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Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph
A “daring, urgent, and transformative” (Brené Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Dare to Lead ) exploration of Black achievement in a white world based on honest, provocative, and moving interviews with Black leaders, scientists, artists, activists, and champions.
“I remember the day I realized I couldn’t play a white guy as well as a white guy. It felt like a death sentence for my career.”
When Chad Sanders landed his first job in lily-white Silicon Valley, he quickly concluded that to be successful at work meant playing a certain social game. Each meeting was drenched in white slang and the privileged talk of international travel or folk concerts in San Francisco, which led Chad to believe he needed to emulate whiteness to be successful. So Chad changed. He changed his wardrobe, his behavior, his speech—everything that connected him with his Black identity.
And while he finally felt included, he felt awful. So he decided to give up the charade. He reverted to the methods he learned at the dinner table, or at the Black Baptist church where he’d been raised, or at the concrete basketball courts, barbershops, and summertime cookouts. And it paid off. Chad began to land more exciting projects. He earned the respect of his colleagues. Accounting for this turnaround, Chad believes, was something he calls Black Magic, namely resilience, creativity, and confidence forged in his experience navigating America as a Black man. Black Magic has emboldened his every step since, leading him to Was he alone in this discovery? Were there others who felt the same?
In “pulverizing, educational, and inspirational” (Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Basketball (And Other Things) ) essays, Chad dives into his formative experiences to see if they might offer the possibility of discovering or honing this skill. He tests his theory by interviewing Black leaders across industries to get their take on Black Magic. The result is a revelatory and essential book. Black Magic explores Black experiences in predominantly white environments and demonstrates the risks of self-betrayal and the value of being yourself.
“I remember the day I realized I couldn’t play a white guy as well as a white guy. It felt like a death sentence for my career.”
When Chad Sanders landed his first job in lily-white Silicon Valley, he quickly concluded that to be successful at work meant playing a certain social game. Each meeting was drenched in white slang and the privileged talk of international travel or folk concerts in San Francisco, which led Chad to believe he needed to emulate whiteness to be successful. So Chad changed. He changed his wardrobe, his behavior, his speech—everything that connected him with his Black identity.
And while he finally felt included, he felt awful. So he decided to give up the charade. He reverted to the methods he learned at the dinner table, or at the Black Baptist church where he’d been raised, or at the concrete basketball courts, barbershops, and summertime cookouts. And it paid off. Chad began to land more exciting projects. He earned the respect of his colleagues. Accounting for this turnaround, Chad believes, was something he calls Black Magic, namely resilience, creativity, and confidence forged in his experience navigating America as a Black man. Black Magic has emboldened his every step since, leading him to Was he alone in this discovery? Were there others who felt the same?
In “pulverizing, educational, and inspirational” (Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Basketball (And Other Things) ) essays, Chad dives into his formative experiences to see if they might offer the possibility of discovering or honing this skill. He tests his theory by interviewing Black leaders across industries to get their take on Black Magic. The result is a revelatory and essential book. Black Magic explores Black experiences in predominantly white environments and demonstrates the risks of self-betrayal and the value of being yourself.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2021
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3042 people want to read
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December 20, 2020
Black Magic is an attitude that successful American Blacks all seem to have in profusion and variations. According to Chad Sanders in Black Magic, it can be many different things, from drive to perseverance to empathy to connections. In his delightful and wide-ranging collection of interviews and personal memoirs, Sanders develops the concept of Black Magic into a very real strategy that make the difference in Black careers. It is a fascinating and most worthwhile investment to make –for them and for readers.
Growing up Black in America can be torture. Good parents find they must teach their children to twist themselves into numerous contortions to avoid trouble, from beatings to arrests to death. Blacks have to be extra careful, extra aware, and extra vigilant. They must instantly evaluate every word and gesture from whites, and find a way to dress and speak that works in their particular situations. It’s a crazy way to live, but if they can master all the necessary tricks, they can develop tools that leverage their own talents. They have turned their blackness into a concrete advantage. That is the magic, and it is different for everyone.
