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Cover of Defining Moments in Black History

Defining Moments in Black History

by Dick Gregory

Book Details

Publisher:HarperCollins
Published:2018-09-18
Pages:270
Format:BOOK
Language:en

Reading Info

About This Book

NAACP 2017 Image Award Winner With his trademark acerbic wit, incisive humor, and infectious paranoia, one of our foremost comedians and most politically engaged civil rights activists looks back at 100 key events from the complicated history of black America. A friend of luminaries including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers, and the forebear of today’s popular black comics, including Larry Wilmore, W. Kamau Bell, Damon Young, and Trevor Noah, Dick Gregory was a provocative and incis

Our Review

This sharp, unflinching collection delivers 100 pivotal events that shaped Black America, filtered through the distinctive lens of one of our most politically engaged civil rights activists and satirists. Drawing from his direct involvement in the movement and friendships with icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gregory applies his trademark acerbic wit and incisive humor to reframe historical narratives, offering a perspective that is both deeply personal and broadly illuminating on African American history and the Black experience.

What makes this work so compelling is its refusal to separate comedy from commentary, using paranoia and punchlines to dissect painful truths about racial injustice and civil rights struggles. Readers seeking an alternative to dry historical texts will find a vital, conversational guide that connects past defining moments to present-day social issues. The result is a powerful, provocative read that educates and agitates in equal measure, cementing Gregory's legacy as a forebear to a new generation of truth-telling comics and activists.

Themes

Education

Subjects

Education