The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty
Okay, so when Book Club number one picked this for their July meeting I was like WTF. I like Graham and have enjoyed his two previous books. In fact, I liked Our Kind of People so much I wrote my freshman thesis around the idea of dark vs. light, AND I got an A! However when I went to the bookstore and saw this book- I was like “Oh no”. It’s big- 480 pages and $27.95. Then I found out Mr. Graham would be there, so I plucked down the money and decided to skim through it. Then I got hooked and read the whole thing in a week- in between bridesmaid’s duty for a wedding that weekend- so you know it was pretty serious/good.
When you saw me, at the David’s Bridal, at the seamstress, at the traffic light on the way to the rehearsal dinner- you saw me reading this book. Even my mom commented on how consumed I was with this book. That’s how good it is.
Graham tells the story of the first black senator that nobody (I knew) knew anything about, Bruce Blanche and the dynasty, his family created and the rise and fall of the family. This book was good and juicy- it almost felt like fiction, then I would remember that it wasn’t and it would be that much better /real. Do not let the size of the book or even the fact that its nonfiction deter you. It is worth every one of its 480 pages. I would go as far as to describe this book as incredible. This a book that every African American family should have on its bookshelf and we should all be knowledgeable and stop letting other people decide what part of our history we learn about.( Sorry about the rant! )
In addition, I also got to meet Mr. Graham at the book signing and listening to him, enhanced the experience of this book for me. I even wrote a list of questions and he answered them!
This book touched on so many areas (and people) and at times it could feel a little repetitive, but that is because it’s a generational story. I don’t want to give too much away but I’ll try to sum it up. It’s a story about a family- taking place from reconstruction until now (at the end of the book, Graham tries to contact the remaining descendents) and their rise, fall and changes they went through. That doesn’t begin to describe it, but I think that between the title and this it should be pretty clear.
My verdict- Great Book- must read and a when you are done, share it!
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