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Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World
For almost five millennia, in every culture and in every major religion, indigo-a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a parasitic shrub through a complex process that even scientists still regard as mysterious-has been at the center of turbulent human encounters.
Indigo is the story of this precious dye and its ancient heritage: its relationship to slavery as the "hidden half" of the transatlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance, which is little recognized but no less alive today. It is an untold story, brimming with rich, electrifying tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and a world economy.
But Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan as their virile armor; the kin of several generations of Jewish "rag traders"; the maternal granddaughter of a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and the paternal granddaughter of African slaves-her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life. McKinley's journey in search of beauty and her own history ultimately leads her to a new and satisfying path, to finally "taste life." With its four-color photo insert and sumptuous design, Indigo will be as irresistible to look at as it is to read.
235 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
September 16, 2012
Never judge a book by it's cover. This book has an awesome cover and title . . . the contents . . .
I kept hoping it was going to get better. But it didn't.
The author is not very self aware. As an adopted child of mixed race she obsesses about a cultural heritage she wishes she was a part of. Then an affair with a college professor sends her on a quest for indigo. And she gets a Fullbright Scholarship to do so. And just so you don't forget that she has a Fullbright she mentions it over and over.
The book might have been better if it had actually focused on the history of Indigo. Or how it's made. Or how it was traded. Why it was important to different cultures.
It really was more of a "I'm in Africa, look at me, I'm making friends with real African people and they're accepting me--even though I'm still an outsider. Where can I buy some Indigo?"
The obsession with indigo is more a story of how she wants to buy and collect real indigo fabrics . . . which . . . isn't really all that exciting. And frankly it was a little callous how she just comes in with her "student's salary" and buys pieces of people's history.
Her descriptions of the fabric often just have names, but don't describe the patterns. The photos are interesting, but don't connect easily to the story.
I found this a little pretentious and self promoting. It lacked insight--and depth.
and I really really really wanted to like the book . . . .
I kept hoping it was going to get better. But it didn't.
The author is not very self aware. As an adopted child of mixed race she obsesses about a cultural heritage she wishes she was a part of. Then an affair with a college professor sends her on a quest for indigo. And she gets a Fullbright Scholarship to do so. And just so you don't forget that she has a Fullbright she mentions it over and over.
The book might have been better if it had actually focused on the history of Indigo. Or how it's made. Or how it was traded. Why it was important to different cultures.
It really was more of a "I'm in Africa, look at me, I'm making friends with real African people and they're accepting me--even though I'm still an outsider. Where can I buy some Indigo?"
The obsession with indigo is more a story of how she wants to buy and collect real indigo fabrics . . . which . . . isn't really all that exciting. And frankly it was a little callous how she just comes in with her "student's salary" and buys pieces of people's history.
Her descriptions of the fabric often just have names, but don't describe the patterns. The photos are interesting, but don't connect easily to the story.
I found this a little pretentious and self promoting. It lacked insight--and depth.
and I really really really wanted to like the book . . . .
June 3, 2011
i really wanted to love this book as i have been seeking out anything on color and pigment history after reading Victoria Finlay's fantastic book "Color" Color: A Natural History of the Palette.
it's a lovely piece of travel writing about a woman's journey through Africa trying to find indigo dyed fabric as a sometimes embarrassing obsession. you learn her family history, her past relationships, the friends she makes and many, many pages of her gazing longingly at beautiful cloth from a distance.
occasionally she glimpses a dye pot from a distance, or someone who has a blue dyed skin because of the dye bleeding out from their clothes.
i was hoping to learn more about ACTUAL INDIGO, it's history, the dye process, and the stories behind the patterns in the fabric with the very creative names. the history and scientific details are alluded to, but not addressed head on. there is not a picture of the plant in the entire book.
instead i learned all about the author and how she is willing to buy fabric right off someone's back. and that she's a Fulbright scholar (she mentions this ALL the time in case you forget). you get stories about Catherine E. Mckinley soul searching in Ghana, and not stories about indigo.
it all comes off as a bit pretentious and very self-indulgent. I feel i was not wrong in supposing this would be more about the title subject, as the blurbs on the back were by Victoria Finlay and Mark Kurlansky both fantastic authors of non-fiction.
it's a lovely piece of travel writing about a woman's journey through Africa trying to find indigo dyed fabric as a sometimes embarrassing obsession. you learn her family history, her past relationships, the friends she makes and many, many pages of her gazing longingly at beautiful cloth from a distance.
occasionally she glimpses a dye pot from a distance, or someone who has a blue dyed skin because of the dye bleeding out from their clothes.
i was hoping to learn more about ACTUAL INDIGO, it's history, the dye process, and the stories behind the patterns in the fabric with the very creative names. the history and scientific details are alluded to, but not addressed head on. there is not a picture of the plant in the entire book.
instead i learned all about the author and how she is willing to buy fabric right off someone's back. and that she's a Fulbright scholar (she mentions this ALL the time in case you forget). you get stories about Catherine E. Mckinley soul searching in Ghana, and not stories about indigo.
it all comes off as a bit pretentious and very self-indulgent. I feel i was not wrong in supposing this would be more about the title subject, as the blurbs on the back were by Victoria Finlay and Mark Kurlansky both fantastic authors of non-fiction.
April 7, 2021
I wasn't interested in the author's personal life or background, which doesn't intrude a lot, but wanted to mention that as my rating reflects the travel/history/culture aspects which she does quite well.
There is, of course, discussion of the indigo trade. McKinley gets full credit for integrating that story into the current state of indigo in West Africa; main arc of her story concerns its decline in favor of less intensive cloth offerings. The book follows her quest to obtain cloth made with traditional indigo, not a modern substitution (adaptation).
Travel narrative being my favorite genre, I truly appreciated her forays from Accra to other African locations as part of her quest. I would have totally freaked out being caught up in a neighboring country's coup attempt with rampant (greedy) soldiers aplenty, but not her.
Overall, I can recommend the book, though I found her a bit heavy-handed in bringing up the "evils" of colonialism as a theme here. Otherwise, she definitely succeeded in her objective, whereas similar books sometimes have fallen into the "good premise, but execution... not so much" trap.
There is, of course, discussion of the indigo trade. McKinley gets full credit for integrating that story into the current state of indigo in West Africa; main arc of her story concerns its decline in favor of less intensive cloth offerings. The book follows her quest to obtain cloth made with traditional indigo, not a modern substitution (adaptation).
Travel narrative being my favorite genre, I truly appreciated her forays from Accra to other African locations as part of her quest. I would have totally freaked out being caught up in a neighboring country's coup attempt with rampant (greedy) soldiers aplenty, but not her.
Overall, I can recommend the book, though I found her a bit heavy-handed in bringing up the "evils" of colonialism as a theme here. Otherwise, she definitely succeeded in her objective, whereas similar books sometimes have fallen into the "good premise, but execution... not so much" trap.
July 31, 2011
So, like a lot of other reviewers here, I was pretty disappointed. First, yes, while the history of indigo would be extremely interesting, this is more memoir than history or sociology. And that's fine. The problem is that it's a memoir of Ms. McKinley, and I don't want to read her memoir. At all.
This is the first book for which I've begun keeping a "Fulbright count." What is it? Ah. Glad you asked. It's a count of the number of times Ms. McKinley refers to her Fulbright, to how great it is to have a Fulbright, to how prestigious her Fulbright is, to how impressed others are by her Fulbright even though she herself feels somewhat ambivalent about it, etc. I abandoned the count when it hit the double digits within the first 50 pages. Yes. She won a Fulbright and that's awesome. But that alone isn't enough to make her story compelling.
Also, the dialogue is deeply, profoundly questionable. No, I don't expect a memoir to have direct transcriptions of conversations. I'm not watching CNN here. But seriously. People do not talk this way. Here: "Grandma, look at these! Look at what I am wearing. These are Japanese jeans, they are dyed with pure indigo, and I won't tell you how much they cost, but I bought them at Bendel's, which is a store I know you approve of. You can smell the indigo dye!" Or earlier, when we hear Eurama say "Obrini, I don't really understand what exactly it is that you're after. You are a writer? Uh-huhhhhnnnn. You love indigo. You have a big scholarship from your embassy to make research. Fine! You say you have everything. A good career, a good life. It's only indigo you need. But how is it you are so alone? You are here in Ghana with only your Eurama. YOu say you don't have a lover, a child. Nothing. We are waiting for your family to come. Okay, you say your parents don't like to travel and leave their farm, but we are waiting for your American lover at least. You don't keep a cell phone; you hardly call anyone. Cloth is cloth. It is everything to us and it is nothing. It only becomes part of a devotion to other things, to people. You have to start life! Have a child. get married - at least marry to have a child! Make a home! Care for another human being and make one with them!" Oy vey. This hurts.
Finally, and perhaps most oddly, while we hear time and again how fascinated Ms. McKinley is with indigo, we never really learn *why*. This makes her fixation seem curious, and we're as confused by it as her grandmother is, or Eurama, or Kati, or anyone else.
I don't know. There's stuff here that's interesting, but I don't recommend wading through the Fulbright-ness to get to it.
This is the first book for which I've begun keeping a "Fulbright count." What is it? Ah. Glad you asked. It's a count of the number of times Ms. McKinley refers to her Fulbright, to how great it is to have a Fulbright, to how prestigious her Fulbright is, to how impressed others are by her Fulbright even though she herself feels somewhat ambivalent about it, etc. I abandoned the count when it hit the double digits within the first 50 pages. Yes. She won a Fulbright and that's awesome. But that alone isn't enough to make her story compelling.
Also, the dialogue is deeply, profoundly questionable. No, I don't expect a memoir to have direct transcriptions of conversations. I'm not watching CNN here. But seriously. People do not talk this way. Here: "Grandma, look at these! Look at what I am wearing. These are Japanese jeans, they are dyed with pure indigo, and I won't tell you how much they cost, but I bought them at Bendel's, which is a store I know you approve of. You can smell the indigo dye!" Or earlier, when we hear Eurama say "Obrini, I don't really understand what exactly it is that you're after. You are a writer? Uh-huhhhhnnnn. You love indigo. You have a big scholarship from your embassy to make research. Fine! You say you have everything. A good career, a good life. It's only indigo you need. But how is it you are so alone? You are here in Ghana with only your Eurama. YOu say you don't have a lover, a child. Nothing. We are waiting for your family to come. Okay, you say your parents don't like to travel and leave their farm, but we are waiting for your American lover at least. You don't keep a cell phone; you hardly call anyone. Cloth is cloth. It is everything to us and it is nothing. It only becomes part of a devotion to other things, to people. You have to start life! Have a child. get married - at least marry to have a child! Make a home! Care for another human being and make one with them!" Oy vey. This hurts.
