Absolutely love this author! I bought a physical copy of the book for my shelves, Keep telling our history!

If I’m just rating the narration, it’s five stars. If I’m just rating the book, five stars. If I’m just rating the cover, five stars. You get my point? Once again, Perry transports us through a beautifully written and enlightening journey, exploring the deeply historical, creative, and poetic connections between blue and Black identity, color, and purpose. I feel incredibly lucky to have had both a physical review copy and an ALC from Harper Audio.

There’s an undeniable warmth, sorrow, and curiosity in the narration—not just in voice, but in prose. You can hear the tenderness and dedication in Perry’s approach. With every new entry, there’s a sense of wonder about where blue will take us next. This book is moving and deeply personal, yet highly intriguing. Many readers will be captivated by the connections Perry presents through meticulous research, delivered in a way that truly hooks you. The interplay between melancholy and joy, grief and honor, pain and pleasure is beautifully conveyed.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ecco, and Harper Audio!

Imani Perry is one of our beacons in the Black community. She has written a book that is timeless and classic. Imani has become a staple in the households of many. This book will remain a classic because of its depth and weight Imani Perry does this so well in this novel. She has given us a beauty that examines not only a theme worth talking about, but that is relevant and that will be reread for generations and generations to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an ALC for review.

This was such an incredibly refreshing and engaging work of non-fiction. The way Imani Perry uses her lush prose to interrogate the histories of both subjugation and prosperity of the Black experience through the lens of the color blue was phenomenal. There was so much packed into this book, and I feel like it’s a perfect addition to the library of books dedicated to exploring Black history, culture, and existence. Blue represents such a range of emotions and experiences, and Perry is able to expertly explore those themes through historical anecdotes ranging from ones familiar to me and others that were completely new. If you’re interested in engaging with history through the lens of art, music, and expression, I highly recommend checking this book out.

Imani Perry once again impresses with her meticulous research and compelling storytelling. Black in Blue explores the surprising and deeply resonant role of the color blue in Black history and culture, weaving together art, music, spirituality, and resistance. Perry’s ability to uncover hidden connections and present them with such depth and clarity is remarkable. This book is both a thought-provoking and beautifully crafted exploration of a topic most of us would never have considered—but one that feels essential once Perry lays it out. A stunning, insightful read.

BLACK IN BLUES: HOW A COLOR TELLS THE STORY OF MY PEOPLE by Imani Perry is a gorgeous essay collection that showcases both Perry’s intellectual curiosity as well as her skill with a pen. At first, the premise of the book may seem like a conceit that can’t get far without being forced, but instead, it is an effective avenue through which Perry explores Black history and Black life in innovative and wide-ranging ways.

It doesn’t hurt that I love the color blue, aesthetically speaking, so dwelling on its many hues, especially told in Perry’s sparkling prose, was a pleasure. From the indigo trade to blues music, from blue jays to Egyptian blue, Perry takes the reader through the Middle Passage, the Haitian Revolution, the Jim Crow South, King Leopold’s Congo, Tuskegee, and many other settings. This is a book lover’s book, too, as Perry ties in Black classics like Jean Toomer’s CANE, Toni Morrison’s THE BLUEST EYE, and Ralph Ellison’s INVISIBLE MAN. How she makes it all work, I don’t know, but she does, with a storyteller’s cadence and a poet’s soulfulness.

BLACK IN BLUES’ honing in on one color reminds me a bit of how Clint Smith uses specific places and location to ground his exploration of Black history—and its modern implications—in HOW THE WORD IS PASSED. Black history is far too vast for any one book, so both books use similar techniques to zoom in on particular aspects and under-told stories while refracting larger unifying themes. It takes great skill to do this well, and Perry, like Smith, achieves it here.

Perry makes BLACK IN BLUES accessible even for readers who are skittish about non-fiction because each essay is very short, and that laser-focus makes them digestible and easy to pick up and put down. What a gift to hold these treasures in my hand; what a gift that these histories will not be forgotten. The audiobook is fantastic!

This is book is a meditation on black people’s relationship with the colour blue. A great book for anyone starting to get into non-ficiton.
The reading experience most reminded me of reading Braiding Sweetgrass. Like BS, the prose is simple but informative and emotionally rich. It’s not as poetic, but I still suggest you take your time reading it.

Excellent read.

The author presents an interesting look at the link between the color blue and its history of connection to African American history. While it was a bit too theoretical at times for me personally, I did learn a lot and found it well written and informative. Good on audio and a great choice for Black History Month. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

The way this book is formatted reminds me so much of the survey courses I took in college and it scratched an itch in my brain that I haven’t been able to reach since I graduated😂 I didn’t even mind that it wasn’t strictly chronological either even though that’s usually a big issues for me! I found the material and history super interesting, especially considering a lot of the foundational knowledge I had on some of these topics was from romance books😭 So if anyone ever tells you that you don’t learn anything reading romance, think again😌 Having the author narrate was truly a brilliant move because it felt so much more engaging and interesting because you could tell not just from the words being spoken, but the emphasis and emotion behind the words that the author put so much energy and care into their research👏

Man.... This is timely. I needed this. This reminder and ode to the Culture. The strength of our history and the network between greatness.

This is a stunning collection of connected reflections on history, culture and beauty. I loved listening to the author read her own thoughts--it made the experience that much more meaningful. It is rare to be able to absorb information and pure beauty at the same time.

In Black in Blues, Imani Perry explores the deep ties between the color blue and Black identity across the diaspora. Weaving history, culture, and personal narrative, she reveals how Black communities shaped not just the Blues but an entire cultural language around blue’s complexities. From indigo-dyed West African fabrics to the oceanic routes of the enslaved, Perry examines blue’s dual nature—both sacred and sorrowful. She traces indigo’s transformation from a revered symbol to a cash crop that fueled white wealth, exposing its entanglement with both heritage and exploitation.
Blending historical research with poetic analysis, Perry explores blue’s presence in blues music, Hoodoo, and Black artistic expression, demonstrating how it embodies joy, grief, and resilience. More than a cultural study, Black in Blues is a testament to Black survival—how a color once tied to oppression became a symbol of power and pride.

Everyone should read Black in Blues. And hearing Imani Perry narrate her work made it all the more special. Imani Perry beautifully connects Black history, culture, and spirit to every form of blue throughout her wonderful stories. This well-researched book taught me new aspects of Blackness and the color blue, as well as shed new light on stories I was already familiar with. 10/10 I will be buying a physical copy for my personal library.

this is a history book unlike anything that i've ever read. through a series of essays that cartograph a journey through history, we're treated to stories of how the color blue correlates with Blackness. imani perry weaved these tales so delicately and pinpointed the blueness in each so cleverly that i'm now convinced that there has to be some cosmic being doing this by design.

through this book i've learned more about Black history more than i have ever learned in a history class; i think this book should be required reading for that reason alone. for example:

- in the 1800s, political leaders encouraged free Black people to immigrate to liberia. here, perry speaks of what it's like to be both colonized and colonizer. later, she goes on to say that ultimately, different diasporas realized there was a universality to their Blackness: "Even when we don't care for each other, we know we have something to do with one another."

- slavery has literally changed the environment. so many enslaved people jumped overboard into the ocean after capture that blue-green tiger sharks developed a taste for humans.

- the periwinkle flower isn't native to north america, so if it's seen growing in the wild, there are likely to be human remains of enslaved people near - since they weren't permitted the option of headstones, they used the flower to decorate the resting places of their loved ones.

- the song "jimmy crack corn" is actually an antebellum anthem. i didn't know this at all. turns out, it's about an enslaved man batting away blue tail flies from his master and his horse. one day, he misses a fly and the fly bites the master's horse, killing the master when the horse bucks him. i sobbed when perry summarized: "But it is also fascinating because the tiny, bothersome, inconsequential fly had a mortal impact. It might have been a warning about the meek of the earth." this tied in to perry's later discussions of the resiliency of Black people.

we also learn about blue bottle trees meant to ward off evil spirits - brought to the american south by enslaved africans. we learn about hoodoo and the blue used to keep the haints away. we learn that police uniforms are blue because union uniforms were repurposed and given to them. we learned about the blues. george washington carver is known for peanuts, but to diminish him to just peanuts is to severely undersell his contributions to society and the breadth of his humanity.

i cannot explain how well researched and special this book is - reading it felt like being introduced to a new world. perry's writing does an excellent service to these rarely told histories; her prose is compulsively readable and addictive, even, written less like an educational, technical work and more like sitting with a storyteller. (in fact, all of perry's books read this way; she's a must-read author.)

highly, highly recommend.

