Do NOT read this before reading Christina Sharpe’s In The Wake. You’ll thank me later.

Reading this book requires a necessary sifting through unnecessary memoir and general odd and self-destructive behavior by that of the author. But man, are his thoughts so right. This book perfectly captures the thoughts you tend to come to as a Black person living in the US. And specifically that positioning, because this book is entirely US-centric despite the antiblackness it describes being global.

What I find most interesting about this book is that despite being pessimistic, it doesn’t actually sour my outlook or optimism. It’s pessimistic in that it declares that in order to end antiblackness, we must end the world. But end the world does not always have to mean death.

Where this book falls short for me is in its U.S. centricity, poorly-executed ethnography, and the odd behavior from the author that is somewhat touched on in the book itself. I also think that Wilderson’s portrayal and approach to Afropessimism is so tied to his own depression and self-hatred that, while very illuminating of the mental ramifications of living as a Black person in an antiblack world, can make readers think that self-hatred and nihilism is all there is to Afropessimism. Hence why I recommend reading In The Wake before reading this book.

Afropessimism is as much of a study of the theory itself as it is a study on the lived experience of being Black in an antiblack world, which is why I think Wilderson includes so much memoir. But unfortunately it just is poorly done ethnography in my opinion, too much of the individual experience is generalized. But also, because this book, to me, feels much like musing, I’m wary of people taking it as a definitive text. It’s more throwing ideas out there and reflecting on them. It’s an invitation to a conversation. At least that’s how I’m taking it. I think it helps that I’m already familiar with the way Wilderson rolls and, ah, heavily disagree with some of his views.