Black Love Matters is an anthology of essays about Black readers, writers, characters, and stories as they relate to the romance genre of books. Edited by Jessica P. Pryde, the book discusses the history of Black people within the romance genre as both the creators and subjects of stories. Each essay offers a different perspective on what has taken place within the genre so far and/or what needs to be done to ensure greater participation and representation of Black people. It’s worth noting that while there is some discussion of specific books and characters much of the book’s focus is on the genre and book publishing industry.
Tag: <span>race relations</span>
Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel “We Cast a Shadow” is set in an unnamed Southern city in the not too distant future. American society has become more racially restrictive. To avoid the various prejudices suffered by Black people, some resort to “demelanization”, a painful procedure that removes physical traits associated with Black people. The book is a slightly off-beat dark comedy about a nameless narrator who goes to desperate lengths to shield his son from this race-based dystopian society.
I don’t take the phrase lightly but I would deem “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge to be a modern classic. It is flawless from beginning to end, worth reading, and likely worth re-reading in the future to gauge if and/or how things have changed. I highly recommend reading the book.
In today’s episode I’ll be discussing the movie Get Out. If you haven’t seen the movie already you can still listen or watch but stop when you reach the spoiler…