PositiveThe Washington Post... an ambitious effort ... The 50-chapter volume collects three decades of Dyson’s efforts to interpret and embody Black performance through his work. As an interpreter, Dyson shares both his admiring and critical commentary that makes the book a fun read. But it is his embodied performance in a vast range of roles — as he lays them out: \'preacher, writer, pastor, university professor, public intellectual, lecturer, cultural critic, author, social activist, newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, political analyst, and media commentator\' — that readers are likely to find applause-worthy. For decades, Dyson has been astonishingly prolific as he emphatically advances the cause of racial justice in the academy and beyond. And this book offers a rare opportunity to see the range of his written and spoken technique in one place ... Many readers will find Dyson’s conception of performance confusing at best and just plain unsettling at worst. Dyson inches toward the latter by counterintuitively extending the notion of Black performance to encompass Black people who die at the hands of the police. At one point, Dyson eerily refers to the murder of George Floyd as \'a performance of death\' because it \'embodied all the elements that make Black performance resonate.\' Though his use of the term may make sense given the dimensions of performance that he draws up, he doesn’t do enough to respect the peculiarity of the claim. As a result, this is a rare instance of Dyson uncharacteristically singing the tune of an absent-minded professor oblivious to the politics of language. Reader beware ... More often, Dyson deliberately eschews sophisticated analytical reasoning to advance his claims. In fact, many of the chapters in the book are scarcely edited speeches he has given over the years ... Part of the project lives up to the hype. But sometimes the book reads as if Dyson injudiciously added speeches whose written presentation lacks the allure of his spoken word ... While reading “[Laughter]” and “[Applause]” and the occasional “[Amen!]” throughout the book, one is reminded of those laugh tracks from ’90s sitcoms that prodded the audience to chuckle at things that otherwise weren’t amusing ... Dyson’s writing is engaging, subtle and charming: Few writers have the breadth of knowledge that permits them to oscillate between discussions of King, then Kanye; Nelson Mandela, then Nicki Minaj; Jesse Jackson, then Michael Jackson; Derrick Bell, then DMX. In chapter after chapter, we are treated to passages of cultural criticism while a political theory lurks in the background. In some books on race, the seriousness of the subject might discourage some readers to engage because they feel uninterested or uninformed. Not this one. Through vivid discussions grounded in popular culture, Dyson provides something for everyone, many readers will probably learn something without even trying, and his audience will surely be entertained in the process. Cue the applause.
Randall Kennedy
MixedWashington PostA note of caution for readers familiar with James Brown’s influential song: Despite its title, Say It Loud isn’t a book about Black pride ... One of the leading authorities on race relations in the United States, Kennedy has a knack for making others’ seemingly sophisticated ideas look immature. And that skill is on full display here ... With his wit, sharpness and compelling prose, Kennedy provides another book that readers will surely appreciate, whether or not they are persuaded by his arguments ... Rather than doubling down on his well-known earlier positions, Kennedy humbly acknowledges his changed opinions after thinking about our messy social relationships for many decades ... Reading Kennedy’s takes on disparate issues across 29 chapters makes the reader wonder whether there is coherency to his positions ... A central thesis of the book appears to be that the volatility of our race relations calls for seemingly contradictory solutions ... For those who come to this book looking for principles for Black empowerment, or even a consistent proposal for tackling the most fundamental social issues of our time, that pronouncement is — well, to quote another classic song from the Godfather of Soul — \'Out of Sight.\'
