Monthly Archives: June 2020

Book review: Self-Portrait in Black and White by Thomas Chatterton Williams

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Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race by Thomas Chatterton Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The author is the son of an African-American father and a Caucasian mother who married a (Caucasian) Frenchwoman and has two children. This book consists of his musings on race and identity and family.
It’s a well-written book that flows easily and, yet, at the same time, it’s not an easy book to read. If race is a social construct as many assert, then how does it play (or not play) into identity, society, and belonging?
The author discusses everything from whether it’s unethical for black people to procreate outside of race as opposed to strategically bonding together to Glenn Loury’s concept of racially transcendent humanism.
I suspect many people at the extreme left of the political spectrum would be unhappy with the author’s perspective on many issues relating to race and society. I will only say that this book adds a perspective and a voice that should be listened to with an open mind.



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Book review: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ask a normal person what their first impressions are when you say “Genghis Khan,” and chances are you’ll hear words like “savage,” “barbaric,” and “ruthless.” If the person is a bit of a know-it-all and smart aleck, you’ll also hear “And he has a huge number of descendants thanks to his ‘conquests.'”
This book attempts to provide another lens through which to view Genghis Khan–as someone who was charismatic (climbing his way from the bottom strata of Mongolian society to the leader of all Mongol tribes), innovative (he pioneered and adapted many tactics and weapons that are still used today), and tolerant (his views on religion were modern, a true feat in medieval times).
The book is more a narrative of the accomplishments of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire than it is a true biography of the person (whose written record is somewhat sparse). But it turns on its head many preconceptions about the Mongol Empire. If, at times, the author seems to tread lightly about some of Genghis Khan’s more brutal acts of conquest, the book provides a refreshing and different viewpoint through which to view the acts and impact of one of the most impressive conquerors of all time.



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