How to Rent a Negro

by damali ayo

Overview

A hilarious and satirical look at race relations that is almost too close for comfort, this pseudo-guidebook gives both renters and rentals "much-needed" advice and tips on technique. Reframing actual stories, techniques, requests, and responses gathered from the author's more than 30 years of research and experience, tips are provided in step-by-step outlines for renters to get the most for their money, and how rentals can become successful and wealthy, what they should wear, and topics of conversation to avoid. The book also serves up photo-dramatizations of some of the popular approaches covered in the book, handy tip-boxes, frequently asked questions for renters and rentals, a "How do I know if I'm being rented" quiz, a glossary of important terms, and "quickie" insta-rentals for those who need to rent on the go. Punctuated by quotes from former renters, and featuring rental diaries based on real encounters, this satire shocks and amuses, presenting a strikingly stark mirror of human relationships.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781556525735
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/01/2005
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

damali ayo's web site, www.rent-a-negro.com, has been featured in media outlets including ABCNews.com, the Chicago Tribune, Harpers, Salon.com, the VillageVoice.com, and the Washington Post. A conceptual artist, she explores social issues through visual art and performance. She has received international acclaim and has been interviewed on the radio by Brian Lehrer, Joe Madison, Mancow Muller, and Tavis Smiley among others.

Editorial Reviews

"As disarming and unrelenting as the title suggests." —Time Out Chicago

"Biting satire." —The Seattle Times

"A must-read book that gleefully blows past the boundaries of tentative talk on current race relations." —Bust

"Funny, biting and valuable." —Ruminator

"More than a clever book by a more-than-talented young voice." —DC Examiner

"Continues her work as an artist who challenges, with courage and wit, systems of white privilege, ideology, and oppression." —WhitePrivilege.com

"A hilariously comprehensive guide." —Chicago Reader

"Witty, empathetic, unsettling, hilarious. A kind of Miss Manners for the racially isolated yet yearning to connect." —The Nation

From the Publisher