Scan barcode
perfect_leaves's reviews
452 reviews
How to Be Black by Baratunde R. Thurston
3.0
Check out the full review and a link to Thurston's comedy on my blog: Swallow Song. Here are some highlights of the review.
I was enamored with this book for a couple of days, but now that a few weeks have passed between my finishing the book and my writing this review, I have all but forgotten what was in between the pages. After reading the opening passages of How to be Black, I held out hope that the book could be added to my favorites list. I enjoyed Thurston's wit and honesty, and braced myself for a beautiful racial satire. How to be Black, however, under-performed for me.
The writing style was a bit simplistic and some of the jokes seemed forced. Every now in then I read a joke that made me laugh out loud, but I don't remember any of the punchlines anymore. Having read both Between the World and Me and Negroland, I found How to be Black to an excellent middle-man sort of book. Between the World and Me is deeply personal, emotive, and poignant while Negroland is stilted and icy. I deeply enjoyed both books, but for very different reasons. Between the World and Me tells the story of poverty and overcoming obstacles; Negroland tells the story of privilege. How to be Black illustrates the efforts of a Black mother to educate her son in Black culture while making sure he is educated by and interacts with White people. It's sarcastic and light-hearted, and though there are excellent lessons woven throughout the narrative, the book as a whole shouldn't be taken too seriously.
I was enamored with this book for a couple of days, but now that a few weeks have passed between my finishing the book and my writing this review, I have all but forgotten what was in between the pages. After reading the opening passages of How to be Black, I held out hope that the book could be added to my favorites list. I enjoyed Thurston's wit and honesty, and braced myself for a beautiful racial satire. How to be Black, however, under-performed for me.
The writing style was a bit simplistic and some of the jokes seemed forced. Every now in then I read a joke that made me laugh out loud, but I don't remember any of the punchlines anymore. Having read both Between the World and Me and Negroland, I found How to be Black to an excellent middle-man sort of book. Between the World and Me is deeply personal, emotive, and poignant while Negroland is stilted and icy. I deeply enjoyed both books, but for very different reasons. Between the World and Me tells the story of poverty and overcoming obstacles; Negroland tells the story of privilege. How to be Black illustrates the efforts of a Black mother to educate her son in Black culture while making sure he is educated by and interacts with White people. It's sarcastic and light-hearted, and though there are excellent lessons woven throughout the narrative, the book as a whole shouldn't be taken too seriously.