The ways in which Perry is using history, stories, collected memories and experiences to show how this colour Blue is linked so intrisincally to the Black existence and culture was compelling and eye-opening. From the specific historical and cultural importance and use of Indigo dye to the myths surrounding Black individuals with 'blue gums' and 'blue tongues'.

She also traces blue's significance in root work, pottery, clothing colour, and how it was reclaimed in Haiti's revolution, the Civil War, music, emotional expression, and activism from America to Africa, and the Caribbean. But not only is she tracing Blue from trade through to slavery and to artistic declarations, she also looks at the small things like use in painting, literature, and the beautiful things in nature like plants and insects.

I didn't mind the non-linear progression but do think that if the chapters had been organized and compiled into sections by subject, that the flow would have made it an easier listening experience.

Black In Blues by Imani Perry is a profound and moving journey into the color blue’s deep-rooted meaning within Black History. The author beautifully weaves together the threads of blue, culture, and identity, tracing their connection to Blackness from the harrowing days of the slave trade to the vibrant realms of our music and literature. This heartfelt exploration is presented in a way that captivates and enriches, leaving me with a profound sense of understanding and appreciation for the significance of my people and the color blue.

The narrator of this audiobook is the author, Imani Perry. Her voice is soft, genteel, and cultured. It's an advantage to hear the author read her own words. Most especially in this book, which is almost laid out like poetry but broken up by historical essays.

This is somewhat a history of Black Americans and the Diaspora, as seen through our connection to the color blue. My favorite colors are Black & purple. However, I'm well aware that blue is the most common favorite color alongside green.

Blue is special to Black Americans who created a musical genre, literally called 'the blues'. It also holds significance in African Traditional Religions (ATR) in the Americas. All over the South are 'haint' blue porches. Haint blue is my favorite shade of blue. It's not widely available in Detroit, where I grew up.

This also covers the history of Indigo and its ties to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I don't really know how to describe this. A love letter to Black folks works. This is beautifully done and not to be missed. In fact, I pre-ordered this on audiobook because I can already tell this will be a top reread of mine during the shenanigans of the coming 4 years. This is like chicken soup for the Black Soul. I think readers across the Diaspora will appreciate this. It's simple, historically accurate, and weirdly comforting. Something I don't often say about nonfiction that deals directly with chattel slavery and the Middle Passage.

For those interested in the spiritual meaning and representation of blue, I offer Grandma Baby Apothecary's: Grandma Baby's 52 Blues playing cards. They are round and gorgeous, my Ancestors love them. If you don't understand this reference, no worries🥰 This is primarily for folks interested in ATR's.
https://grandmababyapothecary.com/pro...

Thank you to Imani Perry, HarperAudio Adult, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I would like to express my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance audiobook format of Imani Perry's Black in Blues. This was so well done. Perry's narration brings the exploration of blue in Black history and culture to life. Her voice is perfect for this kind of material. She is warm and engaging while still being educational.
The way Perry connects history through the color blue is fascinating. She takes us from indigo dyeing to blues music, and even explores terms like "blue-black." Some parts hit hard, especially those surrounding with historical trauma, but Perry balances he heavy topics with moments of beauty and resilience.
The writing is gorgeous, very poetic. It drew me in and I was often tempted to listen to a chapter twice.
I appreciated how Perry mixed scholarly research with personal stories. It never feels dry or academic; it feels like listening to an interesting lecture from a knowledgeable friend who is passionate about the subjec
Black in Blues is worth the time and attention; It's actually worth more time and attention than it asks. This is another text I would read on the page with a highlighter. I'm not the biggest fan of nonfiction, so if I say it was well-done, snatch it up! I highly recommend the audiobook version.

This book was so freaking good! The different subjects were so good especially the blues music and black people history with the color blue. I know purple is equated with royalty but this book has me feeling so much pride for my people and how they took something looked down upon. There are so many nuggets of wisdom and no thought ever goes on for to long and I really appreciate that. I'm usually a fan of fiction only but the author is such a story teller so I'm hooked!

This is a collection of essays, some personal to the author and others rooted in Black history. Each was interesting and beautifully written. The underlying premise of the collection is that there is some connection between Black history and the color blue. I found that gimmicky, although the author insists that it is not. The author did an excellent job narrating her own audiobook.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

a beatuiful, thoughtful, well-researched exploration of the history of color in connection to Black folks in America and all over the world. v

A gorgeous look at history through personal stories, famous people, singers, activists, religions weaved together through the color blue and the significance it holds.

This was stunning. I feel like it would be something to reread and absorb more and more each time.

Narration was great.

Thanks to netgalley for an alc

I want to say thank you to #netgalley and #harpercollins for the advance audiobook of Black in Blues by @Imaniperry . I have been infatuated with the cover of this book since seeing it float around. Learning it’s a painting by Titus Kaphar called Seeing Through Time brought this book full circle as the author explained the history of the color blue, heavy on the indigo plant and its relation to black culture. “Everybody loves blue. It is as human as can be, but not everybody loves black, even hate it.” We go on a journey through Haiti, Africa, Brazil, the Southern US, just to name a few exploring literature, blues music, various religions, art, heck even Frank Lucas and his blue magic 😬

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy bc there are so many things that I want to highlight and research further.

This is an amazing book! Narrated by the author which makes it so much better. I never knew how much of a huge roll the color blue played in our culture and history. All of the things that I’d already known were explained even more in depth. I learned so much as Imani takes you on a journey through years of history. The subjects literally include everything you can think of ; the slave trade, sales, water, art, cotton clothes, music, street life. I can go on and on. Everyone should read this book and have it on your shelf this is a well written piece of literature and I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelf. Thank you @netgalley @harperaudio and @imaniperry for this wonderful audiobook.

The first thing that caught my eye with Black in Blues was the cover, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. But once I read what the book was about I became super intrigued especially because my favorite color is cerulean blue. Being African American I knew of some significance that blue had in our culture particularly in the south. But learning about how the color blue has been woven through the entire diaspora was so fascinating and honestly quite moving. I highly recommend anyone interested in the African diaspora to pick this book up, they are bound to enjoy it!

Imani Perry is such a talented storyteller. I found myself unable to stop listening as she shared her insights into the many links between Black people and the color blue. I have read descriptions of very dark skinned Black people as having "blue black" or "inky black" skin; of course the inescapable sound of blues itself and dyeing with indigo in Africa. But there is so much more to be told, and Imani Perry does it in a way that is accessible and shows the amount of thought that was put into this work.

I was able to get a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley for free in exchange for my opinion.

The audiobook was narrated by the author and she did a terrific job. She brought emotion and depth to the audiobook. This book is a study of the color blue in relation to African American history and culture. Weaving the color blue through the text gave it a sense of cohesion. I learned things that I had not heard before and explored ideas I hadn’t considered when listening to this audiobook. The chapters are relatively short but the information shared is profound.

Perry highlights a variety of people and cultures all under the heading of blue. There were stories of resistance, and overcoming huge obstacles, as well as historical facts. Perry was able to use the theme of blue to explore many different areas, and she did so successfully. The stories she shared were gripping, and gave a lot of food for thought.

I wish I could have said that this information wasn’t new to me, but a lot of it was. We don’t get the full story in our schools history book pages, and that’s a real shame. Black history is American history. There were parts that were painful to hear but necessary to know. I am glad that Perry wrote this book and I’m glad I got the chance to listens to it.

✨ Review ✨ Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry, Narrated by Imani Perry

Thanks to Ecco, Harper Audio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This book traces a deep relationship between Blackness and the color blue, finding it in art and literature, flora and fauna, in indigo and cobalt, in music (the Blues!), in the names of people, and so much more.

Perry defines Blackness expansively, from the US to across Africa, in past and present. She challenges us to think about the complexities of Blackness, for example, in thinking about the ways that African peoples crossed paths before the slave trade (and how these inter-African connections impacted their experiences as enslaved peoples later). I appreciated how this expanded my thinking.

The book is written as short thematic essays that ranged widely in their topics. From thinking about George Washington Carver to Toni Morrison's writing to blue morning glories, from contemporary art to the origins of the Blues to enslaved peoples in the fields, this book stretches across times and places. At its heart, it challenges power structures, imperialism, and enslavement, while also encouraging us to look to the color of blue as both a source of joy and marker of sorrow among Black peoples.

There were pieces of this book that resonated more deeply than others -- and pieces that will interest some readers more than others, but this seems consistent with essay collections. I learned so much from it and have much to return to and think about more.

🎧 I love a book narrated by the author (especially when it's done well), and she brings so much of her passion for this topic to the page. Listening is hard because you'll want to highlight, but it's also a beautiful way to encounter these reflections.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 for content and quality of writing, 4 for flow)

Genre: essay collection
Setting: US + Africa and beyond
Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ nonfiction essay collections
⭕️ Black history, culture, and identity
⭕️ the color Blue

So smart and interesting. Looking at the color blue throughout Black history, “blue black” skin, slavery, African history, blues music.

This is beautiful yo listen to. The author’s lyrical style and attention to historical detail are compelling. I’m not sure I completely understood the thread that she was trying to use to weave it all together, but it was enjoyable all the same.

It’s very difficult to put into words how beautiful this book is and how much it has fundamentally changed me but I’ll do my best.

Perry uses the color blue not only as a metaphor, but as a living, breathing thread that ties together centuries of the Black experience. From the indigo dyed cloths of West Africa to the devastating resilience of blues music, she captures the duality of joy and sorrow that defines so much of the Black experience. Blue, in her words, is not just a color, it’s a mirror. A mirror that oftentimes felt painful to look into but necessary.

Perry’s reflections on Blackness also resonated with me profoundly. Her ability to trace the ways Blackness has been perceived, celebrated, and vilified over time feels both poetic and urgent. She examines not just the external forces shaping Black identity, but also the internal landscapes. Again reminding us of the heartache, the hope, and the strength that exists within. I found myself lingering on her descriptions of “Blue Black” skin, an image that speaks to the layers of beauty and bias in how the world sees and defines Blackness.

This book is definitely a book that you read more than once and I know for me, I’ll never see the color blue in the same way.

I am so grateful to be given access to the audio copy of this book. This is the second book I've read by Perry (Looking for Lorraine). There are many facts I did not know that was explained and encouraged me to do further research. I really appreciate the sections on music, literature and art. While reading this book, I wrote down how the color blue shows up in my life. This made the listening experience more personal. I will be getting buying the audio and getting a physical copy to read again to take notes/annotate.

𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔: 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒂 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒚 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 by Imani Perry is a profound exploration of the color blue’s significance within Black history and culture. It’s like a meditation on the interplay between color, culture, and identity, and insights into the relationship between Blackness and the color blue.

I gained so much from this book. I now have more understanding of the indigo trade of the 16th century, how indigo dye—produced by enslaved Africans—symbolized both oppression and cultural expression. Enslaved people found beauty in the dye, using it to adorn their lives despite the hardships of its cultivation.

The book also explores blues music as a core of Black sensibility, referencing icons like Miles Davis and Nina Simone to highlight the “blued note” of resilience and melancholy. It also weaves in literary works like Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Amiri Baraka’s Blues People, showcasing the deep ties between Black identity and the color blue.

If you appreciate lyrical prose and enjoy cultural history + are interested in the multifaceted connections between blue and Black identity, traversing historical epochs, artistic expressions, and personal narratives this book is for you!

Imani Perry’s Black in Blues, How A Color Tells the Story of My People offers a beautifully profound exploration of how the color blue has permeated Black history, culture, and identity. Through her narrative, Perry narrates the story that weaves the significance of this hue into the larger tapestry of race and memory, crafting an emotional and intellectual journey. As a National Book Award winner, (and local Princeton Professor!) Perry’s ability to blend history, personal reflection, and cultural analysis is on full display, making this work thought-provoking.

The concept of blue as a symbol of both pain and hope is central to Perry’s thesis. She explores how the color, often considered serene and peaceful, takes on a more complex role within the Black experience. What makes Perry’s approach truly unique is her capacity to turn a simple color into a cultural and spiritual artifact. The book stretches across history, art, and personal memory, tying together the indigo-dyed fabrics of West Africa, the birth of blues music, and the deeply personal significance for her of blue flowers planted for a loved one. These varied explorations show how blue is woven through every facet of Black life, offering a visual shorthand for emotions and experiences too often relegated to the margins of history.

The writing is poetic and beautiful. Through the fusion of personal memoir and historical investigation, Black in Blues not only sheds light on the centrality of blue in Black culture but also highlights little known or only partially known historical figures and Black moments in history. Many of the facts resonated with me and brought these individuals to life.

Perry’s words carry the weight of generations, as well as the hope for a future that, while still grappling with the painful legacies of the past, is also embracing its creative power and resilience. This book is a triumph—an essential read for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of both Black history and the powerful symbolism of color in cultural expression.

#harperaudio #imaniperry #narratorimaniperry #blackinblues