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A review by laurenkd89
Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall
4.0
Read this for Black History Month. Enough said.
What a fantastic, inventive, well-researched book. I can honestly say I've never read anything like this - a blend of fiction and nonfiction, told through the format of a Catholic Book of Saints. This book is about Black culture, Black history, and Black joy. It's about respecting your ancestors who came before you, paving the way for future Black stars, celebrating life, and passing down stories that are so often forgotten. I highly recommend this NPR review of Black Bottom Saints, which perfectly captures its imagination, construction, and depth.
In 1968, Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson is laying in his deathbed at a hospital, reflecting on his life in Black Bottom, Detroit. Black Bottom, or as Ziggy calls it, "caramel Camelot," was a hotspot for Black culture in the heyday of Detroit (from the 1920s to the 1950s). The many Black auto workers employed at the city's plants worked hard, long hours, but earned good money, giving them and their families the economic opportunity to not just survive, but thrive. Black Bottom showcased the country's best up-and-coming Black talent, from musicians to comedians to playwrights to downright Black stars sitting in the audience.
Ziggy Johnson was a real-life gossip columnist for a Black newspaper, an emcee for two swanky clubs/music lounges, and the founder of a theatre school for children (aptly named "Ziggy Johnson's School of Theatre"). In his many roles wearing many hats, he had the great fortune of meeting all the names of Black culture at the time, from legendary football player Night Train Lane to Black trans performer Valda Gray to the white-passing writer Elsie Roxborough who died tragically young to the iconic Sammy Davis Jr. He reveres these folks, both for their impact on his life and their impact on the Black world as a whole - and he shows that reverence by creating a devotional guide, of sorts. I should stress that each of these people are real life figures, some well-known and some relatively obscure. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to not only research these people, but after learning about the bare bones of their life, create a magical, real, human portrait of them.
Ziggy doesn't give you the Wikipedia summary of his saints. In some ways, the details of when they were born, what their accomplishments were, and when they died are trivial. He gives you the eulogy. The stories you would want to hear to celebrate their life, their wisdom, their humor, and their spirit. And speaking of spirit, each chapter ends with a libation to celebrate each saint's feast day, with a recipe, recommended glassware, and all. My favorite is the libation for the feast day of Artis Lane, legendary Black Canadian sculptor whose bust of Sojourner Truth now sits in Emancipation Hall.
If I can give one criticism about this book, particularly the audiobook, it would be the "interlude" chapters between the saint profiles - the story of a character named "Colored Girl." I have to say that I didn't enjoy these parts nearly as much as I enjoyed Ziggy's wonderfully rich portraits (and Prentice Onayemi's narration).
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley - I'm so glad I picked this one up, and I recommend you do too.
What a fantastic, inventive, well-researched book. I can honestly say I've never read anything like this - a blend of fiction and nonfiction, told through the format of a Catholic Book of Saints. This book is about Black culture, Black history, and Black joy. It's about respecting your ancestors who came before you, paving the way for future Black stars, celebrating life, and passing down stories that are so often forgotten. I highly recommend this NPR review of Black Bottom Saints, which perfectly captures its imagination, construction, and depth.
In 1968, Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson is laying in his deathbed at a hospital, reflecting on his life in Black Bottom, Detroit. Black Bottom, or as Ziggy calls it, "caramel Camelot," was a hotspot for Black culture in the heyday of Detroit (from the 1920s to the 1950s). The many Black auto workers employed at the city's plants worked hard, long hours, but earned good money, giving them and their families the economic opportunity to not just survive, but thrive. Black Bottom showcased the country's best up-and-coming Black talent, from musicians to comedians to playwrights to downright Black stars sitting in the audience.
Ziggy Johnson was a real-life gossip columnist for a Black newspaper, an emcee for two swanky clubs/music lounges, and the founder of a theatre school for children (aptly named "Ziggy Johnson's School of Theatre"). In his many roles wearing many hats, he had the great fortune of meeting all the names of Black culture at the time, from legendary football player Night Train Lane to Black trans performer Valda Gray to the white-passing writer Elsie Roxborough who died tragically young to the iconic Sammy Davis Jr. He reveres these folks, both for their impact on his life and their impact on the Black world as a whole - and he shows that reverence by creating a devotional guide, of sorts. I should stress that each of these people are real life figures, some well-known and some relatively obscure. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to not only research these people, but after learning about the bare bones of their life, create a magical, real, human portrait of them.
Ziggy doesn't give you the Wikipedia summary of his saints. In some ways, the details of when they were born, what their accomplishments were, and when they died are trivial. He gives you the eulogy. The stories you would want to hear to celebrate their life, their wisdom, their humor, and their spirit. And speaking of spirit, each chapter ends with a libation to celebrate each saint's feast day, with a recipe, recommended glassware, and all. My favorite is the libation for the feast day of Artis Lane, legendary Black Canadian sculptor whose bust of Sojourner Truth now sits in Emancipation Hall.
My Favorite Canadian
A bottle of Canadian Club and a bottle of water
A clean glass
Pour as much of either as you think you should have. Drink. Get back to the art of life!
If I can give one criticism about this book, particularly the audiobook, it would be the "interlude" chapters between the saint profiles - the story of a character named "Colored Girl." I have to say that I didn't enjoy these parts nearly as much as I enjoyed Ziggy's wonderfully rich portraits (and Prentice Onayemi's narration).
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley - I'm so glad I picked this one up, and I recommend you do too.