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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.”
coriandercake's review against another edition
3.0
What I liked:
1. The exploration of intergenerational trauma, both through Sellers' discussion of the Orangeburg Massacre and his family history of anxiety
2. His discussions on how, despite his privilege, racism impacted directly, either through the death of his friends, online insults, or worry over proper medical treatment
What I did not like:
1. I really do not like reading books about people who have achieved lofty positions in society through the people they know and their personal connections. It makes me rather pessimistic about the value of merit. Like JD Vance (Hillbilly Elegy), Sellers grew up poor but had a supportive family that pushed him to go to a prestigious college and he had personal connections that helped him gain important experience that helped his career. Unlike Vance, Seller is rather aware of his privileges, although he could have done a better job of fleshing them out.
2. There was so much namedropping in this book, even when it wasn't necessary. I didn't need to know all the important people Sellers schmoozed with at the DNC or that he talked about anxiety with Charlamagne. This was especially bad in the middle part of the book, when he discussed his time at college and his first foray into politics. I wish he would have spent more time discussing what he actually did (besides benefiting his own town) and how his mentors helped him grow as a legislator. He talked about how he received this mentorship but seemed more interested in listing famous politicians than actually discussing what he learned. This middle part also felt disconnected because he didn't really connect his experience to broader trends as he did in other chapters
3. The title doesn't make sense. I don't know what's vanishing in the country. I don't know if this is a reference to Trump and his politics, which are only discussed in the last chapter and felt tacked on with a few of his opinions without any meaningful analysis (Dying of Whiteness discusses some of Sellers' ideas with more evidence although I think both books really miss why Democratic candidates do not appeal to rural white voters)
4. The quotations from his friends and family were strange since they referred to Sellers in the third person. It was rather clunky.
1. The exploration of intergenerational trauma, both through Sellers' discussion of the Orangeburg Massacre and his family history of anxiety
2. His discussions on how, despite his privilege, racism impacted directly, either through the death of his friends, online insults, or worry over proper medical treatment
What I did not like:
1. I really do not like reading books about people who have achieved lofty positions in society through the people they know and their personal connections. It makes me rather pessimistic about the value of merit. Like JD Vance (Hillbilly Elegy), Sellers grew up poor but had a supportive family that pushed him to go to a prestigious college and he had personal connections that helped him gain important experience that helped his career. Unlike Vance, Seller is rather aware of his privileges, although he could have done a better job of fleshing them out.
2. There was so much namedropping in this book, even when it wasn't necessary. I didn't need to know all the important people Sellers schmoozed with at the DNC or that he talked about anxiety with Charlamagne. This was especially bad in the middle part of the book, when he discussed his time at college and his first foray into politics. I wish he would have spent more time discussing what he actually did (besides benefiting his own town) and how his mentors helped him grow as a legislator. He talked about how he received this mentorship but seemed more interested in listing famous politicians than actually discussing what he learned. This middle part also felt disconnected because he didn't really connect his experience to broader trends as he did in other chapters
3. The title doesn't make sense. I don't know what's vanishing in the country. I don't know if this is a reference to Trump and his politics, which are only discussed in the last chapter and felt tacked on with a few of his opinions without any meaningful analysis (Dying of Whiteness discusses some of Sellers' ideas with more evidence although I think both books really miss why Democratic candidates do not appeal to rural white voters)
4. The quotations from his friends and family were strange since they referred to Sellers in the third person. It was rather clunky.
tracithomas's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed getting to know Bakari Sellers. The content of this book was super interesting and his position as a civil rights legacy is incredible. The food was just ok but the content was great.
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Bakari Seller's memoir "My Vanishing Country" is a very interesting account of his family's past, his role in politics as the youngest statesman in South Carolina, his work on CNN, and the myriad ways racism impacts America. As the son of Cleveland Sellers, a Civil Rights leader who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and who was falsely accused and imprisoned for instigating the little known Orangeburg Massacre, Sellers reflects on what it means to be a leader, how to make change, and the continuation of generational trauma when the urgent, life-saving changes are passed by. His focus is on Bamberg County where he grew up in SC, and he shows how greed, negligence, and racism leads to areas with no local hospitals, no growing industry, no clean drinking water, and no prospects for the area's youth; this impacts the quality of life for all who live there-- black or white.