Finally, and perhaps most oddly, while we hear time and again how fascinated Ms. McKinley is with indigo, we never really learn *why*. This makes her fixation seem curious, and we're as confused by it as her grandmother is, or Eurama, or Kati, or anyone else.
I don't know. There's stuff here that's interesting, but I don't recommend wading through the Fulbright-ness to get to it.
February 4, 2017
Unfortunately, Catherine McKinley’s “Indigo” is another one of those books that could go grossly overlooked because it’s informative. Truly her search for indigo revealed the severe tie between cloth and world history everywhere.
A reader will get much more than the story of indigo in the world of textiles. In this narrative ethnography, full of desire and color, the reader will be introduced to the Nigerian medical doctor who discovers a cure for AIDS but then just a few pages later the reader gets folded back into cloth while learning that the Netherlands was the fourth-largest, slave-trading nation whose Dutch textiles made up 57 percent of the goods exchanged for human lives during their slave trade. Cloth constituted more than 50 percent of European exports to West Africa on a whole by the late 1600s—so that we see the incredible importance of cloth to West Africans that they would exchange lives for it. Concurrently, abolitionists over in America were staging boycotts of indigo and all of this information goes very well towards feeding the reader with the zeitgeist of the times.
Cloth takes on its own persona in "Indigo." McKinley makes cloth come alive as she explores its processes and its history in pre-colonial Africa as well. She effectively runs through the various types of cloth that were exchanged from East to West and North to South. Everyone around the world loved cloth in all its colors and textures. She also succinctly points out on a general note that the making of the ‘beauty’ during colonialism is also the making of the crisis that consumed many West African countries post-colonialism.
Every bit of indigo McKinley can find not only furthers her Fulbright research but furthers her insatiable desire to 'feel' the history of the people when it is not readily communicable from its owners. She believes in understanding by osmosis so that when she lacks the information to steer her in the right direction for more culture, rather than assuming there is no more knowledge to be gotten, her self-determination, sheer faith, and belief in the power of cloth pushes her straight through to the places she needs to go and the people she needs to meet over and over again throughout her West African journey.
The textile cultures McKinley discovers have been in West Africa for a very long time and as the needs of a global economy loom, she explains how that has necessitated that many West Africans start to place the pursuit of financial gain over the maintenance of laborious yet ancient and rare textile traditions. These cloth traditions do more than impart beauty but also translate generational heritage as indigo has been included in dowries passed down from mother to daughter and the symbolism embedded in the cloth itself expresses the various cultural values from ethnicity to ethnicity and country to country that she explores.
December 9, 2011
I slogged through half of this book because I am interested in indigo and its African roots. But though the book contains a fair amount of information, it's organization makes it very hard to understand the information in a coherent way. The author has a Fulbright Fellowship to visit west Africa to study indigo. The story is really a memoir of her project. We meet interesting people, mostly west African, are told rambling anecdotes about customs and culture that tangentially touch on indigo. It might all make more sense if you already are familiar with the area or know about indigo's African roots, but I don't and I could not make head or tails of the information. This would have been a better book if the author decided either to write a memoir OR to write about the African roots of indigo. By trying to do both, sadly she succeeds at neither.
Much of the story is about journeys the author made to different parts of west Africa. Though a map is provided, it is nearly impossible to read, and contains only a few of the place names mentioned in the book. Very frustrating reading. I am a fiber artist who dyes yarn. I am also the daughter of former Dutch colonials (who played a major role in west Africa and indigo), and I love reading about history. So the topic held lots of interest for me. I stuck with this book way past the point where I wanted to quit because I found the topic so interesting. Surely, the bits and pieces of information would start to come together? Sadly, no, certainly not by past the middle of the book. I give up, disappointed.
Much of the story is about journeys the author made to different parts of west Africa. Though a map is provided, it is nearly impossible to read, and contains only a few of the place names mentioned in the book. Very frustrating reading. I am a fiber artist who dyes yarn. I am also the daughter of former Dutch colonials (who played a major role in west Africa and indigo), and I love reading about history. So the topic held lots of interest for me. I stuck with this book way past the point where I wanted to quit because I found the topic so interesting. Surely, the bits and pieces of information would start to come together? Sadly, no, certainly not by past the middle of the book. I give up, disappointed.
Want to read
July 15, 2012I started with the being few pages and questioned this book. Then I skipped around the chapters, scanning a few pages, to see if my theories were correct. This book is a biography!!!! Not HISTORY book! I actually looked to see what it was indicated as by the publisher.
In the first few pages she mentioned about being a prof of creative writing, right then it was an oh no, and a no shit moment combined.
I really don't care that she feel in love with New Orleans or that she went out to buy a small sugar or that the university was on strike! Tidbits are nice when there is history, anecdotes are great when we as a reader have been bombarded but too many facts or as a way to help understand the facts.
Frankly as a novice to Indigo, and the origin of it, I thought the author was nuts freaking out over a piece of indigo fabric, given that the owner of the fabric clearly careless about it except for the key which the indigo fabric concealed. That would have been the point to bring in anything about Indigo and why she thought it was cool, or why she was writing a book about it.
I have read many history books on random things, this is the only one that seems more like a travel book focused slightly on indigo. But the writing is too flowery, for the first two pages I questioned if the bookseller was misinformed and the history book sold to me was actually fiction.
