The authors, while attentive to necessary statistics and succinct in general historical background, transform the migrating millions from an indistinguishable mass into distinct communities. As Rutkoff and Scott take the reader to Chicago's Bud Billiken Day or Houston's Juneteenth, August Wilson's Pittsburgh, or Walter Mosley's Los Angeles, 'the flashes of the West African spirit that black rural southerners brought north' are rendered visible. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fly Away is intended for an academic audience and its footnotes display the depth of the research. However, the authors' engaging style also should appeal to the general reader with an interest in African-American cultural history. Charleston Post and Courier 2010 Adds considerably to our understanding of this national exodus... The authors, who teach history at Kenyon College, argue that the black migrants preserved many of their West African roots and customs in the move north, just as they had during the Middle Passage from Africa to the Americas. These authors stress the cultural freedom afforded by holding on to a vision of Africa as the homeland. In preserving their African roots, the black migrants could take pride in where they came from and in who they were in their new circumstances. Wall Street Journal 2010 Illuminating and impressive cultural history... Highly recommended. Choice 2011 [A] well-written, thought-provoking book. The authors have created a broad-ranging study that is well worth reading. It provides many new ways of thinking about and interpreting the impact of African American migration both on the migrants and the nation.
Spencer R. Crew Journal of American History 2011