Ben Waber reviewed Black Folk by Blair L. M. Kelley
A Powerful Piece of Scholarship
5 stars
Weaving together personal and family experiences, representative case studies, and broader sociological trends, Kelley has put together a powerful, moving book about the emergence of the Black working class in the US. Kelley works through different occupations in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, with particularly notable chapters on washerwomen and railroad porters that touch on a whole host of issues beyond labor. Whether you're interested in labor history or US history more broadly, this is an essential book. Highly recommend
Weaving together personal and family experiences, representative case studies, and broader sociological trends, Kelley has put together a powerful, moving book about the emergence of the Black working class in the US. Kelley works through different occupations in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, with particularly notable chapters on washerwomen and railroad porters that touch on a whole host of issues beyond labor. Whether you're interested in labor history or US history more broadly, this is an essential book. Highly recommend