You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays
- Downloads：3607
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-19 00:19:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zora Neale Hurston
- ISBN：0063043858
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
，
This new collection of writings from Black author， scholar and cultural critic Zora Neale Hurston will introduce her to a new generation and give her the honor due --- honor that was sometimes sparse in her lifetime --- for her brilliant observations and deeply considered opinions。 Introduced by Henry Louis Gates， Jr。 and Genevieve West， both of whom diligently organized and annotated these 50 essays， YOU DON’T KNOW US NEGROES contains a small number of never-before published pieces， along with This new collection of writings from Black author， scholar and cultural critic Zora Neale Hurston will introduce her to a new generation and give her the honor due --- honor that was sometimes sparse in her lifetime --- for her brilliant observations and deeply considered opinions。 Introduced by Henry Louis Gates， Jr。 and Genevieve West， both of whom diligently organized and annotated these 50 essays， YOU DON’T KNOW US NEGROES contains a small number of never-before published pieces， along with many that will be familiar to Hurston’s followers。Hurston was born in 1891 and lived to see the nascent era of civil rights， which included the Supreme Court decision， Brown v。 Board of Education， the impetus for school integration。 Considering this legal landmark， Hurston expressed the views that made her less than popular among liberal Blacks， as she always stressed the power of the individual over that of the state or the dominant race。 In an essay entitled “Court Order Can’t Make Races Mix，” she insists that if there are adequate Black schools and they are supported adequately， then integration offers “nothing different than the presence of white people。”The sole Black student at prestigious Barnard College， Hurston was a folklorist， ethnographer， cultural anthropologist and the author of four novels。 She urged her fellow Blacks to rise up and above the prejudices and ill treatment they experienced。 In “My Most Humiliating Jim Crow Experience，” she recalls a visit to a physician “in New York instead of the South。” At the behest of her white benefactor after she returned from the Bahamas with a digestive illness， Hurston went to a swanky doctor’s office where she was shunted to a “waiting room” that bore a striking resemblance to a linen closet and given hasty， desultory treatment by the doctor。Such vignettes， allied with Hurston’s refusal to accept white superiority， no matter how cleverly described by politicians and even those of her own race （such as members of the NAACP）， make her strong will and character plain。 Her writing deftly intertwined Black speech and the erudition of her academic studies， giving her words great motive power， as when she declared that， at times， “I have no race。 I am me。”Bringing Zora Neale Hurston to life again in this vibrant aggregation， Gates and West provide a laudable service to all of us。 It is impossible to read Hurston’s words without recognizing not only her true genius but also her sincere embrace of her race， along with her love for her country and its best --- if not always best enacted --- ideals。Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott 。。。more
Annarella
，
This is not an easy book but it's a fascinating one， one of those book you have to read one chapter at a time as there's plenty of food for thought。It made me discover Zora Neale Hurston and I appreciated her works and the introduction。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine This is not an easy book but it's a fascinating one， one of those book you have to read one chapter at a time as there's plenty of food for thought。It made me discover Zora Neale Hurston and I appreciated her works and the introduction。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Alwynne
，
A collection of Zora Neale Hurston’s non-fiction that spans almost forty years， including many pieces out of print since their original publication and others that never saw the light of day。 It’s clear from reading these that Hurston was deeply invested in promoting Black agency， refusing/resisting the “white gaze” or what she considered a "victim" label that she saw as a particularly insidious form of racism。 Here are news pieces， reviews， and opinion pieces。 Many stemming from Hurston’s insis A collection of Zora Neale Hurston’s non-fiction that spans almost forty years， including many pieces out of print since their original publication and others that never saw the light of day。 It’s clear from reading these that Hurston was deeply invested in promoting Black agency， refusing/resisting the “white gaze” or what she considered a "victim" label that she saw as a particularly insidious form of racism。 Here are news pieces， reviews， and opinion pieces。 Many stemming from Hurston’s insistence on recognition for Black culture in all its forms from genres like jazz through to preaching from pulpits in Black churches - connecting to her attempts to build a case for a Black aesthetic in a variety of contexts， and art forms， focusing on language， literature and music from blues to spirituals。 Hurston draws extensively on folklore， oral histories of the last years of slavery and a variety of Black cultural output including her own fiction， often mobilising her background in anthropology。 The strongest entries showcase Hurston's skill and versatility， her voice ranging from deceptively direct， forceful， astute to warm， funny or wonderfully scathing。 It’s a fascinating collection， both in what it reveals about Hurston， and about the turbulent times she witnessed and chronicled。 Some essays are surprisingly pertinent even now: her thoughts on cultural appropriation of Black art forms; her ideas about stereotyping; concerns about the limitations placed on Black authors by white publishers， all too often calling for work that highlighted themes of racial tension or sociological conflict from passing to Black characters whose struggles suggest “a forlorn pacing of a cage barred by racial hatred。” Although Hurston’s also taking a less-than-subtle dig at the critics and authors who responded negatively to her own fiction which didn’t fit with the rise of more socially conscious narratives from authors like Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison。 Where Hurston wonders are the novels of everyday Black existence？ The Black dentists and insurance officials， the average people striving to get on with their lives outside of the constraints of white society？ But some of these， her writing on “noses” for example， are less successful， disquieting even。 And many highlight Hurston’s increasingly， sometimes deeply， conservative beliefs: her conventional perspectives on gender roles; her Republican politics， her scorn for so-called “Pinkos” and “Commies” that suggest a sympathy for elements of the McCarthyism of the time。 She dislikes the NAACP， and rails against the desegregation of schools， partly because she sees no reason for mixing with white communities and all the prejudice and racism that may entail。 Although， apparently， her segregationist stance attracted support from white political groups who resisted integration for rather more sinister reasons。 After reading some of these， I had a much better understanding of why Hurston was frequently ostracised by many of her peers， marked out as contrary or just plain cantankerous。 But， of course， her outspoken， opinionated stance on social， cultural， and political issues was also her trademark， what makes her work so compulsively readable。 The selection’s rounded off with a series of news stories that showcases Hurston's talents， her reporting of the Ruby McCollum case from 1952， a Black woman who admitted to killing a prominent white physician， who may or may not have fathered one of her children。 Hurston’s approach foreshadows elements of the “new journalism” to come: a tangled but highly effective mix of fact and personal reaction， interviews， observations and imaginative story-telling。 These are cinematic， sometimes melodramatic， but never less than gripping。The book’s meticulously edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr and Genevieve West， compiled after extensive archival searches and investigations， it comes with a comprehensive introduction， useful background notes and documentation – my only quibble is that I’d have liked the dates and publication details for each entry placed next to it， so I had a clearer idea of origins， date of publication without having to scrabble about in the endnotes。 Thanks to Netgalley and publisher HQ， imprint of HarperCollins for an arc Rating: 3。5 。。。more
Drea
，
Incredible。 Read this one slowly and intentionally with the magnificent introduction of Dr Gates and Ms West to provide context and synthesis。 This is an extraordinary collection of Zora Neale Hurston’s work and an important read for all。 I’m so grateful I was given an advanced copy。 I’ll treasure it and loan it to others。
Mark Chimel
，
I was delighted to receive an eARC via NetGalley for this collection。 It is written in Hurston's very unique style and really makes you think about and rethink the topics it confronts。 The writing is not new， but I had not read any of these works previously and they are brought together in a beautiful way。 The introduction from Henry Louis Gates Jr。 is also an important touch and does a great job of setting the stage for the writing that follows。 I would definitely recommend this to others as an I was delighted to receive an eARC via NetGalley for this collection。 It is written in Hurston's very unique style and really makes you think about and rethink the topics it confronts。 The writing is not new， but I had not read any of these works previously and they are brought together in a beautiful way。 The introduction from Henry Louis Gates Jr。 is also an important touch and does a great job of setting the stage for the writing that follows。 I would definitely recommend this to others as an important body of work。 。。。more
Tracy Wood
，
Reading this book is a discovery and for that reason alone I would have loved it。 It is much more than that however， and once you get used to the author's style and that of other contributors it becomes an easier read。 Individual stories related in a matter of fact manner definitely made me stop and think， sometime rereading a section on how both wanting to conform to a 'norm' and retaining their own identity not only personally but also in a religious sense became a daily battle the success of Reading this book is a discovery and for that reason alone I would have loved it。 It is much more than that however， and once you get used to the author's style and that of other contributors it becomes an easier read。 Individual stories related in a matter of fact manner definitely made me stop and think， sometime rereading a section on how both wanting to conform to a 'norm' and retaining their own identity not only personally but also in a religious sense became a daily battle the success of which varied greatly。 In addition the section focusing on the trial of Ruby McCollum in the early 1950s makes fascinating and compelling reading as do the opinions of Zora Neale Hurston on subjects she felt extremely passionate about over a period of more than three decades。 I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own。 Overall this is an education but in an accessible and non preachy manner which is a very worthwhile read。 。。。more
LiteraryMarie
，
I am honored， y'all。 So very honored to read an advance copy of this collection of essays by one of the best essayists of our lifetime， Zora Neale Hurston。 This anthology spans over 35 years of her work。 It includes essays， criticisms and articles that give us a look into her world and time。Among my favorites are essays about High John de Conquer， the Clotilda， shouting during sermons， our contribution to language， the customary three days for seeking a vision and how whites don't know us negroe I am honored， y'all。 So very honored to read an advance copy of this collection of essays by one of the best essayists of our lifetime， Zora Neale Hurston。 This anthology spans over 35 years of her work。 It includes essays， criticisms and articles that give us a look into her world and time。Among my favorites are essays about High John de Conquer， the Clotilda， shouting during sermons， our contribution to language， the customary three days for seeking a vision and how whites don't know us negroes other than what is seen on our shows。 I took my time reading this book， frequently saying "Preach， Zora！" and nodding my head in strong agreement。Thank you to all those that make it possible for fans to read the last prose Zora Neale Hurston wrote。 For allowing her words into print for our consumption。 Even if you've read all of her published work， it's just something different about it organized into this one collection。 Need I say more？ ~LiteraryMarie 。。。more
J Earl
，