Native Stranger: A Black American's Journey Into The Heart
Of Africa
Eddy L. Harris
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 15, 1992)
ISBN: 0671748971
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
Readability: 5 Stars
Content: 5 Stars
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this book
“Because my skin is black you will say I traveled Africa
to find the roots of my race. I did not - unless that race is
the human race, for except in the color of my skin, I am not African.
If I didn't know it then, I know it now.” - Eddy L. Harris;
Native Stranger
There seems to be a mystique about Africa amongst Black Americans.
Africa conjures up a feeling of heritage, a cultural identity,
a place of common ancestry. A dream of a place where race is not
an issue. But I have always understood that being white, these
are my perceptions of a black consciousness and may very well
be totally ignorant and false. Traveling through Africa I often
wondered how a Black American would react to Africa. Would he
discover the brotherhood he expected to find? Would tribal segregation,
often infinitely more harsh than racism in America, cause feelings
of disillusionment and alienation? In Native Stranger, Eddy Harris
answers these questions with brutal honesty. Native Stranger is
the result of Harris' yearlong journey through Africa. Harris
leaves Africa intending not to define himself as a Black American,
but to try and reconcile his American heritage with his African
ancestry. Harris is brilliantly perceptive of both his western
prejudices and the maddeningly incongruent cultures of Africa.
He combines the two into a wonderfully insightful book, recognizing
what it means to be black in America yet discovering that being
a Black American does not make him a Black African; that the cultural
differences between the two are infinite. This book is an absolute
must read for any American traveling to Africa or anyone interested
in exploring the identity of Black Americans. Sadly, Native Stranger
is out of print. It can be found in many libraries, but if you
find it in a used book shop, snap it up immediately!
