This book gave me an inside view of the psyche of the so-called black elite. I use the term so-called because not all of the individuals interviewed wanted to be labeled as black elite.
I was fascinated with the lives of the descendants of "house niggers" and free black people who were never slaves. I often wondered how some families had gotten such a head start on the rest of us. It was noted in the book that in some cases it was through the benevolence of their slave masters or other liberal whites. Also, some of the individuals in these families were the slave master's biological descendants, which account for some of the fair complexions in these families.
The author has done extensive research into the families of the black elite. He presented the information in a very readable fashion. He used direct quotes from people he interviewed, which gave his writing the feel of a good fiction novel. A good story was being told here. It was captivating.
My question though is about the author. I had the feeling all the way through this book that the author was a wannabe. He was an outsider looking in. He was not part of the black elite, but wanted desperately to be a part. The author mentioned in the book that he was not able to check off all the boxes associated with the black elite. And on page 45, he even states, "there are serious holes in my nuclear family's resume." Herein, I think, lies the core of the author's central problem--one of an unusual type of inferiority. Caught in the middle and stuck between two worlds--an urban black world and the world of the black elite, to which he aspires. Too good for one class, but not good enough for the other.
The only other area of the book that I question was the implied exclusivity given to groups such as the Links and Jack and Jill. In some cities, it is very easy to join these organizations, if one is so inclined. And, it has nothing to do with how "blue" your blood is.
Overall though, I feel that I have benefitted from reading this book. I understand better a certain segment of our race and appreciate the historical significance of the black elite.
I also gained a significant amount of historical knowledge about black colleges and universities such as Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, Meharry, and others. I've always known about these schools, but did not realize the depth of their history. I am among the first generation of college graduates in my family. I attended a white Northern university--Michigan State, only because my older brother had attended there. Although I feel that I received an excellent education and was able to join a black sorority, I've always wondered what it would have been like to attend one of the historically black colleges or universities.
Though it may not have been the intent of this book, what I really gained from reading it was something more on a personal level. From the information I read in Chapter 4, (Howard, Spelman, and Morehouse: Three Colleges That Count) I gained a greater awareness of the significance of historically black colleges and universities in our society and the need to support them. As a result of this deeper awareness, I will now be making a monetary contribution to the UNCF on a yearly basis. So I thank the author for raising my awareness, I thank him for a good read and hope that he finds peace with himself and his status in life.
It did open up some interesting dialoug, and I did enjoy the pictures. It's almost like looking into my own family album.