Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream by Blair Imani

Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream Reviews

• 
  Tracey

  This book belongs in every school/classroom library. It compiles so many important figures and events in American history related to "The Great Migration and the Black American Dream." It gives you enough information so you know you have learned something, but it also makes you want to read to learn more. Luckily there is an amazing bibliography and a glossary. Those two resources alone make me want to have a copy of my own (or to put in my classroom library). The illustrations are so gorgeous and compliment the writing perfectly, which by the way is very honest (e.g. lynching is referred to as domestic terrorism). This is not a book for hard core academic reading, but it is built from hard core academic work and I think younger readers will appreciate it.
• 
  Chris

  This covers from 1865 through 1979 and I found it very helpful for helping me understand more how things got to where they are. I wish it would've included a few more recent decades, tbh. Great illustrations!
• 
  Rod Brown

  I requested this from my library because it was classified as a graphic novel, but it is actually an illustrated history text with no sequential art whatsoever. But I like history texts about interesting subjects, so I went ahead and read it anyway.
  
  I was most engaged with the book in the beginning as it discussed the First Great Migration from the 1910s through the 1930s, outlining the reasons millions of Black Americans moved from the rural American South to urban centers in the North and on the West Coast and the initial impacts this had on them and the regions where they moved.
  
  But the book is more a survey than an in-depth study so it moves briskly on to subsequent decades giving brief overviews that don't really dig into the subject and even start to wander away from details about the direct causes and impacts of the Second Great Migration from the 1940s through the 1970s as the narrative becomes more a general review of the Civil Rights movement and the accomplishments of Black Americans, most of which I am already familiar with and thus found less engaging, important as they are.
  
  Still, this would be a great introduction for younger readers or someone unfamiliar with the subject.
  
  The illustrations are nice and help break up the text so it doesn't become too burdensome, but they are sort of static, being mostly head-and-shoulder portraits of the people mentioned. The art is a bit stiff and formal as every image is heavily photo-referenced. I do not see original photo image credits in the indicia, but I was able to find the actual photographs for many of the illustrations with pretty simple Google searches.
• 
  Nadine in NY Jones

  I thought this was a non fiction graphic novel, but it is not.  It’s an illustrated Black American history book for children, covering just over 100 years, from 1863 at the end of the Civil War / start of Reconstruction to 1979 with the earliest days of hip hop.  The fantastic graphics-novel-style illustrations are by Rachelle Baker .  This would be wonderful used as a text for a middle grade history class.
• 
  Ms. Mester

  Told in an accessible and linear way and framed by Imani's own family history, this would be a good supplement to SS and APUSH classes. The drawings were really great and there's an almost overly exhaustive glossary of terms at the end. Also, one of the most succinct/easiest to understand explanations of redlining I've seen. Just that passage alone would be worthwhile in a class.
• 
  DiAnne Warfield

  Holt-Delhi Nonfiction Book Discussion Group title November 2021
• 
  Erin

  The book was a good overview of Black history in America, but it seemed like the author was trying to do too much at once. There was a lot of breadth, but not a lot of depth. While I appreciated the author's attempt to be all inclusive, at times it seemed like she'd just taken a course on intersectionality and was carelessly mentioning any and all minority groups without any attempt at adding substance. A good overview, but probably more useful as a bibliography to get to more interesting subject matter.
• 
  Megan Sanks

  I felt like I was vaguely aware of the history in this book, but Imani did a wonderful job of fleshing it out and providing details I never learned about, such as how the Black Panther Party fought for disability rights. Also the illustrations were beautiful!
• 
  Alison

  I really enjoyed learning about The Great Migration. This is an easy to read book jam-packed with information. There was so much content that was new to me, and people and events that I had not heard of before. I could easily see this being in a classroom. The illustrations within this, too, were just great.
  
  Critically, I thought these events wrapped up kind of quickly, and without warning. I would have liked even a mention of the present-day, or early 2000s, Black American Dream; I think it would have tied these events together more cohesively. While the Great Migration lasted until the 70s, ending with the Civil Rights still seemed like an abrupt choice when covering such an expansive time period.
  
  Lastly, selfishly, I would have liked more information regarding migration patterns to the Milwaukee area. While I recognize that this book mentions a lot of broad travel patterns, it would have been interesting to read and learn more specifically about the migration of Black Americans to my state. ...looks like I’ll have to find a different book to answer those questions! :)
• 
  Karen Mardahl

  This is a great starting point for re-learning U.S. history. The book is a broad overview, but it provides names of people and groups that you can investigate on your own. Was Rosa Parks the only person - or the first person - to not give up her seat to a white person? Was Kent State the only place where students protesting the Vietnam war were fired on and killed by government forces? You get a decent timeline of many major events here. If you do recognise some names or events, the timeline puts many aspects into a better perspective. This is a good read, but it is also a good reference book when you want to go back and remind yourself about someone or something and then dive deeper into the topic.
• 
  rebecca

  This is extremely straight-forward, but comes from the heart with an emphasis on empowerment. I think as an instructional tool, the chapters are really well laid out which lends itself to using this text as a broad overview of each decade, especially alongside Civil Rights studies. Well done Blair Imani, can't wait to read your other work.
• 
  Jennie Chantal

  I can see this working in high school classrooms as an intro to the topic as it offers many opportunities to dig deeper. The writing style is straightforward but somewhat dry. It’s definitely YA which I wasn’t expecting. Great illustrations!
• 
  Alyssa

  I really enjoyed the way this book was written as a narrative of so many important events and the way they all weaved together. The glossary was also extremely informative.
• 
  Taylor Haines

  Should be required reading in all American classrooms. Includes an extensive glossary which details major events and key players.
• 
  Sarah

  This is a holistic view of the time during the Great Migration in the United States but mostly focuses on the Black American experience. It is broken down into decades and touched upon many topics that can be further explored on your own time but still shows how those events built upon each other. I learned so much from this book and it was easy to understand. For example, The man commonly known as Malcolm X later changed his name and went by El Hajj Malik El Shabazz until he died. I think more people should read this book.
• 
  Cam's Corner

  Okay, so for my seminar class I’m writing about The Great Migration, which was the mass movement of African Americans from the South to the North, Midwest & West from 1910 to 1970. 6 million in total made the brave choice to pick up their lives & venture to the Promised Land.
  
  All I have to say is WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. This book blew my mind. I could NOT put it down. I literally finished this book in about 3 days. Where to begin…
  
  The 7 chapters are defined by decade in chronological order (from the Reconstruction Era to 70s). That part I really loved because she took her time to explain the significance of the decade. Not to mention it’s super creative.
  
  The content? CHILE, I thought I knew Black history… Sis showed me that I did not know enough!!! For example there’s LGBTQ+ history up in here- & ya’ll know that our community is either very hesitant, hush hush, or even downright hateful when it comes to it. I just love it.
  
  The illustrations were absolutely breathtaking. Truly captivating. Rachelle Baker did her damn thing.
  
  Sis didn’t leave anything out. Unfortunately, that means the recounting painful historical events such as lynchings, housing discrimination, & police brutality. All I got to say is, the YTs are very lucky that a majority of Blacks don’t want revenge. Because we have every right to want it.
  
  What I loved most about this book was that she put some respect on our names by capitalizing Black & keeping white lowercased.
  
  She made me very proud to be Black. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been loved me, but Blair made me appreciate my history even more. Reading this book reminded me why I am striving to achieve a PhD.
  
  Overall, I highly recommend this book. It’s very easy to read. I loved every page of it, from the foreword all the acknowledgement.
  
  Blair i want to see you win!! The community wants to see you win!! We are claiming that you will!!
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  An informative compact, illustrated overview of the Great Migration and its impact upon American culture, demography, and history.
• 
  CHS Black Knights Read

  An excellent chronicle of the story of post-emancipation Black migration in the US. The only reason I don’t give it 5* is because the beginning of the book feels rushed, more a collection of facts, people, and information than telling the stories behind them but Imani hits her stride about a third of the way in—worth hanging in for. Baker’s print-illustrations are truly gorgeous.
• 
  Miriam

  A twentieth century history of the African-American Great Migration, the author focuses on politics and crimes against Blacks in the Southern states. Imani connects this historic migration to her own family. Both Imani and Khan-Cullors (who reads the foreword) recount historic events within their grandmothers’ lifetime.
  
  The book simply and superficially explains how and why Black Americans moved across the country and the panoply of lawsuits that are part and parcel of the Civil Rights Movement. Best suited for YA audience.
  
  NOTE: the audio book concludes with a recitation of the glossary and biographical sketches.
  
  If you want to know more about the actual migration or a book aimed at adults, read
  The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.
  
  for a description of the performance, see AudioFile Magazine
  http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
• 
  Miguel

  Quite quickly it became apparent that this was a YA book, which is fine but not really my thing. So I continued listening in the context of whether I would strongly recommend it to my YA nephew and I couldn’t quite get to a resounding ‘must-read’ status for him. It’s OK – it covers a lot of ground with a lot of brief biographies. It’s all fine if not overly educational. Again, I thought I was going to be reading a story about the diaspora to the North from Southern states in the early 20th century, but I guess I’ll have to put The Warmth of Other Suns higher up my to-read list. Another quibble: the audio book has the last half of the book as the glossary read aloud: most non-fiction books have a large glossary but I’ve never heard it narrated before. This was just odd.
• 
  Derek Lynch

  This was an informative, beautifully illustrated history of Black America.
  
  Pros: The illustrations were dazzling, and Imani does a great job of tracing the history of Black migration in the US through its various stages. In particular I loved how she emphasized the impact of Black migration on our country’s culture.
  
  Cons: A nitpick-y thing; but a lot of times, the illustrations weren’t in line with the text. A picture would be of someone that was referred to two pages prior. It made reading a bit confusing.
  
  Overall: 4/5 stars. I’d read this again in a heartbeat! Between this and Modern HERStory, I am a big fan of Blair Imani’s work.
• 
  livresdelaura

  What I LOVED about “Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and The American Dream” by Blair Imani:⁣
  ⁣
  1) This book is a beautiful illustrated history of an important part of history that is often summed up in a paragraph in high school textbooks.⁣
  ⁣
  2) The author weaves in her own family history and delivers the content in such an engaging way - it’s impossible to not devour this one in one sitting. ⁣
  ⁣
  3) Though this one has a YA feel to it, it would be a great resource in any high school classroom or a great place to start your own research into The Great Migration. ⁣
• 
  Mo

  It took me a little while to trust each point would circle back to the Great Migration, but the number of connections Blair Imani made clear in a v. short book was breathtaking. I think this would be an excellent selection for families with older children and teenagers to read or listen to together.
  
  CN: racist violence, including slavery and lynchings
• 
  Jabria

  I bought this for my nephew, but it's definitely staying at my house. Black history laid out out in an informative and engaging way. Me and my nephew both learned some new things from reading this, and he walked away with his head held a little bit higher.
• 
  Danielle

  This was a super comprehensive account of the Great Migration, and there was so much that I never learned in public school. This is definitely a great resource given how whitewashed our country's history is, and something that everyone should read.