It starts with freedom: independence. Sanders quotes Maya Angelou: “You can’t be free if you feel you belong someplace. You can only be free when you realize you belong no place – you belong every place.” This unleashes all kinds of potential and opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.
A number of Sanders’ interviewees cite their exceptionalism. They are often the only Black on the team. While this might be taken as tokenism, the smart ones leverage it. Brian Shields says everyone, but everyone, knows who he is at his finance firm, because he’s the only one who fits his physical description. He stands out in any gathering, any meeting. He gets to talk to people he wouldn’t normally be able to approach. He is constantly under scrutiny, and it has forced him to excel, far beyond his peers. He also says it makes networking really easy. Tokenism can be a form of Black Magic.
There is also Black Solidarity, in which American Blacks help each other up the ladder. They all know how hard it was to get just this far, and how isolated so many feel. So mentoring is very big part of Black Magic for a number of successful Blacks. In Sanders’ own case, a chance coffeeshop meeting with the director Spike Lee led to Lee taking him to several production studios in Los Angeles to try to sell his tv pilot. Lee and Sanders had gone to the same black college, where solidarity is a way of student life. Sanders was too insecure to send his script to Lee, but a professor of his did. From being days away from his last dollar, Sanders became an overnight success thanks to the combination of connections, mentoring, and perseverance ie. Black Magic.
Sanders had a successful career twisting himself into shapes and sizes acceptable to Google, where he learned the ropes of working with whites, and racked up valuable experience in various offices around the country and the world. (It was also key to meeting most of the interviewees in the book.)He describes how conscious he was of being sufficiently “googly”, the measure of every employee. But it was too much to ask: “My voice as a writer comes from being alone for so many years with my own thoughts, squished and compressed by all-encompassing, suffocating whiteness. Nearly all the business leaders and entrepreneurs featured in this book talked about this feeling.“ So he listened to his muse and struck out on his own.
The book is peppered with his reminiscences of discrimination, insults and micro-aggressions, many of which are unintentional (ignorant insensitivity), but which change relationships forever. Sanders interviews about as many women as men, from backgrounds dirt poor to solidly middle class and privileged.
There can be a sameness to some the success stories. People can be generous once successful, and evaluating their own successes and talents can be a bit suspect. And while all the successful Blacks he interviews claim to be constantly on their guard and conscious of their Blackness, the facts are that co-workers salute the office as much as the occupant, ensuring and enshrining their positions of power.
A number of instances in the book reminded me of my own experience, only my attributions were different. For example, DeRay McKesson remembers that in sixth grade, his teacher wrote something incorrect on the board. This was a life-altering shock to him, because whites were always right. They never made mistakes. I had the same experience, a couple of grades earlier, but my evaluation wasn’t about whites but about teachers, who until that point I assumed were infallible (which is after all, what they wanted us all to believe). It wasn’t that teachers were women or white, but powerful people in charge of me five days a week. It was interesting to read that the same situation played out so differently for a Black American. (McKesson also points out that the education system is not broken, it was designed this way. Fixing it is the wrong term. It needs to start over completely.)
Similarly, my own corporate experience led me to be very wary of others and be self-aware. I was forever observing others, trying to read higher-ups, weighing the words I used and trying not to stand out for the wrong reasons. Never did find that career-boosting mentor that so many of Sanders’ profiles both exhibit and benefited from. I think most ambitious people take this approach to some extent. It is not special to Black Americans.
There is a great deal of angst over skin color in the book, and those with lighter shades had to worry – and prove – they were Black enough. “Passing” as white allowed some to be able to evaluate both sides and learn how to succeed both because of and in spite of their color. (I wish Sanders had put images of them atop their sections, if only because he asks them so much about it.) Their heightened sensitivities are impossible for solidly whites to understand as a way of life. They chose to identify as Black and made it work for them rather than against them. This is a special class of success stories.
One of the most poignant interviews is with Quincy Avery, who trains Black quarterbacks. On his own. He seeks out talented players, right down to high schools and works with them to succeed. It’s a different path than for whites, because Blacks must not only be far better quarterbacks, they have to be far better people and citizens, able to deal with the slurs and slanders, the discrimination and the prejudice, the double standards and the lack of encouragement or respect. For Avery himself, it has been a long slow path to success, but he can quantify it now: “Things that are debilitating can be used as a bonus. It can give you the extra push. There is an advantage in every disadvantage if you just learn how to use it correctly and learn how to push through it and see the good in it. I learned how to communicate with a bunch of people in different ways and use all the things that other people might have used against me.” I liked his story best.
Sanders split the book into chapters on aspects not of business but of life: family, school, college, work, and church. The table of contents lists key quotes from his interviews in each chapter. Some people get mentions in more than one chapter, but Sanders has been careful not to be repetitious – or pedantic. It is a fascinating rollercoaster ride through the minefield, executed with a smooth style that is constantly inviting.
One final shot: Sanders acknowledges that Blacks have traditionally gotten in, when they could at all, via the back door. In his book, he looks at success not as the back door but the Black door, AKA Black Magic. It’s mostly an intriguingly different way to tackle an age-old issue. And a delightful kick in the teeth to American racism.
David Wineberg
Growing up Black in America can be torture. Good parents find they must teach their children to twist themselves into numerous contortions to avoid trouble, from beatings to arrests to death. Blacks have to be extra careful, extra aware, and extra vigilant. They must instantly evaluate every word and gesture from whites, and find a way to dress and speak that works in their particular situations. It’s a crazy way to live, but if they can master all the necessary tricks, they can develop tools that leverage their own talents. They have turned their blackness into a concrete advantage. That is the magic, and it is different for everyone.
It starts with freedom: independence. Sanders quotes Maya Angelou: “You can’t be free if you feel you belong someplace. You can only be free when you realize you belong no place – you belong every place.” This unleashes all kinds of potential and opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.
A number of Sanders’ interviewees cite their exceptionalism. They are often the only Black on the team. While this might be taken as tokenism, the smart ones leverage it. Brian Shields says everyone, but everyone, knows who he is at his finance firm, because he’s the only one who fits his physical description. He stands out in any gathering, any meeting. He gets to talk to people he wouldn’t normally be able to approach. He is constantly under scrutiny, and it has forced him to excel, far beyond his peers. He also says it makes networking really easy. Tokenism can be a form of Black Magic.
There is also Black Solidarity, in which American Blacks help each other up the ladder. They all know how hard it was to get just this far, and how isolated so many feel. So mentoring is very big part of Black Magic for a number of successful Blacks. In Sanders’ own case, a chance coffeeshop meeting with the director Spike Lee led to Lee taking him to several production studios in Los Angeles to try to sell his tv pilot. Lee and Sanders had gone to the same black college, where solidarity is a way of student life. Sanders was too insecure to send his script to Lee, but a professor of his did. From being days away from his last dollar, Sanders became an overnight success thanks to the combination of connections, mentoring, and perseverance ie. Black Magic.
Sanders had a successful career twisting himself into shapes and sizes acceptable to Google, where he learned the ropes of working with whites, and racked up valuable experience in various offices around the country and the world. (It was also key to meeting most of the interviewees in the book.)He describes how conscious he was of being sufficiently “googly”, the measure of every employee. But it was too much to ask: “My voice as a writer comes from being alone for so many years with my own thoughts, squished and compressed by all-encompassing, suffocating whiteness. Nearly all the business leaders and entrepreneurs featured in this book talked about this feeling.“ So he listened to his muse and struck out on his own.
The book is peppered with his reminiscences of discrimination, insults and micro-aggressions, many of which are unintentional (ignorant insensitivity), but which change relationships forever. Sanders interviews about as many women as men, from backgrounds dirt poor to solidly middle class and privileged.
