Negroland’s pedigree dates back generations, having originated with antebellum free blacks who made their fortunes among the plantations of the South. Her father was head of pediatrics at Provident Hospital, while her mother was a socialite. Margo Jefferson was born in 1947 into upper-crust black Chicago. Jefferson takes us into an insular and discerning society: “I call it Negroland,” she writes, “because I still find ‘Negro’ a word of wonders, glorious and terrible.” An extraordinary look at privilege, discrimination, and the fallacy of post-racial America by the renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning cultural critic.BOOK REVIEW: THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH T.BOOKISH REFLECTIONS: READING IN SEPTEMBER.BOOK REVIEW: THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE BY KIMBERL.BOOK REVIEW: WUTHERING HEIGHTS BY EMILY BRONTË.BOOK REVIEW: HIGH WAGES BY DOROTHY WHIPPLE.BOOK REVIEW: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER AND OTHER STORIE.BOOK REVIEW: NEGROLAND BY MARGO JEFFERSON.PENGUIN ENGLISH LIBRARY: THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD.BOOKISH REFLECTIONS: TIPS ON READING CLASSICS.BOOK REVIEW: THE MAKER OF SWANS BY PARAIC O'DONNELL.BOOK REVIEW: AUTUMN JOURNAL BY LOUIS MACNEICE.

BOOK REVIEW: CATHERINE THE GREAT BY ROBERT K.

I think this book offers up a unique perspective and is definitely worth the read, and if you generally like essay collections, I think you'll like this. It's also not quite as on point as I would've wished, although maybe that's how it's meant to be. The first thirty pages or so are very much like this. I did find the writing a bit hard to overcome on occasion, as some parts felt a bit disjointed and slightly difficult to understand.

The whole book also feels honest and in parts raw, and I really loved the part towards the end where she discusses feminism (I would have preferred this to be a bit longer actually). It discusses privilege alongisde race and that isn't something I've seen that often. I think the discussions on race are fascinating and in parts heartbreaking, and I thought it was especially interesting to read about how the author and her likes viewed not only white people, but also other black people. I think this is a lovely book and an interesting look into the life of upperclass African Americans of her time.

Negroland book summary