“How a Color Tells the Story of My People”

A rich, meaningful telling of the idea that intertwine colors themselves. Black and Blue. As well as
the connection to and the meaning of that connection to Black history and Black culture. Weaving together
these connections Imani introduces art, music, history and literature in a thought-provoking manner.


"Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another
color: blue. In daily life it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for
that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and
heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?”
In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a
riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that
transcends politics or ideology.”

Imani’s work “Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People” is an important addition to Black history, particularly at this time
when parts of society are trying to negate importance and even its existence. Another injustice. Audio book read by the author.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley, ImaniPerry and Harper Audio for this advanced readers copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Publication Date: January 25, 2025

For more book reviews and recommendations follow me at #EmptyNestReader #instagram #Goodreads #BalckInBlues #HowaColorTellstheStoryofMyPeople #ImaniPerry #fNonFction #NF #NetGalley #FebruaryReads #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #HarperAudio
#emptynestreaderaudiobooks🎧

4.5 stars. Black in Blues is a beautifully crafted deep dive into the color blue and its connections to Black history, culture, and identity. Imani Perry weaves together art, music, history, and personal narrative in a way that is both thought-provoking and poetic. As an English teacher, I especially appreciated the literary analysis and the way she drew connections across disciplines, making the book feel like a rich, interdisciplinary exploration.

The audiobook experience was even more powerful with Perry narrating—there’s something special about hearing an author read their own work exactly as they intended. Her voice carries both the weight and beauty of the subject matter, making it a stunning listen. The research, the storytelling, and the emotional depth all come together to create a book that lingers long after it’s finished.

My only complaint is that I waited so long to listen and read this book. I will have to get a physical copy, and do a re read because there was so much nuggets and gem throughout this book. And listening to the audiobook was so informative. And when i see post on social media asking what books should people have physical copies of in their personal libraries due to the current administration and their policies, this book will be top on the list. I had an arc of the audio and kindle version, and both were good, I will still need a physical copy. It has easily become one of my favorite books of the year.

This was such an interesting read, especially in a time when American history often overlooks Black people. As someone who is well-read in Black and African history, this book offered new insights into things I’ve recognized in everyday life. The author, Imani Perry, explores the color blue and its significance in the lives of Black people—from our favorite pair of blue jeans to the impact of blues music.

Reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel both anger at the injustices Black people have faced and immense pride at all we've overcome. It’s a powerful blend of history, culture, and resilience. There’s so much to absorb in this work that it’s a book worth reading and rereading to fully take in all the lessons and truths Imani Perry is offering.

I have high expectations for Imani Perry - I loved South to America and have been a fan of her academic writing since graduate school - and Black in Blues did not disappoint. I will say that Black in Blues reads more like an excellently devised syllabus than it did a book for me, but I'm not mad at that, particularly from one of America's best scholars.

Black in Blues offers the color blue not as a plot device or method for exploring history but as an organizing theme; the idea that blue has been inherently othered throughout history and also at the epicenter of Black life for centuries. Perry's writing is a beautiful synthesis of storytelling and excellent archival work and I learned so much through reading this book about people - like George Washington Carver - that I thought I already knew well enough about. Similarly, her focus on the African diaspora offered me a deeper understanding of African (American) history and the threads of deep blue woven throughout it. This book is synesthetic and is just as much a visual experience as it is a literary one.

Mostly, this book taught me that remembering is an important act. And if there is one clear takeaway, it's that you can always trust Imani Perry to churn out work that is as creative and engaging as it is meticulous.

This book blew me away. I will admit I was pulled in initially by the cover but this book was so beautifully written. It had me second guessing things, seeing things for the first time and gaining a new appreciation for my favorite color blue. You will walk away gaining so much information and insight. I highly recommend this book.