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Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man
"This is a book of stories," writes Henry Louis Gates, "and all might be described as 'narratives of ascent.'" As some remarkable men talk about their lives, many perspectives on race and gender emerge. For the notion of the unitary black man, Gates argues, is as imaginary as the creature that the poet Wallace Stevens conjured in his poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird."
James Baldwin, Colin Powell, Harry Belafonte, Bill T. Jones, Louis Farrakhan, Anatole Broyard, Albert Murray -- all these men came from modest circumstances and all achieved preeminence. They are people, Gates writes, "who have shaped the world as much as they were shaped by it, who gave as good as they got." Three are writers -- James Baldwin, who was once regarded as the intellectual spokesman for the black community; Anatole Broyard, who chose to hide his black heritage so as to be seen as a writer on his own terms; and Albert Murray, who rose to the pinnacle of literary criticism. There is the general-turned-political-figure Colin Powell, who discusses his interactions with three United States presidents; there is Harry Belafonte, the entertainer whose career has been distinct from his fervent activism; there is Bill T. Jones, dancer and choreographer, whose fierce courage and creativity have continued in the shadow of AIDS; and there is Louis Farrakhan, the controversial religious leader.
These men and others speak of their lives with candor and intimacy, and what emerges from this portfolio of influential men is a strikingly varied and profound set of ideas about what it means to be a black man in America today.
James Baldwin, Colin Powell, Harry Belafonte, Bill T. Jones, Louis Farrakhan, Anatole Broyard, Albert Murray -- all these men came from modest circumstances and all achieved preeminence. They are people, Gates writes, "who have shaped the world as much as they were shaped by it, who gave as good as they got." Three are writers -- James Baldwin, who was once regarded as the intellectual spokesman for the black community; Anatole Broyard, who chose to hide his black heritage so as to be seen as a writer on his own terms; and Albert Murray, who rose to the pinnacle of literary criticism. There is the general-turned-political-figure Colin Powell, who discusses his interactions with three United States presidents; there is Harry Belafonte, the entertainer whose career has been distinct from his fervent activism; there is Bill T. Jones, dancer and choreographer, whose fierce courage and creativity have continued in the shadow of AIDS; and there is Louis Farrakhan, the controversial religious leader.
These men and others speak of their lives with candor and intimacy, and what emerges from this portfolio of influential men is a strikingly varied and profound set of ideas about what it means to be a black man in America today.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 6, 2009
I learned that crisis doesn't define us, and success or fame doesn't redefine us, but that complexity and diversity, not cultural cynicism, make us all the wonder of masculinity that we are...
January 8, 2011
A friend of mine once said that it gave him great joy to watch a professional at work. I would say that Prof. Gates takes great joy in what he does, and that, coupled with hard work and a sensitive eye and ear, produce works like this -- portraits of several prominent African-American males. These profiles were done as pieces for "The New Yorker." Still, though they were done for a magazine, and not a peer-reviewed journal, you can tell that Prof. Gates is a professor -- he wears his learning lightly, but it shines through. The book was a joy to read.
June 25, 2010
I had put off reading this book because I expected it to be a dry sociology text, but it was actually a collection of mini-biographies or portraits of notable black men. The stories themselves were interesting, but I didn't like the way each chapter was organized (i.e., seemed to be written in one shot without thought for organization or cohesion), and the author frequently used language that most people, even college graduates, would not understand.
February 22, 2016
Especially liked the essay re the Simpson verdict, particularly with the mini-series airing and it being back in the news. Portraits of men some of who I already knew a lot about (such as Baldwin) and others very little (such broyard). I think these were mostly originally New Yorker essays but I had not previously read them.
August 3, 2009
The title essay, about the OJ Simpson trial and the million man march among other things, is particularly interesting considering the trouble he had with the Cambridge Police lately. It's an excellent collection of essays overall.
Want to read
August 8, 2010This is one of those books I had high on my mental list--only to have it supplanted by something else.
Just in time as I finished up "Kafka was the Rage," I started reading his essay on Anatole Broyard's history of "passing."
Just in time as I finished up "Kafka was the Rage," I started reading his essay on Anatole Broyard's history of "passing."
March 10, 2013
Best essay was on Anatole Broyard.
Want to read
April 1, 2009from Culture Gabfest?
June 20, 2023
Ebook. June 2023 Book Club Book. 3.5 stars. I think that I would have rated this book higher if I had read it when it came out; instead it was hard to read chapters such as the profile on Colin Powell without being distracted by all the subsequent history that went undocumented. Still, it led to an excellent book club discussion and I learned a great deal.
September 6, 2018
A compelling synopsis of the biographies of famous Black men.
August 13, 2019
Excellent read- no surprise given the author who never disappoints
July 9, 2020
Insightful profiles of outstanding Black men; great lives variously inspired by the particular deep encounter between self and America. Dr. Gates is a wonderful writer with the gift of great clarity.
April 22, 2017
There are two quick takes I have from this book: I have never seen the perspective of life as a black person the way I did in this book, and I am amazed at how pertinent this book is 20 years later.
There is always more than one way to look at a subject, something we fail at constantly, and Gates does just that in this collection of essays. I would be remiss if I didn't add that I better understand why he reacted the way he did in 2009 and why the police failed to act appropriately.
This book is a must for anyone, but even more so for white people who want to understand a world that exists around them but they avoid looking at.
There is always more than one way to look at a subject, something we fail at constantly, and Gates does just that in this collection of essays. I would be remiss if I didn't add that I better understand why he reacted the way he did in 2009 and why the police failed to act appropriately.
This book is a must for anyone, but even more so for white people who want to understand a world that exists around them but they avoid looking at.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews