Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$12.72 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.00 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now
 
 
Start reading Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now [Hardcover]

Touré (Author), Michael Eric Dyson (Foreword)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

List Price: $25.00
Price: $16.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $8.50 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Tuesday, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover $16.50  
Paperback $10.88  
Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged $22.79  
Unknown Binding --  
Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $11.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

Book Description

September 13, 2011
In the age of Obama, racial attitudes have become more complicated and nuanced than ever before. Inspired by a president who is unlike any Black man ever seen on our national stage, we are searching for new ways of understanding Blackness. In this provocative new book, iconic commentator and journalist TourÉ tackles what it means to be Black in America today.

TourÉ begins by examining the concept of “Post-Blackness,” a term that defines artists who are proud to be Black but don't want to be limited by identity politics and boxed in by race. He soon discovers that the desire to be rooted in but not constrained by Blackness is everywhere. In Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? he argues that Blackness is infinite, that any identity imaginable is Black, and that all expressions of Blackness are legitimate.

Here, TourÉ divulges intimate, funny, and painful stories of how race and racial expectations have shaped his life and explores how the concept of Post-Blackness functions in politics, society, psychology, art, culture, and more. He knew he could not tackle this topic all on his own so he turned to 105 of the most important luminaries of our time for frank and thought-provoking opinions, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Perry, Harold Ford Jr., Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Glenn Ligon, Paul Mooney, New York Governor David Paterson, Greg Tate, Aaron McGruder, Soledad O'Brien, Kamala Harris, Chuck D, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and many others.

 

By engaging this brilliant, eclectic group, and employing his signature insight, courage, and wit, TourÉ delivers a clarion call on race in America and how we can change our perceptions for a better future. Destroying the notion that there is a correct way of being Black, Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? will change how we perceive race forever.

Check Out Related Media



Frequently Bought Together

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now + Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America + How to Be Black
Price For All Three: $48.25

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together
  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America $17.04

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • How to Be Black $14.71

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details



Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the most acutely observed accounts of what it is like to be young, black and middle-class in America. Toure inventively draws on a range of evidence . . . for a performance carried through with unsparing honesty, in a distinctive voice that is often humorous, occasionally wary and defensive, but always intensely engaging.” —Orlando Patterson, The New York Times Book Review



“The ever provocative TourÉ boldly articulates the complicated issues of self and racial identity in the age of Obama.” —Vanity Fair



"A welcome response to the 'self-appointed identity cops' who would arrest and banish those they consider insufficiently black. Perceptively analyze[s] a new sensibility in black art and culture to illustrate the complex and fluid racial identification TourÉ dubs 'post-blackness.' "—The San Francisco Chronicle



“This book is quintessential TourÉ: smart, funny, irreverent, and provocative as hell. Rejecting old school racial dogma and new school myths about post-raciality, he offers a powerful and original thesis on the status of Blackness in the 21st century. Through his sharp analysis and honest reflections, TourÉ challenges us to embrace a more mature, sophisticated, and ultimately liberating notion of racial identity. Any serious conversation on race and culture must begin with this book.”

—Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Columbia University Professor and host of “Our World With Black Enterprise”

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness is a necessary book. To fulfill your potential as an individual or as a people, you need a clear sense of self. TourÉ has done the difficult but liberating work of moving the discussion of race beyond the Black Power-era thinking of the 1970's into the 21st Century.”

— Reggie Hudlin, filmmaker

“TourÉ candidly tackles a burning issue confronting us today. Black America is undeniably a community 'free, but not equal,' and people from all walks of life are compelled to devise new approaches to confronting today's structural inequalities. Here TourÉ explores insights from many perspectives to help guide the way.”

—Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

“A fascinating conversation among some of America’s most brilliant and insightful Black thinkers candidly exploring Black identity in America today. TourÉ powerfully captures the pain and dissonance of Black Americans’ far too often unrequited love for our great nation.”

—Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness is a tour de force! I applaud TourÉ’s courage in standing up and telling it like it is. This special book will make you think, laugh, cry—and it will make you look at race and at yourself differently.”

—Amy DuBois Barnett, Editor-in-Chief, Ebony

“TourÉ has taken a question I have asked myself uncountable times over the course of my life and asked it of everyone: ‘What does it mean to be Black?’ The answers in this book are thought-provoking, uplifting, hilarious and sometimes sad. His sharp writing and self-effacing stories help digest some hard facts about how identity can be used for and against each of us – and why it matters so much to all of us.”

