Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People

Thanks Ecco Books for the gifted ARC copy.

I loved the concept of blue as the overarching theme. Perry examines Blackness through a series of essays with topics such as indigo, blue jays, and blues music. The structure and style did not follow a typical narrative for historical nonfiction work. Perry addresses motivation and form of the book early on in the chapter ‘Writing in Color’, adding context to her choices.

My reading experience felt akin to listening to jazz. Areas of writing were tight while others meandered lyrically. Topics danced around between literal and figurative ‘blues’ with some topics being quite loud. These ebbs and flows produced a song of Black culture and history.

In the middle of the ‘Blue Pots’ show more chapter, I got sidetracked researching Commeraw pottery and then realized it was 2am! I had unintentionally stayed up way too late that night, engrossed in reading. Despite not always knowing where things were going and desiring more from certain essays, I really enjoyed this book overall. If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d choose “curious”. There’s a lot here and a lot to read more about. I tabbed numerous pages to revisit. show less

Imani Perry has gifted us with a deep cultural history of the color blue as it is found in Black history, both in Africa, in the Islands and in the US. What a marvelous way to explore Black culture. As I was reading this book, I had a strong sense that I was not the intended audience. That is not to say I felt left out, but simply could I truly appreciate everything she was relaying without having black ancestors myself? I felt like an outsider looking in from the edge of the circle. This was not a bad feeling, but just an acknowledgement that I am still at the very early stages of understanding Black culture. As with her book, South to America, I appreciated the depth of her research, the lyrical storytelling and the great importance show more of her work. show less

In this erudite narrative, author and MacArthur fellow Imani Perry free-associates about Blackness and its long connection to the color blue.

There is a lot of interesting (and to me, unfamiliar) material here, but I found Perry's artsy, nonlinear writing style confusing. I wished Perry would stop wandering from topic to topic. For example, in the chapter entitled "Eating the Other," Perry introduced Baudelaire's lover Jeanne Duval (c. 1820-c. 1870), a mixed-race actress whom the French poet called his “Black Venus.” But Perry didn’t stay with Duval. Instead the author segued into discussions of Tiffany diamonds and bouclé fabric. Duval reappeared only briefly at the end of the chapter. As a reader, I was disappointed.

This show more discursiveness, however, is a deliberate part of Perry's design. She writes that in gathering her notes regarding the many intersections of Black and blue, she “wasn't constructing a story; [she] was revealing and witnessing, quilting something present" (5).

On the plus side, this book got me listening to Nina Simone, so there's that. show less

This read is beautiful and hard as it's a compendium of different aspects of joy and despair all based around the color blue; the essays are definitely to be pored over, and I loved all the history the author shares along with glimpses of herself as well.

A multi-layered poetic meditation on black art, music, history, identity and the African diaspora. I was entranced by this book, which stares unblinking at the crimes of whites against people of color in the U.S. but also rightly celebrates the creative, continuity and resiliance of African-americans.

4.5 stars, I really enjoyed Perry's writing and the stories she chose to tell with the thread of blue woven throughout.