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booalie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
mogffm3's review against another edition
3.0
I greatly enjoyed many parts of this book. I try to read more & more books about race, so my actions and thoughts will be more anti-racist.
The author shared many personal life events (and those of his family's) viewed through his lens, and this helps me understand the racism black men & women are facing.
He comes across as genuine and overall, a caring person.
Yet, I felt he over-simplified or just ignored the corruption of politics and other reasons people vote party lines beyond race, but overall, that was a pretty small portion of the book.
Overall, an enjoyable read about Barkari Seller's life.
The author shared many personal life events (and those of his family's) viewed through his lens, and this helps me understand the racism black men & women are facing.
He comes across as genuine and overall, a caring person.
Yet, I felt he over-simplified or just ignored the corruption of politics and other reasons people vote party lines beyond race, but overall, that was a pretty small portion of the book.
Overall, an enjoyable read about Barkari Seller's life.
suebrownreads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed learning more about Bakari Sellers. This is a smart young man with a good heart. I know he will accomplish a lot in his life. What I did not like was the foul language he used. I don't understand why young people today think it is ok to use ugly language. The English language is so full of excellent words to describe any situation and emotion, I completely understand his frustration with America today regarding racism and cast, but he would make a better role model for young folks if he can relay his feelings and emotions without using foul language. That being said, I do thank you Bakari for your story and for enlightening me on the Orangeburg Massacre. I am ashamed to say that I don't remember ever hearing about it. Shocking.
drnop's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
DeLana R. A. Cameron & Michael Harriott have birthed the idea to read every book written by an author from South Carolina. A Vanishing Country by Bakari Sellers has been on my shelf for a while. So, I read it. Much like Harriott, Sellers retold several stories I learned while growing up in rural South Carolina. The author set out to give his parents their flowers and did so by articulating their story as it related to his own. We will agree to disagree about the Lewis/Bonds election of 1986, but otherwise I’m grateful to draw the connections between those I love and Sellers’ circle. A shift is upon us and retelling the histories of our parents and grandparents is how we get to a brighter future.
amoveableread's review against another edition
enjoyed the sections about black history in the south, bored out of my skull by the chapters on politics, was given a reason to stop reading when I found out that Sellers is a Zionist
brice_mo's review against another edition
2.0
Such mixed feelings on this one. It feels like an amalgamation of three great books that only sort of come together as one okay book.
I was fascinated by almost everything Bakari Sellers chose to share in this memoir, but it felt like he pivoted each time the book would have benefited from more extended reflection. Despite the low star rating, I would love to read a follow-up that expands on the themes introduced in “My Vanishing Country.”
I was fascinated by almost everything Bakari Sellers chose to share in this memoir, but it felt like he pivoted each time the book would have benefited from more extended reflection. Despite the low star rating, I would love to read a follow-up that expands on the themes introduced in “My Vanishing Country.”
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
Bakari Sellers grew up in Denmark, a small town outside of Orangeburg, South Carolina. His father is Cleveland Sellers, a contemporary of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael, who was targeted by the authorities during and after the Orangeburg Massacre and who struggled to find employment because of the record he had as a result, until he received a full pardon 25 years later. Bakari Sellers grew up around Civil Rights leaders but also around people who were struggling to get by in Denmark. This is his memoir in which he describes how Denmark has slowly lost it's vibrancy as the local hospital is closed and the infrastructure crumbles.
This is very much a memoir written by a politician with an eye to winning elections. There's more than a hint of hagiography in Sellers's account of his own life and experiences. But when his focus turns from himself, the memoir comes to life, and the best chapter by far is his account of the Orangeburg Massacre and his father's story. This is also a deep dive into politics specific to South Carolina and to Black culture in The Palmetto State, which may be of limited interest to people less interested in local politics or the history of South Carolina.
This is very much a memoir written by a politician with an eye to winning elections. There's more than a hint of hagiography in Sellers's account of his own life and experiences. But when his focus turns from himself, the memoir comes to life, and the best chapter by far is his account of the Orangeburg Massacre and his father's story. This is also a deep dive into politics specific to South Carolina and to Black culture in The Palmetto State, which may be of limited interest to people less interested in local politics or the history of South Carolina.
smtenaglia's review against another edition
4.0
“My sister was right. I was a strange child, a very old soul. My father was intentional with me, and I was receptive. He never stopped showing me the realities of life. Maybe my sense of purpose was developing sooner and faster than in most children. As a result, my early knowledge of the injustices of the civil rights era has left me with a heavy heart, even as a child, with so many tears but also with hope — and a mission. My father’s path and my own are tangled together over the same bloody ground. My goal, like his, is to help heal this nation’s divide.”