The first two-thirds of Sellers' memoir is about his childhood, education, and run for office. He speaks about how important it is for young, Black men to have role models and men of excellence to look up to, and how they need to be challenged in school and given the opportunities for higher education. He stresses how much forgotten communities leave people behind-- they don't know better prospects because they do not see better prospects. He also shows the intricacies running for politics and all of the on the ground, face to face work that goes into persuading voters. For any young person who is thinking about leadership in any form, they should read this book to learn how it is done. Sellers is not just a dreamer, but a doer. He details the immense amount of pressure there is to be both a Black man and a public figure, because what he does is not just about him, but his entire community. It's not until the last third of the book when he recounts the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church that left nine African-Americans dead, his wife's near-death experience, and the true extent of America's racism as revealed by Trump's election that the full force of his urgency is felt. In order for change to happen, it needs to happen on the streets and in the governing offices. People need to be activists, not just on the outside of the system, but inside, too. Too many in power today are more concerned about their political agendas than they are about providing services and building the communities they serve. This maintains the status quo and diminishes and destroys their constituents' lives.
What I really appreciate about his book is not only the telling of his father's work and sacrifices, but how he connects the often abstract issues of health care, education, industry to real, tangible issues on the ground. His work is a call to arms to be the voice for the voiceless and that improving lives in poor Black communities improves lives for all. But we have to make it happen.
The first two-thirds of Sellers' memoir is about his childhood, education, and run for office. He speaks about how important it is for young, Black men to have role models and men of excellence to look up to, and how they need to be challenged in school and given the opportunities for higher education. He stresses how much forgotten communities leave people behind-- they don't know better prospects because they do not see better prospects. He also shows the intricacies running for politics and all of the on the ground, face to face work that goes into persuading voters. For any young person who is thinking about leadership in any form, they should read this book to learn how it is done. Sellers is not just a dreamer, but a doer. He details the immense amount of pressure there is to be both a Black man and a public figure, because what he does is not just about him, but his entire community. It's not until the last third of the book when he recounts the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church that left nine African-Americans dead, his wife's near-death experience, and the true extent of America's racism as revealed by Trump's election that the full force of his urgency is felt. In order for change to happen, it needs to happen on the streets and in the governing offices. People need to be activists, not just on the outside of the system, but inside, too. Too many in power today are more concerned about their political agendas than they are about providing services and building the communities they serve. This maintains the status quo and diminishes and destroys their constituents' lives.
What I really appreciate about his book is not only the telling of his father's work and sacrifices, but how he connects the often abstract issues of health care, education, industry to real, tangible issues on the ground. His work is a call to arms to be the voice for the voiceless and that improving lives in poor Black communities improves lives for all. But we have to make it happen.
cheesehead_reader's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that I wish I could get some of my family members to read.
moonbites's review against another edition
4.0
The second half really made this book for me. I loved the commentary it made and it was interesting looking at our not so distant past with the election of Donald Trump. I really loved the idea of using sage on the U.S. right now, amen to that!
Also now I really want to read [b:Their Eyes Were Watching God|37415|Their Eyes Were Watching God|Zora Neale Hurston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368072803l/37415._SY75_.jpg|1643555]. It was only mentioned a couple of times but it had me questioning why haven't I read this already??? Will be a classic I aim to read in 2021.
Also now I really want to read [b:Their Eyes Were Watching God|37415|Their Eyes Were Watching God|Zora Neale Hurston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368072803l/37415._SY75_.jpg|1643555]. It was only mentioned a couple of times but it had me questioning why haven't I read this already??? Will be a classic I aim to read in 2021.