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A Dreadful Deceit( The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama's America)[DREADFUL DECEIT][Hardcover]
A Dreadful Deceit( The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama's America) <> Hardcover <> JacquelineJones <> BasicBooks(AZ)
Hardcover
First published December 10, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 6, 2014
I was disappointed by Jacqueline Jones’s “A Dreadful Deceit”.
Her thesis- that “black” is a sociological construct - while not necessarily new, is nonetheless exciting insofar as contemporary racial dogma insists that while race is a figment of social imagination it nonetheless somehow matters. When I started reading I was looking forward to seeing how she argued her point.
As it turns out, she didn’t.
I picked up the book because I was hoping gain an understanding how the concept of “race” had evolved throughout the 400 year history of Europeans in North America and, moreover, to learn what the implications of those definitional transitions might be. What Jones provided, instead, were a series of essays that meticulously explored lives of six individual black people at six different epochs of American history. While each exploration was thorough and, of themselves, inherently interesting, the narratives seldom, and then, only tangentially, seemed to relate to her professed theme.
This is not to say that the book is not valuable. In providing these compelling portraits, she has served to breathe life into times past and to make clear that the challenges, opportunities, depredations and suffering experienced by blacks were not static and changed over time. Knowledge of this sort dispels any inclination to think of blacks as a temporal monolith of indistinguishable suffering and makes real the humanity of people who are frequently presented as cardboard cutouts.
The whole awarding-of-stars thing in rating books is inherently sketchy when reviewing historical non-fiction as, unless it’s just poorly written or presented, there are inevitably insights to be won from reading what different writers have to say about common historical topics. I have awarded this book three star-thingies because, as I’ve said, Jones failed to make her point. Had Jones, however, rewritten her introduction and her conclusion to reflect the material she actually presented, I probably would have declared it a much better book.
Her thesis- that “black” is a sociological construct - while not necessarily new, is nonetheless exciting insofar as contemporary racial dogma insists that while race is a figment of social imagination it nonetheless somehow matters. When I started reading I was looking forward to seeing how she argued her point.
As it turns out, she didn’t.
I picked up the book because I was hoping gain an understanding how the concept of “race” had evolved throughout the 400 year history of Europeans in North America and, moreover, to learn what the implications of those definitional transitions might be. What Jones provided, instead, were a series of essays that meticulously explored lives of six individual black people at six different epochs of American history. While each exploration was thorough and, of themselves, inherently interesting, the narratives seldom, and then, only tangentially, seemed to relate to her professed theme.
This is not to say that the book is not valuable. In providing these compelling portraits, she has served to breathe life into times past and to make clear that the challenges, opportunities, depredations and suffering experienced by blacks were not static and changed over time. Knowledge of this sort dispels any inclination to think of blacks as a temporal monolith of indistinguishable suffering and makes real the humanity of people who are frequently presented as cardboard cutouts.
The whole awarding-of-stars thing in rating books is inherently sketchy when reviewing historical non-fiction as, unless it’s just poorly written or presented, there are inevitably insights to be won from reading what different writers have to say about common historical topics. I have awarded this book three star-thingies because, as I’ve said, Jones failed to make her point. Had Jones, however, rewritten her introduction and her conclusion to reflect the material she actually presented, I probably would have declared it a much better book.
March 27, 2025
This is an important book in a contemporary political discussion of one important country. As nationalism is again on the march, it is also a timely interjection in discussions of importance to most of the Western world. Racism is sometimes described as the USA's "original sin", but it cannot be denied that it played a role in shaping the psychologies of all the European imperial powers, most of which lack America's ingrained historical animus against their own minority cultures but some of whose crimes against Africa and elsewhere are much fresher in the memories of the colonised.
The case for the social construction of "race" is made in more formal terms elsewhere, for instance via DNA analysis which shows that we are basically all Africans anyway. What this book does is to deconstruct a small series of case studies from American history, cases of concrete men and women and the social context which shaped their treatment by society. Slavery is still a resonant word in American political culture, and black people still live with the entrenched injustices they inherited from it.
The fact is, though, that slavery was a near-universal human institution until modern times. White Christians served as slaves in Muslim galleys, or at the Sultan's court, prisoners of war were routinely enslaved since classical times, Slaves ruled Egypt and could inherit property in some countries. There is nothing about slavery that says, "black". let alone "whips". But the slaves were the foundation of the antebellum agricultural economy of the United States - not to mention many other countries to the South. And at some time "black" most certainly came to mean "slave". This book's thesis - striking until fairly recently, and still heretical to many an internet ranter - is that the notion of "black" itself was literally constructed around slavery, and sustained ever since by its legacy. In a similar way the notion of the "savage" was constructed in the colonial powers to fit a mission civilatrice which happened to suit the national interests of the "civilisers".