In the first few pages she mentioned about being a prof of creative writing, right then it was an oh no, and a no shit moment combined.
I really don't care that she feel in love with New Orleans or that she went out to buy a small sugar or that the university was on strike! Tidbits are nice when there is history, anecdotes are great when we as a reader have been bombarded but too many facts or as a way to help understand the facts.
Frankly as a novice to Indigo, and the origin of it, I thought the author was nuts freaking out over a piece of indigo fabric, given that the owner of the fabric clearly careless about it except for the key which the indigo fabric concealed. That would have been the point to bring in anything about Indigo and why she thought it was cool, or why she was writing a book about it.
I have read many history books on random things, this is the only one that seems more like a travel book focused slightly on indigo. But the writing is too flowery, for the first two pages I questioned if the bookseller was misinformed and the history book sold to me was actually fiction.
August 7, 2011
This book is basically a memoir of the author's pursuit to discover indigo, a deep blue dye made in the traditional African manner. She goes to Africa in pursuit of this. Throughout the book and her stories in Africa, the author weaves in information about the history of indigo and its effects on African culture, economy, etc. It was interesting to learn about how important cloth is to African culture. However, the history, etc of indigo is not very deeply explored, I thought. Since it is interspersed throughout, I never really felt like I got a full picture of the history, especially the chronology of it's growth and decline in importance. So I wished the author had made this a bit more of a research/historical book. But her stories and experiences were interesting though again, I never really understood her passion and obsession for indigo. She would often say things like "indigo is love" and while I sort of got that, I also sort of didn't. But since it was more of a tale of discovery for the author, I accepted her feelings on this. I found the character of Eurama to be the most interesting person in the book.
I received this copy of the book from one of the Goodreads giveaways.
I received this copy of the book from one of the Goodreads giveaways.
January 17, 2012
This is a most interesting book on what I believe is a little known plant but one that has a huge impact on the global psyche. I know it has on mine - my home is full of indigo and I had no idea that my obsession with the color, like the authors, goes back thousands of years.
You will learn that the color of Levis was originally brough to us by indigofera, a plant that grows all over the world but the best sources are India and West Africa. Did you know that Betsy Ross' first flag was created with indigo dye or that the color of Columbus' sails were colored with it?
There is much to discover about how this plant has influenced taste and finance in America(slaves were bought and sold with profits derived from indigo) and the world.
The first part of the book is a bit of a slog (sorry Ms. McKinley) but the second half is a wonderful journey where history, artistry and the author's coming of age story unfold beautifully, like the cloth she is obsessed with discovering the mysteries of.
You will learn much about West African people, customs, art and influence as you journey with the author on her quest to learn as much as she can about the mystical and mysterious plant.
A must read!
You will learn that the color of Levis was originally brough to us by indigofera, a plant that grows all over the world but the best sources are India and West Africa. Did you know that Betsy Ross' first flag was created with indigo dye or that the color of Columbus' sails were colored with it?
There is much to discover about how this plant has influenced taste and finance in America(slaves were bought and sold with profits derived from indigo) and the world.
The first part of the book is a bit of a slog (sorry Ms. McKinley) but the second half is a wonderful journey where history, artistry and the author's coming of age story unfold beautifully, like the cloth she is obsessed with discovering the mysteries of.
You will learn much about West African people, customs, art and influence as you journey with the author on her quest to learn as much as she can about the mystical and mysterious plant.
A must read!
August 30, 2011
I was very interested in reading Indigo by Catherine McKinley. However, I read to page 4, second paragraph and discovered a huge error--namely:
"The war (she's referring to the Revolutionary War) would mark the beginning of the weakening of American indigo profits, also hastened by the invention of the cotton gin in 1974." The cotton gin was invented in 1794. Didn't anyone proof this book?
On page 3, she mentions Gandhi joining the Indigo Revolt of 1859 as his first civil action, but he wasn't born until 1869. I was very enthusiastic about reading this book, but I'm not even to page 10 and the facts are derailing the author's / and the editor's thoroughness and credibility.
Has anyone else noticed these errors? I'm bailing.
"The war (she's referring to the Revolutionary War) would mark the beginning of the weakening of American indigo profits, also hastened by the invention of the cotton gin in 1974." The cotton gin was invented in 1794. Didn't anyone proof this book?
On page 3, she mentions Gandhi joining the Indigo Revolt of 1859 as his first civil action, but he wasn't born until 1869. I was very enthusiastic about reading this book, but I'm not even to page 10 and the facts are derailing the author's / and the editor's thoroughness and credibility.
Has anyone else noticed these errors? I'm bailing.
dnf
June 8, 2023goofy
February 2, 2025
2.75/5 stars
January 5, 2026
This book provided essential information about Indigo practices in West Africa, and I found the stories of her adventures enlightening.
April 24, 2021
TLDR: woman gets Fulbright and goes to Ghana to look for indigo fabric makers. Woman discovers no one is making indigo fabrics anywhere. Woman spends time buying old indigo fabric sometimes to the point of having people disrobe in front of her. Woman goes home.
Also, while there was some history in here, it really need "A memoir" in the title. I expected more.
Also, while there was some history in here, it really need "A memoir" in the title. I expected more.
June 18, 2011
"Indigo" is subtitled, "In Search of the Color that Seduced the World," and it is that, but it's also the author's search for identity, and spiritual mooring. The trouble with these kinds of search memoirs is that the search is often more compelling to the author than the reader. Such is the case, for me, with this book. Yes, the search is a good thing, in and of itself, but for some reason the author, Catherine McKinley never seemed to make the stakes high enough to get me emotionally involved either in the search for varieties of indigo dyed cloth, or the spiritual search to understand her background as an African-American woman adopted by a white family in the US.
I read the book through because Ms. McKinley's spiritual mother, a Ghanian woman named Eurama, had an earth-mother sort of goodness and wisdom that was well drawn and entertaining. She was good company, and a good foil to Ms. McKinley's obsessive search for Indigo. I also read through because Ms. McKinley has a good touch with description, and her rendering of the funeral of Eurama's husband was clear, evocative, and compelling. It was a real "you are there," piece of writing, and possibly the best writing in the book, though there were a few other moments of description that left the page and became real.
Ms. McKinley worked awfully hard to get history, politics, and contemporary anthropology into this memoir, and the writing became academically stilted when she felt the need to lay things out to give us a taste of locales. The lessons got in the way of the flow of the memoir, and may be one reason why the search never captured me.
I have a friend I'm going to give this book to. She's a weaver, and a fabric artist, and there might be something about the love of indigo - the color and the fabric - that will mover her. For me, it was a pleasant read, but except for the funeral, not at all compelling.
I read the book through because Ms. McKinley's spiritual mother, a Ghanian woman named Eurama, had an earth-mother sort of goodness and wisdom that was well drawn and entertaining. She was good company, and a good foil to Ms. McKinley's obsessive search for Indigo. I also read through because Ms. McKinley has a good touch with description, and her rendering of the funeral of Eurama's husband was clear, evocative, and compelling. It was a real "you are there," piece of writing, and possibly the best writing in the book, though there were a few other moments of description that left the page and became real.
Ms. McKinley worked awfully hard to get history, politics, and contemporary anthropology into this memoir, and the writing became academically stilted when she felt the need to lay things out to give us a taste of locales. The lessons got in the way of the flow of the memoir, and may be one reason why the search never captured me.
I have a friend I'm going to give this book to. She's a weaver, and a fabric artist, and there might be something about the love of indigo - the color and the fabric - that will mover her. For me, it was a pleasant read, but except for the funeral, not at all compelling.
June 20, 2011
I found the anticipation at reading what I thought would be an incredible story much more exciting than the actual book. It it not introduced by any review I read as a memoir -- yet it is simply that. In the same vein as Eat, Pray and Love, which travel was also paid by in this case a Fellowship (which the author constantly informes us -- as if we had forgotten the other dozen times), and I didn't really like that book either.
I expected this to be a story about INDIGO -- but it was only a minor character, and if the author reallly learned about the history, the plant growth, harvesting, processing, dyeing, etc., she didn't share that with the reader. The author was on a pilgrimage for the discovery of her own self. Her power of description was good in some places, lacked depth in many, and it was really difficult to feel much compassion for the characters. With the exception of the (funeral of her mentor's husband) which was in parts moving and touching, there was no rise and fall of emotion. I finished the book because I don't like to judge until I have (read the whole thing!) But I will have a difficult time recommending this book. As a member of a book club, I was excited to think that this might possibly be one we could share, but I don't think their are many who would enjoy this.
I expected this to be a story about INDIGO -- but it was only a minor character, and if the author reallly learned about the history, the plant growth, harvesting, processing, dyeing, etc., she didn't share that with the reader. The author was on a pilgrimage for the discovery of her own self. Her power of description was good in some places, lacked depth in many, and it was really difficult to feel much compassion for the characters. With the exception of the (funeral of her mentor's husband) which was in parts moving and touching, there was no rise and fall of emotion. I finished the book because I don't like to judge until I have (read the whole thing!) But I will have a difficult time recommending this book. As a member of a book club, I was excited to think that this might possibly be one we could share, but I don't think their are many who would enjoy this.
August 18, 2011
**I won this book through Good Reads First Reads**
To begin with, I was really excited that I won this book. It sounded fascinating! I feel like I was misled. I was under the impression that I would be learning about indigo, not about some lady's adventure in Africa.
This book read like a very bad memoir. As someone that knows nothing about African geography, I was completely lost with all of the references to the countries, regions and villages. A map would have improved this experience some.
Most of all though, I am not interested in Catherine McKinley's record of her trip through Africa. Maybe someone a little less obscure, someone that made a marked difference in the world, but not someone who just wanted to chronicle her (very confusing) search for indigo. I enjoyed the historical aspects (again a map would have been very helpful) and I enjoyed some of the characters. Man, could they be long-winded though! Does anyone really talk like that?
Overall, very disappointing book.
To begin with, I was really excited that I won this book. It sounded fascinating! I feel like I was misled. I was under the impression that I would be learning about indigo, not about some lady's adventure in Africa.
This book read like a very bad memoir. As someone that knows nothing about African geography, I was completely lost with all of the references to the countries, regions and villages. A map would have improved this experience some.
Most of all though, I am not interested in Catherine McKinley's record of her trip through Africa. Maybe someone a little less obscure, someone that made a marked difference in the world, but not someone who just wanted to chronicle her (very confusing) search for indigo. I enjoyed the historical aspects (again a map would have been very helpful) and I enjoyed some of the characters. Man, could they be long-winded though! Does anyone really talk like that?
Overall, very disappointing book.
October 5, 2011
I had trouble connecting with the author's story (part memoir of her obsession with indigo dye and cloth, and part history of the importance of indigo in West African trade and culture). McKinley's story was disjointed.
I was most interested in the photos of the indigo cloth she had purchased in her journey, in the patterns. As an artist, it has inspired me to find a way to incorporate indigo into some of my own work. It is an arresting color, and that was what "seduced" me to read the book. By the way, the title is misleading ". . . of the Color That Seduced the World." I expected to read more about how indigo seduced the world, not just how it seduced McKinley.
I was most interested in the photos of the indigo cloth she had purchased in her journey, in the patterns. As an artist, it has inspired me to find a way to incorporate indigo into some of my own work. It is an arresting color, and that was what "seduced" me to read the book. By the way, the title is misleading ". . . of the Color That Seduced the World." I expected to read more about how indigo seduced the world, not just how it seduced McKinley.
March 28, 2012
Now that I have read the other reviews, I am so relieved to know that I'm not the only person who did not enjoy this book....at all. I was encouraged by the beautiful introduction (a really lovely piece of writing), but was left completely disappointed by the following chapters. As much as it pains me to say, especially after making it to page 100, I simply cannot finish it.
As others have mentioned, the dialogue is tiresome-o!
I would not recommend this book.
As others have mentioned, the dialogue is tiresome-o!
I would not recommend this book.
August 12, 2011
The book was a little too soul-searching for my taste, but interesting enough since I knew nothing about indigo going in to it.
July 23, 2018
I really wanted to like this book. Indigo In Search of The Color That Seduced The World has a great cover and title. My wife came across this book at our local library while researching shibori dyeing techniques and thought that I would find it interesting. I am thankful that I did not submit to temptation and just buy this book from Amazon.
This book reads more like a memoir of a mixed race adopted young woman in search of her identity while on a lark in Western Africa rather than a scientific or historical study of indigo. The author barely mentions the source of indigo, the history, the slave trade, and economical aspects of the indigo trade.
Unless the reader should forget that the author earned a Fulbright scholarship the author mentions it several times throughout the book. The author comes across as rather pretentious and entitled running around Western Africa showing off her acceptance of the residence through purchasing indigo dyed clothes and fabric.
The author tries too hard claiming her African heritage by pointing out her acceptance by the residents. I did not like the author’s overt effort thrusting herself into the West African cultures when a simple, understated effort would have served her better.
After a rather cliché affair with a professor, the author goes on a tear through Western Africa (don’t forget she is a Fulbright scholar) making mention repeatedly that she purchases clothing and fabric on her student salary.
The author barely mentions the patterns, or the smell, or the textures of the fabrics, nor does she mention the ecological fall out that the indigo trade caused. The author also does not delve into the indigo market crash once industrial chemical dyes ruled the markets.
Thankfully Indigo In Search of The Color That Seduced The World is written at a reading level low enough to make this book a fast non mentally challenging read. Due to this experience with this book I doubt that I would read another book from this author. The author does not give credit to her reader’s intelligence repeatedly reminding the reader of facts. Perhaps the author is too used to college lectures and needs to get more out of academia and from behind the podium into the real world more.
Ultimately, if you read Indigo In Search of The Color That Seduced The World as a memoir of a young woman on a quest to find her ethnic and cultural roots rather than as a scientific or historical study of indigo you will not be disappointed. The author comes across as too much of an entitled pretentious, self centered person from academia searching for her roots, rather than a person studying indigo.
This book reads more like a memoir of a mixed race adopted young woman in search of her identity while on a lark in Western Africa rather than a scientific or historical study of indigo. The author barely mentions the source of indigo, the history, the slave trade, and economical aspects of the indigo trade.
Unless the reader should forget that the author earned a Fulbright scholarship the author mentions it several times throughout the book. The author comes across as rather pretentious and entitled running around Western Africa showing off her acceptance of the residence through purchasing indigo dyed clothes and fabric.
The author tries too hard claiming her African heritage by pointing out her acceptance by the residents. I did not like the author’s overt effort thrusting herself into the West African cultures when a simple, understated effort would have served her better.
After a rather cliché affair with a professor, the author goes on a tear through Western Africa (don’t forget she is a Fulbright scholar) making mention repeatedly that she purchases clothing and fabric on her student salary.
The author barely mentions the patterns, or the smell, or the textures of the fabrics, nor does she mention the ecological fall out that the indigo trade caused. The author also does not delve into the indigo market crash once industrial chemical dyes ruled the markets.
Thankfully Indigo In Search of The Color That Seduced The World is written at a reading level low enough to make this book a fast non mentally challenging read. Due to this experience with this book I doubt that I would read another book from this author. The author does not give credit to her reader’s intelligence repeatedly reminding the reader of facts. Perhaps the author is too used to college lectures and needs to get more out of academia and from behind the podium into the real world more.
Ultimately, if you read Indigo In Search of The Color That Seduced The World as a memoir of a young woman on a quest to find her ethnic and cultural roots rather than as a scientific or historical study of indigo you will not be disappointed. The author comes across as too much of an entitled pretentious, self centered person from academia searching for her roots, rather than a person studying indigo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2020
I stuck with this diligently because it was the subject was interesting to me, but boy, the writing leaves sooo much to be desired. As someone who has done some nonfiction writing and editing, I can't tell if it's over edited or under edited. Her sentences can be beautiful. The title is misleading because she also spends some time on the topic of the Dutch wax prints industry, only some of which involve indigo. Also, indigo has. been used in many cultures all over the world, not just the continent of Africa. Nonfiction narrative interwoven with travel adventures and impressions by someone who is also doing a bit of searching for her roots, it's hard to keep up with where the author is and what she is looking at or analyzing. I think that the book would have benefitted from being longer and more detailed; also photos of what she herself encountered would have really enhanced the book.
