My Soul Looks Back, Jessica B. Harris
My Soul Looks Back, Jessica B. Harris
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

My Soul Looks Back
A Memoir

Author: Jessica B. Harris

Narrator: Jessica B. Harris

Unabridged: 6 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/09/2017

Synopsis

In the technicolor glow of the early seventies, Jessica B. Harris debated, celebrated, and danced her way from the jazz clubs of the Manhattan’s West Side to the restaurants of the Village, living out her buoyant youth alongside the great minds of the day—luminaries like Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison. My Soul Looks Back is her paean to that fascinating social circle and the depth of their shared commitment to activism, intellectual engagement, and each other.Harris paints evocative portraits of her illustrious friends: Baldwin as he read aloud an early draft of If Beale Street Could Talk, Angelou cooking in her California kitchen, and Morrison relaxing at Baldwin’s house in Provence. Harris describes her role as theater critic for the New York Amsterdam News and editor at then burgeoning Essence magazine; star-studded parties in the South of France; drinks at Mikell’s, a hip West Side club; and the simple joy these extraordinary people took in each other’s company. The book is framed by Harris’ relationship with Sam Floyd, a fellow professor at Queens College, who introduced her to Baldwin. More than a memoir of friendship and first love My Soul Looks Back is a carefully crafted, intimately understood homage to a bygone era and the people that made it so remarkable.

About Jessica B. Harris

Jessica B. Harris is one of a handful of African Americans who have achieved prominence in the culinary world. She holds a PhD from NYU, teaches English at Queens College, and lectures internationally. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Food & Wine, Essence, and the New Yorker, among other publications. She has made numerous television and radio appearances and has been profiled in the New York Times. One of the preeminent scholars of the food of the African Diaspora, she has been inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America, received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University, holds awards from sources too numerous to note, and has helped the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture to conceptualize its cafeteria.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chrystani on June 13, 2017

I fell for it. I took the black millenial bait. "Oh, check her out in that fashionable still relevant outfit on the cover of this book". A black author talking about the great and sexy setting of New York with some heavy weights? Gotta support black women authors you know? YEA, sign me up. I committ......more

Goodreads review by Jai on July 16, 2017

"It was a time of life lived fully, deeply. Random encounters would smoothly morph into dinners or gatherings that would then be transformed into events that could go well into the wee hours of the morning, but always underneath it all, there was the heartbeat of work and writing and speaking and te......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on January 19, 2019

Edit: In the intervening time since reviewing this book I've become even more disappointed with it -- having heard interviews with Jessica Harris, clearly a remarkable person in her own right and not just some hanger-on of Harlem greats, it seems that a memoir of hers should have had more -- well, o......more

Quotes

“Her wide-eyed and wistful observations…captivate the reader…After a tragic turn of events, the memoir transforms into a beautiful, bohemian coming-of-age story as Harris finds her own voice—at last.”

O, The Oprah Magazine

“Has a simmering warmth.”

New York Times

“Eloquent and infinitely delightful.”

Essence

“Fifteen years older and already an established member of the black intelligentsia, Sam [Floyd] was Harris’ entrée into this iconic group, but it’s her wide-eyed and wistful observations that captivate the reader…The memoir transforms into a beautiful, bohemian coming-of-age story as Harris finds her own voice—at last.”

Huffington Post

"[Harris] is a born storyteller, and her memoir is a joy to read—a beautiful portrait of a remarkable era.”

Charleston Gazette-Mail

“Captur[es] an era that was vibrant with creativity, art, activism, and intellectual life.”

BuzzFeed

“Harris was part of a fascinating social circle in the early ’70s. She shares a unique look at their lives and work, while also opening up about her own career and relationship with one of Baldwin’s colleagues.”

Bustle

“A lively, entertaining, and informative recounting of a time and place that shaped and greatly enriched American culture.”

Publishers Weekly

“Peppered throughout with favorite recipes, Harris’ book is a warm recollection of life-changing friendships and personal connections…Deeply felt and lovingly remembered.”

Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • Library Journal Editor’s Pick
  • Oprah’s Book Club Selection
  • PEN Open Book Award
  • Huffington Post Pick
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