While the book does not make quite as forceful a theoretical argument as I was hoping for, it is forcefully written and the cases cited will probably make your blood boil and your ears steam. The case is made, alright, but it is made in a way that reflects the real complexity of the legacy, by looking at cases which are incendiary but not theoretically clear. Coming on the heels of "12 Years a Slave", this was one of those books that leaves a taste of anger. While science has spoken, social consciousness has mostly not woken up to the reality: Race is illusion, racism is real. This work is an important contribution to the true shift of paradigm that is now required. We have been sold a vicious fraud intended to drive a wedge between us and our neighbours, the "others" who are nothing of the sort, except in that society makes them so.
The case for the social construction of "race" is made in more formal terms elsewhere, for instance via DNA analysis which shows that we are basically all Africans anyway. What this book does is to deconstruct a small series of case studies from American history, cases of concrete men and women and the social context which shaped their treatment by society. Slavery is still a resonant word in American political culture, and black people still live with the entrenched injustices they inherited from it.
The fact is, though, that slavery was a near-universal human institution until modern times. White Christians served as slaves in Muslim galleys, or at the Sultan's court, prisoners of war were routinely enslaved since classical times, Slaves ruled Egypt and could inherit property in some countries. There is nothing about slavery that says, "black". let alone "whips". But the slaves were the foundation of the antebellum agricultural economy of the United States - not to mention many other countries to the South. And at some time "black" most certainly came to mean "slave". This book's thesis - striking until fairly recently, and still heretical to many an internet ranter - is that the notion of "black" itself was literally constructed around slavery, and sustained ever since by its legacy. In a similar way the notion of the "savage" was constructed in the colonial powers to fit a mission civilatrice which happened to suit the national interests of the "civilisers".
While the book does not make quite as forceful a theoretical argument as I was hoping for, it is forcefully written and the cases cited will probably make your blood boil and your ears steam. The case is made, alright, but it is made in a way that reflects the real complexity of the legacy, by looking at cases which are incendiary but not theoretically clear. Coming on the heels of "12 Years a Slave", this was one of those books that leaves a taste of anger. While science has spoken, social consciousness has mostly not woken up to the reality: Race is illusion, racism is real. This work is an important contribution to the true shift of paradigm that is now required. We have been sold a vicious fraud intended to drive a wedge between us and our neighbours, the "others" who are nothing of the sort, except in that society makes them so.
May 18, 2018
A Dreadful Deceit is about physical force flowing from the law, the barrel of a gun, or the fury of a mob; but it is also about the struggle for justice and personal dignity waged by people of African Descent in America. Their fight for human rights in turn intensified policies and prejudices based on so-called racial difference.
A Dreadful Deceit demonstrates how the white supremacists politicians brainwashed the masses to marginalized and dispossessed Africans who were enslaved not because of their race or their status as nonwhites or non-Christian’s rather, Africa’s diverse ethnic groups lacked membership in a robust nation-state that could rescue, protect, or redeem them on the high seas or in a foreign land.
A Dreadful Deceit was an interesting read.
A Dreadful Deceit demonstrates how the white supremacists politicians brainwashed the masses to marginalized and dispossessed Africans who were enslaved not because of their race or their status as nonwhites or non-Christian’s rather, Africa’s diverse ethnic groups lacked membership in a robust nation-state that could rescue, protect, or redeem them on the high seas or in a foreign land.
A Dreadful Deceit was an interesting read.
August 8, 2014
Jacqueline Jones has an good grasp for anecdote to prove her very excellent thesis that "race" is a construct of society, whilst the real conflict is one of power: economic, and political, who has it, who doesn't, and how it's used. The problem is that this is not a new revelation. Howard Zinn was well aware of this fact and indeed included it in his canonical A Peoples History which he learned from previous Marxist and social analysts. Zinn acknowledges those sources, while Jones does not. This is not to imply plagiarism necessarily, only I believe that even a cursory glance at say Ida B. Wells would reveal much the same. It felt as if Jones is taking credit for "discovering" this purely by virtue that those works that have already stated this are not being read and ought to be.
February 24, 2014
This book is the perfect gift for that hard-to-disarm bigot on your list who can’t grasp the idea that race is a construct. Note that I said construct, not social construct, because the author does not fully grasp what a social construct is. Her book's a series of interesting vignettes...
My full review at:
http://theorangepress.com/woid/woid21...
My full review at:
http://theorangepress.com/woid/woid21...
