Harris's weighty ruminations may serve as either a cautionary tale or a wake-up call for Black women readers, young and older, who are considering higher education. Readers interested in social issues within academia should also peruse the book.Anjelica Rufus-Barnes Library Journal
Recent controversies with legacy admittances to universities in the United States make this book a timely volume for readers wanting more background on the topic of racism in academia. Black Women, Ivory Tower is highly recommended for academic and public libraries and for readers who are interested in systemic racism and higher education. Booklist
"In what is at once a cautionary tale and an inspiring story of survival and lifelong healing, Harris courageously disrupts the respectability politics that silence Black women and girls. In so doing, she gifts her readers with a clear-eyed, beautifully written critique of white supremacy, sexism, and class inequality in academia. This powerful and insightful book is a love letter to Black students and scholars, past and present." Crystal M. Fleming, professor of sociology at SUNY Stony Brook, and author of Rise Up! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy
"Dr. Harris makes a valuable contribution to literature that critiques the meritocracy myth. I recognized many facets of my own journey through the academy, and I think many other Black scholars will too. For those unfamiliar with what it means to be a Black woman in the academy, this is an essential book." Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, cosmologist, physicist, and author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred
"In this deeply personal and powerfully political book, Dr. Jasmine L. Harris writes movingly about the desire to belong in organizations premised on racial and gender exclusion, and America's long history of denying equal educational opportunity to Black people. Dr. Harris's journey shows the personal toll that America's separate and unequal educational system can inflict on successful Black Americans." Victor Ray, F. Wendell Miller Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology and African American Studies, University of Iowa; nonresident fellow in governance studies, The Brookings Institution