How to Be Black

by Baratunde Thurston

Overview

New York TimesBestseller

Baratunde Thurston’s comedic memoir chronicles his coming-of-blackness and offers practical advice on everything from “How to Be the Black Friend” to “How to Be the (Next) Black President”.

Have you ever been called “too black” or “not black enough”?

Have you ever befriended or worked with a black person?

Have you ever heard of black people?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book is for you. It is also for anyone who can read, possesses intelligence, loves to laugh, and has ever felt a distance between who they know themselves to be and what the world expects.

Raised by a pro-black, Pan-Afrikan single mother during the crack years of 1980s Washington, DC, and educated at Sidwell Friends School and Harvard University, Baratunde Thurston has more than over thirty years' experience being black. Now, through stories of his politically inspired Nigerian name, the heroics of his hippie mother, the murder of his drug-abusing father, and other revelatory black details, he shares with readers of all colors his wisdom and expertise in how to be black.

“As a black woman, this book helped me realize I’m actually a white man.”—Patton Oswalt

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062098047
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	275
Sales rank:	276,380
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Baratunde Thurston is the director of digital at The Onion, the cofounder of Jack & Jill Politics, a stand-up comedian, and a globe-trotting speaker. He was named one of the 100 most influential African-Americans of 2011 by The Root and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company magazine. Baratunde resides in Brooklyn and lives on Twitter (@baratunde).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Thanks for Celebrating Black History Month by Acquiring This Book 1

Where Did You Get That Name? 17

When Did You First Realize You Were Black? 23

Mama Thurston 31

How Black Are You? 41

Do You Know What an Oreo Is? 51

Wealth-Related Horse Violence 57

Why Are You Wearing That White Man Over Your Heart? 63

The U.S. Propaganda Machine: A Middle School Paper 69

The White Student Union 75

How to Be The Black Friend 79

How to Speak for All Black People 89

Have You Ever Wanted to Not Be Black? 101

Can You Swim? 109

Going Black to Africa 115

But I Don't Want to Kill People 125

Being Black at Harvard 133

How to Be The Black Employee 147

How to Be The Angry Negro 171

How to Be The (Next) Black President 179

How's That Post-Racial Thing Working Out for Ya? 201

The Future of Blackness 209

Afterword: Race Work and Art-The Black Panel Speaks 225

Acknowledgments 253

What People are Saying About This

Christian Lander

“One of the smartest and funniest books I’ve ever read.”

Editorial Reviews

In this hilarious blend of razor-sharp satire and memoir, Onion editor and cofounder of the Jack & Jill Politics blog Thurston muses on how, generally, to be black in today’s ever-changing world. He’s quick to point out that his book is not a magic potion that will make readers instantly black (it is not How to Become a Black Person If You Are Not Already Black). Instructive chapters include “How to Be The Black Friend” and its corollaries, “How to Speak for All Black People” and “How to Be The Black Employee.” Thurston’s life was shaped by his mother, a force of nature who instilled in him a love of camping and bicycling, along with a fiercely radical spirit. As a teen, he participated in the Ankobia program in D.C. taught by Pan-African black American activists. This same woman also enrolled him in the prestigious Sidwell Friends school (home to Chelsea Clinton and President Obama’s daughters) and cheered at his Harvard graduation. In order to get a fuller picture of blackness in America today, Thurston assembles “The Black Panel,” consisting of artists and stand-up comedians who address race in their work. Questions he poses to panel include when the members first realized they were black (most were very young), if they ever wished not to black (very few did), and what they thought of the idea of “post-racial America.” Using his own story and humor, Thurston demonstrates that the best way to “be” anything is to simply be yourself. Agent: Gary Morris. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Part autobiography, part stand-up routine, part contemporary political analysis, and astute all over.... Reading this book made me both laugh and weep with poignant recognition.... A hysterical, irreverent exploration of one of America’s most painful and enduring issues.” — Melissa Harris-Perry

“A hilarious blend of razor-sharp satire and memoir. . . . Using his own story and humor, Thurston demonstrates that the best way to ‘be’ anything is to simply be yourself.” — Publishers Weekly

“Terrific...How to Be Black is an assault on nostalgia—a satirical, biographic attack on the idea that ‘blackness’ or any label should be derived from historical description.” — Fast Company

"Struggling to figure out how to be black in the 21st century? Baratunde Thurston has the perfect guide for you...Fans of Stuff White People Like, This Week in Blackness and other blogs that take satirical shots at racial stereotypes are sure to love How to Be Black." — The Root

“A hilarious look at the complexities of contemporary racial politics and personal identity.” — Booklist

“One of the smartest and funniest books I’ve ever read.” — Christian Lander (via Twitter)

From the Publisher

Terrific...How to Be Black is an assault on nostalgia—a satirical, biographic attack on the idea that ‘blackness’ or any label should be derived from historical description.

Fast Company

Part autobiography, part stand-up routine, part contemporary political analysis, and astute all over.... Reading this book made me both laugh and weep with poignant recognition.... A hysterical, irreverent exploration of one of America’s most painful and enduring issues.

Melissa Harris-Perry

A hilarious look at the complexities of contemporary racial politics and personal identity.

Booklist

One of the smartest and funniest books I’ve ever read.

Christian Lander (via Twitter)

"Struggling to figure out how to be black in the 21st century? Baratunde Thurston has the perfect guide for you...Fans of Stuff White People Like, This Week in Blackness and other blogs that take satirical shots at racial stereotypes are sure to love How to Be Black."

The Root

Terrific...How to Be Black is an assault on nostalgia—a satirical, biographic attack on the idea that ‘blackness’ or any label should be derived from historical description.

Fast Company

A hilarious look at the complexities of contemporary racial politics and personal identity.

Booklist

"One of the smartest and funniest books I’ve ever read."

Christian Lander

Comedian and Onion director of digital Thurston (Better Than Crying: Poking Fun at Politics, the Press & Pop Culture, 2003) delivers a "book about the ideas of blackness" in the guise of a helpful how-to guide to being black. The author and a "Black Panel" made up of friends and colleagues, including one white person to avoid charges of reverse discrimination and also as a control group, ponder many questions about being black--e.g., "When did you first realize you were black?" and "Can you swim?" However, the humor does not serve the role of making light of race and racism, but rather as a gentle skewering that invites serious consideration of how black Americans are often limited by certain expectations concerning blackness. In "How to Speak for All Black People," Thurston challenges the assumption that one black person can speak to the experience of an entire race, as well as the assumption that a black person can only speak to the black experience. In "How to Be the Black Employee," he confronts the challenges of being hired both for the job and for being black--you will and must be, for instance, featured in every company photo. The humor does not always work; at times it is blog-like cleverness for the sake of cleverness (and is yet another joke about blacks needing white friends to get a cab really needed?). Thurston is at his best when he writes about his own life: growing up in Washington, D.C., attending Sidwell Friends School, matriculating at Harvard ("my experience of race at Harvard was full of joy and excitement"). The key to greater harmony is not necessarily seeing beyond race, but, as one Black Panelist puts it, to "see that and all of the things that I have done, to embrace all of me." Flawed but poignant and often funny.

Kirkus Reviews