Having experienced this book in complimentary digital form (thanks to One World and NetGalley), accompanied by the brilliantly narrated audiobook, I’m now planning to buy a physical copy: it has to be gorgeous.

What it’s about

From the Goodreads description:

Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham have brought together this collection of work–images, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry, and more–to tell the story of the radical, imaginative, provocative, and gorgeous world that Black creators are bringing forth today. The book presents a succession of startling and beautiful pieces that generate an entrancing rhythm: Readers will go from conversations with activists and academics to memes and Instagram posts, from powerful essays to dazzling paintings and insightful infographics.

In answering the question of what it means to be Black and alive, Black Futures opens a prismatic vision of possibility for every reader.

My thoughts

In their letter at the beginning of the book, the editors encourage the reader to read the book with another device nearby and to look up names and terms that interest. I most certainly did, and I am happy to report that I learned a lot, saw some striking art, read some thought-provoking articles, listened to some great songs, and watched some intriguing videos. Black Futures itself is full of essays, photographs, art, screenshots from social media, poetry, recipes and more, and with the ‘bonus features’ that I sought out myself, reading this book was truly a multimedia experience.

Black Futures is bursting with history, culture, humor, tragedy, pain, art, family, love and so much more – all in a fascinating collection of brilliant voices. I’ve never read anything like this, and even if I likely wasn’t the target demographic, I believe everyone can get something from this amazing book. I look forward to reading the hardcover version and catching all of the things I am sure I missed the first time around.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this incredible reading experience.

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