The comedian chronicles his coming of age while analyzing politics & culture in this New York Timesโbestselling memoir and satirical guide.
If You Don't Buy This Book, Youโre a Racist.
Have you ever been called โtoo blackโ or โnot black enough?โ
Have you ever befriended or worked with a black person?
Have you ever heard of black people?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book is for you.
Raised by a pro-black, Pan-Afrikan single mother during the crack years of 1980s Washington, DC, and educated at Sidwell Friends School and Harvard University, Baratunde Thurston has over thirty yearsโ experience being black. Now, through stories of his politically inspired Nigerian name, the heroics of his hippie mother, the murder of his drug-abusing father, and other revelatory black details, he shares with readers of all colors his wisdom and expertise in how to be black.
Beyond memoir, this guidebook offers practical advice on everything from โHow to Be The Black Friendโ to โHow to Be The (Next) Black Presidentโ to โHow to Celebrate Black History Month.โ
To provide additional perspective, Baratunde assembled an award-winning Black Panelโthree black women, three black men, and one white man (Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like)โand asked them such revealing questions as โWhen Did You First Realize You Were Black?โ and โHow Black Are You?โ as well as โCan You Swim?โ
The result is a humorous, intelligent, and audacious guide that challenges and satirizes the so-called experts, purists, and racists who purport to speak for all black people. With honest storytelling and biting wit, Baratunde plots a path not just to blackness, but one open to anyone interested in simply โhow to be.โ
Praise for How to Be Black
โPart autobiography, part stand-up routine, part contemporary political analysis, and astute all over.ย .ย .ย . Reading this book made me both laugh and weep with poignant recognition.ย .ย .ย . A hysterical, irreverent exploration of one of Americaโs most painful and enduring issues.โ โMelissa Harris-Perry
โStruggling to figure out how to be black in the 21st century? Baratunde Thurston has the perfect guide for you.โ โThe Root