There can be a sameness to some the success stories. People can be generous once successful, and evaluating their own successes and talents can be a bit suspect. And while all the successful Blacks he interviews claim to be constantly on their guard and conscious of their Blackness, the facts are that co-workers salute the office as much as the occupant, ensuring and enshrining their positions of power.
A number of instances in the book reminded me of my own experience, only my attributions were different. For example, DeRay McKesson remembers that in sixth grade, his teacher wrote something incorrect on the board. This was a life-altering shock to him, because whites were always right. They never made mistakes. I had the same experience, a couple of grades earlier, but my evaluation wasn’t about whites but about teachers, who until that point I assumed were infallible (which is after all, what they wanted us all to believe). It wasn’t that teachers were women or white, but powerful people in charge of me five days a week. It was interesting to read that the same situation played out so differently for a Black American. (McKesson also points out that the education system is not broken, it was designed this way. Fixing it is the wrong term. It needs to start over completely.)
Similarly, my own corporate experience led me to be very wary of others and be self-aware. I was forever observing others, trying to read higher-ups, weighing the words I used and trying not to stand out for the wrong reasons. Never did find that career-boosting mentor that so many of Sanders’ profiles both exhibit and benefited from. I think most ambitious people take this approach to some extent. It is not special to Black Americans.
There is a great deal of angst over skin color in the book, and those with lighter shades had to worry – and prove – they were Black enough. “Passing” as white allowed some to be able to evaluate both sides and learn how to succeed both because of and in spite of their color. (I wish Sanders had put images of them atop their sections, if only because he asks them so much about it.) Their heightened sensitivities are impossible for solidly whites to understand as a way of life. They chose to identify as Black and made it work for them rather than against them. This is a special class of success stories.
One of the most poignant interviews is with Quincy Avery, who trains Black quarterbacks. On his own. He seeks out talented players, right down to high schools and works with them to succeed. It’s a different path than for whites, because Blacks must not only be far better quarterbacks, they have to be far better people and citizens, able to deal with the slurs and slanders, the discrimination and the prejudice, the double standards and the lack of encouragement or respect. For Avery himself, it has been a long slow path to success, but he can quantify it now: “Things that are debilitating can be used as a bonus. It can give you the extra push. There is an advantage in every disadvantage if you just learn how to use it correctly and learn how to push through it and see the good in it. I learned how to communicate with a bunch of people in different ways and use all the things that other people might have used against me.” I liked his story best.
Sanders split the book into chapters on aspects not of business but of life: family, school, college, work, and church. The table of contents lists key quotes from his interviews in each chapter. Some people get mentions in more than one chapter, but Sanders has been careful not to be repetitious – or pedantic. It is a fascinating rollercoaster ride through the minefield, executed with a smooth style that is constantly inviting.
One final shot: Sanders acknowledges that Blacks have traditionally gotten in, when they could at all, via the back door. In his book, he looks at success not as the back door but the Black door, AKA Black Magic. It’s mostly an intriguingly different way to tackle an age-old issue. And a delightful kick in the teeth to American racism.
David Wineberg
May 16, 2021
This was a well written book from the perspective of Maryland Millennial.... Chad Sanders acknowledges that African-Americans from all age groups and walks of life have traditionally gotten in, when they could at all, via the back door to wherever they wanted to go in life . In his book, he looks at success not as the back door but the Black door=Black Magic. It’s mostly an intriguingly different way to tackle an age-old issue. And a delightful kick in the teeth to American racism.
March 7, 2021
I love the whole concept of this book, which I (listened) to yesterday while working on a home project.
It’s written by a Black millennial from Maryland named Chad Sanders. His first job after graduating from Morehouse College was at Google.
A job that quickly revealed for him a myopic, white bro-culture that led him to try to be someone he isn’t. Eventually, he has the courage to leave Google and chart a new path as a writer.
Sanders’ story is likely to resonate with many people, myself included, who ultimately felt the demands, culture, compromises, and soul-sucking nature that is often corporate, too much in the end.
