ASU Book Group: 'Blackface' by Ayanna Thompson
The ASU Book Group's October 2021 reading selection is "Blackface (Object Lessons)" by Ayanna Thompson. The book group is open to all in the ASU community and meets monthly from noon–1 p.m. with two different options for attendance: either in-person at the Piper Writers House or virtually on Zoom. In-person attendees are invited to join the author for lunch after at the University Club, no-host.
Haven't read the book? Come anyway! Authors are always present.
Synopsis:
The history of blackface, the behavior by which white people paint their faces and sometimes their bodies to imitate people of color, has a long and persistent history. Most recently, Sacha Baron Cohen used blackface to mock the history of it in his Oscar-nominated film “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.”
But employing blackface, even to criticize its use as in the Borat film, can open wounds in communities that are disproportionately affected by racism. In her new book, Ayanna Thompson explores the painful history of blackface.
The book is available on amazon.com and through local bookstores.
Ayanna Thompson is Regents Professor of English at ASU, where she also directs the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
About the book group:
The ASU Book Group meetings and selections for 2021-2022 are:
- Sep. 29: “A Good Map of All Things” and “Not Go Away Is My Name” by Alberto Álvaro Ríos
- Oct. 27: “Blackface,” by Ayanna Thompson
- Nov. 17: “Now in Color” by Jacqueline Balderrama
- Dec. 15: “Doodling for Writers” by Rebecca Fish Ewan
- Jan. 26: "The Art of the Bee" by Robert E. Page, Jr.
- Feb. 23: "Everyday Life in the Aztec World" co-authored by Michael Smith
- Mar. 30: “Perspectives of Five Kuwaiti Women in Leadership Roles” by Souad T. Ali
- Apr. 27: “Appleseed” by Matt Bell
The ASU Book Group is sponsored as a community outreach initiative by the Department of English and organized in partnership with the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.