Black in Blues

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Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another colour: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for a life beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the colour of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, ‘What did I do to be so Black and blue?’ In Black in Blues, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favourite colour as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.

Drawing deeply from her own life as well as from art and history, Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterisation of dark-skinned people as ‘Blue Black.’. The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers she plants in memory of a loved one.

Attuned to both the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, Black in Blues is a poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original work from one of our greatest thinkers.

© Imani Perry 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026