Comments (15)

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Sep 01, 2020
Came for the KC history, stayed for the forays into advertising and the church. Colby's writing is engaging, and the stories he's found to illustrate the state of de/segregation in US life are poignant. Also - always a bonus - he provides…
Apr 28, 2019cknightkc rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Author Tanner Colby tackles the challenging subject of race in his book, SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE BLACK. Colby presents the cultural background and history of integration in 4 areas: schools (greater Birmingham, AL);…
Apr 18, 2019JCLChrisK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Accessible, personable, and entertaining. Informative, enlightening, thoughtful, and provocative. Tanner weaves broad themes, deep research, and personal stories (from extensive interviews) to great effect, showing just how…
Apr 01, 2019lynelliot rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Really engaging and informative history of integration in the U.S., and it is indeed a strange story, one that I did not know the half of before reading this book. The book's fascinating four "case studies," each representing an area of…
Feb 25, 2019IndyPL_CarrieS rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Why 50 years out from Desegregation is America still so segregated? The book is divided into 4 different sections focusing on a case study from a school, a neighborhood, an industry and a church. This book is anything but dry. It was…
Jan 23, 2019
This is a great book that explores segregation and race relations related to neighborhoods, schools, employment, and church. I would recommend that white people, and really anybody, read this book if they have questions as to why there may…
Nov 11, 2018
This book revealed to me many aspects of the history of integration that I was not aware of. Colby chooses to focus on school integration in suburban Birmingham, the rise of the white suburban neighborhoods in Kansas City, the dividing…
Jul 22, 2018JCLHeatherM rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Communities are made and formed based on the relationships that we develop with each other. So what happens when schools, neighborhoods, and churches do not have the strong relationships to back them? Colby examines all kinds of…
Jan 16, 2015
it speaks volumes to white arrogance and the fact that they don't even see it .....or want to and how black people constantly chase after white acceptance a vicious circle and an informative read.
Oct 02, 2014michi_chi rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The cover photo could have been my classroom with me as the black face in the corner. I found this a very enjoyable read and a well researched one. Four stories that blend together well into the theme. No problems are solved, and in a…
May 28, 2014pac511 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For me as a white 54year old woman who grew up in this book (childhood from 6-20 at 71st and college, just south and a bit east of the area that is written of indepth in this book) and now living in the Johnson county area just west of the…
Aug 10, 2013JCLKimG rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book has several chapters about the Kansas City metro area, including Johnson County. Colby is able to discuss the issues around racism, including integration and white flight, with honesty and occasional (appropriate) humor.
crankylibrarian
May 20, 2013crankylibrarian rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Maddening, shocking, frustrating and infuriating: these are a few terms that came to mind as I read Tanner Colby's terrific look at the successes and (mostly) failures of racial integration. Wisely focusing on 4 areas of American life…
oldhag
Aug 29, 2012oldhag rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I would give this book 6 stars if I could. It's laugh-out-loud funny, and tragically informative. Particularly compelling was Colby's expose of how the private real estate market was aided and abetted in housing segregation by federal…
adagarcon
Jul 22, 2012adagarcon rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration, is an interesting read about a subject nobody in America wants to dive into. Instead of taking the usual route discussing overt inequality, Colby dissects the race…