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Crazy as Hell: The Best Little Guide to Black History
By turns hilarious, candid, and heartbreaking, this powerful book takes the straitjacket off Black history. A refreshing, witty take on African American history, Crazy as Hell explores the site of America’s greatest contradictions. The notables of this book are the Runaways and the Rebels, the Badass and Funky, the Activists and the Inmates―from Harriet Tubman, Nina Simone, and Muhammad Ali to B’rer Rabbit, Single Mamas, and Wakandans―but are they crazy as hell, or do they simply defy the expectations designated for being Black in America? With humor and insight, scholars and writers V Efua Prince and Bro. Yao (Hoke S. Glover III) offer brief breakdowns of one hundred influential, archetypal, and infamous figures, building a new framework that emphasizes their humanity. Including an introduction by MacArthur Fellow Reginald Dwayne Betts and peppered with little-known historical facts and PSAs that get real about the Black experience, Crazy as Hell captures the tenacious, irreverent spirit that accompanies a long struggle for freedom. You’ll never look at Black history the same way again.
176 pages, Paperback
Published June 4, 2024
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2303 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 30, 2024
This is a tongue-in-cheek collection of observations rooted in AA culture and history that leans on the crazy angle -- how the ability to be crazy, act crazy, or ignore crazy has helped Black folk survive. Set in conversational, informal tone, the authors cite a myriad of infamous characters in various categories, for example: The Runaways - Harriet Tubman (who continually risked her freedom to free others), Henry "Box" Brown - who mailed himself to freedom in a sealed box with limited air, food, facilities for over 24 hours). I'll list a few more categories with a couple examples from them so you'll get the idea: The Rebels (Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey), The Funky (Kanye West, Parliament Funkadelic), The Lawless (Bob Marley, Robert Johnson), The Spiritualists (Sojourner Truth, Marie Laveau) and so many more. I learned some new names/events that prompted me to research their backstories -- which was necessary as the authors provided only short snippets of their behavior to pique the readers' curiosity.
October 25, 2024
This is good book to get you interested and curious to learn more. I love that there is a resource page at the end of every section. I've read a lot of black history books over the years and the brevity and humor and wit used in this book is top tier. I think it would really appeal to younger generations.
February 28, 2025
I'm taking a star away from this book only because it reads like a reference book. It gives you about 3 minutes of information on any given figure in Black history, and then says, "if you want to know more go look them up."
I do want to know more! That's why I'm reading this book. I am in the habit of picking up books to gain information, not picking up books to generate lists of more books, or documentaries, or articles to consume. And it's totally fine that that's what this book is—I also grabbed it on audio without having looked through the actual text, and if I had actually flipped through the book, I might have realized that this is more of a detailed list of names and less of a book of history. And then I might not have picked it up.
I did learn useful and interesting things. The book made me laugh and it made me cry. I also feel like I need to grab a physical copy and jot down the people and events I want to know more about. This was not a book to consume in an audio format, but that is exactly what I did.
I respect the book for what it is. Also I get to rate things subjectively based on my experience, and my experience was that this book isn't what I wanted it to be. Therefore I've removed a star and eaten it, for sustenance.
Total score: 4/5 stars
I do want to know more! That's why I'm reading this book. I am in the habit of picking up books to gain information, not picking up books to generate lists of more books, or documentaries, or articles to consume. And it's totally fine that that's what this book is—I also grabbed it on audio without having looked through the actual text, and if I had actually flipped through the book, I might have realized that this is more of a detailed list of names and less of a book of history. And then I might not have picked it up.
I did learn useful and interesting things. The book made me laugh and it made me cry. I also feel like I need to grab a physical copy and jot down the people and events I want to know more about. This was not a book to consume in an audio format, but that is exactly what I did.
I respect the book for what it is. Also I get to rate things subjectively based on my experience, and my experience was that this book isn't what I wanted it to be. Therefore I've removed a star and eaten it, for sustenance.
Total score: 4/5 stars
November 23, 2024
I don't know whether I was the ideal reader of this book, but it was what I needed to read right now (in the aftermath of the 2024 election).
The book approaches Black history, not in a dry, academic way, but in colorful, bite-sized, and compelling ways. This is no textbook, nor is it a flowing narrative. It feels a bit like a cheat sheet, or a first-step before then going to Wikipedia and then reading the original source material. Perhaps because I've been studying more Black history, or perhaps because I've been paying attention all along, there were relatively few names that were completely unfamiliar to me. I knew the heroes, the performers, and the victims. But there were names (and characterizations) I did not know.
I was fascinated to learn about Henry "Box" Brown, who shipped himself to freedom with the assistance of a Black man and a white man (the latter going to prison), who went on to repeat the process and save others from slavery. I knew almost every woman mentioned in the book, but not Gladys Bentley, a lesbian performer in the Harlem Renaissance. I was delighted that Esther Jones got credit for Betty Boop, and I was saddened that the book was published a year too early to truly Flava Flav the credit for how he became beloved in light of his role in the 2024 Olympics. And I felt the secondhand urge to wail for Margaret Garner, who killed her own children in the 1850s to keep the slave hunters from taking her children back into slavery.
But I was also flummoxed by some of the inclusions, such as Louise Little, Malcolm X's mother, who spent much of her life in a mental hospital. Her inclusion is largely, one assumes from what little (no pun intended) is written, because of how her life impacted and formed Malcolm X, but to reduce her to scant details and then see her value only in light of her male child's life feels problematic.
Similarly, though without diminishing by misogyny, there's an entire entry about the father of Medgar Evers. Of course, I knew about Medgar Evers, but his father, Jim (while having fictional namesakes unrelated to him making him hard to Google) has no entries in Wikipedia, and it was hard to find anything beyond the book's reference of him Evers' father. His entire page tells of one "badass" moment in the 1930s, which while obviously memorable to the younger Evers, lasted mere minutes doesn't paint a very full picture of a life.
The authors divide historical Black (and some white) figures into categories. There are true heroes: the Runaway, the Badass, the Wanderer, the Black intellectual and activist, the Spiritualist; there are anti-heroes and villains, and even categories that combined the two, like The Great Pretender, which includes OJ Simpson, Bill Cosby, and Clarence Thomas...but then Louis Armstrong. (The idea of playing at "espionage" doesn't fit these men equally; three were bad men who faked being good; Armstrong was misunderstood, as acknowledged by the authors, but his power was not evil, nor was it cruel.)
There were a scant number of inclusions and approaches I find confusing. For example, most stories are treated with respect and accuracy, but a listing for Denmark Vesey could (like most of the entries) have been a book unto itself, but a tongue-in-cheese joke about Vesey playing and winning the Powerball seems to have been included solely so that the author(s) could make a reference to running numbers. It feels insulting to the memory and work of Vesey. Then again, the whole notion of the book is that being "crazy as hell" is a means to survival, so I can't fault-find but merely note that it took me out of the book.
Next, the introduction to the book is by Reginald Dwayne Betts, a poet and attorney who founded Freedom Reads, a program to show incarcerated persons other possibilities through the power of literature. From his Wikipedia page, I realize that Betts is fascinating, but his biography is double the length of the ones for people like John Coltrane, Robert Johnson, Madame C.J. Walker, and every other person among the 99 other biographies listed. Indeed, his is the only biography that spans more than one page (as most are merely half a page) and it feels as though the entire section is written in oblique code, tongue-in-cheek, regarding his adventures and adversities. Betts is obviously a remarkable man, but the authors seem to be playing with the readers in presenting this biography.
Betts' biography raises my sole other comment on an otherwise intriguing book. The authors, V. Efua Prince and Hoke S. Glover III are professional writers and academicians. They obviously have keen grasps on the felicity of expression in formal English. And, of course, given the content, I understood the periodic shift from formal English to African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) to fit the conceit of the book as things being "crazy as hell." Most of the time, it feels like it makes sense, and I rolled with it without a second thought.
But there are moments where the code-switching within a paragraph, even within a sentence feels off, as if it's being done in a nudge-nudge-wink-wink way that would be insulting if done by others. Across two pages in the chapter on "White People," two different sentences appear:
"Instead, much like the incidents of police brutality, the perception is heightened by the ubiquity of cameras." (Karens)
"But Becky don't have to buy hers. Plus Becky don't feel disrespected regardless of what a man says or does to her." (Becky)
Both formal and AAVE are appropriate in a book like this, but somehow the use of AAVE sometimes feels disingenuous in a way that seems less like code switching and more like making a point...but I'm not sure what that point is. Which brings us back to the overlong biography of Betts.
Part of the page+ biography says,
"He don't belong in none of them, though; he's adored by every Aunty that he's ever met, and he confesses to some Black existential need to become crazy as hell to survive the way of the memory of a slave ship in the Atlantic lingers...A prolific scholar whose felonious childhood would provide a narrative that would Segway into a lifetime of philanthropy, undaunted leadership, and literary excellence."
One would normally assume the author meant "segue" and not "Segway" (the mode of transportation) but the entire biography of Betts feels out of place in a book about Black history, as though the authors were allowing the introduction writer (and publisher?) to be self-aggrandizing for comic (and non-comic) effect, I'm left (with both the content and the style) not feeling like I understood 100% of what I was reading. So, I'm just shrugging and figuring that such bits weren't written for me, and that's OK. I fully acknowledge that such a history need not be spoon fed to me, and that my role is not to be centered but that these histories should be centered. I just wish I knew what to do with what I don't understand about Betts.
Whether you know a lot or a little or almost nothing about Black history in America, this book is worth your attention. You may not agree with the category choices (or inclusions therein), but you will be better informed and occasionally entertained, and if you don't engage disingenuously, you'll find there's a lot more you want to learn.
And if you figure out whether the Segway bit was a typo or an intentional pun, please let me know!
Finally, this book does not take two weeks to read. I had a small medical crisis and couldn't read for about a week. This is a short, swift read, notwithstanding the time you'll likely take to Google various personages
The book approaches Black history, not in a dry, academic way, but in colorful, bite-sized, and compelling ways. This is no textbook, nor is it a flowing narrative. It feels a bit like a cheat sheet, or a first-step before then going to Wikipedia and then reading the original source material. Perhaps because I've been studying more Black history, or perhaps because I've been paying attention all along, there were relatively few names that were completely unfamiliar to me. I knew the heroes, the performers, and the victims. But there were names (and characterizations) I did not know.
I was fascinated to learn about Henry "Box" Brown, who shipped himself to freedom with the assistance of a Black man and a white man (the latter going to prison), who went on to repeat the process and save others from slavery. I knew almost every woman mentioned in the book, but not Gladys Bentley, a lesbian performer in the Harlem Renaissance. I was delighted that Esther Jones got credit for Betty Boop, and I was saddened that the book was published a year too early to truly Flava Flav the credit for how he became beloved in light of his role in the 2024 Olympics. And I felt the secondhand urge to wail for Margaret Garner, who killed her own children in the 1850s to keep the slave hunters from taking her children back into slavery.
But I was also flummoxed by some of the inclusions, such as Louise Little, Malcolm X's mother, who spent much of her life in a mental hospital. Her inclusion is largely, one assumes from what little (no pun intended) is written, because of how her life impacted and formed Malcolm X, but to reduce her to scant details and then see her value only in light of her male child's life feels problematic.
Similarly, though without diminishing by misogyny, there's an entire entry about the father of Medgar Evers. Of course, I knew about Medgar Evers, but his father, Jim (while having fictional namesakes unrelated to him making him hard to Google) has no entries in Wikipedia, and it was hard to find anything beyond the book's reference of him Evers' father. His entire page tells of one "badass" moment in the 1930s, which while obviously memorable to the younger Evers, lasted mere minutes doesn't paint a very full picture of a life.
The authors divide historical Black (and some white) figures into categories. There are true heroes: the Runaway, the Badass, the Wanderer, the Black intellectual and activist, the Spiritualist; there are anti-heroes and villains, and even categories that combined the two, like The Great Pretender, which includes OJ Simpson, Bill Cosby, and Clarence Thomas...but then Louis Armstrong. (The idea of playing at "espionage" doesn't fit these men equally; three were bad men who faked being good; Armstrong was misunderstood, as acknowledged by the authors, but his power was not evil, nor was it cruel.)
There were a scant number of inclusions and approaches I find confusing. For example, most stories are treated with respect and accuracy, but a listing for Denmark Vesey could (like most of the entries) have been a book unto itself, but a tongue-in-cheese joke about Vesey playing and winning the Powerball seems to have been included solely so that the author(s) could make a reference to running numbers. It feels insulting to the memory and work of Vesey. Then again, the whole notion of the book is that being "crazy as hell" is a means to survival, so I can't fault-find but merely note that it took me out of the book.
Next, the introduction to the book is by Reginald Dwayne Betts, a poet and attorney who founded Freedom Reads, a program to show incarcerated persons other possibilities through the power of literature. From his Wikipedia page, I realize that Betts is fascinating, but his biography is double the length of the ones for people like John Coltrane, Robert Johnson, Madame C.J. Walker, and every other person among the 99 other biographies listed. Indeed, his is the only biography that spans more than one page (as most are merely half a page) and it feels as though the entire section is written in oblique code, tongue-in-cheek, regarding his adventures and adversities. Betts is obviously a remarkable man, but the authors seem to be playing with the readers in presenting this biography.
Betts' biography raises my sole other comment on an otherwise intriguing book. The authors, V. Efua Prince and Hoke S. Glover III are professional writers and academicians. They obviously have keen grasps on the felicity of expression in formal English. And, of course, given the content, I understood the periodic shift from formal English to African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) to fit the conceit of the book as things being "crazy as hell." Most of the time, it feels like it makes sense, and I rolled with it without a second thought.
But there are moments where the code-switching within a paragraph, even within a sentence feels off, as if it's being done in a nudge-nudge-wink-wink way that would be insulting if done by others. Across two pages in the chapter on "White People," two different sentences appear:
"Instead, much like the incidents of police brutality, the perception is heightened by the ubiquity of cameras." (Karens)
"But Becky don't have to buy hers. Plus Becky don't feel disrespected regardless of what a man says or does to her." (Becky)
Both formal and AAVE are appropriate in a book like this, but somehow the use of AAVE sometimes feels disingenuous in a way that seems less like code switching and more like making a point...but I'm not sure what that point is. Which brings us back to the overlong biography of Betts.
Part of the page+ biography says,
"He don't belong in none of them, though; he's adored by every Aunty that he's ever met, and he confesses to some Black existential need to become crazy as hell to survive the way of the memory of a slave ship in the Atlantic lingers...A prolific scholar whose felonious childhood would provide a narrative that would Segway into a lifetime of philanthropy, undaunted leadership, and literary excellence."
One would normally assume the author meant "segue" and not "Segway" (the mode of transportation) but the entire biography of Betts feels out of place in a book about Black history, as though the authors were allowing the introduction writer (and publisher?) to be self-aggrandizing for comic (and non-comic) effect, I'm left (with both the content and the style) not feeling like I understood 100% of what I was reading. So, I'm just shrugging and figuring that such bits weren't written for me, and that's OK. I fully acknowledge that such a history need not be spoon fed to me, and that my role is not to be centered but that these histories should be centered. I just wish I knew what to do with what I don't understand about Betts.
Whether you know a lot or a little or almost nothing about Black history in America, this book is worth your attention. You may not agree with the category choices (or inclusions therein), but you will be better informed and occasionally entertained, and if you don't engage disingenuously, you'll find there's a lot more you want to learn.
And if you figure out whether the Segway bit was a typo or an intentional pun, please let me know!
Finally, this book does not take two weeks to read. I had a small medical crisis and couldn't read for about a week. This is a short, swift read, notwithstanding the time you'll likely take to Google various personages
September 17, 2024
Surprising no one, did a great job representing the nuance and reality of historical figures
June 24, 2024
In high school, I watched “Do The Right Thing” with a group of progressive, white friends. We were both impressed by the filmmaking and floored by the dramatic power of the story. A darker-skinned friend the told me that his audience laughed uproariously during the scenes that had me and my white friends silently agog.
I think about those (un?)shared experiences while reading and enjoying “Crazy as Hell.” As the authors clarify in one of the introductions/prologues, the term itself needs inflection, nonverbal language, context, etc., for its true meaning to be understood. I’m not on the target audience. All I can do is read, appreciate, and try to learn while realizing I don’t have the background to truly understand what’s being said.
I think about those (un?)shared experiences while reading and enjoying “Crazy as Hell.” As the authors clarify in one of the introductions/prologues, the term itself needs inflection, nonverbal language, context, etc., for its true meaning to be understood. I’m not on the target audience. All I can do is read, appreciate, and try to learn while realizing I don’t have the background to truly understand what’s being said.
August 21, 2024
A wonderful compendium of famous and not so famous black people. I really like the autho’s lists of More On…. of
people, movies, books, events, etc., that are sprinkled throughout this book. So much information to chase down the rabbit hole!
people, movies, books, events, etc., that are sprinkled throughout this book. So much information to chase down the rabbit hole!
September 7, 2024
I had the best time reading this book. Very well done.
May 30, 2024
Crazy as Hell is an infuriating and inspiring delight of a book. The authors are pretty up front about this mix of attributes. After the introduction, the book opens thusly:
"Public Service Announcement: this book is terrible. Our recommendation is that you do not read it, particularly if you are African American and already suffering with pre-existing conditions. Reading Black history can raise your blood pressure, which is bad for your health. What's worse is that, depending on how dark your humor, you will also find yourself laughing—ignorantly or inappropriately, depending on how you code switch."