January 18, 2022
I was forced to read this for history, and here's part of my book review of it:
Throughout the course of the entire book, Jones reaffirms over and over again that in history, race itself never really mattered to the oppressors, and was never a reason for oppression, power relations was. This leads to her stating in her last chapter that today’s economy is “now defined less by skin color and history,” and is instead more so about “[a] shared powerlessness [between whites and blacks alike] within a global economy.” However, the problem with Jones declaring that in today’s economy race plays no role and that both white and black workers suffer equally is directly ignorant of issues such as the race pay gap. Although in today’s world employers are working towards a colorblind policy while handing out paychecks, the fact that still exists is that racism has left massive scar upon the workplace, and black people still find themselves at an economic disadvantage due to the color of their skin. In fact, Jones herself admits this in the epilogue of her book. She begins by saying that “the new global economy is blind to…skin color,” yet she confesses that “there is no denying “ blacks as a group in the United States have suffered disproportionately” in their “local communities.” The effect of this direct contradiction is that it detracts from the overall power Jones’s argument holds, and proves that Jones’s assertion that skin color no longer matters in the workplace is false. Furthermore, this contradiction leads to the doubt whether Jones’s thesis is actually true, whether race is truly a myth, if it continues to affect the workplace as much as it does even in the 21 century.
so yeah lol if you still wanna read it go right ahead!
Throughout the course of the entire book, Jones reaffirms over and over again that in history, race itself never really mattered to the oppressors, and was never a reason for oppression, power relations was. This leads to her stating in her last chapter that today’s economy is “now defined less by skin color and history,” and is instead more so about “[a] shared powerlessness [between whites and blacks alike] within a global economy.” However, the problem with Jones declaring that in today’s economy race plays no role and that both white and black workers suffer equally is directly ignorant of issues such as the race pay gap. Although in today’s world employers are working towards a colorblind policy while handing out paychecks, the fact that still exists is that racism has left massive scar upon the workplace, and black people still find themselves at an economic disadvantage due to the color of their skin. In fact, Jones herself admits this in the epilogue of her book. She begins by saying that “the new global economy is blind to…skin color,” yet she confesses that “there is no denying “ blacks as a group in the United States have suffered disproportionately” in their “local communities.” The effect of this direct contradiction is that it detracts from the overall power Jones’s argument holds, and proves that Jones’s assertion that skin color no longer matters in the workplace is false. Furthermore, this contradiction leads to the doubt whether Jones’s thesis is actually true, whether race is truly a myth, if it continues to affect the workplace as much as it does even in the 21 century.
so yeah lol if you still wanna read it go right ahead!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2017
The book was well-conceived. It follows a few stories in each era to demonstrate the myth of race in each era. But in the end, it did not deliver. There was too much detail in the stories--especially the historical ones and not much payoff in terms of thesis and insight. It was well written though.
July 1, 2018
It's economics and class, rather than race. Fascinating profiles of the people through the generations. Each story explained different aspects of the struggle and development. The period from WWI through the labor unions of the '70s and into the current area were parts of history few would be aware of.
October 15, 2024
Some of the best history that I’ve read, all of which masterfully paints race as a social construct manufactured by elites classes throughout American history. Jones’ conclusions were often different than mine, but each of the five case studies are so comprehensive that her conclusions act as more of a note than a significant driver of narrative.
September 30, 2018
Disappointing. Some interesting information but not an overly compelling argument.
April 13, 2016
Does an excellent job of putting today's issues in historical context and makes it easier to see how racial narratives and tactics of disenfranchisement have evolved over time. What makes this book exceptionally well-written is that it starts with a modern simplified story of race in America and shows how it's an oversimplification that serves a "colorblind" view of the world. Each chapter tells the story of a black American at a different point in history, without historical context (so we inevitably interpret from a modern perspective). The author then provides the context, which totally changes the way you look at the story. This happens repeatedly, from the early settlers to the Civil Rights era to the present.
August 7, 2015
The stories Jones shares are fascinating pieces of fairly obscure history, but the book falls short in showing "the contradictory and inconsistent fictions of 'race' that various groups of people contrived for specific political purposes."
April 23, 2014
The author uses 6 lives at points in history to demonstrate the use of race as a rationalization of socioeconomic oppression. Periods include early colonial MD, the revolutionary war in SC, pre-civil war RI, reconstruction Alabama, early 20th century Mississsippi, and 1970's Detroit.
February 15, 2015
Wonderful historical treatment that unravels the use of race that can obscure the exploitation of a people. Jones is a great labor historian and it is nice to see how she focuses on the lives of individuals and the nature of racism and racial barriers during their lives.
Read
August 31, 2014A look at the slippery notions of race in this country's history told through the lens of 6 individuals at different points in history. Well researched and told with style, but the book loses focus at certain points. 3.3 Martinie glasses
Read
September 19, 2014305.80097 J775 2013
February 7, 2015
A detailed look at the lives of 4 African Americans from different periods of American history offer insights into the systems of oppression that have been in effect in the USA since its inception.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews