A special kind of autobiography—in a very special voice. Both the story and the voice belong to a young black woman who was born in Chicago, came to New York, won fame with her first play, A Raisin In The Sun—and went on to new heights of artistry before her tragically early death.
In turns angry, loving, bitter, laughing, and defiantly proud, the story, voice, and message are all Lorraine Hansberry's own. They come together in one of the major works of the black psyche and the black experience in mid-century America.
To Be Young, Gifted And Black
Introduction: "Sweet Lorraine" by James Baldwin
Foreword by Robert Nemiroff
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Measure Him Right, Child
Part One: "I Wish To Live . . ."
I. Chicago: Southside Summers
II. Sarah, I Kin Read
III. White Fur In The Middle of the Depression
IV. Queen of Ethiopes
V. Wisconsin: Of Vikings and Congo Drums
VI. Take Away Our Hearts O' Stone
VII. New York: Baby, You Could Be Jesus In Drag
VIII. I Am A Writer. I Am Going To Write
IX. Curtain Going Up At Eight
Part Two: ". . . For Generations And Generations And Generations"
I. A Slight Sense of Justification for Being
II. The Human Race Concerns Me
III. What Use Are Flowers?
IV. Croton-on-Hudson: Will Work or Perish
V. A Matter of Nature in Imperfection
Part Three: A Line Into Infinity
I. The Bulwark of the Republic
II. There Are No Simple Men
III. The Bridge Across the Chasm
IV. These Thousand Nameless Faceless Vapors
V. You're Tough, Mavis Parodus
VI. Do I Remain A Revolutionary?
VII. To Be Young, Gifted and Black
VIII. Before 'Tis Done
Postscript: Some Background to the Book and a Note on the Stage Play To Be Young, Gifted and Black
"An extraordinary achievement.… brilliantly alive."
—Nat Hentoff, The New York Times
"She stands as the ultimate black writer for today."
—Julius Lester, The Village Voice
"Anyone who has ever wondered what it really means to be black will find the anwer in this book."
—Minneapolis Tribune
"A milestone in the current black-white confrontation."
—Time
"Wonderfully moving and entertaining."
—clive Barnes, The New York Times
