To Be Young, Gifted and Black

by Lorraine Hansberry and Adapted By Robert Nemiroff. With an Introduction By James Baldwin Hansberry, Lorraine

Book Overview

Assembled from plays, essays, letters, drawings, and photographs, this memoir records the passionate engagement and spectacular accomplishment of the playwright of A Raisin in the Sun. It follows Lorraine Hansberry from her childhood in Chicago (where her family encountered vicious resistance when it moved into a white neighborhood), through her arrival in New York, where the triumph of A Raisin in the Sun made her famous virtually overnight, to her...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679764151
• ISBN13: 9780679764151
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

srekcarc

There are a lot of lazy ignorant people in our society who believe that black people should be all accomodating and not be too complex, in other words, human. How sad for them. Hansberry was ofcourse a genius. Bless her short life and her work.

I Can Relate

I remember reading this book thinking that I could relate to the author perfectly well. Though I am not a playright, I do understand a lot of what she is saying. There should and will never be a borderline or a glass ceiling or anything else to hold me down. You are who you are regardless of what is . . . There is no turning back only that which is to be gained and won.When I think of Lorraine Hansberry I think of a woman who achieved the impossible in an impossible time. She completed her plays with such intensity and flair . . . As if she lived and researched each every act. Nevertheless, I feel that Hansberry was stating that to be "Young, gifted, and black," is clearly to be aware of who and what you are . . . and to take this knowledge of who and what you are and to run with it. Taking a chance when given a chance, or rather taking a chance and creating an opportunity with merely a bit of the gift that you had.I will always remember what Thurgood Marshall, he basically stated that "He did the best with what he had." Is that being merely good or is that being the best. I believe that the concept of this book is not to be mistaken. I believe Hansberry is saying, "Hey sister, hold your head up high. It does not matter what this world thinks of you. It only merely matters about what you can do for yourself and your fellowman. Do you know your gifts? Hey write it down. You are worth perfecting."Lorraine Hansberry did wonders in her lifetime she did so much for her community and her fellowman. My question to myself and others is . . . What about your gifts? Hey write them down. They are worth perfecting.

Poignant and inspiring

Getting inside the head of such a great thinker is a wonderful opportunity. The only negative comment I could make about this book is that a few of the passages included from Hansberry's lesser-known plays were not as powerful as the passages from speeches, journals, and A Raisin in the Sun. It is tragic that the world lost a truly gifted and spirited writer at such a young age. If you enjoyed A Raisin in the Sun, you'll also find this a rewarding read.

Universal, Accessible, and Powerful!

I thought this was an absolutely beautiful book. Hansberry had such a gift for writing about the human spirit. I hope that the students who say they got nothing from reading this book come back to it as adults and give it another try. I found it to be inspiring. It will definitely join my list of favorites!

It was amazing

I found this book really solefull. I am not black or gifted but I feel that I relate to Lorraine Hansberry in many ways. I recomend this unique format to anyone who wants deep reading that flys by!