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Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
audjfield13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
hampton_reads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
interesting book on a historical era well-tread in the literature. i really appreciated Gates's dual lens: deconstructing race science on one hand and advocating for Black art on the other (and thereby positioning himself among a few different literatures).
his critique and explanation of frameworks of the "new" is well received and i immediately incorporated that into my notes on Reconstruction+Redemption
also to note that "nadir" seems to be a word that fascinated the author because it would appear in a flurry all at once, likely in the parts written last for this book and alongside one another (intro and conclusion, almost like a bookend of nadirs).
his critique and explanation of frameworks of the "new" is well received and i immediately incorporated that into my notes on Reconstruction+Redemption
also to note that "nadir" seems to be a word that fascinated the author because it would appear in a flurry all at once, likely in the parts written last for this book and alongside one another (intro and conclusion, almost like a bookend of nadirs).
crybabybea's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Detailed cultural analysis of the Reconstruction. I was a little bit thrown off at first as I was expecting a historical retelling of the era, but this is more than that; Henry Louis Gates, Jr. tackles the common culture of the time, from science, to politics, to popular media. In doing so, he examines both "sides" of the era, from the freed Black people's struggle to gain rights and regain their power, to the extreme lengths white people went through to prove the moral correctness of their racism and desire to return to slavery.
I found this book to go well with what I learned from other reading like Stamped (Ibram X. Kendi) and Medical Apartheid (Harriet A. Washington). Gates explains how white people used racist caricatures and eugenics to justify their racism and desire to keep Black people separated, which Harriet Washington wrote about at length. Later, he tackles the issues faced within the Black community, specifically of northern Black people's classist disdain for the newly freed Southern Black people, as Ibram X. Kendi talks about in his upliftsuasian analysis of popular figures at the time.
There is a lot of information packed into this, the writing was definitely heavy on the academic side which made it hard for me at times. Certain parts were collections of quotes followed by quotes followed by more quotes; super useful when doing a research project, but hard to follow as a casual reader/listener. I do appreciate the deconstruction of what most of us were taught in school (which is to say, absolutely the bare minimum) and what actually happened during the time period.
I did feel like the lens of Black women of the time was missing.
I picked up a physical copy just to see the photos included in each section, which thoroughly horrified me and helped solidify the realization that racism was and continues to be so blatant and such a huge part of American history.
A great book to pick up if you are interested in learning more about the general culture at the time of Reconstruction, and I definitely recommend picking it up as a follow-up to Stamped.
I found this book to go well with what I learned from other reading like Stamped (Ibram X. Kendi) and Medical Apartheid (Harriet A. Washington). Gates explains how white people used racist caricatures and eugenics to justify their racism and desire to keep Black people separated, which Harriet Washington wrote about at length. Later, he tackles the issues faced within the Black community, specifically of northern Black people's classist disdain for the newly freed Southern Black people, as Ibram X. Kendi talks about in his upliftsuasian analysis of popular figures at the time.
There is a lot of information packed into this, the writing was definitely heavy on the academic side which made it hard for me at times. Certain parts were collections of quotes followed by quotes followed by more quotes; super useful when doing a research project, but hard to follow as a casual reader/listener. I do appreciate the deconstruction of what most of us were taught in school (which is to say, absolutely the bare minimum) and what actually happened during the time period.
I did feel like the lens of Black women of the time was missing.
I picked up a physical copy just to see the photos included in each section, which thoroughly horrified me and helped solidify the realization that racism was and continues to be so blatant and such a huge part of American history.
A great book to pick up if you are interested in learning more about the general culture at the time of Reconstruction, and I definitely recommend picking it up as a follow-up to Stamped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Please be aware that if you pick up a physical copy, you will see photos of racist caricatures and political cartoons, as well as graphic images of lynching victims.heidipolkissa82's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
jaraddavis02's review against another edition
5.0
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”, more recently known as the Negro National Anthem, penned by famed poet, novelist, and activist, James Weldon Johnson, lyrically and prophetically narrates the experience of black Americans. The second verse of the song begins with the words, “Stony the road we trod...”, expressing the anguish yet the ambition of the Negro’s history in America going from enslavement to Reconstruction to Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement.
It is the short lived, radical experiment of Reconstruction that Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. commences his book, “Stony the Road”, detailing how the freedom of the formerly enslaved along with increasing political power led to white resentment & redemption --- dare I say, racist white folks’ attempt to make America “great again”.
Dr. Gates is a scholar, so of course this book can be dense in some cases, but it is highly readable. He also writes and includes illustrations of how imagery, negative and positive, were used by racists and activists to sway public opinion. From D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” to Alaine Locke’s “New Negro” movement, one will gain an understanding of the climate of the times that pushed black people to pursue liberation.
As far as the facts detailed in this book, I didn’t learn anything new, however, I always appreciate the insight and expertise Dr. Gates is able to bring to develop the context of the times. Particularly, as we examine the landscape of our current society, one will be able to see the parallels of a time past. While it is saddening and frustrating that we are still having similar fights in the 21st century, my hope is in the idea that black folks have always pushed, have always endured, and have always lifted their voices.
It is the short lived, radical experiment of Reconstruction that Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. commences his book, “Stony the Road”, detailing how the freedom of the formerly enslaved along with increasing political power led to white resentment & redemption --- dare I say, racist white folks’ attempt to make America “great again”.
Dr. Gates is a scholar, so of course this book can be dense in some cases, but it is highly readable. He also writes and includes illustrations of how imagery, negative and positive, were used by racists and activists to sway public opinion. From D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” to Alaine Locke’s “New Negro” movement, one will gain an understanding of the climate of the times that pushed black people to pursue liberation.
As far as the facts detailed in this book, I didn’t learn anything new, however, I always appreciate the insight and expertise Dr. Gates is able to bring to develop the context of the times. Particularly, as we examine the landscape of our current society, one will be able to see the parallels of a time past. While it is saddening and frustrating that we are still having similar fights in the 21st century, my hope is in the idea that black folks have always pushed, have always endured, and have always lifted their voices.