Bakari Sellers made history in 2006 by becoming the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature at 22 years old. He is also known as a CNN analyst who is often called on to address Blackness in America. In his memoir we get to know him as a son of The Civil Rights movement and a man struggling with his own place in this country.
I enjoyed getting to know Sellers in this book. His father is civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers, he grew up in rural South Carolina, he attended Morehouse, and was a close friend to Clementa Pickney. He also is a twin parent, so bonus points. Sellers writes with a familiarity and confidence that is easy to connect with and relate to. This isn’t just another politician’s memoir.
While I loved the content of the book and how Sellers mixed the public with the personal, I didn’t feel like the book dug deep enough. There was a lot of what, but not enough why. I was hoping for more commentary on this moment in time for Black people, men specifically.
Right now so many people are finally listening to Black voices I’m glad this book exists as another voice in the struggle. A voice that shares another unique experience. A son of the American South. A thinker. A feeler. A voice that helps to contextualize the legacy of The Civil Rights movement in a deeply personal way.

What Hillbilly Elegy did for the Appalachians, My Vanishing Country offers for the deep rural south. Talking about race is uncomfortable but it is necessary for the progress of our nation. I felt Sellers' story inspires compassion for the mistreated, promotes justice and equality for the underserved and neglected, and ignites informed conversations that go beyond the media sensationalized incidents of racism. He shares openly so that we can hope to fix the broken systems that plague our country's poor and marginalized communities. Read this book! Thank you to netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

First lets start with the cover, the picture of him as a child is an adorable one. From his nod to his father and history. The book is just outright intelligent and unique in the way that he tells not only his story but also the story of where. I also loved the section about anxiety, I love it when people personalize something that is so unique to each person that has it and his methods of coping with it were intriguing.

I'm still in the process of reading this awesome book, My Vanishing Country, written by Bakari Sellers. So far I have found this engaging book to be intelligent and insightful as well. I admire Seller's homage to his father. And as I read, My Vanishing Country continues to grab my interest. Sellers has written his unique book in the appealing fashion of a memoir coupled with history and culture.

I will return here to add my full book review of My Vanishing Country, as soon as I finishing reading the book in its entirety.