Reviews

Black No More by George S. Schuyler

kurtwombat's review against another edition

4.0

The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s was an explosion of African American expression across a wide spectrum of arts. Unfortunately, that blossoming didn’t last because it had to exist largely outside the dominant white culture and many of venues for that expression either dried up or were on their way out by the time the stock market crashed in 1929. A personal favorite Zora Neale Hurston died virtually penniless when she should have been afforded the opportunity to write up to her last breath. There is a similar explosion going on today but this time the African American experience is saturating the culture at large and creating its own space—gaining more control over its content, distribution and profits. Within this new wave is the concept of Afrofuturism. The largely science fiction form re-imagining of the African American Past, Present & especially Future is quite a departure for a culture traditionally trapped into seeing the world one day at a time. If you are constantly being told your present has no value, then you don’t spend much time imagining your future. The term Afrofuturism was coined in 1993 and is generally considered to have germinated in the 1950’s but I’d like to make the case that its seed was planted with the Harlem Renaissance novel, BLACK NO MORE by George S. Schuyler. Noted essayist and scholar Schuyler presents a world where African Americans are given the option to be turned white and thus, be black no more. For the purposes of the novel, virtually every African American takes advantage of this offer and most of the novel is America trying to adjust to the new landscape during a presidential election year. Schuyler uses this gimmick to take shots at both sides of the racial divide. One point driven home particularly well and quite reminiscent of today is the cultivation of racism as a means to congregate votes. The often thin lines between the Klan and the Church, the Church and politicians, the politicians and the businessmen and businessmen and the Klan are explored throughout. Owing to Schuyler’s background, much of the BLACK NO MORE could be mistaken for an extended non-fiction article more than a novel. This is a mixture of strength and weakness—lending more credibility to the goings on but less attachment as a reader to the participants. This novel is thin in spots because it often rushes where it might linger a little longer in order to get to the next satire. It also glosses over any second thoughts about a community abandoning its entire history to make a satiric point but it does achieve a kind of brilliance in the end—the white culture is so twisted in knots over racial identity that eventually to be too white is to be considered suspect. Many shades of satire are shared here, much of it quite funny, including the darkest possible to necessarily remind the reader of the worst places racism can lead. I happened upon this by chance having never heard of it or the author before. Would be a shame if it could not be lifted up by the current rising tides of expression.

averyw's review

dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

woolfen's review

5.0

5 stars ~

Published in 1931, Schuyler tells the story of what would happen if race could be 'levelled'. His account and estimation of life is so intelligent, where the position of race as a force of oppression is so lucidly absurd, and is fundamentally about the exploitation of the poor along whatever lines can be drawn. Delightful writing and genuinely funny throughout. The book ends with darkening one's skin to appear more black as the vogue.

"Politicians and business men shuddered at the thought of such a tragedy and saw horrible visions of old-age pensions, eight-hour laws, unemployment insurance, working men's compensation, minimum wage legislation, abolition of child labor, dissemination of birth-control information, monthly vacations for female workers, two-month vacations for prospective mothers, both with pay, and the probable killing of individual initiative and incentive by taking the ownership of national capital out of the hands of two million people and putting it into the hands of one hundred and twenty million."

That's the goalpost.

emfrith's review

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

lysh_'s review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bethmarie2003's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

docpacey's review

3.0

This is not an easy book to read. It's well written, and satirically on-point, but the stark racist language and the growing revelation that things have not really changed in this country despite years of struggle make it a challenge. If it can teach a modern audience anything, it's that the hypocrisy of powerful people just seeks another form in another age.
It would not surprise me to learn that there are members of our current administration who have read this book unironically, looking for ideas.

schnoebs13's review against another edition

4.0

Science makes advancements everyday for good or bad at times. When one day, a doctor announces he has a new treatment to turn black men and women white, and people from all across the the country come to his doors. Some are there to seek treatment while others protest in support or against what’s happening. Either way, people enter their doors black and come out white to completely reshape how society runs. With the decrease in black individuals, America must face a changing political climate, a collapse of black community, and racism when there are no longer any groups of people who were once oppressed.

I enjoy this book and originally thought I was going to give it maybe a 3.5 but then I got to the last few chapters and it really changed my mind around. The author forced these characters in backward situations at times and didn’t mind constantly turning things on their heads. The conclusion (primarily the last 3-5 pages) leave the reader trying to process everything that happened and how we got to this point after everything in the book. The constant realities of racism and what white men and women do when there aren’t any more black individuals to push their hatred towards was an extremely interesting concept. What was painful to watch though was the collapse of many black communities, business, and cultures since they all wanted the benefits that came with being white rather than staying in the communities they lived in and supported. Overall I think this was a great twist on what we usually see in the sci-fi genre and definitely worth the read.

violetlily13's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

aekeys's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Funny!