What follows is very much in the spirit of that opening. Crazy as Hell offers brief portraits from Black history, not in chronological order but in groupings like "The Rebel," "The Inmate," "The Funky," and "The Spiritualist." The narrative voice here is ironic—and erratic, in a good way. One thought tumbles in after another, and the readers wind up with a treasure house of possibilities to sort through.
As I said, these are brief, not definitive, portraits. The point here is to get a broad overview of the subject, with an emphasis on not-just-the-usual-Black-people-held-up-as-examplars. Each section ends with suggestion for further reading and viewing, so the brevity is more of an opening than a dead end. I've already ordered two copies of this book, one for my partner, the other for my niece. I'm eager to discuss with them and to pursue the recommended resources together.
I'll be talking with my friends about this book and presenting it as a must-buy. You don't know me, so maybe you don't want to put down cash on my word alone, but go to your local independent bookstore or library to preview Crazy as Hell. You'll realize that this book is a keeper, something you'll want to hang onto and return to for inspiration.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
"Public Service Announcement: this book is terrible. Our recommendation is that you do not read it, particularly if you are African American and already suffering with pre-existing conditions. Reading Black history can raise your blood pressure, which is bad for your health. What's worse is that, depending on how dark your humor, you will also find yourself laughing—ignorantly or inappropriately, depending on how you code switch."
What follows is very much in the spirit of that opening. Crazy as Hell offers brief portraits from Black history, not in chronological order but in groupings like "The Rebel," "The Inmate," "The Funky," and "The Spiritualist." The narrative voice here is ironic—and erratic, in a good way. One thought tumbles in after another, and the readers wind up with a treasure house of possibilities to sort through.
As I said, these are brief, not definitive, portraits. The point here is to get a broad overview of the subject, with an emphasis on not-just-the-usual-Black-people-held-up-as-examplars. Each section ends with suggestion for further reading and viewing, so the brevity is more of an opening than a dead end. I've already ordered two copies of this book, one for my partner, the other for my niece. I'm eager to discuss with them and to pursue the recommended resources together.
I'll be talking with my friends about this book and presenting it as a must-buy. You don't know me, so maybe you don't want to put down cash on my word alone, but go to your local independent bookstore or library to preview Crazy as Hell. You'll realize that this book is a keeper, something you'll want to hang onto and return to for inspiration.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
February 16, 2025
Such a good and fast read. I took my time with it because there’s so much information in it. I’m keeping it as a reference and also because it gives so many recommendations for further reading. It lists notable Black people in different categories, such as The Mythic Negro (eg Brer Rabbit or Mammy), or The Funky (eg Kanye West or Parliament Funkadelic) and gives a brief and often funny description of it. At the end of each section there’s a list of places to go for more reading, which is going to help me continue to learn more for years to come.
September 12, 2024
Interesting how this book basically is a page per person throughout history. Never seen that before. I also never heard of so many people in this book it was shameful. It was kind of funny to see how the people picked were crazy as hell for some reason or another whohc is a different take on how most books are. I will say how I definitely learned something in these short paragraphs. So yeah worth pick up & seeing how you can also learn more after the end of each section.
March 4, 2025
An intriguing concept for a book. Unfortunately, it acts as a Cliff Notes for famous and not so famous individuals in African American history. I would have loved if the writers went more in depth in discussing these important figures, instead the reader is asked routinely to do their own research.
September 21, 2025
I really enjoyed the take, the new information about people I was already somewhat familiar with, the introduction of more people I never heard of but am interested to research further.
This book was really good. Listened on audiobook. I will be recommending this work to my school district for adoption into African American Studies curriculum.
This book was really good. Listened on audiobook. I will be recommending this work to my school district for adoption into African American Studies curriculum.
October 30, 2024
This is an interesting book! It tells about various types of African-Americans (and others) in the USA, who have made history. These include: The Runaway, The Rebel, The Inmate, and 15 more categories! It seems like a textbook for home-schooled African-Americans.
March 5, 2025
Not a deep dive, but a good intro to people and concepts!
March 8, 2025
Great premise, lamely executed. One page essays on various Black Americans. Superficial and uninspired.
How could you write something like tis and not include Dick Gregory?
How could you write something like tis and not include Dick Gregory?
January 17, 2026
Great resource to start a search of notable black Americans. I am going to have to rerent this book when I can do a deep dive.
October 1, 2024
Anyone interested in history should check this out. Its an interesting and informative book with a great style of writing.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews