Helpful Score: 2
An excellent book about a rarely talked about aspect of American life. This should be required reading in high schools and universities. This is a good book for a book club. I'm not Black so this book gave me a decent understanding of the lives of certain upper class Black American families. The Black elite portrayed in this book seem very self-contained and private, and almost unwilling to reveal itself to outsiders. It's interesting, but disturbing also given the Black on Black prejudice discussed in the book. The author goes into detail both historical and contemporary of the Black elite - summers at Martha's Vineyard, million dollar homes, private schools, Ivy League degrees, debutante balls, marrying a spouse with the right skin color and polish, etc. It's a good mix of scholarly and juicy although there were sections that dragged a bit. The author is apparently a member of this elite because he regularly inserts himself into the narrative, and that makes one wonder if he's entirely objective, but on the other hand, he would not have had as much success getting people to open up had he not been a member of the Black elite.
