It is a profoundly important time for a book like this, which seeks to complicate the notion of a Black Diaspora in America and also beautify Blackness in America. Maybe that sounds strange, but we all know how attractive and downright appealing Black Pain and Trauma are; here there is the distinct absence of that pain or at least the decentering of that pain in favor of the value of Black art, creativity, wit, perseverance, joy, rest and pleasure. The essays are wide-ranging and thought-provoking, they touch everything from house parties to video games to Black-Native American identity to a beautiful manifesto on the importance of BlackPlanet (!) to a masterful look at the portraits of First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama. I found it hard to actually see the artwork in the digital galley that poured over, but I can tell that it will be a stunning work worth possessing when I can read it in physical form. I also love the attention to detail -- apparently a font was created just for the book, Black futura. Perfect.

Since I received Black Futures as a NetGalley offering in exchange for my unbiased, honest review, I am not supposed to directly quote from the unpublished book. But I must, very briefly. Very early in the book, Alisha Wormsley has a statement: “There are Black People in the Future.” My immediate thought was, I really, really hope so. If not, what a sad, dull, empty world.

I have no idea how to rate this book. It’s not a novel. It is a collection of art, essays, poetry, even tweets and recipes by numerous contributors. It is a collage of Black history, politics, music, sexuality, spirituality, music, and family. Women and men, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, biracial, Afro-Indigenous, disabled – all expressing in various art forms what it means to be Black.

It is fun, heartbreaking, serious, celebratory, lighthearted, and everything in between. Did every piece speak to me, a 66-year-old white woman who was raised in the predominantly lily-white Upper Midwest? Of course not. It may not speak all to every person of color either. And I expect that’s okay. Each of us has our own experiences, hopes, dreams, and world views. This book can expand those awarenesses.

I believe that there is something for everyone is this montage that will spark some recognition and connection. Perhaps it will be something as common as the references to hair – the barbershops and hair salons, hairstyles – braids, curls, and twists with beads and combs. Or maybe it will be social and civil rights concerns raised by the likes of Colin Kaepernick, or the former Black Panther leader Rodney Barnette, or even the reminder of the Obama Presidency, which is called to mind by the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama, which can be found in this book as well. Trans rights, women’s rights, how to prepare your home and your family for after a riot – it’s all in this book.

I must say that I found the e-book format difficult for this material. I’d have preferred a print copy with large pages. I could not enlarge the tweets enough to see them without distortion. I found the online references to be incomplete in many cases. For anyone who wishes to do further investigating, however, there are ample sources listed.

Some of my favorite pieces include “A Call to Action” by Latoya Ruby Frazier about the Flint, Michigan, "What I Know About the Ocena" by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, water crisis, writings about trans and disabled visibility, and the example of the 96-year-old Afro-Indigenous woman who was so thrilled to attend an event where she met others who look just like her! That gave me goosebumps! And of course, there are so many beautiful photographs and works of art!

Sadie Barnette, daughter of Rodney Barnette, discusses what it means to say, “Black Futures.” She speaks not merely in terms of what needs to be fought against and changed – homelessness, etc. She also talks about protecting “blackness.” Protecting “our brilliance.”

Never once did I read the words, “Black lives matter,” yet the essence of those words permeates these pages and beyond. Beyond politics – living, loving, breathing, being, becoming.

My thanks to NetGalley, One World, and the author.

Separated into ten sections, with titles like Black Joy, Black Power and Black Justice among others, Black Futures feels like an encyclopedia of the glories of Blackness in all its forms. This anthology is filled with photos, art, social media posts, poetry and essays by both née and established Black creatives. This book is so needed, and I’m excited to bring into my classroom to have students not only read and learn about Blackness in a multifaceted way, but also to see them reflected in its pages. Each piece carves more space for new visions of identity, for a reclamation of land & space & history & of course, future. Highly highly recommend.

Posting on Instagram, review to be shared on Goodreads and major retail sites near publication date.

This beautifully curated collection reads like a social network enaging many of our time’s important voices in an impactful conversation. Though, as the title suggests, this work pushes towards a future of (radical?) change, the many contributors ground their vision in conscientious consideration of the present and a wise survey of the past.

Powerful essays are interwoven with contemporary art, photography, interviews, recipes, memoir, worksheets, text messages, and social media posts. Though this diversity of media has a dizzying effect, it ultimately results in a boundary-crossing volume—one difficult to categorize. As Drew and Wortham assert in their introduction, “This is not an art book. This is not a scholarly journal.” The text’s liminality is further reinforced by the varied, nuanced approaches to the core theme of racial justice. Readers will find surprising connections between the musings of Ta-Nehisi Coates, the photography of Zanele Muholi, the experimental text of Dr. Deborah Roberts, and the paintings of Kerry James Marshall (just to name a few).

This collection is ultimately for those who recognize the importance and the challenge of our current (and historic) fight for racial justice. It will fit comfortably on any shelf between Aruna D’Souza’s "Whitewalling" and Maura Reilly’s "Curatorial Activism."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Truly a powerful task to mingle and interchange the talented energies of so many Black artists. Irs a provocative collection full of voice and multipled transmissions in communclication. Its decolonizing and aboloshing art. It infuses the conversations of interchange within community and the need for community connect. Its a pretty intense and thoughtful collection. It layers the narrative on Black lgbt voices, disability rights and sexuality--all the converging to ripple the immensity of Black creativity and being and existence. It amplifies then futurity of Black people--it reconstructs language and the act of witnessing and be holding of Black Selfhood and bodies and vocalization. I wil say its definitely something that (despite the convo on access and digital media and consumption) is hard to read on digital format for me personally. But it did make me think--how can i percieve then digital format differently? But also reminds me my perception is different and how i come to digital modes is my own experience smd a type of divergence granted in conversation to this collection. It got my thoughts goin is what i mean.

Unbelievable collection of voice and vision. This is such a phenomenal showcase of black artists and their talent for words, image, and creativity all around. This is truly a must have book in 2020.

This is a wonderful book full of collections of stories, poems, photographs, conversations, social media posts and so much more.

The book centers around being Black. Why would a 64 year old white woman think that a book like this is important? Because I am a 64 year old white woman that can only imagine what it is like to be a person of color in an age of such uncertainty.

This book opened a small window into being Black. I will NEVER fully understand, but I can sure try and this book sure helped with that understanding.

Thanks to Netgalley and One World for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release on December 1, 2020.

An excellent collection of writing and art by Black artists on topics ranging from reparations to BLM to food cultures to music. This will be especially valuable for educational use and reading groups.

I enjoy starting a book that I know little about. I had a bit of an expectation about “Black Futures” knowing some of the authors and having previously read a few of the essays. But I wasn’t prepared to be as emotionally impacted as I was. Stunning, powerful, stimulating, engrossing. I can’t say enough about how much I learned and how much I have left to learn. Thank you to Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham for the wonderful compilation of art, poetry, prose, interviews, essays, and social media posts.

We may have finally realized as a society that racial justice is one of the two critical challenges that we face (the other being Climate Change). We need to examine every aspect of our lives, views, relationships, and experiences. Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham have done.

I have come to enjoy e-books and especially appreciate how the technology has expanded opportunities for early readers to weigh in on art and literature in pre-publication. While One World has done a great job of rendering “Black Futures” in e-book format, I believe that “Black Futures” should be experienced in all its physical book glory. It should be on everyone’s Holiday Shopping lists. Buy it for everyone you know who cares about social justice, art and current culture.

Thanks to One World and NetGalley for the eARC. Much appreciated.

A collection of stories, essays, photographs, poems, thoughts and questions inquiring the significance and importance, the meaning of Black identity both currently as well as in the past. This tackles such a wide variety of topics relevant especially to our country. The history of voter suppression, especially notable in certain parts of the country. The history of Black jazz musicians, Black politics and Black politicians. Black communities, Artists, Photographers. Sub-cultures within the Black community such as LGBTQ men and women. Black communities particularly hard hit by the lack of basic life changing things most people take for granted, including water that is safe to drink. It shares some of the progress, as well, progress we thought we had made through the years. Some of the ‘firsts,’ the different views in terms of art represented from the Obama’s official portraits to art such as Courtney Alexander’s <i>Ain’t Je-Mammy (Queen Mother/Empress)</i>, art which speak to their beliefs and traditions they honor.

In <i>Black to the Land</i> Leah Penniman addresses the strength and foresight of ancestral grandmothers who braided seeds into their hair before they were forced to board ships that would take them to another land, where they would be sold. Along with physical items, they brought knowledge, beliefs, and their culture, as well as the expertise as agriculturalists. They brought their customs, their memories, traditions and knowledge, the stories inherited from their grandmothers, who in turn learned from their grandmothers. Loved reading this, loved the story, the pride, the conviction to continue this legacy through establishing an <i>intergenerational, healing village.</i>

There are so many, many stories in here that are all worth reading. This includes some incredibly lovely writing, and very heartfelt and moving personal stories, some photography that shows the joy of day-to-day life, and stories that share the importance of recognizing the belief that each and every one of us has value. There are even a few recipes included, as well as the rejuvenating quality of music, which made me smile. Memories from childhood that made me cry.

These stories share the spirit that brings about change, the communal sense of remembrance and reminiscence, the dreams of the prospects for the future, and a powerful witness to how bewildering these days seem.


Pub Date: 01 Dec 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group – Random House / One World

#BlackFutures #NetGalley

A kaleidoscope of the Black experience, with highs and lows it's a great sampling of the tastes and flavor of a rich community.

Wonderful unique book. Essays, conversation, photographs. Black Joy, Black Grief, Black Lives past, present and future. A book that anyone should be proud to own. An experience.

This book was very informative, I was inspired to look up most of the information given in this book.
I had not known about any of the information given in this book.
This is a great look into Black businesses, movements and art.

I love this living history through social media and art of the black futures concept. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in current black history told in an interesting manner.

A truly fantastic collection that pushes the boundaries of the novel and the book as a form. This book is amazing and deeply informative, bringing together so many black voices and experiences. A must read!