People old and young who aspire to another way will likely enjoy this book. The heart of it and which makes it distinct, are the conversations the author has with different successful Black people, many entrepreneurs, most of them HBCU grads like Sander.
I love that these people, largely friends or associates of the author and his family are mostly not household names. These conversions with Black women and men are rich, nuanced, vulnerable at times, illuminating. The parent in me wanted to take notes!
The conversations reveal how different our experiences as Black people are in corporate life, how different our beliefs and upbringings are and yet how similar our experiences can be in big, white male run corporations and organizations. These conversations also reveal the beauty that is “Black Magic.” This is an inspiring read.
Sanders’ conversation with a Black woman engineer who earned her PhD, I believe it was, from MIT is a standout, along with his candid conversation with Elaine Welteroth, and an interviewee I remember as Grayson. (The down side of listening versus reading!)
I ordered this book after listening to the author on the Harvard Business Review Ideascast. It’s a great listen, especially if the title and promise of this book seems trite as it did to me initially.
Yesterday, I had a home project to complete and a few extra credits on Audible. Because I ordered the book after the podcast, I started to listen to something else. I’m so glad listened to this book and completed my project in less than 5 hours.
The print book, I will probably gift that to my niece who is finishing her junior year of high school. 🤓
It’s written by a Black millennial from Maryland named Chad Sanders. His first job after graduating from Morehouse College was at Google.
A job that quickly revealed for him a myopic, white bro-culture that led him to try to be someone he isn’t. Eventually, he has the courage to leave Google and chart a new path as a writer.
Sanders’ story is likely to resonate with many people, myself included, who ultimately felt the demands, culture, compromises, and soul-sucking nature that is often corporate, too much in the end.
People old and young who aspire to another way will likely enjoy this book. The heart of it and which makes it distinct, are the conversations the author has with different successful Black people, many entrepreneurs, most of them HBCU grads like Sander.
I love that these people, largely friends or associates of the author and his family are mostly not household names. These conversions with Black women and men are rich, nuanced, vulnerable at times, illuminating. The parent in me wanted to take notes!
The conversations reveal how different our experiences as Black people are in corporate life, how different our beliefs and upbringings are and yet how similar our experiences can be in big, white male run corporations and organizations. These conversations also reveal the beauty that is “Black Magic.” This is an inspiring read.
Sanders’ conversation with a Black woman engineer who earned her PhD, I believe it was, from MIT is a standout, along with his candid conversation with Elaine Welteroth, and an interviewee I remember as Grayson. (The down side of listening versus reading!)
I ordered this book after listening to the author on the Harvard Business Review Ideascast. It’s a great listen, especially if the title and promise of this book seems trite as it did to me initially.
Yesterday, I had a home project to complete and a few extra credits on Audible. Because I ordered the book after the podcast, I started to listen to something else. I’m so glad listened to this book and completed my project in less than 5 hours.
The print book, I will probably gift that to my niece who is finishing her junior year of high school. 🤓
February 10, 2022
“Our power does not solely lie in the fact that we’ve overcome trauma, our power lies in the fact that we created in the midst of trauma."
Black Magic is an exploration of Black Achievement in a white world. Sanders shares his experiences in navigating America as a Black man. He interviews Black Leaders across industries to get their take on Black Magic and their leadership journeys in a White World. Black Magic is real, empowering, creative, and resilience. This book was eye opening, well-written and brilliant. Black Magic is a definite must read for Black History Month and anytime of the year.
Black Magic is an exploration of Black Achievement in a white world. Sanders shares his experiences in navigating America as a Black man. He interviews Black Leaders across industries to get their take on Black Magic and their leadership journeys in a White World. Black Magic is real, empowering, creative, and resilience. This book was eye opening, well-written and brilliant. Black Magic is a definite must read for Black History Month and anytime of the year.
September 25, 2025
Guysss wow wow wow what a fantastic read. Chad Sanders is an utter delight. He is brilliant, direct, engaging, and a force to be reckoned with. This book provides story after story from interviews Sanders did with accomplished black men and women. And while Black Magic does highlight the inequities and injustice that black people have endured, I love that it also celebrates their magic and wonder and all that they’ve contributed to our world. One quote from the book reads: “Our power does not solely lie in the fact that we’ve overcome trauma, our power lies in the fact that we created in the midst of trauma.” This book is like an ode to resilience. It’s about magic. The magic that black people have because they’ve looked in the face of profound hardship and had no choice but to push through. And because they’ve overcome their trauma, they’re set apart - they’re at an advantage because they’ve navigated difficult waters and emerged victorious. This book has teeth. It will make you think. But it will give you hope. A must read.
March 23, 2021
The audio version of this book was done so well. I came upon the title from podcast episodes featuring the author - first Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd and then Dare to Lead with Brene Brown. Those inspired me to order the audiobook immediately and I’m so glad I did. I love nonfiction that reads like a story and that’s exactly what this book is - Sanders telling his story and a number of others telling their story (in their own voices on the audio!) pulled together by the premise that the unique gifts of being Black helped all of these people rise to success. Highly recommend.
March 27, 2021
Chad wrote a beautiful book weaving his own story seamlessly with interviews with Black leaders from various industries and with varied Black experiences and identities.
And, not for nothing, each time he writes/speaks of a hypothetical character, he uses 'she/her' pronouns. Thank you for that, Chad.
And, not for nothing, each time he writes/speaks of a hypothetical character, he uses 'she/her' pronouns. Thank you for that, Chad.
November 19, 2023
3.75⭐️. I really like that this book is a compilation of black leaders speaking about their adversity and how they turned that into success. The writing is okay, but the stories of these leaders bolster black professionals navigating white corporate spaces. It's like podcast interviews of black business professionals in one book. This was definitely a very useful and strengthening read.
February 20, 2025
Wow this book is enlightening. It gives a great perspective on how black people navigate their lives in and out of the workplace. Even if you are not black I think there were great tips for anyone to have
May 1, 2021
Phenomenal. Vulnerable, witty, intelligent; lots of food for thought.
May 3, 2021
This has been an enjoyable read though dry in some spots. The most interesting was listening to the experiences of each of his interviewees. I like the premise of the book to begin having discussions about what great qualities black leaders bring to their organizations, negotiation table, and other power spaces. But mostly, I like the message about owning your peace of mind and value.
August 31, 2021
Sit back, shut up, and listen.
And I’m so glad I did!! Was fascinating just how profoundly different everyone sees the seemingly similar experiences. Learned a lot, laughed some, and got really angry for BIPOC.. this book is a great combo of interviews, anecdotes, advice, etc. I quite enjoyed. Twas magic
And I’m so glad I did!! Was fascinating just how profoundly different everyone sees the seemingly similar experiences. Learned a lot, laughed some, and got really angry for BIPOC.. this book is a great combo of interviews, anecdotes, advice, etc. I quite enjoyed. Twas magic
February 1, 2022
Great first book to finish in 2022. I listened on audible and felt like it was a great book for this format.
February 15, 2021
This book is a must read for black Americans who struggle with a sense of place while also earnestly desiring to succeed in their craft. It's brilliant, insightful, poignant, relatable, and necessary.
February 14, 2021
Listened first to his interview with Brene Brown. His experience at Google helped me better identify why I felt some of the feelings I had at Bain. Really eye opening to see what kind of challenges Black leaders had to overcome to achieve success.
February 20, 2022
I picked up this book a few weeks ago after hearing the author on Guy Raz’s podcast. I had no idea who he was or what this book was before then. I think the concept of it was executed differently than I expected which is why I’m slightly disappointed by it. I enjoyed hearing his personal story and the fact that he exposed me to Black leaders across different industries but I didn’t appreciate the way the leaders were interviewed. The way the interviews are laid out it seems like the leaders didn’t get a chance to talk about their experience as much because he was only asking them questions from a racialized perspective. I think there’s some merit to asking those questions because race does impact a person’s career but I don’t see it as the most defining factor in all cases and I feel like the author did. I’m happy that some of the interviewees redirected his questions in ways that they could fully express their ideas but his interview style felt stifling to me. I wouldn’t really recommend this but I’m glad to have picked it up and finished it?
March 2, 2024
This was really fun to read, and it illuminating to read the many stories of successful, young, black entrepreneurs, writers, scholars, people. The author’s experience as an HBCU grad starting his first job at google is told through the good, the bad, and the ugly as he navigates predominantly white spaces amid the structures of white power systems. Through conversations with about a dozen of his colleagues, friends, or acquaintances, we learn several more stories that vary greatly in experience but share themes of dealing with discrimination and low standards, and importantly, leveraging these experiences to gain skills that amount to “black magic.” One of the most inspiring ideas from the book is that opportunity often arises from social, academic, and business connections, and that successful black people can bring along their counterparts as they enter spaces of success.
July 15, 2021
Author, interviewer and narrator, Chad Sanders, wrote a very well written book with a POV from a Millennial that is both unifying, as well as educational.
I am fortunate to have lived a life of privilege, one without many hardships. Reading Sanders interview Black men and women- who are at the top of their field- share their stories of trauma and triumph, I felt almost like an imposter being moved by it. However, even though I do not echo what it’s like to be a person of color and their experiences, it is still evident to me Black Magic does exist and can be accessible based on these powerful and vulnerable stories. Everyone should read this.
I am fortunate to have lived a life of privilege, one without many hardships. Reading Sanders interview Black men and women- who are at the top of their field- share their stories of trauma and triumph, I felt almost like an imposter being moved by it. However, even though I do not echo what it’s like to be a person of color and their experiences, it is still evident to me Black Magic does exist and can be accessible based on these powerful and vulnerable stories. Everyone should read this.
February 17, 2021
This should be a required read for all. This book is indeed magic. For anyone that needs inspiration, this is the book. Yes, it is based on the workforce, but it can also be inspiring in a lot of areas. Why do I say this? I will tell you why. This book throughout the pages gives on hope. Read this book. You are doing yourself an injustice if you don’t. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on this review.
March 16, 2021
This is not a book about God or religion. This is a book about belief.
“Surviving blackness in this world allows me to summon up certain abilities-presence of mind, empathy, independent thinking, conviction, comfort in isolation, work ethic, resourcefulness, bravery, focus, leadership, perseverance, community, detachment, charisma, problem solving and faith - I have Black Magic. And if I have Black Magic then I have hope.”
“Surviving blackness in this world allows me to summon up certain abilities-presence of mind, empathy, independent thinking, conviction, comfort in isolation, work ethic, resourcefulness, bravery, focus, leadership, perseverance, community, detachment, charisma, problem solving and faith - I have Black Magic. And if I have Black Magic then I have hope.”
July 3, 2021
This was an interesting book and gave the perspective of a young black man with a privileged upbringing. It often reads that what he equates as whiteness is really the elite rich people that run this country. He is angry at his rich white friends because they have more advantages than him. What he misses is that this is not “whiteness” and that white isn’t a race either. Many “white” people are poor and abused with similar hardships and disadvantages, albeit not noticeable from the color of their skin... but likewise from the way they dress, the way they speak, and many other more subtle cues. Poorer white people are taught to not question and not aspire to more and are often trapped in generational poverty. So some of what the author talks about is applicable to “white” people as well... and being one who was never invited to these mansions he grew up being envious of his white friends for and having no opportunity to go to a magnet school or Ivy League college it was a bit of a strange read. I think the author doesn’t see his privilege and can’t empathize with poorer less privileged people in the country (even middle class)... particularly those who may be white. Of course slavery and the terrible injustices against black people are not in debate... more his anger and definition of whiteness.
