Synopses & Reviews
Informed and driven by his experience as an upper-middle-class African American who lives and works in a predominately white environment, provocative author Lawrence Otis Graham offers a unique perspective on the subject of race. An uncompromising work that will challenge the mindset of every reader,
Member of the Club is a searching book of essays ranging from examining life as a black Princetonian and corporate lawyer to exploring life as a black busboy at an all white country-club. From New York magazine cover stories
Invisible Man and
Harlem on My Mind to such new essays as "I Never Dated a White Girl" and "My Dinner with Mister Charlie: A Black Man's Undercover Guide to Dining with Dignity at Ten Top New York Restaurants," Graham challenges racial prejudice among White Americans while demanding greater accountability and self-determination from his peers in black America.
"In Member of the Club. [Graham writes of] heartbreaking ironies and contradictions, indignities and betrayals in the life of an upper-class black man." --Philadelphia Inquirer
"Lawrence Graham Surely knows about the pressures of being beholden to two very different groups." --Los Angeles Times
Lawrence Otis Graham is a popular commentator on race and ethnicity. The author of ten other books, his work has appeared in New York magazine, the New York Times and The Best American Essays.
Review
“All these essays are well written and offer food for thought. Recommended.” Library Journal
Review
“(Graham writes of) heartbreaking ironies and contradictions, indignities and betrayals in the life of an upper-class black man.” Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
“Shrewd observations...compelling and provocative.” Booklist
Review
“This clear-eyed account should be required reading for all Americans.” Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Lawrence Otis Graham is the author of the widely debated New York magazine cover stories -Harlem on My Mind' and -Invisible Man.' In Member of the Club, he continues his candid search for racial and ethnic understanding in essays with topics as diverse as life as a black Princetonian and Harvard-trained lawyer to the experience of being a black busboy at an all-white country club.aGraham challenges the fears that hover unacknowledged as he addresses the ethical dilemmas and conflicts from both within and outside minority communities in such essays as -Invisible Man', -Blacks and Jews in the Suburbs, ' and -I Never Dated a White Girl.'
--Philadelphia Inquire
Synopsis
In Member of the Club. Graham writes of] heartbreaking ironies and contradictions, indignities and betrayals in the life of an upper-class black man. --Philadelphia Inquirer
Informed and driven by his experience as an upper-middle-class African American man who lives and works in a predominately white environment, provocative author Lawrence Otis Graham offers a unique perspective on the subject of race. An uncompromising work that will challenge the mindset of every reader, Member of the Club is a searching book of essays ranging from examining life as a black Princetonian and corporate lawyer to exploring life as a black busboy at an all white country-club. From New York Magazine cover stories Invisible Man and Harlem on My Mind to such new essays as I Never Dated a White Girl and My Dinner with Mister Charlie: A Black Man's Undercover Guide to Dining with Dignity at Ten Top New York Restaurants, Graham challenges racial prejudice among white Americans while demanding greater accountability and self-determination from his peers in black America.
Lawrence Graham surely knows about the pressures of being beholden to two very different groups. --Los Angeles Times
Lawrence Otis Graham is a popular commentator on race and ethnicity. The author of ten other books, his work has appeared in New York magazine, the New York Times and The Best American Essays.
Synopsis
Informed and driven by his experience as an upper-middle-class African American who lives and works in a predominately white environment, provocative author Lawrence Otis Graham offers a unique perspective on the subject of race. An uncompromising work that will challenge the mindset of every reader, Member of the Club is a searching book of essays ranging from examining life as a black Princetonian and corporate lawyer to exploring life as a black busboy at an all white country-club. From New York magazine cover stories Invisible Man and Harlem on My Mind to such new essays as I Never Dated a White Girl and My Dinner with Mister Charlie: A Black Man' s Undercover Guide to Dining with Dignity at Ten Top New York Restaurants, Graham challenges racial prejudice among White Americans while demanding greater accountability and self-determination from his peers in black America.
In Member of the Club. Graham writes of heartbreaking ironies and contradictions, indignities and betrayals in the life of an upper-class black man. --Philadelphia Inquirer
Lawrence Graham Surely knows about the pressures of being beholden to two very different groups. --Los Angeles Times
Lawrence Otis Graham is a popular commentator on race and ethnicity. The author of ten other books, his work has appeared in New York magazine, the New York Times and The Best American Essays.
About the Author
Lawrence Otis Graham is an attorney and commentator on race, politics, and class in America. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, he is the author of thirteen books, including Member of the Club, which features his undercover experience as a busboy at a discriminatory country club. His most recent book, Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class, was a national bestseller. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Essence, U.S. News &World Report,and the Best American Essays. He lives in Manhattan and Chappaqua, New York, with his wife, Pamela Thomas-Graham.