A review by marthaos
Negroland by Margo Jefferson

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

I listened to this as my non-fiction read for May as part of the @another.chapter.podcast non-fiction reading challenge. It was an interesting read, it was very informative and it looked at the Black elite and upper class, a side that is often overlooked in cultural  discourse. 

The book was really well written, well researched and well structured. The first half was very much based on Black history and recounting specific lives of black people, taking in the civil rights movement, the feminist movement and contemporary life in America, whereas the second was more of a personal history, describing the author’s own childhood and coming of age and her experience of life among the elite and the many examples of when she came up against racism.

The descriptions of skin tones and hair types I found interesting as it was very clear cut despite very subtle but clearly important differences and struck me as the author’s own summation probably based on her family’s history handed down orally and her own lived experience and observations. The complexities that should not be, but often are, overlooked are what makes this book stand apart. Too simple a telling of a story does justice to no-one.

Personally I found the facts and historical accounts at the start heavy going but I can understand how it was important to provide context and taught me a lot. More interesting to me was her own story which I found compelling, so rich in detail and eye-opening.

This book showed me how little I know and definitely made me feel like I have a duty to be more informed, to keep learning and I would definitely recommend it.