To Be Young, Gifted and Black

By Lorraine Hansberry,

Book cover of To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Book description

“Anyone who has ever wondered what it really means to be Black will find the answer in this book.”—MINNEAPOLIS TRIBUNE

To Be Young, Gifted and Black is a special kind of autobiography, in a very special voice. Both the story and the voice belong to a young woman from Chicago…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked To Be Young, Gifted and Black as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

There’s nothing like reading a gifted author. This is Lorraine Hansberry (playwright of A Raisin in the Sun) in her own words. Lorraine died tragically young. There are many biographies about her, but her own words shine.

It’s a strange autobiography, compiled after she died and mixed with journal writings as well as unfinished plays.

What strikes me most about her is her sharp intelligence and the aching in my heart for the works she left unfinished. We get a glimpse of them here.

Lorraine Hansberry and her husband Robert Nemiroff were college friends of mine.

Lorraine had a way with words, a sense of justice, and deep compassion. Her Raisin in the Sun made Broadway history. The collage approach to the material in To Be Young, Gifted and Black I’ve found is completely in keeping with the diamond-sharp artistic mind of the woman I knew.

From Clarence's list on the realities of being Black in America.

If you love To Be Young, Gifted and Black...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like To Be Young, Gifted and Black?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 69 books like To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

Browse books like To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Book cover of The Fire Next Time
Book cover of Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
Book cover of The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,652

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like To Be Young, Gifted and Black, you might also like...

Book cover of American Flygirl

American Flygirl By Susan Tate Ankeny,

The first and only full-length biography of Hazel Ying Lee, an unrecognized pioneer and unsung World War II hero who fought for a country that actively discriminated against her gender, race, and ambition.

This unique hidden figure defied countless stereotypes to become the first Asian American woman in United States…

Book cover of Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat

Honeymoon at Sea By Jennifer Silva Redmond,

When Jennifer Shea married Russel Redmond, they made a decision to spend their honeymoon at sea, sailing in Mexico. The voyage tested their new relationship, not just through rocky waters and unexpected weather, but in all the ways that living on a twenty-six-foot sailboat make one reconsider what's truly important.…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Chicago, Broadway musicals, and New York City?

Chicago 401 books
Broadway Musicals 163 books
New York City 1,153 books