Elegant, vigorous ... The author dodges the pitfalls of nostalgia and sentimentality; his anecdotes crackle with immediacy ... His eye on pacing and detail, he charts the intellectual odysseys of his cast, upending our expectations ... An extraordinary achievement in narrative nonfiction.
Extraordinary ... Through these explorations of specific utopias, Robertson grapples with grand ideas of religion, equality, society and Blackness. The result is an unforgettable history of seemingly impossible yet worthwhile dreams ... Unlike many other sweeping narratives of Black life in America, Robertson’s is concerned with life on the fringes, the less-explored but no less important avenues of survival ...
Robertson expertly dissects the utopian impulse.
Interesting and idiosyncratic ... This book is a formal hybrid that oscillates between a personal history and a more scholarly one ... Eccentric ... Beautiful ... Robertson has done impressive research, reflected in ample endnotes, but readers expecting a thorough treatment of Black utopianism as a historical topic will not find it in The Black Utopians ... A meaningful contribution.
This enticing mix of personal and general history of Black utopian safe spaces promises to engage readers interested in reckoning with the past and present of Black American experiences and milestones.
An ambitious and captivating group portrait of African American visionaries ... Robertson paints a vivid and beguiling picture of the indomitable human yearning for a safe and nurturing home. It’s a must-read.
