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Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest
Black Americans have been among the hardest hit by the rapid deindustrialization and accompanying economic decline that have become so synonymous with the Midwest. Since the 2016 election, many traditional media outlets have renewed attention on the conditions of "Middle America," but the national discourse continues to marginalize the Black people who live there. Black in the Middle brings the voices of Black Midwesterners front and center. Filled with compelling narratives, thought-provoking analyses, and impactful commentaries, this anthology explores the various meanings and experiences of blackness throughout the Rust Belt, the Midwest, and the Great Plains. Bringing together people from major metropolitan centers like Detroit and Chicago as well as smaller cities and rural areas where the lives of Black residents have too often gone unacknowledged, this collection is a much-needed corrective to the narrative of the region.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 1, 2020
A good collection of writing.
For me, "Detroit: Love of My Life," by Courtney Wise Randolph, and "Hair," by Lyndsey Ellis, were the real stand-outs.
For me, "Detroit: Love of My Life," by Courtney Wise Randolph, and "Hair," by Lyndsey Ellis, were the real stand-outs.
March 26, 2022
Excellent collection. A mix of memoir, commentary, academic dissection, poetry, visual arts. If you live in the Midwest, I highly recommend it. If you don’t live in the Midwest I highly recommend it.
June 22, 2023
3.5 stars. I loved the diversity of selections (poems, photographs, oral histories, academic essays), but many of the written pieces were too short to make a robust argument or lasting impression.
I wish there were more informal pieces -- like the poems and personal narratives -- as most of the featured writing comes across as dense and detached.
I wish there were more informal pieces -- like the poems and personal narratives -- as most of the featured writing comes across as dense and detached.
August 26, 2020
Such an important anthology demonstrating the true diversity of the Midwest.
September 19, 2020
Their best anthology I’ve read yet!
September 26, 2020
Stupendous achievement
August 24, 2021
Read for the PwC social justice book club round 3
March 26, 2023
3.85 stars.
November 10, 2024
I read a few of these entries. Good perspective on growing up as a person of color in the Middle West.
January 11, 2021
Did you know:
Rosa Parks’ niece saved her only sibling’s house from being demolished in foreclosure? She bought it for $500 and sent it to Germany to be restored.
A “sundown town” is one where only white people are welcome after dark.
On “the worst cities for Black Americans” list, 14/15 cities are in the Midwest.
Black in the Middle is an anthology of exactly that; the Black people in the Midwest that you forgot about. The perspectives are extremely varied, & it gives you hope that Trump won’t be reelected in 2020. Pick this one up for a totally different anti-racism read.
CW: racism
Rosa Parks’ niece saved her only sibling’s house from being demolished in foreclosure? She bought it for $500 and sent it to Germany to be restored.
A “sundown town” is one where only white people are welcome after dark.
On “the worst cities for Black Americans” list, 14/15 cities are in the Midwest.
Black in the Middle is an anthology of exactly that; the Black people in the Midwest that you forgot about. The perspectives are extremely varied, & it gives you hope that Trump won’t be reelected in 2020. Pick this one up for a totally different anti-racism read.
CW: racism
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews