02/01/2018
Journalist Wills posits that the stories he chronicles in this volume are a neglected part of American history. In particular, he focuses on the creation of black wealth to "disrupt stereotypes of black economic impotence," illuminating the lives of six black Americans, their lives spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, who rose from poverty to become millionaires. These entrepreneurs include Mary Ellen Pleasant, who made a fortune in Gold Rush California and helped finance John Brown's attempts to end slavery; Hannah Elias, who invested in property in Harlem, NY; Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker, who developed cosmetics and hair care products for black women; O.W. Gurley, who developed a section of Tulsa, OK, that became known as "Black Wall Street"; and Tennessee landowner Robert Reed Church. Wills's work relies on extensive archival research, including newspapers and oral histories. VERDICT Libraries with large biography and history collections will want to add this book to their shelves. Written in a straightforward style, without detailed historical context or citations, it will appeal to general readers.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community Coll., Mt. Carmel
03/05/2018
Wills, a former contributor to Good Morning America, chronicles the incredible stories of six self-made African-American millionaires who amassed great wealth in the decades after Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation. Hannah Elias (1865–1903) was given land by her millionaire lover and used her money to help African-Americans move into Harlem; schoolteacher O.W. Gurley (1868–1921) developed his land in Oklahoma into an all-black commerce district known as Black Wall Street; and Robert Reed Church (1839–1912) purchased properties in Memphis, which he transformed into the black music enclave that became Memphis’s famed Beale Street. Mary Ellen Pleasant (1814–1904) profited from the Gold Rush and used her wealth to fund abolitionist causes, including John Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid. Annie Minerva Turnbo (1877–1957), a self-taught chemist from Peoria, Illinois, built the first black hair care empire, only to be outdone by her former pupil, Madam C.J. Walker (1867–1919). Willis unearths these figures from obscurity using fluid prose and juicy detail (Elias had a “round face with a flat nose and big brown eyes with heavy eyelids. One of the girls who worked with Elias summed her up this way: ‘she exhibited a peculiar influence over white men’ ”). This highly readable group biography illustrates the ways those early millionaires “survived assassination attempts, lynchings, frivolous lawsuits, and criminal cases” and, in doing so, paved the way for Oprah, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z. (Jan.)
By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, Black Fortunes makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.” — Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times Bestselling author of Hidden Figures
“Shomari Wills captures six African Americans who did the improbable, who somehow escaped slavery, someway evaded racist traps, and by some means arrived and remained at wealth. Black Fortunes is as astonishing and rich as the lives of the first Black millionaires it chronicles.” — Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning Author of Stamped from the Beginning
“[An] engaging profile of the first African Americans to become millionaires… Black Fortunes provides necessary context to [their] achievements and as such is a significant addition to our ever-evolving understanding of collective history.” — Washington Post
“[A] history-rich book.” — Ebony
“The history mined in Black Fortunes will come as a revelation to many who will be shocked to learn that there was a black wealth class immediately after slavery….a classic story of black resilience and the determination to upend a racist social order in the most meaningful, quantifiable way, but it’s also a cautionary tale about the unique challenges African Americas face in trying to build and sustain wealth.” — Black Enterprise
“Incredible stories of six self-made African-American millionaires…This highly readable group biography illustrates the ways those early millionaires ‘survived assassination attempts, lynchings, frivolous lawsuits, and criminal cases’ and, in doing so, paved the way for Oprah, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z.” — Publishers Weekly
“Written in a straightforward style…it will appeal to general readers.” — Library Journal
“Fascinating… Wills’ storytelling is infectious, his subjects are irresistible, and his broad coverage invites readers to venture further into the events and historical context he so vividly introduces.” — Booklist
“The stories of black success against all odds will motivate entrepreneurs for generations to come.” — Tallahassee Democrat
“Imagine the irony of having been born enslaved, and elevated to millionaire status. These millionaires made their fortunes through hard work, guile, luck, and uncanny entrepreneurial acumen. They accumulated wealth against all odds, clearing the hurdles of custom, law, and racial hostility. Wills shares little-known details about these rich and absorbing lives, and gives these millionaires a dimensionality that some history ignores. A really good read!” — Julianne Malveaux, Economist and Author of Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History
“Shomari Wills has written an amazingly informing account of how the nation’s First Six African Americans who came up from slavery became millionaires. Black Fortunes recounts an invaluable aspect of American history that speaks poignantly of the remarkable success of black entrepreneurship against insuperable odds in the last half of the nineteenth century. By providing extensive research into the lives of these astute business men and women of color, Wills gives an insightful view into a salient aspect of American history that is often overlooked.” — David C. Driskell, Director of David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland
The stories of black success against all odds will motivate entrepreneurs for generations to come.
