Blanche Among the Talented Tenth

Name: Blanche Among the Talented Tenth
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Barbara Neely
ISBN: 9781977340061

Author: Barbara Neely

Series: Blanche White #2

Narrator: Lisa Reneé Pitts

Unabridged: 9 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/12/2019

Categories: Fiction, African American & Black Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths

Synopsis

The second, ground-breaking mystery featuring African–American maid and amateur sleuth Blanche White by Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award–winning author Barbara Neely.

When Blanche White moved north to Boston, she believed it would be a better place to raise her kids, especially after she got them into an elite private school. But now her children are becoming elitist and judgmental, acquiring more attitude than education. So when she and her kids are invited to Amber Cove, an exclusive resort in Maine for wealthy blacks, Blanche jumps at the chance to see how the other half lives and maybe stop her kids turning into people she doesn't want to know. When one of the guests kills himself, and another is electrocuted in her bathtub, Blanche becomes an accidental detective once again, using her sharp wit and keen social insight to peel back some disturbing color and class distinctions within the black community that may have driven someone to murder.

About Barbara Neely

The author of the innovative Blanche White series of mysteries, Barbara Neely is an award-winning writer and activist who has penned everything from novels to short stories and plays.

Neely's popular Blanche White mystery novels are beloved by fans in part because of her unique heroine-a strong and independent African American woman who works as maid and an amateur sleuth. The first book in this series, Blanche on the Lam, earned Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony awards.

The multi-talented Neely has also authored a number of short stories that have appeared in anthologies, magazines, university texts, and journals. In addition to her writing career, Neely designed and directed the first community-based corrections facility for women in Pennsylvania and was the director of Women for Economic Justice, a Boston-based women's advocacy organization. She also produced radio programs for Africa News Service and was the host of Commonwealth Journal, an award-winning weekly interview program on the radio station of the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

In honor of her activism, Neely received the Community Works Social Action Award for Leadership and Activism for Women's Rights and Economic Justice, and the Fighting for Women's Voices Award from the Coalition for Basic Human Needs.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ivonne on July 08, 2015

Having dealt with the retrograde condition of interracial relations in the debut novel of this series, author Barbara Neely turns her gimlet eye to the state of relations with the African-American community in Blanche and the Talented Tenth. The title refers to W.E.B. Dubois’ prediction that one-tent......more

Goodreads review by Cheryl on April 07, 2023

Book 2 of 4 2nd Read The first time I read this book which was on my kindle I was totally disappointed. Since I accidentally re-read book 1, I decided to deliberately re-read book 2 and I am so glad I did. Some books are best listened to on audio and this book is one of them. The audio gave the book......more

Goodreads review by Lois on June 21, 2020

I truly loved this! It's a really good look at the interplay in the Black Community USA between colorism and classism as well as the undeniable link between the two. Black firsts are sometimes so light skinned I'm not entirely sure they're black. Wealth and status have been tied to skin color since......more

Goodreads review by Ashley on October 09, 2024

This was even better than the first book. Such good character work (especially with Blanche), really nuanced conversations about classism and colorism, and an interesting mystery that was really well structured and fun to read. Y'all are still sleeping on this series. [4.5 stars]......more

Goodreads review by Dorothea on November 21, 2011

I loved Blanche Among the Talented Tenth even more than the first book in the series, Blanche on the Lam. I wasn't quite expecting that, because the setting of the first book (rural North Carolina) is much more familiar to me than the setting of the second (an expensive black resort on the coast of......more