Black in blues : how a color tells the story of my people

Name/Title

Black in blues : how a color tells the story of my people

Entry/Object ID

E185.86.P4 2025

Description

"A surprising and beautiful meditation on the color blue - and its fascinating role in Black history and culture - from National Book Award winner Imani Perry. Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong's question, "What did I do to be so Black and blue?" In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world's favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey--an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology." -- PUBLISHER

Lexicon

Search Terms

african americans--history, african americans--race identity, african americans--social life and customs, blue--social aspects, blues (music)--psychological aspects

Legacy Lexicon

Category

Book

Book Details

Author

Imani Perry

Edition

First

Publisher

Ecco

Place Published

City

New York, NY

Date Published

2025

ISBN

9780062977397, 0062977393

Notes

Length: 243

General Notes

Note Type

Contents

Note

Our blue interior -- Writing in color -- Blue goes down -- The land where the blues began -- True blue -- Antigua, South Carolina, Montserrat -- Saint-Domingue and Haiti -- A sign which will not be cut off -- Jaybirds sing -- Blue gums and blue-black -- Hoodoo blue -- The blue note -- Blue pots -- Lonely blue -- Blue-eyed negroes -- Blue-back speller -- Egyptian blue in America -- Blue flag, gold star -- The blues -- Eating the other -- Janie's blues -- Bentonia -- Blueprints -- Citizens -- Montgomery, Newport, Cape Verde, Accra -- Afro blue -- The boys in blue -- Overall movement -- Holy repetition -- Black saint -- Old blue eyes, new blacks -- Heaven's there for those... -- From Indigo child to Whitney's blues -- Seeing the seventh son -- God's will undone, the creek did rise.