Black Lives, American Love: Essays on Race and Resilience

by D.B. Maroon

In this hard-hitting collection of essays, D.B. Maroon presents a personal biography of America, Blackness, and racial politics with unflinching style, and delivers a relentless truth-telling on some of the country’s fiercest debates and most profound challenges.
 
From the birthplace of the Black Lives Matter movement to the murders of unarmed Black people, this essay collection invites readers to ask questions as much as it asks for accountability. Moving through debates on the 1619 Project to the rippling impact of resurgent white nationalism, the golden thread of each essay is the hopeful continuance of the Black community, as well as a call to greater truth as the first step toward reconcilliation.
 
Intersectional, personal, and ultimately centered on truth, love, and perseverance, Black Lives, American Love  details and tends to the fractures in American culture.  It is a meditation on how we can all do more to secure America’s vastly beautiful possibilities for all its citizens, rather than a few.

Genres: Essays, Race

248 pages, Hardcover

Published November 7, 2023

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am a daughter of America's promises, its betrayals, its possibilities." -D. B. Maroon

I enjoyed reading this collection of 18 essays by author, anthropologist, and activist, D. B. Maroon. The essays cover a wide range of topics on the issue of race such as Black representation, Black spaces, police brutality, Black biracial people, Black women leaders, hidden Black history rediscovered, and more. I especially enjoyed how she included her personal story in her essays. Maroon has a unique perspective on these topics.

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.B. Maroon is a cultural anthropologist whose essays offer in depth analysis of America’s social ills. I resonated with many of the essays as having “lived” through the same incidents and eras she references. She reflects on recent events and ties them to significant historical events. While that can be daunting (and depressing), she remains positive and hopeful in her thoughts and outlook on what can be realized in the future.

Her essays are from the lens of an educated, successful, African American woman and examines America’s history, politics, nationalism, and patriarchy. These are relevant and thought-provoking pieces that will provoke fodder for individual contemplation and book club discussions.

Thanks to the publisher, Lawrence Hill Books and Edelweiss for an opportunity to review.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. I like the way she puts it down. Impressive. Unfortunately I didn’t write down my thoughts immediately upon finishing this book, so coming back to write my review after almost four months, I can’t really do the book justice. If memory serves me correctly and faithfully the central theme of the essays was how race has played out in these United States and her perspective was usually on point. Thought it was a solid read that will raise your consciousness considerably about the long standing history of race.

[Jackie Lantern · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Black lives matter” as a political slogan and an organization is a complete joke, as is this piece of work. Black lives do matter, but so do those of every non black who often find themselves victims of violent crimes, including murder, committed by blacks themselves! Imagine that! Lives mattering is a two way street and when whites and asians and latins can be treated like we matter when we are victims of black crime, then I might give some credence to the expression, although not to this actual “piece of work” — which has a ways to go before earning actual gravitas.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the horrific murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the most racially biased US presidential administration in about a century, America faced an uproar on a scale not seen since the 1960s. “A racial reckoning,” boomed the press while corporations funded new efforts for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Astute observers noted that real change would consist not in ephemeral gestures but in lasting structural change. Three years later, the uproar has died down. Some progress has been made, but an attitude of resilience is now needed to continue the push for a more racially just America. These essays collected by D.B. Maroon reflect on what next steps need to happen, on the ground and in America’s collective soul.

These writings all center around the topic of race in America. Many focus on history while others explore the meaning of race in contemporary life. A large number of reflections spring from the field of anthropology. All warn against forgetting of race’s unduly large role in American society, a century and a half after emancipation. Not forgetting means remaining disciplined towards confronting racial injustice’s ill effects. Frustration or hate over these issues must not consume us; rather, remembering race means remembering how much more we love America, true American freedom, and our good lives on this earth. It means constructing a better, more inclusive narrative of who we are.

These essays reminded me that American love also entails remembering those whose history’s pages have not recognized. American colonization’s two-class system privileged and enshrined a few while overlooking too many others’ contributions. These reflections reminded me that our founding narratives need to be grounded in reality because complicated reality is far more moving than jingoistic mythology. It taught me several new facts about that reality, like the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina (a former home). There, newly emancipated slaves honored the newly dead with Union soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for others’ freedom.

Unfortunately, the deep problem of race in American society will not be solved with one book. Indeed, this problem will remain with us for centuries as the nation continues to heal from prior centuries of oppression. That said, we must heal, and books like this can apply balm to those aching wounds. They can direct us to specific, concrete ways that we can heal the world around us. Words like these can help heal the destruction of injustices around us done to ourselves inside. Racial rivalries and systemic problems continue to affect almost anyone in American society. Reading a book like this can be another therapeutic step towards a better tomorrow.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Lives, American Love: Essays on Race and Resilience, by DB Maroon, is a powerful collection that takes the reader from the deeply personal to the broadly historical without ever losing sight of our present moment and all that we need to do to make it better.

Like any collection of essays, some will speak to you more than others. I know this and go into any such book with an open mind and open eyes. What surprised me the most here was that I didn't find a single essay that didn't touch my heart and spirit while also engaging my mind. Whether the ones centered on personal experience or ones centered more on historical record (or lack thereof) I found myself moved. Moved by what people have been forced to endure and moved to learn more and do more.

I've often said that becoming more aware is important but if that is all one does then it serves little purpose beyond, one hopes, making you a better person. Worthwhile and necessary goal, without question. But what will you do with your new and/or better understanding? We can all do something, even if it seems small. Get active in your community, speak out whether in a personal setting with ill-informed friends or in public at open meetings, tutor at community centers if education is your strength, find something that suits you. This volume is as much a call to action as it is a powerful look at who we are as a country.

Maroon speaks to some of the ugliest aspects of our history yet does so with a lot of compassion and understanding. Make no mistake, that understanding does not include any kind of condoning, but rather an understanding of how and why humans can be resistant to change, even positive change, if it means uncertainty and the loss of unwarranted privilege and entitlement. That said, she makes clear change still needs to happen, and yesterday.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone with an interest in social justice causes as well as the reader who just wants to understand. As you can guess from my earlier comments, my hope is that those who just want to know more will also be motivated to do more, or at least do something.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[steve yonkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays is captivating. I have been an avid reader since the time I could read. I love books. I adore the written word. I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime. Some were entertaining, but forgetful. This book was far from forgetful. The insights and love that went into this book will stick with me forever. This book touched my heart and mind on so many levels. Beautifully written. Dr. Maroon's love and thoughtfulness shines through. I felt like I was sitting with her in my living room (or hers) and we were having a conversation. It forced me to take a good hard look at my own thoughts and actions surrounding racism and ignorance. It sparked conversations with my children and my spouse that I didn't even think to have before reading this book. I am neither black nor am I American, however, being the product of mixed-race parents, it made me reflect on my own experiences growing up in an environment where our mixed ethnicity was not celebrated and largely ignored in our own home. With Dr. Maroon's perspective I've been able to have heartfelt conversations with my daughters which sparked a narrative with them and a dialogue that unlocked thoughts that I had no idea they were feeling.

This is a must read for everybody and anybody. There is something for everyone in this collection of essays. There will be something that touches you and you will never see the world the same way again. It's one of those books that you want to go back and read again and again, because you find something hidden in her words that you missed the first time. I uncovered gem after gem of thought-provoking ideas and perspectives. I am a better person for having read it.

[Richard L Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing the Author I was shocked by the truth. Now I know the whys and how embedded they are.

I learned a lot reading DB Maroon's book, “Black lives , American love”. One Chapter recounts how as a little girl, Maroon was riding her bike home from
school and a man yelled “ Hey N***er, get off that bike? - OMG! I nearly fell out of my chair. Then Maroon points out that where this happened is close to where in 1787 the New York colony decided to support the Ratifying of the Constitution. She states that was when George Washington wrote his letter supporting the Constitution as necessary to limit the people’s liberty or freedom of choice to prevent destruction of the embedded commercial enterprises that the new nation’s survival depended on.
Reading Washington’s letter, I guess I can see Maroon ‘s point that Washington’s obtuse language in his letter was to give the representatives from the colonies the OK to set up a Republic that let the supposed intelligentsia make governing decisions everyday because they felt blue color colonists did not have the intellect to decide their own future.
Her short chapters on different subjects each let her vent some of the rage she has bottled up all these years.
Thankfully, her last chapter concludes with her saying she has learned to love herself as we all should love ourselves. That love wins in the end gives me some sense of relief to ameliorate the shock from learning of her rage and the causes behind it.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Black Lives, American Love was a powerful and deeply moving experience. This thoughtfully curated collection of essays resonated with me through its honesty, urgency, and heartfelt reflection. I’ve always understood the core message of the Black Lives Matter movement-not just as a political stance, but as a deeply human response to generations of injustice and systemic mistreatment faced by Black people in America. What stood out most was how clearly and compassionately the essays conveyed that saying “Black lives matter” isn’t about excluding anyone; it’s about recognizing the value of lives that have too often been overlooked or devalued. It’s a call for dignity, equality, and basic human decency. I truly wish more people on the other side of the conversation could see it this way. Too often, simply hearing the phrase sparks anger and defensiveness when it should invite empathy, reflection, and a shared commitment to justice. Kudos to D.B. Maroon for beautifully tying together these powerful voices and messages in such a meaningful and impactful way. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of race, resilience, and the urgent need for change — it’s both enlightening and inspiring.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so powerful, I constantly found myself bookmarking pages and passages to revisit. I wasn’t sure how a book of essays was going to keep my attention like a book with a singular plot might, but I found myself immediately pulled into each essay and unable to put this book down. Each story and anecdote is told with so much style and, in a sense, poetry. It is difficult to think of just lesson or point to highlight as a dominant takeaway.