Bourgeois Blues: An American Memoir (Plume) [Paperback]

Jake Lamar (Author)

Book Description

Series: Plume | Publication Date: October 1, 1992

A stunning memoir of a gifted young middle-class black man and his struggle to succeed in white America. Born in 1961, Jake Lamar was unable to escape a heritage of racism despite being well-educated and accomplished. Here Lamar, a former associate editor for Time magazine, illuminates the ironies of integration and America's history of prejudice.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lamar has written an insightful account of growing up as a middle-class African American in a household with an abusive father. Using background narrative as well as personal incidents, he describes his youth in the New York City of the 1960s and 1970s, with particular focus on life in a dysfunctional family. Following his graduation from Harvard, Lamar was employed by Time magazine as one of a very few blacks on the staff. He eloquently depicts the struggle of the middle-class "black Bourgeois" to assimilate into white society while also striving for mutual acceptance and recognition by other blacks. An underlying theme is Lamar's eventual reconciliation with his father. Librarians should take note that there is a great deal of obscene language. An optional purchase for most collections.
-Michael A. Lutes, Univ. of Notre Dame Lib., Ind.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Growing up in the black middle class and attending Harvard, Lamar, a former associate editor at Time, had a foot in two worlds and feared he ``was terminally ambivalent.'' That ambivalence, as evident in this captivating memoir, seems rooted in Lamar's relationship with his domineering, abusive father. It's 1988 and Lamar, who hasn't heard from his father in five years, receives a phone call from an investigator looking into his father's business dealings. Jake, Sr., who became one of the highest ranking black officials in New York government during the Lindsay years, was determined that his son attend Harvard and become a lawyer. (When the acceptance letter arrived, Lamar's father ``whooped triumphantly. `We did it! We got into Harvard!' '') A workaholic and philanderer who would disappear for days at a time, Lamar, Sr., was also insanely jealous of his wife, bullying and smacking her around in front of the children: she eventually left their Bronx home and was hospitalized for depression. Experiencing hard times and bankruptcy, the elder Lamar saddled his son with a $25,000 debt to Harvard (his other children were left to fend for themselves), didn't attend the 1983 graduation, and refused to return his son's calls--whether out of jealousy or anger over his son's career choice is unclear. His progressively deteriorating personality led his son to feel that ``Every success I achieved was a measure of revenge.'' When the two briefly reunited in 1988, the father, though proud of seeing his son's name in Time, asked not one question about his life, job, or well-being. Crediting his father for his drive and determination despite the damage done, Lamar notes that ``He did the best he could.'' Painful and illuminating, and a far more perceptive look at the black bourgeois experience than Stephen L. Carter's Reflections Of An Affirmative Action Baby (p. 902). -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Plume (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452269113
• ISBN-13: 978-0452269118
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,979,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars america and race, April 2, 2008

By 

R. Arnold "paperC" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bourgeois Blues: An American Memoir (Plume) (Paperback)

As a Jewish girl from Boston going to CCNY it was interesting for me to read a book about an African American man who grew up in the Bronx and went to school at Harvard. We have many similarities and some interesting differences in out experience. I finished this book in about 24 hours. It is an easy enjoyable read but also forces you to see socioeconomic and race issues in a way that you may not be used to. This is not an academic book. This is a memoir. However, it adds a valuable historical perspective of the 1960s through the early '90s. Some other topics in the book which are touched on in interesting ways are gender in American society as well as how news reaches the public and what news reaches the public. It is a good introduction to thinking about race in the United States although I would not recommend it as a strictly historical reference.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, but Lamar paints himself as one dimensional, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bourgeois Blues: An American Memoir (Plume) (Paperback)

Overall a worthwhile read. The author provides some keen insight into the complexities and duality alluded to by Fanon. An interesting observation about this piece is that if one reads into the characters you can begin to see the seeds of thought that comprise two African-American phenomena, "crabs in a barrel" and the placated desire of middle to upper-class Blacks to actively challenge social inequities. I was however disappointed by Lamar's reluctance to explore the obvious multiple dimensions of his written character. For example Lamar frequently stated that in many ways his own experiences and personality was that of his fathers', yet gave only surface answers to the questions of "how?" and "why?" I was also a bit rebuffed that Lamar painted middle class African-American life in such a boring manner. This is particularly unfortunate because the title and theme of the book was wrought with the contradictions and complexities of both being middle class and Black in contemporary US. As I mentioned before the book is worth reading and just reminded me that I need to get movin' on this writing thing.