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Growing Up Nigger Rich
"It is so important to be aware of your surroundings. You need to know where you are and what is there with you. Growing Up Nigger Rich is a sign, if read carefully, that will let you know what's around you and what it might do to you. What a great book for people, no matter their race, who grew up 'nigger rich' and didn't even know it."
--Nikki Giovanni, poet
"Nigger rich" is a colloquialism encompassing class distinctions, a term used mainly by African Americans in reference to
other African Americans, with an intent similar to that of other people's use of the term "nigger" to refer to any person of color. It was, and remains, an expression of fear, of anger, and of envy. Through the complex web of this narrative, Gwendoline Y. Fortune juxtaposes "old South" and new, privilege and powerlessness, and various visions of racial identity in this refreshing, heartbreaking novel about growing up and coming home. From the moment Gayla Tyner returns to her hometown of Carolton, South Carolina after thirty years away "up north," she is struck by the reminders of her segregated youth. As she seeks to ease the pain of having grown up "nigger rich"--with relative privilege in some
places, reviled and teased in others--she must also come to terms with her philandering husband, domineering father, and all of the relationships, secrets, and pleasures that continue to call her home.
--Nikki Giovanni, poet
"Nigger rich" is a colloquialism encompassing class distinctions, a term used mainly by African Americans in reference to
other African Americans, with an intent similar to that of other people's use of the term "nigger" to refer to any person of color. It was, and remains, an expression of fear, of anger, and of envy. Through the complex web of this narrative, Gwendoline Y. Fortune juxtaposes "old South" and new, privilege and powerlessness, and various visions of racial identity in this refreshing, heartbreaking novel about growing up and coming home. From the moment Gayla Tyner returns to her hometown of Carolton, South Carolina after thirty years away "up north," she is struck by the reminders of her segregated youth. As she seeks to ease the pain of having grown up "nigger rich"--with relative privilege in some
places, reviled and teased in others--she must also come to terms with her philandering husband, domineering father, and all of the relationships, secrets, and pleasures that continue to call her home.
Hardcover
First published February 28, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 21, 2021
Not free of prejudice, even against other Blacks. Interesting read, though, for the history. Storyline is meh.
April 1, 2016
Decided to just set this aside and read Margo Jefferson's "Negroland" instead.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews