even though he is still a Vietnam vet, he is ignored more than the white Vietnam veterans. This poem made me feel so sad and I loved reading it....more
Booker T. Washington was very eloquent, and I get where he’s coming from. However, his views and his arguments in his speech are flawed. He says to boBooker T. Washington was very eloquent, and I get where he’s coming from. However, his views and his arguments in his speech are flawed. He says to both black and white Americans “cast your bucket down where you are”, but race relations when he made that speech were a stormy, very salty sea. Booker T. Washington had good intentions, but if black civil rights struggles had focused more on his principles than Du Bois’s agitation, there would probably be less political equality for black Americans today.
But then again, maybe there would be more economic equality if the ideas in the Atlanta Compromise were implemented by black Americans. Booker T. Washington did advocate in this speech starting from the bottom instead of the top, prioritizing economic cooperation and getting black people into the middle class. However, he dismisses important concerns about fighting for racial equality. In the end, I think history proved Booker T. Washington wrong....more
**spoiler alert** This classic deserves the title just as much as most classics I read. It is a forceful, fast-paced, whirling book about every experi**spoiler alert** This classic deserves the title just as much as most classics I read. It is a forceful, fast-paced, whirling book about every experience a black man in America could have. The writing is beautifully written and the social commentary is superb. Even though it belongs to the canon of post-WW2 literature, it is still sadly relevant today.
The narrator is nameless and invisible. He narrates the events of his life from a basement in Harlem. His stream of consciousness is relatively accessible, and I’ve certainly read worse. The events he recounts are harrowing and disturbing, from the battle royale he’s forced to endure as a teen to the race riot at the end. He’s oppressed and manipulated by every group he tries to find success and companionship with, from the university which is obviously Tuskegee to the Brotherhood which are obviously the communists.
No one ever sees the narrator as a person. They only see his race, and they only see a pawn, something to use. He really is an invisible man. After reading some other books about the black American experience, I felt I could understand it. Not so for this book, but I could understand other parts of the narrator’s experience. He is very relatable, especially when he realizes his invisibility and decides to practice malicious compliance.
There are many wild settings, events, and characters in this book that are somehow both hyperreal and truer to reality than most books I read. The medical malpractice is entirely too real, and Liberty White Paints is the ultimate metaphor. With the university and the Brotherhood, it sometimes feels like our protagonist has fallen to a cult, worshipping Bledsoe and the Founder in the former and ideology in the latter. Makes me feel for all the ways someone black or white can fall into the trap.
I admire this book greatly. It states its message in a way that doesn’t interfere with its well-written story. The protagonist is compelling because he is nameless and descriptionless. A lot happens in this novel, almost all of it engrossing to read. It is absolutely superb and deserves a place in the American literary canon....more
This book is quite complex for a Mark Twain comedy meant to entertain audiences and deliver an anti-racist message. For one thing, Twain’s audience woThis book is quite complex for a Mark Twain comedy meant to entertain audiences and deliver an anti-racist message. For one thing, Twain’s audience wouldn’t necessarily take this book as anti-racist. The plot does involve two children, one white and one deemed “black” by society despite looking exactly like the white child. However, the one born “black”, raised in the home of the white master, is a total cad and has the worst of both races. The one born white and raised in slavery is just a guy who has been harmed greatly by the institution of slavery. I believe that Twain did want this novel to be anti racist, but framed it in a uncontroversial way. His audience would definitely see this novel as anti-slavery, but interpret the tale of the switched infants as “the one drop rule is stupid, not racism in general”.
The two boys switched at birth aren’t even the main characters. The real main character is Puddn’head Wilson, the town outcast who is smarter than everyone else but so eccentric he comes across as a “puddn’head”. His calendar contains a lot of witty phrases that are among the best Twain quotes. A pair of memorable secondary characters are two foreign twins. Twins and doppelgängers are recurring themes in Twain’s works, but are more visible in this book. Maybe because Twain’s public persona and private character are extremely different.
The plot in this book is extremely convoluted, and it’s hard to keep track of events, despite them certainly not being random. Despite the plot problem, this book is certainly funny, and it is one of Twain’s classics. The biggest problem I have with it is that it’s too short....more
I read this book after watching the movie. While it is better than the movie, it is not by much. This book tells a story of women who desperately needI read this book after watching the movie. While it is better than the movie, it is not by much. This book tells a story of women who desperately needed to be appreciated for their work, but focuses less about the racism and misogyny they faced and more about their achievements. That would be good, except that the women’s achievements just blend together. Not enough about their personality is shown, so I can’t tell them apart. So, even though the book is more scholarly and more accurate, the movie is better in that regard....more
This is a thrilling story. Addy and her family—not all of them, for slavery separates families—escape to the North, not waiting for the war to end butThis is a thrilling story. Addy and her family—not all of them, for slavery separates families—escape to the North, not waiting for the war to end but taking any chance they could. Addy is not just the “slave doll”, because her slavery ends in this book, and for the rest of the series she is a free girl. However, is this plot really a good one for the 1860s? This is the middle of the Civil War, and I feel that Addy’s plot would be more suited for the 1840s. At least the Addy series is really good anyway....more
An amazing novel shedding light on the important issue of police brutality towards black people. Although this novel is definitely an issue novel, it An amazing novel shedding light on the important issue of police brutality towards black people. Although this novel is definitely an issue novel, it also has a great plot and characters. It starts when the main character, Starr Carter, meets up with her childhood friend Khalil. But then Khalil is shot dead by a cop after that cop mistook a hairbrush for a gun. What follows is an evocative story that has Starr becoming an activist and seeking justice.
This novel is filled with a sense of moral outrage, yet it doesn’t indulge in either two-siding the issue or making all the black characters perfect. All characters are three-dimensional, falling all over the moral spectrum, even though the least evil white character is the heroine’s boyfriend. Black criminals are secondary antagonists, and they are also victims of racism and bad policing.
The Hate U Give talks about all sorts of issues facing the black community, not just police brutality, and does it well. There are some parts that feel distinctly mid-2010s, like how Starr disses feminism, ignoring intersectionality. But the book still makes its point wonderfully.
Although this book was published in response to the 2016 Black Lives Matter wave, I read it during the 2020 BLM protests. And I read it at the perfect time for the book to resonate with me, as much as a white person could resonate with it. Timing is everything when you read books, and maybe if I had read it at any other time, I wouldn’t love it as much as I do now. ...more
The premise of what the author did was… pretty strange. He was a white guy who decided to see what racism was like firsthand, so he underwent a radicaThe premise of what the author did was… pretty strange. He was a white guy who decided to see what racism was like firsthand, so he underwent a radical transformation. He artificially darkened his skin, using medication and special tanning, and traveled the South for a bit. And then he experienced terrible racism.
I read about the author experiencing discrimination that I already knew of from other books, but this time it was from a different, unique perspective. What is more interesting than the racism actually was how black people treated him. They didn’t even notice that he was effectively a white man in blackface. It was slightly problematic, but extremely well-intentioned. I approve of the author, if not his specific methods. and appreciate what he was trying to go for.
Some parts were kind of annoying, but the author was definitely brave for doing that. In those times, white people probably could only see how bad racism was if it happened to a white person. Which was also why the Freedom Riders became so famous. So even though writing the articles might seem like a bad decision at first, it was an interesting and possibly necessary addition to the literature of the civil rights movement....more
The amazing autobiographical story of the Little Rock Nine and their experience integrating a school. It was the first time this had been done, and whThe amazing autobiographical story of the Little Rock Nine and their experience integrating a school. It was the first time this had been done, and what happened in response was terrifying. What affected me most when I read this book was how exactly the Little Rock Nine were treated. It wasn’t just high school students who bullied them, harassed them, called them slurs, and worse. It was adults who were horrified by these teenagers and opposed them integrating Little Rock High. I knew what had happened then from my earlier reading, but it seems more personal hearing it from someone who had been through it.
The author was one of the black teenagers of the Little Rock Nine. She is very humble, but I knew she had gone through just as much strife and discrimination as the other eight of that group. It was hard to read about what happened, but it is necessary to learn and know exactly what happened. How teenagers were assaulted just for wanting to go to a certain school. And the fact that there’s unofficial segregation and lingering inequality makes me love this book even more. Kids need to read books like this more....more
Harriet Tubman was a brave woman. She escaped to freedom in the North and led others to freedom as well, and none of her charges were ever caught or pHarriet Tubman was a brave woman. She escaped to freedom in the North and led others to freedom as well, and none of her charges were ever caught or prevented. She should be on the twenty dollar bill instead of Andrew Jackson. I am okay calling her the black Moses.
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta on a plantation. I don’t know why she is known as Harriet now, and I don’t think this biography even says why. She also doesn’t show signs of happiness despite an unfortunate line in the first chapter that made a lot of people DNF. In her teens, an overseer threw a rock at her forehead, almost killing her and making a dent in her forehead she would cover up with iconic head wraps.
Harriet Tubman was an escapee. She used the help of Quakers and the Underground Railroad to free herself. She was lucky to have lived in Maryland, a state so close to Pennsylvania, where she could be free. Even this relatively short journey was terrifying. She was chased by slave catchers and dogs, and traveled at night feeling the backs of trees to figure out where north was.
Harriet Tubman was a spy. In the Civil War, she worked as a spy for a Northern black regiment (not black ops, a segregated unit). Her title was scout, but she was actually a spy. Just when I didn’t think this woman was any more awesome.
Harriet Tubman was an American hero. She isn’t as appreciated as much as I remember her being, and there are many other great black heroes in history, but she was still amazing. ...more
Frederick Douglass described, in this own words, the terrible experience of his life as a slave, the horrors he had been through. It is haunting readiFrederick Douglass described, in this own words, the terrible experience of his life as a slave, the horrors he had been through. It is haunting reading. While Southern slavery was a true horror, a lot of what Douglass says about slavery applies to any instance of it, whether in ancient history or modern day human trafficking.
This autobiography is harrowing, but it is also inspiring. Frederick Douglass taught himself how to read and write. He had to do it on his own, because it was illegal to teach a slave how to read and write. This education taught him that he was human, and it liberated him just as much as escaping to the North.
Douglass’s account of his own life, and of the racism and dehumanization he suffered, made an impact on me, even after reading a lot of books about the horrors of antebellum slavery and getting sort of desensitized. This book isn’t just an American classic, it’s for everyone who wants to understand how injustice works, especially in the context of slavery....more
The title of this book is very innocuous to describe the “incidents” occurring within. This book shows some of the terrible events that would specificThe title of this book is very innocuous to describe the “incidents” occurring within. This book shows some of the terrible events that would specifically affect a female black slave on a plantation. Some of it is in 19th century language that seeks to hide it in poetic details, but the oppression is visible nonetheless.
I read an edition that named the author as “Linda Brent”. That is because she had to hide her identity, because what she described in that document was so true and terrible that she might have feared for her life if her identity were revealed. The slave catchers might have got her and sent her back to the South.
The author wasn’t whipped. That doesn’t matter. Slavery is still a degrading institution, especially when it is coupled with sexual oppression. And the separation of families. And the lengths the author went to to escape slavery. She hid in a garret for seven years, hidden by her faithful grandmother, before she could run away completely. The author was very brave in a quiet way.
This book was eye-opening. So much of slavery is erased from what is told to schoolchildren, because it contains sexual content that is considered inappropriate for children. That is what makes what happened so horrible. And it didn’t happen that long ago....more
The is a beautiful true story about motherhood, race, and one man’s gratitude to his mother, but there’s something in how the story is told which creaThe is a beautiful true story about motherhood, race, and one man’s gratitude to his mother, but there’s something in how the story is told which creates a bad feeling in me. It has nothing to do with the author, who has nothing but love and respect for his mother and both parts of his heritage, black and Jewish. But maybe he shouldn’t love the Jewish part of his heritage.
His mother converted to Christianity, and so the Judaism is a lie. But that isn’t the only reason why James McBride shouldn’t feel good about Judaism. His mother, the true main character and narrator of this story, hates her heritage, and she should. Her father abused her and her mother, and it was not an individual person’s evil. It was religion that enabled this, a backwards Middle Eastern form of religion, and she converted to Protestantism and black culture for a very good reason.
This isn’t my views. It is the deeply-hidden views of James McBride’s mother, who is a wonderful person. Unlike every other white person, especially Jews. The author isn’t prejudiced, but his mother ran away not just because she was treated badly, but because she hated herself and where she came from. The woman she used to have been was dead. Now she wasn’t a white Jew anymore. She was no color, the color of water....more
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