August 5, 2021
i can only hope that this turns out to be an important work among African-Americans. The work is done in a way that seems to intend one were to listen to a batch of interviews by the author, talking to a range of black Americans who have made significant contributions in their various fields. In retrospect I think I recall that none of those subjects mentioned anything about black studies in their college curricula, although most of them had quite positive experiences in predominantly black institutions. For me the most striking thing about the work was the almost assumption of Western values being held up as constituting success by them as they did from time to time disparage those around them for being in opposition to their success. I very hopeful work, and I think it further shows that virtually nothing changes quickly enough to suit us.
December 27, 2025
Personally, navigating white spaces has been a skill built through growing up in PWIs (high school and college) as well as working within them at electronic retail giants and corporate. This is a validating book to the feelings and thoughts of discomfort, allyship, and self determination making this a great read for anybody, let alone black and brown people. It provides examples of fighting through micro aggressions, setting yourself up for success in the midst of it, common failures, and the steady tone of persistence. As a black 28 year old who has gone from PWIs to the corporate world, this resonates heavily with me and highlights my ow story through another perspective.
June 9, 2021
A reminder that the black experience is not a monolithic one. The concept of "code-switching" is referred to as duality which is meant to encompass how whiteness works to really force black folx to assume another identity in order to cohabitate, exist, and survive. My deepest criticism is the lense of "success." The concept of what it means to be successful while Black is rooted in capitalism, and black capitalism is not black liberation. Regardless, it's nice to read about how other Black folx magic ✨
June 12, 2021
“If I believe surviving blackness in this world allows me to summon certain abilities: presence of mind, empathy, deep thinking, conviction, comfort in isolation, worth ethic, resourcefulness, bravery, focus, leadership, perseverance, community, detachment, charisma, problem solving, and faith, then I have Black magic. And if I have Black magic, then I have hope”
An incredible examination of Black excellence, navigating trauma, and the magic that Black folks possess and contribute to society. Chad is a phenomenal writer and navigates between his own narrative and the interviews seamlessly
An incredible examination of Black excellence, navigating trauma, and the magic that Black folks possess and contribute to society. Chad is a phenomenal writer and navigates between his own narrative and the interviews seamlessly
November 27, 2021
Chad Sanders worked in the tech world and learned how much more included he felt if he code switched (acted white, essentially). When he realized how that was eating him up inside, he decided it would be better to just act his true self...use his Black magic of resilience. This book includes Chad's story and interviews with his friends and colleagues. He asked these people, how have their experiences of trauma helped them be more successful in their careers? This theme of course is appealing to me, since I have a podcast about finding fertile ground through adversity.
May 25, 2021
I found this book very eye opening. I had no idea the different personas People of color have to wear in professional and social situations. I feel reading this book helps people to understand the depths of white privelage and how blind white people can be to it. This book is an important read to people of all colors to continue to break down racial barriers that we don’t even know we create. Thank you Mr Sanders for this powerful and important piece of work.
February 6, 2022
Great book! A take from the author as well as many leaders with different backgrounds on their journey in leadership in a white world. Great insights as it resonated with me in navigating a world not set up form me. Rejuvenated/reinforced my pride in being black and all that we have overcome as a people. I know that Black Magic is a real thing. I think it is understanding what your magic is and using it for good. Very empowering.
March 24, 2021
I listened to the Audible version of this book and it was fantastic. Chad makes a great narrator and I really enjoyed the way the interviews had different voices.
As for the writing itself, this should be required reading. The personal stories that Chad shared, along with the interviews were all really powerful.
As for the writing itself, this should be required reading. The personal stories that Chad shared, along with the interviews were all really powerful.
April 23, 2021
Fantastic topic and I am a big admirer of Chad Sanders. But I struggled to read a book entirely built out with Q&A style interviews. The primary source approach is really intriguing, but the experience of reading it was hard to get into and follow. I saw a few other comments mention that they listened to it. That’s a super good idea and I recommend going the Audible approach vs hard copy
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