A Kitchenette to Fit Your Needs - by Amani C Morrison

Book Synopsis

During the twentieth century's Great Migration, kitchenette apartments served as the primary homes for Black migrants to Chicago. These small one- and two-room units were often illegally converted from larger apartments and were concentrated on the city's densely populated, segregated South Side. Typically featuring a communal hallway bathroom, a cooktop tucked into a closet, chronic overcrowding, and exploitative rents, kitchenettes gained widespread fame and notoriety in news reports, housing code campaigns, and the works of celebrated Black artists including Gwendolyn Brooks, Lorraine Hansberry, and Richard Wright. They also preceded and paved the way for Chicago's notorious public housing projects.

Review Quotes

"A Kitchenette to Fit Your Needs tells a story not just of the kitchenette as a space, but of kitchenette living as a practice. With the archive she has meticulously assembled, Amani Morrison seamlessly moves between records and literary readings to reshape how we approach the lifeworlds of buildings."-- "Adrienne Brown, author of The Black Skyscraper: Architecture and the Perception of Race"

About the Author

Amani C. Morrison is Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Culture in the Department of English at Georgetown University.