It was all a dream :

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Title :

It was all a dream : a new generation confronts the broken promise to Black America / Reniqua Allen.

Title:

It was all a dream :

Author:

Allen, Reniqua

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

viii, 359 pages ; 25 cm

ISBN:

9781568585864

Production / Publication Information:

New York, NY : Nation Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC,, [2019]

Contents:

We out -- Millennial moment : Katrina -- Don't double down on stupid -- Millennial moment : two lives -- Red lips and nails -- Millennial moment : Queens -- Tryin' to eat -- Millennial moment : 40 acres -- Painted walls and temples -- Millennial moment : that craving -- Bad and bougee -- Millennial moment : 5-0 -- Applause -- Millennial moment : Russian roulette -- Still in love -- Millennial moment : catch-22 -- Breathe -- Millennial moment : the day after.

Summary:

"In the last few decades, any hope of economic progress for black Americans has been slowly and steadily undermined. This quiet crisis was only exacerbated by the recession, which cut black households' wealth by over 30 percent. Black millennials watched their parents try to play by the rules, buying homes and aspiring to the trappings of middle-class life, only to sink deeper and deeper into debt. Now, in the post-Obama era, young black Americans face a critical turning point, as they try to realize dreams too long deferred. In It Was All a Dream, Reniqua Allen tells the stories--too often overlooked--of black millennials struggling, innovating, and flourishing. We meet a former college athlete burdened with mounting debt; a fashion entrepreneur who, like so many of her generation, has left New York for southern cities like Atlanta; a sex worker in Chicago; and an ambitious Republican college student who wrestles with being a black conservative on campus. Allen interweaves reflections on defining moments, from Hurricane Katrina to the murder of Michael Brown to the election of Donald Trump. Together, the lives and reflections in these pages offer a portrait of a generation on the brink, tracing their efforts to build their own futures and write their own history"--

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Language:

English

Geographic Term:

United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155

Subject Term:

African Americans -- Economic conditions -- 21st century.

Race discrimination -- Economic aspects -- United States.

African Americans -- Economic conditions. (OCoLC)fst00799599

Race discrimination -- Economic aspects. (OCoLC)fst01086468

Holds: Copies:

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Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	330.9/ALLE	31480011204978	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	330.9008 ALL	32114002495274	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	330.9 ALL	31330008766028	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library	330.9/ALL	31482002859968	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	305.896 ALLEN	32120001232808	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Reading - Flint Memorial Library	330.9 ALL	31550002321765	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	330.9 ALL	31990004720442	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Young Black Americans have been trying to realize the promise of the American Dream for centuries and coping with the reality of its limitations for just as long. Now, a new generation is pursuing success, happiness, and freedom -- on their own terms.

In It Was All a Dream , Reniqua Allen tells the stories of Black millennials searching for a better future in spite of racist policies that have closed off traditional versions of success. Many watched their parents and grandparents play by the rules, only to sink deeper and deeper into debt. They witnessed their elders fight to escape cycles of oppression for more promising prospects, largely to no avail. Today, in this post-Obama era, they face a critical turning point.

Interweaving her own experience with those of young Black Americans in cities and towns from New York to Los Angeles and Bluefield, West Virginia to Chicago, Allen shares surprising stories of hope and ingenuity. Instead of accepting downward mobility, Black millennials are flipping the script and rejecting White America's standards. Whether it means moving away from cities and heading South, hustling in the entertainment industry, challenging ideas about gender and sexuality, or building activist networks, they are determined to forge their own path.

Compassionate and deeply reported, It Was All a Dream is a celebration of a generation's doggedness against all odds, as they fight for a country in which their dreams can become a reality.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Black millennials offer candid views of the challenges they face.In her first book, journalist and broadcast producer Allen, an Eisner Fellow at the Nation Institute, investigates how the enduring myth of the American dream relates to young blacks between the ages of 18 and 30: "folks," she writes, "who looked like me." The American dream"the idea that anyone can succeed and enjoy a prosperous life through hard work"applies, the author asserts, only "to a limited number of people." For oppressed and marginalized blacks, the dream has been largely unattainable. Has that changed, Allen asks, for a new generation? What does upward mobility look like for them? How do they express their own dreams? Drawing on interviews with 75 millennials as well as studies, surveys, and articles, the author recounts stories of defeat and dashed hopes from blacks who feel that the American dream "wasn't and isn't for them." Among their frustrations is education: Many believe that a college degree is essential to their future success, accumulating huge debt to pay for schooling. More than 80 percent of Blacks who complete bachelor's degrees have debt upon graduating, compared with 64 percent of whites. Moreover, a college education does not ensure employment: "The unemployment rate for Black college graduates is the same as for White high school graduates." For those who manage to pursue a professional career, the workplace often feels unwelcoming. As one woman told her, "Black millennials do not have stability and security" in their jobs; they are often paid less than whites, are not offered career guidance and mentorship, and "often walk a tightrope between the hood and the elite." Home ownership eludes many blacks, as well, with redlining and predatory lenders victimizing prospective buyers. Frustrated with their efforts to hold on to middle-class status, some blacks are redefining what success means to them, rejecting the White-picket fence version of the dream" in favor of "what the dream means at its core: freedom."Sad, revealing testimony to the continuing effects of racism and inequality. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

What is the American Dream, Allen asks, and what does it mean to America's black millennials (whom she defines as people born between 1980 and 2000)? To find the answer, she has conducted some 75 wide-ranging interviews with members of that population from across America. She shares her findings in nine topical chapters dealing with such subjects as life in New York City and the current black migration from the North to the South, turning the Great Migration on its head and pointing out that Atlanta has seemingly become the capital of the newly arrived black millennials. Then there is student debt, the lives of sex workers, Hollywood fame, and more, all told through the lives of her interviewees. Throughout, Allen pursues her own version of the American Dream, finding part of it in home ownership, a career in media, and attaining visibility. Much of her book is, frankly, depressing as she vividly demonstrates the often heartbreaking challenges of being black in contemporary America. Attention must be paid, though, and Allen has done an excellent job of insuring that will happen.--Michael Cart Copyright 2018 Booklist

Introduction	p. 1
Chapter 1 We Out (The Reverse Migration)	p. 11
Millennial Moment: Katrina	p. 36
Chapter 2 Don't Double Down on Stupid (Student Debt)	p. 39
Millennial Moment: Two Lives	p. 63
Chapter 3 Survival (The Informal Economy)	p. 67
Millennial Moment: Authentically Me	p. 99
Chapter 4 Blue Collars (The Working Class)	p. 103
Millennial Moment: Forty Acres	p. 135
Chapter 5 Painted Walls and Temples (Housing)	p. 139
Millennial Moment: That Craving	p. 168
Chapter 6 Luck (Black Professionals)	p. 177
Millennial Moment: 5-0	p. 207
Chapter 7 Fame (Black in Hollywood)	p. 211
Millennial Moment: Russian Roulette	p. 237
Chapter 8 Still In Love (Relationships)	p. 243
Millennial Moment: Catch-22	p. 273
Chapter 9 Breathe (Politics and Activism)	p. 277
Millennial Moment: The Day After	p. 304
Conclusion	p. 309
Acknowledgments	p. 317
Notes	p. 321
Index	p. 343

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents