The Negro Motorist Green-Book: 1940 Facsimile Edition

I found this book very interesting. With all the BS I learned in high school history class, it’s a pleasure to find information that is historically accurate.

Wow. This is interesting and sad at the same time. It helps me with my history and knowledge of certain times.

On the one hand I feel like a primal scream of outrage and want to give this ZERO stars because it just never should have existed at all. On the other hand, it is such a fine example of resilience, of finding a way to make things work in an impossible world, that I want to give it TEN stars. Let's compromise at FIVE stars. It's rare to include photos with a book review. I want to make two points with these pics. 1. The Table of Contents shows just how slim this book really is. A mere 48 pages cover the information available for 48 states. That is not actually one page per state. Sometimes it covers two and a half states on a single page. New York City gets more ink than anywhere else. 2. There is a nice article in the middle of this slim volume that describes a trip by Greyhound bus. The second photo shows the first two pages of this article. Each reader may have a different impression or take-away so I leave it to you to read it yourself. In the 1940 described by this Green Book, the Great Depression had waned enough so people might travel because they needed to or wanted to travel. World War II had not yet absorbed the country. Jim Crow was a solid reality, and more widespread than I realized years ago. For perspective, what could the Negro Motorist could look forward to in Washington, DC? 7 hotels (including YWCA and YMCA), 4 "tourist homes," 3 taverns, 2 restaurants, 3 beauty shops (but zero barbers listed), 1 garage and 2 service stations, 2 taxicab companies, 1 country club, and 2 night clubs. Other than NYC that may be the longest listing for a single city in the book. All that information occupies less than half of one page. There are not many country clubs listed in the 1940 Green Book. I looked up the one listed for DC. I got exactly zero hits on every internet search for a country club named Grossland's. There's a message there about invisibility. I'm glad I've seen this Green Book, and at the same mighty sorry I ever saw it. It's the kind of incontrovertible piece of history that shows just how deep the white mythos of the era really was. Movies were all white. TV in the 50s was nearly all white. History textbooks of the 30s, 40s, and 50s were basically all white. Perhaps this review will in some way be helpful in bringing some attention to this little piece of history.

Historically important, definitely inspires conversation.

Very interesting piece. I would love to see if any of the places still exist. Or if anyone could write about these places. Great history piece!

Knowledge is power.

The reality of Jim Crow needs to be revisited at every opportunity. This periodical was the difference between life and injury, or even death, in a country that refused people of color basic needs. The information for most establishments was basic: the names of the business or its owner, and the address. It was up to travelers to use a map or bravely ask passersby for directions, or, I presume, they could write to the business owners in advance of their trip and request reservations. There’s a handful of larger advertisements and some amusing travel essays, but overall it’s a modest publication in a good travel size. It behooves us White Americans to see this publication and learn.

It’s definitely a collector’s item. If you know, you know

extraordinaria obra que explica la historia no escrita de estats units

Bought this facsimile edition to further my interest in the film. Very interesting but readers need to go through the pages of hotel and filling station entries to extract some of the sentiments and details of life for African American drivers in the thirties and forties. Well worth adding to your collection.

C'est un plus de lire ce tout petit livre qui nous montre bien comment la ségrégation est une plaie. Je suis Blanc et je suis honteux de cette époque. Sans flagellation je recommande vivement le DVD et ce petit ouvrage. Merci et pardon aux auteurs, aux acteurs et aux victimes.

The fact that I didnt’ find out about this until I was around 55 years old is almost criminal. The scholastic curriculum in US is full of holes and in order to make it whole, the system needs to address (under a microscope) all of the history belonging to the US, otherwise it is a tale of unicorns and rainbows. I suggest everyone read this book so that people can understand the two tier system that was allowed to exist, until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Da hätte eine Lupe mitgeliefert werden sollen, bzw. erwähnen das es kleiner gedruckt als üblich ist.