Citizen : : an American Lyric

Locations
Call Number: 811.54 Ra, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	811.54 Ra	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	811.54 Ra	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	811.54 Ra	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	811.54 Ra	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Essays / Rankine, Claudia	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024

"Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in twenty-first-century daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intentional offensives in the classroom, at the supermarket, at home, on the tennis court with Serena Williams and the soccer field with Zinedine Zidane, online, on TV--everywhere, all the time. The accumulative stresses come to bear on a person's ability to speak, perform, and stay alive. Our addressability is tied to the state of our belonging, Rankine argues, as are our assumptions and expectations of citizenship. In essay, image, and poetry, Citizen is a powerful testament to the individual and collective effects of racism in our contemporary, often named 'post-race' society."--from publisher's description.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
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Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A Powerful Book submitted by DBJC on June 16, 2017, 3:37pm Rankine's book is composed of essays, photos, transcripts, and poetry about the prevalence of blackness in the twenty first century. Her choice to use mixed media is a powerful witness to the issues and struggles that many people with darker than accepted skin deal with on a daily basis. She uses a quote by Zora Neale Hurston, "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background" that is stamped repeatedly on a spread. It is chilling to see, especially as blackness is ultimately defined by whiteness. Her poetry, in addition to the other media presented in the book awakens an exploration of blackness that reminds us that colors are ever-present in a 'colorblind' world. The way that our present society defines these colors are not as beautiful as they should be, because it is whiteness that defines which colors are citizens.

Beautiful and Power submitted by dntanzer on August 31, 2018, 2:57pm The writing style in this book is gorgeous and fluctuates between poetry and lyrical essays. It touches on race and modern racism using examples like the hardships Serena Williams faces. I found it both educational and beautiful to read.

Consciousness through contrast submitted by ldibble on March 18, 2020, 10:22am I struggle with this style of writing. Stream of conscious, abstract without a central solid plot arc has never been something that was easy for me to approach or think too deeply. There are vignettes that resonate solidly with the experiences mirrored in any interaction with the good old boys as a woman and some that cut to the quick as a picture of my own ignorance or careless words seen through another lens.

Rankine submitted by AGAPHD on July 5, 2020, 7:53pm Rankine is such a powerful writer. Not only is the writing stunning, the book itself is a work of art.

Remarkable Hard to Walk in Another's Shoes Book submitted by ekjensen on July 29, 2020, 4:31pm This book is fascinating with its abstract narratives and poems about race relations (and specific persons, living and dead in our times) in the United States (mostly) interspersed with fascinating unique art. Reviewing the chapter descriptors in Wikipedia helped understand them more, too. PS Take your time reading and re-reading the striking passages, although Rankine helps the reader with the repetition.

Must read submitted by rmhawkins on August 28, 2020, 10:17am A critical analysis of racism and race in America. Would recommend.