A review by kathleenitpdx
Blues City: A Walk in Oakland by Ishmael Reed
3.0
I found this book on a list of books that Every White Ally Should Read. I was intrigued because I lived in the Bay Area for awhile.
This is a meandering account of Ishmael Reed exploring the history and culture of Oakland based on a year of experiences and research. Reed drops a lot of interesting tidbits about the history of Oakland and the part racism has played in it. This was published in 2005 and talks about the gentrification that was going on at the time (which I am sure has accelerated since then).
He has little good to say about Jerry Brown (the then-mayor of Oakland and now California governor).
I would have liked more fully fleshed out accounts of some of the history.
This is a meandering account of Ishmael Reed exploring the history and culture of Oakland based on a year of experiences and research. Reed drops a lot of interesting tidbits about the history of Oakland and the part racism has played in it. This was published in 2005 and talks about the gentrification that was going on at the time (which I am sure has accelerated since then).
He has little good to say about Jerry Brown (the then-mayor of Oakland and now California governor).
I would have liked more fully fleshed out accounts of some of the history.