Negroland

A Memoir

By: Margo Jefferson

Narrated by: Robin Miles

National Book Critics Circle Award winner, Autobiography, 2015.

At once incendiary and icy, mischievous and provocative, celebratory and elegiac - here is a deeply felt meditation on race, sex, and American culture through the prism of Margo Jefferson's rarefied upbringing and education among a Black elite concerned with distancing itself from Whites and the Black generality while tirelessly measuring itself against both.

Born in upper-crust Black Chicago - her father was for years head of pediatrics at Provident, at the time the nation's oldest Black hospital; her mother was a socialite - Margo Jefferson has spent most of her life among (call them what you will) the colored aristocracy, the colored elite, the blue-vein society. Since the 19th century, they have stood apart, these inhabitants of Negroland, "a small region of Negro America where residents were sheltered by a certain amount of privilege and plenty". Reckoning with the strictures and demands of Negroland at crucial historical moments - the Civil Rights Movement, the dawn of feminism, the fallacy of postracial America - Margo Jefferson brilliantly charts the twists and turns of a life informed by psychological and moral contradictions. Aware as it is of heart-wrenching despair and depression, this book is a triumphant paean to the grace of perseverance.

©2015 Margo Jefferson (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Tell the Story

Although a generation apart, so much rang true for my upbringing. A place noted for being 20 years behind.

Provocative

The author gives a provocative and almost ethereal account of her experience in striving to attain the accolades of society's upper echelon in the face of adversity, along with her own inner conflict of vying to achieve personal success while staying culturally centered. In an era where the stereotypical pragmatism of black achievement was largely threatened as a result of racial disparity, it was also threatened by the cultural cliches of those who embodied the radical ideology that societal aspirations we're not only fruitless, but posed significant danger, some even going to great lengths to prove this notion true. In essence, Margo Jefferson invites readers to have a glimpse into her journey as an African American woman walking the invisible "fine line" of success.

Reminded me of Chicago, another view!

Any person who grew up in those days will enjoy this book! Thanks for writing it.

Excellent storytelling

Excellent storytelling. The Black experience told from the vantage point of privilege. No gloss and candy puff reflections either. Quite nuanced. The narrator mispronounces some words here and there which is an occasional jolt in an otherwise wonderful delivery of the prose. I highly recommend this book for everyone along the racial spectrum. You’ll learn a great deal.

An Insider's Memoir

This was an engaging read with many surprising twists and turns. I came away with more than I had imagined.

Hard to follow

At times it’s almost stream of consciousness - one paragraph is completely different than the one before, and she switches constantly between present and past tense and first and third person. It could be a style choice but it made it very incoherent to me. The narration for audible was also not great in my opinion - I personally don’t like when the narrators read in a stilted formal way. It was very hard to follow overall.

Interesting!

This type of memoir is something that I had never really delved into before but I personally found it quite interesting. I didn't know much about that way of life but I feel that this book was quite the eye opener. I completed the book in 2 days. In as far as the narration, it was excellent! I have listened to several books read by Robin Miles and have always enjoyed her reading! Job well done on both parts!

Insight into Colorism

The narrator was fantastic! As for the content itself, this book provides some really good historic insight regarding colorism amongst the black community. The stories told are entertaining and lighthearted. Informative but not too heavy or heady.

This is not a memoir

I would consider this book a dissertation on the black bourgeoisie written by someone from the inside. Some good points, but definitely meh. Robin Miles read it well, if I had to read it myself I would have put it down.
Devoid of emotion, but that is part of the tragedy that befalls those bred to assimilate and separate into their own “elite”I get the feeling she shed everything that would make her true memoir interesting long before writing this...

Interesting book w/ astute observations about elite Black culture

The author makes very astute observations about my elite Black culture and society, which was very interesting to me. I enjoyed hearing the author’s various stories/memories but the book jumped around a lot so it was hard to understand its thorough line or the author’s summarizing point.