...a pointed rebuttal to those who still insist that enslaved peoples’ histories are unknowable, or that Black people cannot be trusted as narrators of their own past ... Although she never says so explicitly, Jones’s compelling descriptions of reading the archives, accompanied by images from the archives themselves, make clear that she understands the central role Black women historians have played in disrupting an academy that, like much of the world, constantly demands that we prove ourselves ... Jones has done more than honor her family’s history; she reinscribes their story on the tablet of our collective imagination.
Jones’ writing, both in skill and subject matter, is reminiscent of Tiya Miles’ biography of Harriet Tubman, Night Flyer, and her National Book Award-winning All That She Carried. The Trouble of Color is a genealogy with staying power that will change the way readers understand race.
Eloquent, candid, and meticulously researched, this book will appeal to both lovers of family memoir and scholars of Black history. A deftly woven multigenerational tapestry that celebrates the complexity of African American history and identity.
