A review by readswithnatalieb
Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future by Brandi Collins-Dexter

4.0

 

This is one of those books that’ll stick with me for quite sometime. There were so many informative chapters that introduced me to new perspectives that I, as a white woman, will never fully comprehend. I know I’ll be reflecting on this information for a while, especially with midterms right around the corner. 

 

After reading the synopsis, I was ready for a political book. But when I started, the first part is about Collins-Dexter’s dad, and ultimately, how this story came about. Her dad, Jimmy Collins, was a NCAA basketball star, NBA player, and long-time coach for University of Illinois at Chicago. He influenced this book so if anything, it felt like an ode to him with politics and history mixed in. 

 

For the remainder of the book, the structure didn’t flow too well in my opinion. There were some memoir tidbits, followed up with interviews, historical context, and personal dialogue. It felt a bit all over the place and sort of repetitive in some chapters. Some information is needed multiple times for it to be digested, but at times I felt I was reading the same sentence over and over again. 

 

But the content of the book was extremely eye-opening. From Kanye West, to how Black voters view themselves during elections, how Black voters are not all Democrats (nor should they be categorized that way), to sex workers, to MAGA supporters and so much more. It gave me so much to think about in a whole new perspective that I think everyone should be willing to try. 

 

Given the information of this book and the topics that are covered, I know my review won’t do this justice. However, I will say it’s worth reading ahead of November. 

 

Big thank you to Celadon books for the gifted copy! This is available September 20. 

 

Content warnings: racism, death