"How to be black" is, as Thurston admits, a huge topic that one book can never really hope to tackle in its entirety. But Thurston admits as much, and his best effort is certainly worth reading. As a white woman, of course I never have been and never will be black, but I think that this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand race and racism in the United States. Much of the book is deeply personal and the book is really a strange chimera of memoir and satire. But it works because Thurston uses his personal experiences to support his thesis: that there are infinite ways of forming your own black identity, but also to show that there are near-universal black experiences in America (the chapter 'How to Be the Black Friend' does this especially).

It would be expected that a man who works for the Onion would be funny, but Thurston's uses humor to great effect. His satirical manner of poking fun at uncomfortable situations helps illuminate when and how white people are prone to making behaving, if not badly, at least in an ignorantly. There were some jokes that had me laughing so hard I had to put my book down.

Thurston discusses hard topics, and painful topics, but rather than taking an angry or vengeful bent, his tone is hopeful, which made the book that much more rewarding to read. In all, I would highly recommend How to Be Black to anyone. Even if you're not interested in the topic being discussed, it's hilariously funny, and you just might learn something.