—Soledad O’Brien, CNN anchor and special correspondent

“TourÉ is one of my favorite writers. I’ve watched him grow and mature into the thinking man's writer for the new era. Extremely observant on class and culture, this book is a must-have guide from one of the few remaining minds with the courage to tell the truth about America's beautiful stain.”

—Questlove, from the Roots

About the Author

TourÉ is a correspondent for MSNBC and a columnist for Time.com. He is the author of Never Drank the Kool-Aid, a collection of essays, Soul City, a novel, and the Portable Promised Land, a collection of short stories. He hosts two shows on Fuse, the Hiphop Shop and On the Record, and remains a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press; 1st edition, edition (September 13, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439177554
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439177556
  • Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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:)
Was this review helpful to you?
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a great book. I don't think Toure broke any new ground in this book. Rather, he provided comfort to those who think like him. A coming-out party if you will. All too often, Blacks who do not think or act "Black" (whatever that means) find themselves persecuted by their own race.

The biggest issue that I have is the chapter on how to have more Pres. Obamas. Toure sets the book up to say that it's okay to be post-Black. Indeed, he encourages people to be who they are not conform to any type of societal expectation. However, he says -- and I agree -- that President Obama's complexion helped him get elected. This, of course, begs the question how are we supposed to raise more President Obamas if skin complexion is immutable? Also, he says -- and again I agree -- that President Obama would not have been elected if he had a White wife. This flies in the face of his it's-okay-to-be-post-Black theory because if it truly were okay, one would not have to choose between marrying someone and running for President. This is the type of confined thinking that the book was intended to thwart.
Was this review helpful to you?
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well done Touré. I think anyone who wants perspective on Blackness today should look no further and read this book. I'm a 20-year-old Black film student and a direct product of multiculturalism in America. I was raised in Atlanta, and grew up in a family where Blackness was instilled in me as a fundamental part of my being, something to be proud of, to appreciate, but that did not define or constrain me. I grew up in a household soaked in Black culture, with enough soul music and soul food to last a lifetime. But I was also exposed to a myriad of other cultural sources, allowing me to become whoever I wanted to be, with no stipulations. WAOPB is the book for this generation. It's the conversation-starter that poses the question "Who are we?" and deftly answers it with the resounding answer: "everything." It's personal, with Touré's own journey of Black Identity and self-understanding serving as an honest example of Blackness that has been shaped, cultivated, but ultimately deemed undefinable. It's engaging, with plenty of insightful commentary from many notable voices in the Black community, guided by Touré's own perspective of what it all really means. And it's honest, bringing to light the foolish dissonance within the race, the continuous effort to achieve true equality in America, and our need to accept Blackness of all shades and concentrations. This book confirmed to me what I've always known: Blackness is limited only by the boundaries we place on it.

I listen to Feist and Kanye West in the same iPod, watch Louie and Chappelle's Show in harmony, and skateboard.
Now tell me that isn't Black.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dont waste your money
Another book by a racist. After his comments on Piers Morgan's show I will never buy any book written by him. If the rolls were reversed he would be called a racist.
Published 1 month ago by JokerAce
Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now
[[ASIN:B004IK9C5M
Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?]]Very good book! Reading this book was like chatting with another informed, engaged and reflective African American... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Janice Jackson-Haley
On Toure's latest book
After having seen and heard this author on television
I thought his book might be an informative read-- and is is in the main. Read more
Published 3 months ago by EPS
Toure manifest and validates our experiences
Subsequent to reading this epic piece I ordered a second book for my 25-year-old `King's English' speaking son who has never lived a day in his life in poverty. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Terry Teacher
Put this on Your Must Read List
This is a thought provoking book on Blackness in the aftermath of what may be the most successful civil rights campaign, ever. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Loves the View
Rooted In, Not Restricted By Blackness
I first learned about this book when a friend mentioned having picked it up to take along on her travels. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tavares S. Carney
GREAT BOOK
Awesome book. Really had positive affect on me in that I am now writing down all of my thoughts with regard to its premise.
Published 5 months ago by Sheryl L. Harris
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... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Monique A. Williams
Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now
an excellent and well-written review of the challenges facing black american post barack obama election. what has changed? will the changes be positive, negative, non-existent? Read more
Published 6 months ago by V. E. Olson
I quit after the 1000th mention of Black
Look, I'm not black but I can't imagine people so caught up in the color of their skin 24/7. Or seeing racism behind every glance. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Abe Krieger
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject