Reviews for Black Linguistics: Language, Society and Politics in Africa and the Americas

The average rating for Black Linguistics: Language, Society and Politics in Africa and the Americas based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-09-06 00:00:00 Geoff Banks There are some books that do more than just occupy space on a shelf--there are a precious few--The Wealth of Nations, the Federalist Papers, Uncle Tom's Cabin, among others--that transform the times in which they appear. This is destined to be one of those books. "I'd Rather We Got Casinos" presents the thoughts of Larry Wilmore. These are not just thoughts. They are profound thoughts. And they are black thoughts--presented by the Senior Black Correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This book is thought-provoking, joyously politically incorrect...and very, very funny. No summary can do justice to the contents of this volume, but you may get a flavor for what awaits you between the covers by learning that there are chapters on why black audiences talk back to horror movies, why it's OK to hate black people who work at McDonald's in airports, why fat black weathermen make Wilmore happy (and sad), and Wilmore's extended, ultimately futile correspondence with the NAACP, which attempted to persuade the organization to join his crusade to replace the descriptive phrases black and African-American with the far superior term, "chocolate." There's real humor here, but there are deeper meanings as well. As a white (or in Wilmore's parlance, vanilla) guy, I may not be able to fully appreciate the profound depth of these thoughts--but I do know that I laughed out loud--many, many times. And this book stimulated thoughts of my own. Maybe not as profound as Mr. Wilmore's, but they were thoughts, nevertheless.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-27 00:00:00 L Bass If you enjoy social commentary presented in a humorous way or if you like author Larry Wilmore, I feel it's safe to say you would enjoy this book. I might have rated it four stars if it was a book I owned and could pick up at my leisure to read a chapter/scenario one or two at a time. However, I borrowed mine from the library and found that sitting through it in one or two single reads found my attention wandering after a while.