Book Review: “Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires” by Shomari Wills

“Black Fortunes” by Shomari Wills (2018)

Genre: History, Non-fiction

Page Length: 320 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

The astonishing untold history of America’s first black millionaires—former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring Twenties—self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.

While Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Will Smith are among the estimated 35,000 black millionaires in the nation today, these famous celebrities were not the first blacks to reach the storied one percent. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.

A fresh, little-known chapter in the nation’s story—A blend of Hidden Figures, Titan, and The Tycoons—Black Fortunes illuminates the birth of the black business titan and the emergence of the black marketplace in America as never before. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Black Fortunes follows the narratives of America’s first black millionaires. The book focuses on six historical figures and how they rose to their status and used their power for social justice, movements, to help their communities grow, and how they helped people of color to thrive. But their journey was tumultuous as they were met with much resistance, threats of violence, and death because of their wealth & race.

This book was sometimes difficult to read due to the violent events referenced and the tumultuous obstacles these characters faced, but sharing their stories are so important. Reading these figures backstories made me want to do more research on their impact and legacy.

This historical non-fiction book is condensed and an easy read (not overly lengthy). It reads like one continuous narrative as the figures stories are interwoven with one another and Wills writing style feels like a storyteller is speaking to its readers. It is mostly cohesive, but I think I got a bit distracted at times because it abruptly jumps around from one person’s story to another. But the book is written in chronological order.

I learned a lot more about the backgrounds of notable figures in black history that I was familiar with and unfamiliar with. The back of the book provides many great resources of references mentioned throughout the book. There was a lot of history packed into this little book and I think it’s a great book for further reading on these figures.

I admired their strength, tenacity, intelligence, and courage of these people to reach their goals. Highly recommended read!

TW: violence, death, racism

Final Verdict: