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64th out of 112 books
—
45 voters
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.
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Paperback, 448 pages
Published
December 22nd 1999
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1999)
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I got my hands on this book by accident, it was in a box of romance and fantasy books a friend sent me from abroad. However, I did give it a chance, despite my complete lack of knowledge on the subject and on the American class system in general.
The author's writing style could use a lot of improvement. Many parts of the book were tedious to read, thanks to constant repetition. Also, the author often came off as smug and pretentious, sometimes envious of his peers that were better off, sometimes...more
The author's writing style could use a lot of improvement. Many parts of the book were tedious to read, thanks to constant repetition. Also, the author often came off as smug and pretentious, sometimes envious of his peers that were better off, sometimes...more
This was a very enlightening look at a subset of culture I didn't know existed. Sport stars and entertainers don't count -- wealthy, privileged black Americans have contributed greatly to the fabric of our country, yet the media rarely features them.
I actually read this some years ago, but mention it now because I just finished Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns, and there were a couple of references to the black society clubs Our Kind of People details, so I glanced at this again. I a...more
I actually read this some years ago, but mention it now because I just finished Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns, and there were a couple of references to the black society clubs Our Kind of People details, so I glanced at this again. I a...more
what can you say about l.o.g. that isn't self evident. he's pretentious and so is this book but he performs a necessary service for white americans who often don't recognize class distinctions in black communities and, sadly, many of us who mistakenly think that our means, whether modest or middle, are all there is when it comes to black folks. there is more academic work on class distictions from the slave ship on but i wouldn't dismiss this book.
An excellent book, which focuses primarily on wealthy African American who are rarely talked about or seen in the mainstream media. Looking back historically to the rise of the middle and upper class Blacks, along with their pettiness and generosity, the reader gets a excellent understanding as to why there is such a disconnect among African Americans today. With all of the trials and tribulations that African Americans have had to face since being brought to this country, namely Jim Crow laws,...more
Otis Graham spent 6 years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America and combined that with his own experience growing up on the fringe of what he terms the "Old Guard" or "Black elite" for this book. I don't know that I've ever read any book about any elite group (elite folks, sure, but not an entire system). Really enjoyed some of the history and the glimpse into a world so different from my own, but I did get bored with it. I loved the stories but found that there were too many tim...more
This book was written to give America the inside scoop of the "Black Elite of America," something that is rarely shown or heard of. The author begins by introducing us to his whole reasoning behind the book. Graham is a self-professed "Black Elite" and was sparked to write this book after meeting with a very successful, wealthy, and influential African American business man who asked how he should go about ensuring his daughters had a "black experience." You see, this man felt his luxury had onl...more
Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.
Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years...more
Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years...more
I read this book first while in college. I felt that in provided an interesting perspective on a sub-culture within in the African American community. While I can't say that I agreed with the contentions set forth in the book, it provided some incite on why some people view things as they do. I a re-reading the book now as I am directing the play Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith, which largely focuses on skin color and class within the black community. Though many of the notions presented in the...more
I can see it in the beginning when a black doctor, lawyer, etc needed people to socialize, network with, etc. But what is so great about black people aping the worst characteristics of the white oligarchy? Light skin, straight hair, money,jockeying to get into exclusive clubs. It's so shallow and meaningless unless status and money are what you think is most important in this life.
I'm all for success. But the content of one's character is what counts in my opinion.
the book is tedious and not wel...more
I'm all for success. But the content of one's character is what counts in my opinion.
the book is tedious and not wel...more
Mar 19, 2010
Afrijewel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Yes
Recommended to Afrijewel by:
Came across at Upham's Corner Library in MA
This is worthy of a bookclub discussion. I stumbled across this one while I was at the Upham's Corner Library in MA. I saw it there a couple of times. I decided to peruse through it and found that it might open my eyes and brain to another world I was not entirely knowledgable about. So with that said if you want to get an inside view of the so-called Black Elite/Old Guard/Black Greek and so forth...try reading "Our Kind of People". I think the opening to this Non-Fiction outline is well written...more
The controversy that comes with this book I find is interesting. The author, it seems to me, has taken a brave step in writing this book and he's examined a part of society and revealed it for all to see. And here he is examining a part of society that is not uaually talked about--upper class blacks. Class systems are usually discussed freely it seems in many societies, but in America, we add the "race" factor, and here we have the issue at hand. I enjoyed reading this book.
Really enjoyed reading this book. It's a fascinating study of affluent black Americans--the blacks we rarely hear about unless they are celebrities. Graham presents a world that I'd heard my parents talk about but that I never experienced. I grew up in a working class/middle class neighborhood. I didn't know anything about debutant cotillions or summers in Martha's Vineyard until I was in college and was invited as a guest. I read the book as research for a novel I am writing, and I am so glad I...more
I read this book way back in my high school days, and I thought that it said much more that it exposed in words. Being from Africa, you seem to get only the negative side of the stories and information about African Americans. You are bent to believe that all the do is play basket ball, sing,act, do stand-up comedy...and other arts of the sort. The book actually communicates a different message. You learn that there are so many African Americans that have contributed towards what America is toda...more
Apr 06, 2009
Wilhelmina
is currently reading it
I have pulled this book out of the stack. It is a book on race. The author, Lawrence Otis Graham, is Black. I'm also Black and it caught my interest. I started the book and I just didn't *get* it. So I will try again (thus using my speed reading skills).
So no rating for now.
So no rating for now.
I found this book interesting. I was working with a "high yellow" young woman, and there were a number of times this issue came into play with other blacks there. I wanted to read more on the issue of "class" in black society. I can't remember if I read this all the way through, but I did find it worth reading.
Very interesting view at a world many rarely see, that of the African American upper class. The striveres and talented tenth as they used to be called. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a broader view of African American studies.
I can appreciate Graham's effort to offer insight and expertise into the lives of this "unique" subset of African Americans, but the book falls short with too many personal accounts by an author who barely qualifies for entrance into the elite world his book claims to know so much about.
Interesting, but not thought-provoking.
Interesting, but not thought-provoking.
This book is excellent for anyone who may be curious about something they know little about. The Black Upper Class in America does exist. It has existed for a VERY long time. Yet they are rarely seen (entertainers do NOT count) and even more rarely discussed. Yet it is an entire culture that is self sustained, self-aware and intent on self preservation. Furthermore, it is a part of American culture that will employ drastic measures to maintain itself and is capable of a form discrimination that...more
In his book Lawrence Otis Graham presents a three hundred and ninety-six page chronicle of the history of elite black society in the United States. The history of the Black upper class, Graham writes is, “…a world that is filled with irony and conflict. This book was an opportunity to reveal a rarely discussed aspect of American history. It was an opportunity to capture the stories and lives of people… who have lived at the boundary of two worlds and been misunderstood by both.” As Graham write...more
I thought this was a very interesting book. To a certain extent it was hamstrung by the fact that Graham is a member of the community that he writes about here, but at the same time, it seems obvious that someone not of this community would not have had nearly as much access. I felt that the last chapter, about "passing", felt rather out of place; instead of being specifically about the upper class, like the rest of the book, instead it was or could be about very light-skinned black people of al...more
Whoa, lots of controversy in my book club over his "exposure" of the black upper class. Lots of good anecdotes. Brought back memories of my own Links Cotillion back in the day...hahahaha
certainly well written... sad state is that colorism still exists... I am with Benilde Little when she wrote... "where are the regular black people";)
Very interesting. Paper bag and ruler test. (The skin color and straight hair!) Becomes a name dropping roster. Didn't finish it.
Very interesting book. Certainly a different view of People of Color than what’s put before the media daily. Refreshing.
Definitely a great inside look into America's Black middle class and the roots of Black Elitism
Apr 30, 2013
Allison
is currently reading it
I can only take about a chapter a quarter but am determined to complete. Extremely enlightening
Not a realistic account but still gave basic good info of what I have experienced
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I learned alot of interesting things about the black elites that i did not know existed. This was a very eye opening book.
For me, the book's strength lies in its oral history interviews.
Really interesting read about a world I had no idea about.
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