Black Genius is a powerful, witty essay collection that reimagines the meaning of genius, spotlighting the everyday brilliance and cultural innovation at the center of the Black American experience. I really enjoyed it!

An attempt to highlight the extraordinary genius of Black folks in ordinary settings from education to celebration and beyond. This is a formidable debut, and I think Johnson has a real gift for the conversational in his writing tone. I love the concept behind Black Genius, calling to the front the myriad unsung moments of Black genius, and thought some of the essays and examples really lean into that central thesis. There were other parts of the book where he covered well trod cultural territory or din’t fully lock into his main points, and those essays felt flat. More than anything though, this book made me excited for whatever Johnson does next.

A very dense, well- written book with traces of humor that served as a real eye-opener. So much so that I, as an old, white person, do not feel competent at all to comment cogently!

But I'm glad I read it, and I hope it does well. We need more books like this.

I unfortunately DNFed this title approximately 30% through. The information was solid and very informative, but it was also quite dense and challenging to stay engaged. For folks looking for a very factual and informative read on this topic, I know they'll enjoy it!

Thanks again to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm usually a reader of fiction, and usually, that is further invested in horror fiction. Well, what about horror non-fiction? Some of the subjects discussed were eye-opening and horrific. I can't imagine having to be careful where I walked and how I presented myself. Many interesting subjects were discussed. Wouldn't it be refreshing if some of these subjects were always in our past and not in our present or future as a nation? Highly recommended.