A Member of the Club - by Lawrence Otis Graham (Paperback)

About the Book

Astute observer and ruminative author Lawrence Otis Graham 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.

Book 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.

From the Back Cover

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 Quotes

"[Graham] examines the complexities of being a black achiever in a society that often fails to look beyond skin color....This clear-eyed account should be required reading for all Americans." -- Kirkus Reviews

"All these essays are well written and offer food for thought. Recommended." -- Library Journal

"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

"Shrewd observations...Overall, Graham's arguments for changing the way African Americans react and respond to issues that are often the stumbling blocks to their membership in certain areas of society are compelling and provocative, as his New York Magazine cover essays "Harlem on My Mind" and "Invisible Man" indicate." -- Booklist