The Black Body [Paperback]

Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

What does it mean to have, or to love, a black body? Taking on the challenge of interpreting the black body's dramatic role in American culture are thirty black, white, and biracial contributors—award-winning actors, artists, writers, and comedians—including voices as varied as President Obama’s inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander, actor and bestselling author Hill Harper, political strategist Kimball Stroud, television producer Joel Lipman, former Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts, and singer-songwriter Jason Luckett.
Ranging from deeply serious to playful, sometimes hilarious, musings, these essays explore myriad issues with wisdom and a deep sense of history. Meri Nana-Ama Danquah’s unprecedented collection illuminates the diversity of identities and individual experiences that define the black body in our culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intimate collection of thoughts about a subject which too often causes people to retreat across distances seemingly too wide to cross."—Afrik.com

"Danquah's literary libation to the Black body consists of a collaboration of folks—Black, White, and both—all of whom seek to convey what it’s like to live in one, be a part of one, and be affected by one. Before opening The Black Body, I already had preconceived notions of how I thought it would read, considering the fact that I have a Black body, myself. I should have known better. It wasn’t necessarily the topics covered that surprised me, but the way in which they were interpreted and the eloquence with which some of the authors conveyed the subject."—Feminist Review

"... An intimate collection of thoughts about a subject which too often causes people to retreat across distances seemingly too wide to cross."—New York Examiner

"This book is for everyone to read. It may be a hard pill to swallow. It may enrage you... It's supposed to. It’s supposed to create a dialogue, be thought provoking, evoke emotion."—Pamela's Punch Blog

"Black, white, and biracial artists, actors, writers, and comedians ponder the role of the black body in American culture. Among their perspectives are hair apparent, my ace in the hole, our kind of people, the unborrowable blackness of being, a tail tale, the right side of the dial, the soul section, the black brain, fear and loathing, and sacred rhythm."—BookNews Inc.

About the Author

MERI NANA-AMA DANQUAH's previous work includes the groundbreaking memoir Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman's Journey Through Depression and two critically acclaimed anthologies, Becoming American and Shaking the Tree. She earned an MFA in creative writing and literature from Bennington College. A native of Ghana and a single mother, Danquah lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583228896
• ISBN-13: 978-1583228890
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Book, November 11, 2009

By 

Sam White "Sam" (Springfield MO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Black Body (Paperback)

This is a great collection of personal stories that explored the meaning of black bodies in contemporary society. It is a great read for anyone (Black, white, Asian American, Latino/a, Native American, etc.) who wants to learn how race continues to shape contemporary life. It is eye-opening and frustrating but mandatory reading for anyone who thinks the U.S. is post-race.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant must, January 28, 2010

By 

Eva Maria Jaime Rius "EM Jaime" (Barcelona (Spain)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Black Body (Paperback)

I would definitively recommend it. It's a great reading and a good inspiration that sparks reflecting further on the real, incremental and underused value of diversity in this "global village" that Earth has turned on for good."How can we have meaningful discussions about race when our descriptions of race defy common sense?" in words of Werner Disse, one of the many contributors to this book. I particularly fancied Susan Matus' relation of a "very-white" looking woman living in Harlem and I was very touched for her heart felt account of her personal discovery journey through the relationship she established with one particular individual in her neighborhood, that allowed her to overcome her initial fear and transmute it into some new inner light to see the world through. Same as with Matus and Disse's personal relations, all the different larger than life contributions to Danquah's collection are absolutely worthy and make it very easy to put ourselves in the shoes of the different individuals and share their memoirs, and I find myself enriched after the reading. Again, I highly recommend THE BLACK BODY.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The past, June 24, 2010

By 

Shehu - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Body (Paperback)

I went to a recent panel discussion, hosted by the editor, and several of the essayist. I thought I was listening to a post antebellum diatribe on race in America. The entire panel either was suffering from severe post traumatic stress from their past or present racial encounters. The premise of the book is an old archaic post civil rights discussion on race. Led by a Ghanaian who has bought in to the orientalist view of race.