Billy's Reviews > The Blacker the Berry...

4.5 stars
Complicated, emotional, moving
This is an amazing classic
Edit: I really enjoyed this book because of the visible intersections of being a woman, being a Black woman, and being dark-skinned. It captures the racist ideology within the Black community - both at the level of the elite and the lower class, the internalised prejudice of Emma Lou in trying to prove herself as "worthy" to be in company of light-skinned Black people through her intellect, and status as a college graduate, trying to find the "right type of work to introduce her to the right kinds of people", but at the same time feeling like an outcast and as though every conversation and comment on dark skin was aimed to ridicule her. It consumed her entire adolescent and young adult life.
Now, the ending was sad, and how she had to leave her situation, and the realisations she came to about her skin colour was very pensive and I really empathised with Emma Lou, except from the opposite perspective in my life.
I can't wait to read more of Thurman's work!