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  • Magically Black and Other Essays

  • By: Jerald Walker
  • Narrated by: Aaron Goodson
  • Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

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Magically Black and Other Essays

By: Jerald Walker
Narrated by: Aaron Goodson
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Publisher's summary

In this engaging follow up to How to Make a Slave and Other Essays, the recipient of PEN New England Award for nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award sharply examines and explains Black life and culture with equal parts candor and humor.

In Magically Black and Other Essays Jerald Walker elegantly blends personal revelation and cultural critique to create a bracing and often humorous examination of Black American life. He thoughtfully addresses the inherent complexities of topics as eclectic as incarceration, home renovations, gentrification, the crip walk, pimping, and the rise of the MAGA movement, approaching them through various Black perspectives, including husband, father, teacher, and writer. The collection’s overarching theme is captured in the titular essay, which examines the culture of heroic action African Americans created in response to their enslavement and oppression, giving proof to Albert Murray’s observation that the “fire in the forging process . . . for all its violence, does not destroy the metal that becomes the sword.”

©2024 Jerald Walker (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
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A Must Read

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔. 𝑨𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕.

Magically Black and Other Essays should be on everyone's must-read books of 2024 list!

I did not know what to expect going in. I was afraid, with the topics that would be discussed, that this would be a heavy / sad read, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mr. Walker's book was simply amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Magically Black and Other Essays. Magically Black and Other Essays was thought provoking, captivating, educational, insightful, and inspirational. I really appreciated Mr. Walker's use of humor in discussing these heavy topics. I did not expect to laugh as much as I did and the series of essays really resonated with me. I could relate to a lot of the situations discussed in the essays and while some things had me laughing, others had me shaking my head. The writing is absolutely stellar and the world building is perfection!

At the end of my reading journey, I felt refreshed, empowered, seen, and MAGICALLY BLACK. Though this was my first time reading Jerald Walker's work, it will not be my last. I highly recommend that everyone reads this life-changing book!

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