That said, I cannot think of any other book that involves a personal story in discovering the history of indigo in West Africa, and to some extent, currently day living in West Africa.. If those are topics that interests you, I would definately recommend this book.
That said, I cannot think of any other book that involves a personal story in discovering the history of indigo in West Africa, and to some extent, currently day living in West Africa.. If those are topics that interests you, I would definately recommend this book.
December 13, 2024
I really enjoyed the way Catherine E. McKinley wove her personal travel narrative with the history of indigo textiles and trade across multiple regions of West Africa. Her trip starts in (and the book spends the most time in) Accra, Ghana, but also visits Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Niger, and Senegal. As with any good story, a lot of the narrative focuses on people - the friends and family McKinley connects with on her journey, as well as her personal journey.
I wish some of the historical or technical information had been sited, but it's a perfectly fair choice not to do that. I am biased in my desire, as I originally started reading this book as part of a research project.
One of the things I most appreciated about this book is that McKinley lays out several very challenging personal, regional and situation tensions without coming to any conclusions. We are sometimes left to sit with the discomfort of a situation. This is such a vivid reality of travel, especially when you are (as she was) travelling with access to a budget that vastly, vastly exceeds that of those around you (and everybody knows it).
I wish some of the historical or technical information had been sited, but it's a perfectly fair choice not to do that. I am biased in my desire, as I originally started reading this book as part of a research project.
One of the things I most appreciated about this book is that McKinley lays out several very challenging personal, regional and situation tensions without coming to any conclusions. We are sometimes left to sit with the discomfort of a situation. This is such a vivid reality of travel, especially when you are (as she was) travelling with access to a budget that vastly, vastly exceeds that of those around you (and everybody knows it).
July 26, 2017
Well, this book was very promising, but unfortunately did not deliver and in my opinion was a slight disappointment. It would be interesting to see if the author did a DNA (via ancestry.com or 23&Me, etc.) to find out more in depth about her heritage and ancestry.
Anyway, I felt like she was going to go more in depth with her personal heritage and her Russian Jewish ancestors in regards to the whole hunt for indigo, but that was barely mentioned at all.
I am also very surprised she did not even mention once the once much sought after murex dye that was made from the shell of a sea animal in ancient times that came from the Levant. Surely that must be an important footnote in the history of indigo and natural dyeing???
"During independence we used to say 'It takes the whole hand and not single fingers to build a nation, but now we're in poverty and it has a whole new meaning." pg. 44
In addition to all this, the book I read was clearly a first edition, as there were a few typos early on in the text:
"It was said that no indigo box was dispatched to England without being smeared in human blood., and resistance to that tyranny sparked a two-year peasant revolt--the Indigo Revolt of 1869--that Gandhi joined as his first civil action." pg. 3} Gandhi was 9 or 10 years old when this occurred.
"The war would mark the beginning of the weakening of American indigo profits, also hastened by the invention of the cotton gin in 1974." pg 4} invented in 1794.
Anyway, I felt like she was going to go more in depth with her personal heritage and her Russian Jewish ancestors in regards to the whole hunt for indigo, but that was barely mentioned at all.
I am also very surprised she did not even mention once the once much sought after murex dye that was made from the shell of a sea animal in ancient times that came from the Levant. Surely that must be an important footnote in the history of indigo and natural dyeing???
"During independence we used to say 'It takes the whole hand and not single fingers to build a nation, but now we're in poverty and it has a whole new meaning." pg. 44
In addition to all this, the book I read was clearly a first edition, as there were a few typos early on in the text:
"It was said that no indigo box was dispatched to England without being smeared in human blood., and resistance to that tyranny sparked a two-year peasant revolt--the Indigo Revolt of 1869--that Gandhi joined as his first civil action." pg. 3} Gandhi was 9 or 10 years old when this occurred.
"The war would mark the beginning of the weakening of American indigo profits, also hastened by the invention of the cotton gin in 1974." pg 4} invented in 1794.
December 22, 2018
This book had many lovely moments and philosophic turns. But it had an inherent flaw: it was a tale of a quest that went more or less unfulfilled. The author went in search of historic indigo dying practices in West Africa... but the industry has pretty much died out. And the political upheaval that was happening limited what she could see.
So instead the core of this book was her found family in Accra. I could have read a whole book about this, it was lovely. The rest of it was somewhat disjointed: journeys and interviews about indigo. The occasional purchase of an old piece. I enjoyed her thoughts about why possessing it was so important to her.
I also enjoyed this tidbits of West African history that were dropped. I lived in Togo for two years but never learned much. The trade routes and movements of people, the value of cloth to a person and a family, the different meaning of the different prints- all this was fascinating to me.
Japanese
Mother hood
So instead the core of this book was her found family in Accra. I could have read a whole book about this, it was lovely. The rest of it was somewhat disjointed: journeys and interviews about indigo. The occasional purchase of an old piece. I enjoyed her thoughts about why possessing it was so important to her.
