The Souls of Black Folk
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4.5 • 327 Ratings
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Publisher Description
An Apple Books Classics edition.
The Souls of Black Folk was a call to action when it was published in the United States in 1903, post-abolition. W.E.B. Du Bois, a founding member of the NAACP, sought to lift the “veil” separating white and Black America—urging compassion for the trauma of being Black in America and espousing the ideal of equality for all. Du Bois fought fiercely and eloquently against injustice, accurately predicting that the “color line” would be the “problem of the 20th century.”
Over 100 years later, Du Bois’ seminal book continues to influence global race theory today. In his essays, Du Bois elevates and reclaims Black culture and history, beginning with the slave songs that open each chapter. He bravely addresses how Christianity corrupted Black religions and shares personal experiences, comparing the racism he experienced outside the veil in a predominantly white Massachusetts suburb to the comfort he felt teaching in a rural Black community.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyed most of it, excellent performance
Content: I enjoyed most chapters of this book. It is an insightful study of the history of American slavery, the aftermath of Reconstruction and the African American experience up until 1903. If you enjoy history or sociology, you may enjoy this audiobook.
Performance: the narrator does an excellent job speaking with confidence and conviction.
Who am I to review a classic?
“Someday. For surely, surely this is not the end. Surely, there shall yet dawn some mighty morning to lift The Veil and set the prisoned free. Not for me, I shall die in my bonds, but for fresh bonds, but for fresh, young souls who have not known the night and waken to the morning. A morning when men ask of the workman not “is he white?” but “can he work?”. When men ask artists not “are they black” but “do they know?”.
What a profound reflection this book was on identity, equity, and perspective in the setting of the recently freed people of the South. After a slower but completely necessary introductory few chapters explaining core concepts like “The Veil”, “The Color Line”, and “The Shadow”, DuBois dives into verse, prose, bold claims and thoughts, and criticisms about how and where black folks got to where they are, what they should be doing now (in his time), and where they ought to go in the future. Every chapter is a new story or perspective, and every perspective leads you to his opinion on the matter of the newly emancipated people finding their place as Americans. This strikes me as a writing ahead of his time, but really when was the time of equal/equitable treatment of nonwhites supposed to wait til?
In short, 4.5 stars rounded up. Excellent listen, even in the context of today. Classics are classics for a reason!
Must read (or hear)
Often times we lose ourselves and forget what it means to have what we (black Americans) have today. This book is an amazing reminder for white and black folks. It is also a sad reminder that no matter how much progression we have had—things we as black Americans experienced in the past— we still experience in 2026. Good read.