Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual African American Fiction

by Devon W. Carbado (Editor)

Winner of the 2003 Lambda Literary Award for Fiction Anthology Showcasing the work of literary giants like Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, and writers whom readers may be surprised to learn were "in the life," Black Like Us is the most comprehensive collection of fiction by African American lesbian, gay, and bisexual writers ever published. From the Harlem Renaissance to the Great Migration of the Depression era, from the postwar civil rights, feminist, and gay liberation movements, to the unabashedly complex sexual explorations of the present day, Black Like Us accomplishes a sweeping survey of 20th century literature.

Genres: LGBT, Fiction, Queer, Short Stories, Race, Anthologies, African American

580 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2002

About the author

Devon Carbado is the Honorable Harry Pregerson Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and the former Associate Vice Chancellor of BruinX for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He teaches Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Critical Race Theory, and Criminal Adjudication. He has won numerous teaching awards, including being elected Professor of the Year by the UCLA School of Law classes of 2000 and 2006 and received the Law School's Rutter Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003 and the University's Distinguished Teaching Award, the Eby Award for the Art of Teaching in 2007.

Reviews

[Antares DaVinci · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF MY UTMOST FAVORITE BOOKS!

[FM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great anthology to own and read. it covers a wide variety of African American LGBTQ genres, from erotica to science fiction. The writer presents overviews of different eras and the prominent writers of that era. This book helps to answer any question about the contribution of queer literature in the main literary world. To have African American and LGBTQ within the same bracket is a bold move, but the reality is there are and there has been a group of African American, even Caribbean American strong enough to write about their experiences. Personally it was very insightful, dare to tell your story...some people risked their life to do so...if that's not commendable I do not what is. So from Audre Lorde to Langston Hughes, from James Baldwin to Alice Walker, one cannot deny the power of their imagination and how they continue to speak to us through time.

[Danni Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible, full of excellent stories from a century of brilliant writers. I appreciated the introductory backstories about each of the writers, which inspired me to look up many of them and seek out other things they've written. I loved the diversity of stories that were included, covering a wide range of genres, styles, and emotional impacts. I would highly recommend this book.

As it is a significantly lengthy anthology, I enjoyed working my way through it over the course of about 10 months.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie-
The Closing Door-The trauma overshadows everything else for me. It felt like a modern play with the pacing and the big reveal.
Blessed Assurance-I wonder how much of this influenced the play Choir Boy
Infants of the Spring-This was excellently recreated in the film Brother to Brother
Smoke, Lillies, and Jade-This probably encapsulates my feelings of this period better than anything else
One Way to Heaven-Excellent storytelling, vivid imagery, and funny.

(Let's start the YA stuff)
Boy at the Window-This was huck finn and tom sawyer, but black, and I'm here for it.
Another Country-I'm surprised at how much I liked it.
Ruby-This was great and I was really into the YA story. I want to know how this ends.
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name-There was a lot more sex than I'm used to, but she writes so well.
Aye, and Gomorrah-I actually don't like this story, even though I do like the way he writes and what he has to say.
Suzie Q-Really felt like a pulp story
Symbols-Centering the man in this story of a woman recognizing herself made this weird for me, but it's probably really useful for a certain demographic.
This is How it Happened-Among the best stories in the collection. I wasn't expecting the twist, which was kind of the point.
Ecce Homo-This was sad for all the right reasons. I wish we got to hear more about the non-jewish experience in nazi Germany
Women of Summer-I loved this. I want the book, I want the movie, and then I want a remake of the movie with taraji p. henson and queen latifah

