Our Kind of People - by Lawrence Otis Graham (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Now a TV series on FOX starring Morris Chestnut, Yaya DaCosta, Nadine Ellis, and Joe Morton.

"Fascinating. . . . [Graham] has made a major contribution both to African-American studies and the larger American picture." --New York Times

Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.

Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first millions in the 1870s. Graham tells who's in and who's not in the group today with separate chapters on the elite in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nashville, and New Orleans. A new Introduction explains the controversy that the book elicited from both the black and white communities.

From the Back Cover

Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.

Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first millions in the 1870s. Graham tells who's in and who's not in the group today with separate chapters on the elite in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nashville, and New Orleans. A new Introduction explains the controversy that the book elicited from both the black and white communities.

Review Quotes

"Fascinating. . . . [Graham] has made a major contribution both to African-American studies and the larger American picture." -- New York Times

"Strong reportage. . . a highly detailed picture of a world that few of us know." -- Washington Post

"A timely examination given the growth of the black middle class and expanded racial integration." -- Booklist

"Captivating...from debutante cotillions and the right vacation spots to who's in and out and who's not." -- Los Angeles Magazine

"A must read casts an unblinking eye on America's black elite." -- Publisher's Weekly

"A provocative and important study of the world of priviliged African Americans." -- New York Post

"Captivating...From debutante cotillions and the right vacation spots to who's in and who's not." -- Los Angeles Magazine

"In this groundbreaking work, Graham has interwoven history, genealogy, interviews and personal experience into a thoroughly readable account of this elite group. Recommended for all libraries." -- Library Journal

"A fascinating study in the attitudes and concerns of "old money" and the way that even the most subtle of color issues permeatedaily life." -- Daily News