Manchild In The Promise Land Summary

Introduction: In the bible, the promise land has been depicted as some sort of holy paradise. A sanctuary for the suffering and enslaved. A place of happiness and tranquility. The home to the heavy hearts and burdens. Unfortunately, no one has gone to the “promise land” and came back to earth to tell his tale, however, this sort of heaven has been personified into what Americans’ call north and west. These two regions of land bred opportunity and freedom. Citizens and immigrants gravitated toward these city hubs all searching for their promise land but, at what cost? In the reading, Manchild in the Promise Land by Claude Brown, it highlighted the African American experience during migration and the societal,economic effects it had upon the lives of these people. The

Although it listed several historical facts and interesting comparisons amongst various European nations, it almost felt as if I was reading a lecture rather than reading an argument.I would have like to see more experiences in the new land rather than what they were facing in the old, but I guess that will be another book. I would definitely recommend Manchild in the Promised Land to readers because if the foreword was so compelling I can only imagine the book! According to Brown (1965), “It seems that Cousin Willie, in his lying haste, had neglected to tell the folks down home about one of the most important aspects of the promise land: it was a slum ghetto.”I personally related to the passage because it made me think about my own family’s journey from the South to the North and their reasons for coming to the “big city”. Was it for a better education or the convenience of an indoor restroom? Was it a new job or rebellion against occupational tradition? These are questions I would now ask my grandmother and see whether or not her promised land fulfilled her promises or left her