Drylongso: A Self-Portrait of Black America

By John Langston Gwaltney

Book Overview

In writing his Self-Portrait of Black America, anthropologist, folklorist, and humanist John Gwaltney went in search of "Core Black People"-the ordinary men and women who make up black America-and asked them to define their culture. Their responses, recorded in Drylongso, are to American oral history what blues and jazz are to American music. If the people in William H. Johnson's and Jacob Lawrence's paintings could talk, this is what they would say.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565840801
• ISBN13: 9781565840805
• Release Date: April 1993
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Profound

This is a deep, and insightful book. I can't believe it doesn't have more reviews. I found this book at the UCSD bookstore on sale for $2.50, and I couldn't resist buying it. I am so grateful that I did buy it. The human condition, and especially the black human condition, is explored thoroughly through the oral tradition in this book. The African-American oral tradition is rich in history, culture, and profound thoughts. If you've never thought about what it means to be Black in America, then this book will offer you a glimpse of understanding. Not only do you see the opinions and insights of the people being interviewed, but also their hurt and pain that began historically during slavery and continues on through today. The language is rich in metaphor and meaning and is captured brilliantly by the author, John Gwaltney. He injects little of himself in the portraits he paints of these everyday, ordinary people.