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Richard Wright

12 Million Black Voices Paperback – December 16, 2002

by Richard Wright (Author)

123 ratings

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12 Million Black Voices, first published in 1941, combines Wright's prose with startling photographs selected by Edwin Rosskam from the Security Farm Administration files compiled during the Great Depression. The photographs include works by such giants as Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein. From crowded, rundown farm shacks to Harlem storefront churches, the photos depict the lives of black people in 1930s America - their misery and weariness under rural poverty, their spiritual strength, and their lives in northern ghettos. Wright's accompanying text eloquently narrates the story of these 90 pictures and delivers a powerful commentary on the origins and history of black oppression in this country. Also included are new prefaces by Douglas Brinkley, Noel Ignatiev, and Michael Eric Dyson. Among all the works of Wright, 12 Million Black Voices stands out as a work of poetry, ... passion, ... and of love. - David Bradley. A more eloquent statement of its kind could hardly have been devised. - The New York Times Book Review.

Print length

152 pages
Language

English
Publication date

December 16, 2002
Dimensions

7 x 0.38 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

1560254467
ISBN-13

978-1560254461
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Wright is among this country's most widely recognized and critically acclaimed authors. His books Native Son and Black Boy represent pivotal developments in American literature, politics, and culture.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (December 16, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1560254467
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1560254461
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.38 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #353,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,011 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)
- #2,886 in Political Science (Books)
- #15,493 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
123 ratings

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Richard Wright

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Richard Nathaniel Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an American author of sometimes controversial novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially those involving the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. Literary critics believe his work helped change race relations in the United States in the mid-20th century.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Carl Van Vechten [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		12%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Mandy D

This book will open your mind to the black experience.

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2022

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This is one of my favorite books, because it’s my - and every other descendant of slavery’s - family experience. From the beginning of their capture in Africa to the great migration to northern cities, this book describes the African American experience. There are beautiful historical photos on almost every page, and the book will bring you to tears. It is worth every penny.

One person found this helpful

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chelofilm

A Prophetic Voice

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2010

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In Twelve Million Black Voices, Richard Wright, in a beautifully poetic prose, recounts the conditions African Americans endured when they migrated North during the early Twentieth Century. His love for his people and his hurt over their suffering comes through and helps readers understand what those times were like. In Twelve Million Black Voices, Wright expands on the themes of Black Boy but in a less personal way. The photos in the book, taken by some of America's foremost photographers, complement the writing, and illustrate the conditions under which African Americans lived.

Unfortunately, 21st century living conditions in America's inner cities too closely mirror what Wright describes in Twelve Million Black Voices. Perhaps when people read this book, they will be moved to change the conditions in which many children of color still live, or at the very least, understand the plight of inner city families and youth.

20 people found this helpful

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wdny300

Educational read & homage to those before us

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2019

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Great read, well written with pictorial display of the struggle. Exactly what generations need to pass on to today's youth to continue to honor our ancestors.

3 people found this helpful

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The Old Dog

Should be in every American's Library for sure!

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2017

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A classioc with photography and words from the "lips of the Holy Spirit" herself. Should be in everyone's library!

One person found this helpful

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M.C

A piece of history

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2014

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This is a piece of history and I am happy to see it on amazon. The only thing that I would like to point out is that this publication looks different in layout than the original first edition. If you want the "original" experience, purchase the first addition. The photographs in this edition are of much better print quality.

4 people found this helpful

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Rochelle Jewel Shapiro

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018

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Written with heart and with biblical prose. You will learn so much from it.

One person found this helpful

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Michael Novick

A lost classic. The paperback, sadly doesn't really ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2017

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A lost classic. The paperback, sadly doesn't really do justice to the photos or their poetic accompanying text. I got this book after reading the original in one sitting, but buying the original hardcover was prohibitively expensive.

5 people found this helpful

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D. Rheinstrom

powerful language, interesting photos

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2012

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I bought this book to find photos for an art-drawing project. The pictures are very good, but the book must be read to comprehend the context of the pictures. The writing is fluid, easy to read, and poetic, with a powerful effect on the reader. Richard Wright, the well-known author of "Native Son", died in the 1960's, so his depiction of the "Modern" black person, is not the same as the black people of the USA today.
A history is given of the "Great Migration", when the blacks migrated from a segregated, Jim Crow South to an industrialized, non-segrated North, around 1920-1930.
Black people had to go from an agricultural environment to a crowded, big city environment. Conditions were bad in both places, but eventually black people were able to overcome bad conditions and they began to assimilate into American culture, just as immigrants at the time had to assimilate.
Richard Wright gives not a factual account, as much as an impassioned view of Black culture at that time. He includes the feelings and impressions of the black people who had to deal with segregated schools, churches , washrooms and buses in the South; they also had to deal with the Ku Klux Clan, and lynchings
In the New North, blacks were taken advantage of by landlords and by violent whites. They did not have equal housing, and often lived in squalid conditions. Wright explains how these conditions affected the black people from the time of slavery until modern times. The book is not as well-known as "Native Son", but is well-worth reading. -

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Peter J. Massingham

A MUST have.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2021

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A Must have for anyone interested in fine historical imagery and contextual history on race.

gino

Classic book on the Afro-American experience.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2013

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This is a classic book to understand the reality of Afro-Americans in the past, expecially during the 1930s-40s. The realistic images accompanying the text just focus on that reality

Kimmy

Great!

Reviewed in Germany on November 26, 2015

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A very impressive and vivid work of history and art.
However, the pictures would have benefitted from a more high-quality print in this edition.

One person found this helpful

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