Reviews

• Toure's terrific tome is timely

  Dr. Carter G Woodson's "The Mis-education of the Negro," Dr. Frances Cress Welsing's "The Isis Papers," and Elijah Muhammad's "Message to the Black Man in America" are standards in African American studies. I've read these books and came to realize and recognize the plight of the Black man and woman in America. I learned that white supremacy/racism is as real as leftover lasagna. Unfortunately, reading these books did not give me a better understanding of myself because they do not describe my experience. These books provide insight into someone else's Blackness and have, in various ways, made me feel far removed from what is deemed a genuine and authentic Black experience. However, Toure's "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?" articulates my heart's understanding, a reflection of my own journey, my own walk in the magical forest of Blackness. Post-Blackness suggests that we are in an era where, if there are 40 million Blacks, there are 40 million ways to be Black. Toure' says "Post-Black is not a box, it's an unbox. It opens the door to everything. It's open-ended and open-source and endlessly customizable." "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?" delves into this theme, but is not littered with annoying factoids and shady statistics. It instead is a collection of pensive prompts and provocative posits that will inspire intense conversation. Toure's tome becomes the catalyst for our own catharsis, the mirror with which to examine our personal role in Blackness. He weaves together indisputable facts with his own personal anecdotes as well as those of 105 revered Black thinkers and professionals. Many of the personal accounts brought me to tears as we see how far we are from Post-Racial and how the current Post-Blackness is a harbinger to such a time. Jesse Jackson, in particular, contributed powerful musings. A highlight of the book is "Chapter Three: The Rise and Fall of a Post-Black King" where Toure' intellectualizes "Chappelle's Show." It's truly a delight to read his analysis on the well-loved and familiar segments in such detail as it relates to Post-Blackness and offers a thorough examination into the work of one of the most brilliant philosophers of our time. Though I do not consider myself as an Obama fan, the chapter "How to Build More Baracks" was spot on in its characterization of the man who became the first Black President of the United States. Without subscribing to the Illuminati/Boule' or One World Order theories, Toure' offers some of the more obvious reasons for Obama's rise to the highest seat of the land while detailing the nuances of Obama's movements that are similar to those of other high powered Blacks before him. This section is a necessary read for all school teachers and parents in helping to mold Black children into world leaders. "We are Quintessential Americans" felt a little heavy on jingoism, so I was reluctant in conceding that yes, we are. These passages describe quite a love-hate relationship while making no excuses for racism, instead empathizing and wiping away tears with each empowering word. I completed it with a better understanding of how we can say something like "I'm from Brooklyn, but I'm not American." It's been said that a cat born in the oven is not muffins, but is a kitten, yet those of us groomed in America cannot separate our Black consciousness from our environment as if we're raised in the vacuum. "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?" is an excellent guidebook in learning how to effectively toe the line between the conventional Pro-Black militancy and current, more progressive and less limiting Blackness, i.e. Post-Blackness. Toure almost betrays the "tokens," exposing the tricks of the trade employed by the easily assimilating Blacks, the "browning sauce Blacks" who can fit in every dish injecting flavor without changing the environment's composition. This is an important read for detractors as the uber-Black will want to pick apart the notion of post-Blackness with the veracity of vultures on hyena. Toure' is more than ready for their attacks. But "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?" best serves those like me who have had to justify, explain, reason, or excuse our behavior to the Blackness Police time and again. It's of great comfort to the "Oreos," particularly as Toure' and his contributing sources explore the infamous "talking white" phenomenon plaguing our community with such clarity and honesty that those who have used this reference will be embarrassed at the notion. This book serves as commiseration for those of us who were post-Black before there was a Black President. "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?" puts my open-minded, highly confident take-over-the-world ideals of childhood into perspective, before being jaded by the "discovery" of my Blackness. This book was written for me. Maybe you can relate. If not, pick up a copy to better understand why you don't.

• My generation explained

  Good reading for young people who want a basis of understanding of AA culture

• Are There As Many Ways to Be Black As There Are Black People?

  l am not black, so unlike Touré and others, I have never been in a position to have my blackness questioned. But I taught at a largely-black middle-class high school, chock full of kids who didn't fit the mold of what black is. (Many of my students were skaters, listened to punk, etc.) So, the message of this book - and the book itself - are quite amazing. Touré's message could do a lot of good to a lot of people. What is this message? Touré believes that we need to redefine - really, expand - what it means to be black. Illustration: the book starts off with Touré's recount of his preparation to skydive (for a tv show). One of his friends casually suggested that he'd never jump out of an airplane because... that's not something black people do. What Touré is NOT saying is that we need to get to a post-racial ethos, where there is NOTHING (of significance) it means to be black... only that the concept needs to become a lot more elastic than it is. The book is Touré's quest to find out what being black means to people, and to find out, he interviewed a large number of black scholars, artists and public figures. And his answer: there are as many ways to be black as there are black people, and we risk unjustly stigmatizing if we police what blackness must mean. But honestly, while I loved the book, the message, and the writing, Touré didn't deal with what I thought was an obvious and potentially damning objection: for a category to mean something, it has to have borders, and expanding the borders too much takes the meaning away from the category. In some sense, "there are as many ways to be black as there are black people" is a tautology, for how would you know who black people are if there is nothing particular it means to be black. If it is just a skin color, then there is no point in talking about cultural blackness at all (which I doubt is Touré's intent). But if there is something it culturally (or spiritually) it means to be black, then there HAVE to be borders to the concept of blackness that are something beyond "it all comes down to skin pigment." I want to stress that I enjoyed reading the book, and Touré writes about everything from his own "You're not black!" experience to the diversity of black art, to the existence of things like stereotype threat and microaggressions. And this is why I am giving the book four stars despite what I see as Touré's failure to address a point that needs to be at the core of his argument.

• Like the man himself - solid, provoking, thoughtful, witty, and humorous

  Anyone can write a book. You simply write the words down like ants marching across the paper in rows, black letter and white space, one element after another, paragraph and page and chapter. Do it long enough, and you have a book. Do it well, and people will buy it. But do it as Touré has done, and you have something that is more than a book of words. You have the soul of a man poured out like water on dry ground, reviving, coloring, refreshing, healing--if you listen. Even when it's hard to listen. This book, "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness," is a work of depth and passion, anger and frustration and humor, an exploration of the twin poles of Blackness and Blankness, of being Black in America and being a Black who is American, of the paradox of being an instantly identifiable class and being perhaps one of 45 million unique individuals swimming in the larger sea of 170 million indifferent, unlistening souls. Every word rings true even as there are multiple definitions, sometimes contradictory, of what it means to be Black--and what it means now, in an age where "Black" is further divided and defined to incorporate Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama. Who's truly Black? Who defines? How does it matter? There's a lot to absorb here. It's built from countless hours of interviews by Touré of people in America who happen to be Black, who see themselves as Black, who embrace Blackness, who struggle with Blackness, who have simply lived a life as a Black person in this country which has both fed them and abused them, who have lived an uncontrolled, original Black life in freedom. Artists, statesmen and -women, doctors, lawyers, CEOs, and ordinary people like your neighbors with uncommented lives share their stories of what it means to them to be Black and to live Black. The part of Post-Blackness, I think, refers to the idea that the old definition of being "Black" is being replaced by a newer, freer definition. It's beyond the old boundaries that kept things separated and predictable. It's the discussion of breaking away from a sense of restriction or reservation, to a newer or different place where being Black is something common and unremarkable and perfectly ordinary, without the sense of being taboo or secret or even alien to America itself. There will continue to be the idea of Blackness, Touré argues, but it won't be the same as it used to be. I bought this book based upon the advice of friends who wanted to correct my ignorance about the landmine of race identity in America. Usually I read a book of this length in a few hours or even a day or so. I've been reading this slowly, chewing on the ideas, thinking through the challenges, trying to see through the eyes of the Other, feeling my way through the experiences. I appreciate the honesty and rawness of this book, that it's not prettified or made more acceptable or understandable to people like me, who have to ask these questions. I'd not heard of Touré before I read this book, and yet I feel like I know him a little more now, that maybe I could understand him a bit better, that when he talked about stuff that was important to him--or just talked about anything at all, really--I'd have a little more insight into him. A very good, solid, provoking book. Note: I've used the terms "Black" and "Blackness" as capitalized in the book.

• Read it in Three Day. . .Spot on!!!

  My insomnia prevented my sleeping for three straight days but luckily the book came out right before I did so it gave me the chance to devour it. As a biracial person, I learned quickly that I was not Black enough for some blacks and decided I did not care...I thought everything that Toure said was spot on. And I have personally experienced some similar things in my life so I could relate a lot to the book. Being black is not about how you talk, how you dress or what music you listen to. I think that many who are upset about Toure saying there are no barriers for Blacks in being who they want to be would be the first to march if some law were passed that create a barrier for Blacks...all Toure is doing is telling Blacks they can reach their potential...what is wrong with that? You're still Black if you are a classical pianist, chemist, plumber, etc. but you get to choose the destiny of your life. I really like Roland Martin's commentary about how some Blacks want other Blacks to adopt negative characteristics to "keep it real." It makes me sad but reminds me of an experience my younger brother had in high school. A girl in his class who was Black in the middle of class sitting across the room asked him if he was half White and he said "yes" and she said something to the effect of "I knew you were because you were so smart?"...what the hell? That is so embarrassing that she could even say that so out in the open in a high school classroom. I also liked Toure's discussion on Africa....we think that it's this utopia where all Africans see each other as brothers and sister....I wish he could have talked about all the different clans in Africa. I know people from Africa and they can differentiate members of their clan from those who are not and I can only imagine that there was conflict long before European invasion and colonization. But I am sure that could be a separate book. Where there are humans, there is conflict. And to some Whites who may be offended by what Toure says, don't. He is presenting a psyche (in my opinion) that has been passed down from generation to generation. Even though my parents are an interracial couple which takes a lot of open mindedness, my dad has some of these ideas and thoughts, i.e. "Blacks don't (fill in the blank)." It's ridiculous and while I understand racism exists, there will always be those who discriminate against others and while it makes it harder to achieve your dream, it is not impossible and the amount of melanin in your skin should never put a damper on your desires. On a side note, I appreciate Toure discussing his journey to becoming a writer as I am on that road and thanks for writing about my favorite artist...Tori Amos:)

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