[An] engaging profile of the first African Americans to become millionaires… Black Fortunes provides necessary context to [their] achievements and as such is a significant addition to our ever-evolving understanding of collective history.
Imagine the irony of having been born enslaved, and elevated to millionaire status. These millionaires made their fortunes through hard work, guile, luck, and uncanny entrepreneurial acumen. They accumulated wealth against all odds, clearing the hurdles of custom, law, and racial hostility. Wills shares little-known details about these rich and absorbing lives, and gives these millionaires a dimensionality that some history ignores. A really good read!
[A] history-rich book.
Shomari Wills captures six African Americans who did the improbable, who somehow escaped slavery, someway evaded racist traps, and by some means arrived and remained at wealth. Black Fortunes is as astonishing and rich as the lives of the first Black millionaires it chronicles.”
Fascinating… Wills’ storytelling is infectious, his subjects are irresistible, and his broad coverage invites readers to venture further into the events and historical context he so vividly introduces.
By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, Black Fortunes makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.
The history mined in Black Fortunes will come as a revelation to many who will be shocked to learn that there was a black wealth class immediately after slavery….a classic story of black resilience and the determination to upend a racist social order in the most meaningful, quantifiable way, but it’s also a cautionary tale about the unique challenges African Americas face in trying to build and sustain wealth.
[An] engaging profile of the first African Americans to become millionaires… Black Fortunes provides necessary context to [their] achievements and as such is a significant addition to our ever-evolving understanding of collective history.
Fascinating… Wills’ storytelling is infectious, his subjects are irresistible, and his broad coverage invites readers to venture further into the events and historical context he so vividly introduces.
Shomari Wills has written an amazingly informing account of how the nation’s First Six African Americans who came up from slavery became millionaires. Black Fortunes recounts an invaluable aspect of American history that speaks poignantly of the remarkable success of black entrepreneurship against insuperable odds in the last half of the nineteenth century. By providing extensive research into the lives of these astute business men and women of color, Wills gives an insightful view into a salient aspect of American history that is often overlooked.
Black Fortunes is not simply the story of a handful of African Americans who wove skill and good fortune into wealth, it is the story of the world in which they managed to do so. With this volume Shomari Wills has added layers to our understanding of the black past and its implications for the American present.
Ron Butler narrates this fascinating biography of the first six blacks who escaped slavery and became millionaires. They were born in the Jacksonian period, survived slavery, and became successful business men and women, each accumulating more than a million dollars by the Roaring Twenties. Most made their fortunes in real estate and invested their money soundly in their businesses, the market, and their communities. Butler’s melodious voice never falters as he delivers stories of the trials, heartaches, and successes of these early millionaires. Listeners gain an appreciation for the difficulties each overcame on the road to financial independence. These intertwined biographical sketches provide lessons in perseverance, determination, and business savvy. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Ron Butler narrates this fascinating biography of the first six blacks who escaped slavery and became millionaires. They were born in the Jacksonian period, survived slavery, and became successful business men and women, each accumulating more than a million dollars by the Roaring Twenties. Most made their fortunes in real estate and invested their money soundly in their businesses, the market, and their communities. Butler’s melodious voice never falters as he delivers stories of the trials, heartaches, and successes of these early millionaires. Listeners gain an appreciation for the difficulties each overcame on the road to financial independence. These intertwined biographical sketches provide lessons in perseverance, determination, and business savvy. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