In the Life-A lovely late in life love story
Bird of Paradise-Nice, nothing special really
The Gilda Stories-My love for this author and this character is deep
Vanishing Rooms-DNF-SA
Dance of the Cranes-I love a story about people who connect with either music or dance and this was amazing.
A Hundred Days from Now-DNF-I can't with the gay dies at the end
The Color of Trees-DNF-I don't need Jane Eyre type violence
Coffee Will Make You Black-another cute YA that would totally go over well today in a netflix series like heartstopper
Captain Spring-It was well written, but I didn't connect with it. (I'm so happy I have a great relationship with my family)
Invisible Life-I know E. Lynn Harris is good and was very famous, but it felt like this was written for women
Soul Kiss-This was very well written, but very sad
The Serpent's Gift-I liked this and would love a movie
The Foundation of the Earth-I really liked this and loved how open it was, while still resolving everything.
Notebooks of Melanin Sun-another YA that was really cute and I want to know how it plays out
Sunday You Learn How to Box-This felt very like Moonlight for me. This one wasn't my experience, but it was very realistic
Traitor to the Race-I felt this in my spirit. I know all of these characters, I am all of these characters and I want to read so much more about all of these characters.
Whose Song?-DNF-SA
B-Boy Blues-It's been several years since I read this and especially since the movie came out, which was very good, I should give it some time again
Walking Through Mirrors-One of the more thoughtful coming of age stories in this collection. I like that it's narrated with an adult's voice through a child's experience. And yes, there is some SA as well.
Po' Man's Child-More trauma. well written, and felt very much like a late-stage coming-of-age.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered a few things about myself in reading this book. I typically don’t enjoy short stories because I prefer the deep character and plot development that is typical of novels. Therefore, my rating is a reflection of this preference and not due to the book itself. I found that I do, however, enjoy short nonfiction pieces and my interest gravitated towards the short explanatory portions that highlighted the political struggles and literary trends of each literary movement. Also, I found that I much preferred the contemporary pieces which took on difficult and heartbreaking issues in a brave and deeply vulnerable way.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply, this is an anthology everyone should have in their collection.

Powerfully gripping and moving, it is powerful to read these pieces and be taken on a journey of discovery of a "parallel" America to one that I grew up learning about. Inspiring would be an understatement.

[Chanel Chéri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much in this, definitely something to read twice.

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant anthology.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection.

[Sam Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so needed in the world and was incredible well-researched and well-written.

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I wish someone had handed me when I first came out. It is one of the most validating books I've read as a Black bisexual writer, due both to the eclectic mix of Black writers and narratives and the section introductions that took into consideration Black, feminist, and LGBTQ+ political and literary movements individually and interactionally. I'd highly recommend this book be used in English classes in both secondary and post-secondary schools because of the power it has to affirm Black SGL/LGBTQ+ students (particularly writers) and to challenge the limited narrative about Black experience and writing that exists in English classes.

[Christina Cathcart · Rating 5 out of 5]

How different my life might have been if I had known of these amazing authors earlier. Absolute classics.

As someone embracing the fluidity of their sexuality later in life, it is a comfort to read the stories of others with the same lived experiences. Knowing what previous generations had to overcome definitely puts your worries in perspective.

[Leslie]

Have read some of this. Excellent. Need to finish.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like an anthology of lgbt related stories by some noted Authors of color. It's been a while since I read it, but from what I remember, it was GREAT.

[Shy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, many of the stories really good, some were sad and others were just okay. It's a must read.

[Monique Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every voice that I admire is featured throughout the pages. Loved it!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure chest! Thank you to the editors who compiled this anthology and gifted the world with one source for so many incredible pieces. I also learned so much from the introductions to the three chronological sections and the biographical information on each of the authors.

A line that echoes in my brain goes something like: This short story from xxx magazine in 1932 was the last explicit description of black gay male sexuality until 1951.

Huh?! I try hard to imagine what it was like to live in a world where cultural production had NO representation of queer black sexuality and I just can't. In my reality, Moonlight, Kiki, Pariah, Tangerine and so many more movies are in the theaters and available to stream to my TV, I have access to a ton of books and my social media feed is full of published articles by fierce black queers. I'm so grateful to the writers who in very recent history kept documenting their experience even when there were few places to share these stories.