Self-Portrait in Black and White
- Author Thomas Chatterton Williams
- Narrator Thomas Chatterton Williams
- Publisher John Murray Press
- Run Time 4 hours and 36 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Mixed heritage / mixed race groups or people, Social and cultural anthropology, Sociology and anthropology.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
- £3.99
Listen to a sample
What to expect
It is not that he has come to believe that he is no longer black or that his daughter is white, Williams notes. It is that these categories cannot adequately capture either of them - or anyone else, for that matter. Beautifully written and bound to upset received opinions on race, Self-Portrait in Black and White is an urgent work for our time.
(P) 2019 Tantor Media Inc
Critics Review
-
This book brings a blast of fresh air that will change your thinking about race
George Packer, author of The Unwinding -
There have been a slew of books this year about racism and white privilege, pretty much saying the same thing at different volumes of indignation. This slim book is different. A mixed-race American, Thomas Chatterton Williams had to rethink what being black meant when he held his baby daughter for the first time: she was blonde, blue-eyed and pale-skinned. This humane essay is an attempt to move beyond our obsession with race and skin colour
The Times (Saturday Review), Politics and Current Affairs Book of the Year 2020 -
[Williams] is so honest and fresh in his observations, so skillful at blending his own story with larger principles, that it is hard not to admire him. At a time of increasing division, his philosophizing evinces an underlying generosity. He reaches both ways across the aisle of racism, arguing above all for reciprocity, and in doing so begins to theorize the temperate peace of which all humanity is sorely in need
New York Times Book Review -
An elegantly rendered and trenchantly critical reflection on ‘race’ and identity: one that is perfectly suited to our time. This is a subtle, unsettling, and brave book
Glenn Loury, professor of economics and faculty fellow, Watson Institute, Brown University -
An energizing book by one of the greatest writers of our time
Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy -
A standout memoir that digs into vital contemporary questions of race and self-image . . . succeeds spectacularly for three main reasons: the author’s relentlessly investigative thought process, consistent candor, and superb writing style. Almost every page contains at least one sentence so resonant that it bears rereading for its impact . . . An insightful, indispensable memoir
Kirkus (starred review)
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.