“Black No More” by George Schuyler (★ ★ ★ ½)
Random House Publishing Group │ June 29, 1999 │ 208 pages
George Schuyler’s (pronounced Sky-ler) Black No More stands apart from other works of the Harlem Renaissance—satirical, speculative, and boldly irreverent. Schuyler, an outsider to the movement though writing in the same period, crafts a farcical tale about the erasure of Blackness through a fictional procedure that turns Black people white.
While the premise is outlandish in its delivery, it’s also deeply provocative in its need. The novel critiques racial essentialism, hypocrisy, and classism—within both Black and white communities. Some may find the portrayals of prominent Black thinkers reductive or even self-loathing, but they also provide a rare glimpse into dissenting views within 1930s Black intellectual life.
The writing is sharp and witty, though at times the pacing feels rushed and the satire a bit broad. Its depiction of white supremacists as laughable fools underplays their violent reality, especially in 1930s South, but the absurdity serves the novel’s tonal aims. Still, I found it highly disappointing that all the racist southern belles were the most beautiful in the world, and all the white men were worried about is how much money they could swindle out of hillbillies.
Black fiction, especially early 20th century fiction, was highly diverse, and its great to see a work of fiction that demonstrates the differences in Black thought, literary styling and beliefs. There are many editions of Black No More on the market, but the best one is the Random House 1999 edition, with the insightful introduction by Ishmael Reed. The two authors are often compared for their unconventional stance on what the Black community needs—therefore this edition serves as historical record.
