If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered why society has a 'checklist' for what it means to be Black, and what happens when you decide to ignore it?
- What if you could transform the anxiety of navigating racial differences into a hilarious and eye-opening journey of self-discovery?
- Are you curious about the secret to staying true to yourself while moving through elite spaces that were never designed for you?
Listen to How To Be Black — Free Audiobook
Key Takeaways from How To Be Black
- Understand how growing up as a token black child in a predominantly white environment means navigating complex prejudices from both white and black communities.
- Discover the unique challenges of carrying an African name in America, from enduring mispronunciations by teachers to facing cultural gatekeeping from African immigrants.
- Learn how the author's mother shattered racial stereotypes by embracing an outdoorsy, health-food lifestyle while enforcing a rigorous approach to his cultural education.
- Realize the awkward pressure of being the only black student in an affluent private school, where you are often unfairly expected to act as the spokesperson for black history.
- Explore how grassroots community groups help African-American youth balance their dual heritage by instilling discipline, practical skills, and cultural pride.
Learning Tools
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Mind Map
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
How To Be Black — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Being a black child in 1970s America was even harder to endure when you carried an African name.
Chapter 3: Baratunde’s mother challenged many stereotypes people commonly still hold about a black woman.
Chapter 4: Baratunde’s early experiences adjusting to life in private school were very often awkward.
Chapter 5: Black people can take equal pride in their American nationality and their African ancestry.
Chapter 6: When black people gather together, it shouldn’t ever be taken as a threat to white people.
Chapter 7: Black-white friendships are wonderful, but don’t ask to touch a black person’s hair.
Chapter 8: Boston can feel unfriendly to black people, but Harvard University provided an accepting environment.
Chapter 9: The workplace presents its own set of challenges when working with black and white coworkers.
How To Be Black Summary & Overview
How To Be Black (2012) is the funny, revealing and insightful autobiography of Baratunde Thurston. Thurston attended private schools and Harvard University, and the experience of being black in a predominantly white milieu taught him a great deal about what white and black people have come to expect from one another. These blinks tackle a difficult subject with humor and empathy.
Who Should Listen to How To Be Black?
- Black people who get nervous around white people
- White people who get nervous around black people
- Curious readers interested in a fresh perspective
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