I also enjoyed this tidbits of West African history that were dropped. I lived in Togo for two years but never learned much. The trade routes and movements of people, the value of cloth to a person and a family, the different meaning of the different prints- all this was fascinating to me.
Japanese
Mother hood
January 2, 2023
I liked this book for several reasons. It tells a story about an area of Africa that I'm unfamiliar with, set out as an academic effort to find indigo cloth and to study and better understand the culture and ties that indigo cloth has to ancient culture, means of making a way in life, stories that pass from generation to generation, and the ubiquitous laborers and traders across the world.
I only noticed after reading it that many reviewers didn't like it (it was 'not enough' about the dying process, the cloth, etc.). I was touched by a paragraph from p. 91 where the author states: "I was reminded again of the power of the metaphor of cloth and especially indigo: that it merely materializes the very thin layer between what is seen and unseen, between what can be grasped and what can only be suggested, between the living and the spirit world..."
In my experience, our point of view is always tempered by what we have seen and lived. McKinley is an American of immigrant parents, an adoptee and an academic researcher. I think she documented her study well made more enjoyable with personal anecdotes about her travels, her own spiritual journey and those she met along the way.
Having traveled to central Africa some years ago to go on safari, this book brought me a much more personal and intimate view of the people along the Ivory Coast, its history and its connection to the world...
I only noticed after reading it that many reviewers didn't like it (it was 'not enough' about the dying process, the cloth, etc.). I was touched by a paragraph from p. 91 where the author states: "I was reminded again of the power of the metaphor of cloth and especially indigo: that it merely materializes the very thin layer between what is seen and unseen, between what can be grasped and what can only be suggested, between the living and the spirit world..."
In my experience, our point of view is always tempered by what we have seen and lived. McKinley is an American of immigrant parents, an adoptee and an academic researcher. I think she documented her study well made more enjoyable with personal anecdotes about her travels, her own spiritual journey and those she met along the way.
Having traveled to central Africa some years ago to go on safari, this book brought me a much more personal and intimate view of the people along the Ivory Coast, its history and its connection to the world...
February 17, 2018
Terrific writing! Terrific work!
Catherine McKinley is from my neck of the woods, and shares a passion I have had since the 1960s - cloth. Her research is not wimpy look-it-up, make some phone calls, make a chart. She moved to Africa and studied and collected and lived events that make cloth cloth. Finding proper proper indigo wasn't exactly easy. Hoffman, ICI, the German dye giants, and Vlisco, the Dutch print giant made proper cloth passe. Mass market appeal. But there are still great artists and craftspeople making batiks, wax cloth, cassava resist cloth.
McKinley's writing is so much more than academic or journalistic or creative non-fiction. She is a hell of a writer who leaves her love on the page.
Catherine McKinley is from my neck of the woods, and shares a passion I have had since the 1960s - cloth. Her research is not wimpy look-it-up, make some phone calls, make a chart. She moved to Africa and studied and collected and lived events that make cloth cloth. Finding proper proper indigo wasn't exactly easy. Hoffman, ICI, the German dye giants, and Vlisco, the Dutch print giant made proper cloth passe. Mass market appeal. But there are still great artists and craftspeople making batiks, wax cloth, cassava resist cloth.
McKinley's writing is so much more than academic or journalistic or creative non-fiction. She is a hell of a writer who leaves her love on the page.
August 18, 2020
I picked up this book because I’m interested in natural dyes and I prefer to learn through memoirs rather than how to books. Unfortunately this book didn’t deliver. I finished the book feeling like the author hadn’t achieved her purpose on her trip, and was disappointed twice because 1) I didn’t learn anything meaningful about indigo, and 2) she could have saved the book by reflecting on how her exploration didn’t live up to her research premise but it took her in different directions, but even that wasn’t really fleshed out. This is more a story of belonging to two cultures and not feeling at home in either more than it is about indigo, and could have been more powerful if the author had realized that.
May 15, 2018
The book was a bit confusing. It needed more photos and explanations of the terms, perhaps a glossary would have been helpful. A map too.
One big take away? The importance of cloth - as currency, prestige, and as used in ritual.
Yes, she was looking for indigo, but she wasn't rely interested in the actual dyeing process, but more how it affected people's lives and the economy. But also, she desired to own bits and pieces of this indigo cloth.
Overall I enjoyed the book, especially after I decided that it was ok to be confused. I must say, the more I read about indigo, the more fascinated I get about it.
One big take away? The importance of cloth - as currency, prestige, and as used in ritual.
Yes, she was looking for indigo, but she wasn't rely interested in the actual dyeing process, but more how it affected people's lives and the economy. But also, she desired to own bits and pieces of this indigo cloth.
Overall I enjoyed the book, especially after I decided that it was ok to be confused. I must say, the more I read about indigo, the more fascinated I get about it.
February 13, 2021
This book was about the author's search for indigo fabric made in the traditional way, but that is only half of what the book entails. It is also a look into a different culture from that in the United States. Through Ms. McKinley's travels we get to glimpse a take on life that is unique and fascinating.
I have to give the author credit for keeping going on her quest even in the sometimes harrowing and frustrating situations she encountered. Her descriptions of the people she meets and spends time with are done well and the reader is swept up in the world of the corners of Africa that she visited.
I have to give the author credit for keeping going on her quest even in the sometimes harrowing and frustrating situations she encountered. Her descriptions of the people she meets and spends time with are done well and the reader is swept up in the world of the corners of Africa that she visited.
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