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Certain People: America's Black Elite
On the basis of his research on markedly different circles in Black society, the author provides a view of the Black haut monde and explores the rationale for class distinctions within America's Black population
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 12, 2025
I honestly don't even know how to rate this book. Two important things I didn't know before starting. 1. The author is white. 2. The book was written in the 70s.
First, so much of the language was distracting. This isn't the fault of the author, but a sign of the times. Although, I have read earlier texts that weren't quite so grating on my sensibilities. Anyway, I am glad we have evolved on terminology when it comes to speaking about race.
The real issue is that this book is written by a white author who just did not have the range to write a book on the subject matter. Although, to be fair, based on some of the subject interviews, I doubt some of the Black people interviewed would have given the time of day to a Black author/journalist. The internalized racism was HEAVY throughout this book (of course the author did not touch on that. I honestly question if he even knows what that is).
There were so many microagressions and a few instances of outright racist ideology from this author. BUT, while gritting my teeth when reading, I did manage to come away with some new found information and knowledge from the subject interviews. The Black owning class has always been such a fascinating subject for me. I enjoyed getting to know some interesting tidbits of which I was unaware, such as the private school in NC and the rivalry between the two Chicago Johnson clans.
Overall, this was a quick read, and I don't regret reading it.
First, so much of the language was distracting. This isn't the fault of the author, but a sign of the times. Although, I have read earlier texts that weren't quite so grating on my sensibilities. Anyway, I am glad we have evolved on terminology when it comes to speaking about race.
The real issue is that this book is written by a white author who just did not have the range to write a book on the subject matter. Although, to be fair, based on some of the subject interviews, I doubt some of the Black people interviewed would have given the time of day to a Black author/journalist. The internalized racism was HEAVY throughout this book (of course the author did not touch on that. I honestly question if he even knows what that is).
There were so many microagressions and a few instances of outright racist ideology from this author. BUT, while gritting my teeth when reading, I did manage to come away with some new found information and knowledge from the subject interviews. The Black owning class has always been such a fascinating subject for me. I enjoyed getting to know some interesting tidbits of which I was unaware, such as the private school in NC and the rivalry between the two Chicago Johnson clans.
Overall, this was a quick read, and I don't regret reading it.
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October 27, 2025This is a re-issue of a book written by the late Prof. Stephen Birmingham in the late 70's. It is an
interesting history of the "The Talented-Tenth", so named by W.E.B. DuBois. I read in back in the early 80's and loved it. It is worth reading even now.
interesting history of the "The Talented-Tenth", so named by W.E.B. DuBois. I read in back in the early 80's and loved it. It is worth reading even now.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews