The Tears of the Black Man

A dense collection of 12 essays containing an exploration of what it means to be Black in the world today. Franco-Congolese novelist Mabanckou asks challenging questions about identity, confronting the long and entangled histories of Africa, France, and the United States as they have been shaped by slavery, colonialism, and their legacies today. He argues that we must acknowledge the injustices of the past and present, but his hopeful focus is on the future, choosing to believe that the history of Africa has yet to be written and seeking a path toward affirmation and reconciliation.