Black No More

By George S. Schuyler and Danzy Senna

The landmark comic satire that asks, “What would happen if all black people in America turned white?”—for fans of the Oscar-nominated film American Fiction

A Penguin Classic

It’s New Year’s Day 1933 in New York City, and Max Disher, a young black man, has just found out that a certain Dr. Junius Crookman has discovered a mysterious process that allows people to bleach their skin white—a new way to “solve the American race problem.” Max leaps at the opportunity, and after a brief stay at the Crookman Sanitarium, he becomes Matthew Fisher, a white man who is able to attain everything he has ever wanted: money, power, good liquor, and the white woman who rejected him when he was black.

Lampooning myths of white supremacy and racial purity and caricaturing prominent African American leaders like W. E. B. Du Bois, Madam C. J. Walker, and Marcus Garvey, Black No More is a masterwork of speculative fiction and a hilarious satire of America’s obsession with race.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jan 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781524705749

George S. Schuyler

George S. Schuyler (1895 - 1977) was an author, journalist, social commentator and somewhat controversial figure. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Schuyler’s formative years were shaped by his time in the U.S. military. Enlisting at age 17, Schuyler rose to the title of First Lieutenant before going AWOL due to a racist encounter with a Greek immigrant. Sentenced to five years for the abandonment, Schulyer was released after less than a year for being a model prisoner. In the aftermath of his release, he lived at the Phillis Wheatley Hotel in New York City, coming to learn the teachings of Black nationalist, Marcus Garvey. Not fully convinced of Garvey’s teachings, Schuyler would separate himself from both Garveyism and socialism, contributing articles to the American Mercury and embracing capitalism. Embarking on a career in journalism, Schuyler would find success and acknowledgement for his editorial skills as he took on the role of Chief Editorial Writer at the Courier in 1926. That same year he would pen a controversial piece, “The Negro-Art Hokum" for The Nation which—combined with his advocacy for capitalism—further alienated himself from his contemporaries. The article, which argued that art should not be segregated by race and that Black artist had no true style of their own, would inspire Langston Hughes’ famous, “The Negro and The Racial Mountain.” Five years after this, Schuyler would try his hand at a long fiction form, producing notable novels such as Slaves Today (1931), Black No More (1931), and Black Empire (1936 - 1938); and while Schuyler would continue to produce work up until the point of his death, it was his public and expilicit conservatism and opposition to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s-70s that would push both he and his literary work into obscurity. At the time of his death, his legacy and talent as a writer were so overshadowed by his politics that no one within Black circles wanted to interact with his work at all. Despite this, Schuyler produced some of the first satires by a Black writer and addressed intra-community issues at a time when most Black authors appealed solely to the middle-class.

Reviews for Black No More

[wrobert_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel can be read equally as a satire and a classic science fiction novel. The premise is that an invention is created to make African-Americans appear to look 'white'. The novel follows the life of one of the first men to be transformed, Max Disher, who transforms himself into Matthew Fisher to marry a white woman who rejected him. This trajectory allows him to both marry the woman and become an important member of a white supremacist group. The novel explores the social, economic and political impacts of race by imagining the chaos that would occur if the racial binary was removed. Despite Schuyler's conservative reputation, the book emphasizes the role that race plays in the economic exploitation of capitalism. Perhaps the only element that reveals Schuyler's conservative streak is the fact that the novel seems to be fairly cynical about structurally transforming the world it describes. The novel is also a fairly open satire of many of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance, including Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois. Schuyler's prose style is fairly pulpy, but it works well for the satire, and although this review doesn't necessarily reveal it, its a pretty funny, if occasionally disturbing, novel.

[alcracka · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This minor classic from the Harlem Renaissance (1927) is a satire about a guy who invents a serum that turns black people white. Everyone soon is, and we end up with the inevitable conclusion that "we're all niggers." The prose is sometimes clunky, but the satire is well-crafted and effective. (Side note: this is the logical end point for a surprising number of books from the era about passing for white, including Nella Larsen's "Passing" and Jessi Fauset's "Plum Bun.") I dug it pretty well, although I don't think its relegation to the margins is unjustified.

Theme but not plot spoiled ahead: Be ready for a shockingly violent conclusion; it's a pretty drastic shift in tone, and not really an effective one.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a smart and gracefully written read. For anyone interested in considering race theory or race relations in the United States, or for anyone who appreciates satire, this is a must-read. Both frightening and understandable, the book draws you in easily, and holds you almost despite yourself until the inevitable, and yet surprising, end result. Highly recommended.

[osbaldistone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fine writer with tongue firmly in cheek start to finish. Schuyler tells a compelling what-if story with masterful command of dialogue. The fleshing-out of character with description and dialogue that pulls the reader along for the quite believable actions and reactions that logically follow.Totally fun read, but you may wince as much as you'll laugh, for the story would require only minor changes in the setting to read as if taken from today's news.I highly recommend this quick read.Os.

[genetic_blend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Black No More” was written in 1931 by George S. Schuyler. The story revolves around character, Max Disher a Harlem dandy who frequents nightclubs. He falls for a beautiful, wealthy white woman, who rejects him. When a new scientific procedure called, “Black No More” is invented, Max is first in line to receive the treatment and undergo “chromatic emancipation”. Max Disher now becomes Matt Fisher and makes the move to Atlanta to find this woman of his dreams. Eventually, he rises to the top of a racist organization. As a white man, he becomes very wealthy, and marries the woman who rejected him as a black man. Two and a half years later, Black No More becomes so popular that almost everyone turns white. As a presidential election approaches, racial purity becomes a central issue, with a secret report released on the eve of the election showing that most whites have some black ancestry. A satire novel, this really is a social commentary and gives us a lot to think about, even today, almost 100 years later.