Kindle
$16.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$19.98
Preloaded Digital Audio Player
—
Buy new:
-29% $19.98
FREE delivery May 22 - 23
Ships from: 8 trax media
Sold by: 8 trax media
$19.98 with 29 percent savings
List Price: $28.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE delivery May 22 - 23. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$19.98 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$19.98
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
8 trax media
Ships from
8 trax media
Sold by
8 trax media
Sold by
8 trax media
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! See less
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$19.98 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$19.98
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Reniqua Allen
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

It Was All a Dream: A New Generation Confronts the Broken Promise to Black America Hardcover – January 8, 2019

by Reniqua Allen (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$19.98","priceAmount":19.98,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"98","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"GW%2FVi9OAVb03trqFth7fOQ1L%2BmI5E7q5qTkBQrXeCuBrQL0Id38cjmL0CRLlgcNr9%2FxrB5kUeoRw15jZrkEtC4BkTj7zelaJOFg0%2BecHfPfCc55lY6TeutJuAtoAOAdMZzx42etb%2B4aHu6qGcvPt%2BFbkIhPM4x9uBSIO11soYAXIwLu21ODvQg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"GW%2FVi9OAVb03trqFth7fOQ1L%2BmI5E7q5XrK%2BbkAeZIz5BlodMY%2BMcbGQbTpQkD%2FfHQ7YmoxOQeLASmPPcCtW25L2Q4WADrWzXTo7nT2vdXVxp%2F9lGJuW9%2BTvppHEANRDY5LQmKII8miSCyhCm1%2Fai2o87GaAx2Q%2BaIoCNNHzJV2p9QY1RAp2mg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Young Black Americans have been trying to realize the promise of the American Dream for centuries and coping with the reality of its limitations for just as long. Now, a new generation is pursuing success, happiness, and freedom -- on their own terms.

In It Was All a Dream, Reniqua Allen tells the stories of Black millennials searching for a better future in spite of racist policies that have closed off traditional versions of success. Many watched their parents and grandparents play by the rules, only to sink deeper and deeper into debt. They witnessed their elders fight to escape cycles of oppression for more promising prospects, largely to no avail. Today, in this post-Obama era, they face a critical turning point.

Interweaving her own experience with those of young Black Americans in cities and towns from New York to Los Angeles and Bluefield, West Virginia to Chicago, Allen shares surprising stories of hope and ingenuity. Instead of accepting downward mobility, Black millennials are flipping the script and rejecting White America's standards. Whether it means moving away from cities and heading South, hustling in the entertainment industry, challenging ideas about gender and sexuality, or building activist networks, they are determined to forge their own path.

Compassionate and deeply reported, It Was All a Dream is a celebration of a generation's doggedness against all odds, as they fight for a country in which their dreams can become a reality.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bold Type Books
  4. Publication date
    January 8, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.65 x 9.55 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1568585861
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1568585864
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In her revelatory new book, It Was All A Dream, Reniqua Allen amplifies voices that America needs desperately to hear. She explores the lives of Black millennials who strive for success - or sometimes basic survival - with insight, empathy and candor. Pinned between the unfinished business of the civil rights movement and the economic, political and racial rifts of the post-Obama era, their stories are both heartbreaking and hopeful, the pent-up demand of a new generation demanding what has always been its right: liberation."―Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

"Reniqua Allen strikes a fine balance between the personal histories of ambitious Black millennials and the systems in place that threaten their mobility. With acute detail to their location, background, and motive, Allen's sharp journalistic skills are center stage, crafting reportage, cultural commentary, and personal anecdotes into a thought-provoking book that will add to our discussions about race, capitalism, education, and self-actualization."―Morgan Jerkins, author of This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female,and Feminist in (White) America

"Reniqua Allen's must-read book takes us beyond the statistics and stereotypes, telling the stories of young Black Americans who are creating, working, fighting, loving, and surviving. Allen's vital and empathetic reportage shares their voices-and we would be wise to listen."―Heather McGhee, Former President and DistinguishedSenior Fellow, Demos

"All comfortable notions about the American Dream are shoved aside as Reniqua Allen lays out the harsh and often disturbing challenges facing today's young African-Americans. A powerful, compelling, and important book."―Bob Herbert, author, filmmaker, and former op-edcolumnist for the New York Times

"At a time when every aspect of the millennial experience has been dissected ad nauseam, It Was All a Dream offers a fresh perspective. It's an honest account-buoyed by statistics-of the struggles of black young adults and the disparate racial outcomes...




In the aftermath of the first black presidency, It Was All a Dream is a vital book, a necessary reminder that this post-racial generation is anything but. It's a reality that America will have to grapple with or risk making the American Dream a broken promise for the black youth of Generation Z, as well."―The Washington Post

"The Great Recession crippled an entire generation, and black millennials were among the hardest hit. Allen interviewed dozens of her peers for an honest and occasionally heartbreaking look at young black twenty- and thirtysomethings trying to succeed in a nation that has often inhibited them from achieving their dreams."―BuzzFeed

About the Author

Reniqua Allen is an Eisner Fellow at the Nation Institute and a former fellow at New America and Demos. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Teen Vogue, and more, and has produced for WNYC, PBS, and MSNBC. Allen lives in the Bronx.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books; First Edition (January 8, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1568585861
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568585864
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.29 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.65 x 9.55 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reniqua Allen

Reniqua Allen

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Reniqua Allen is a journalist that produces and writes for various outlets on issues of race, opportunity, politics and popular culture. She is currently a producer for Fork Films. Her first book, It Was All A Dream: How A New Generation is Navigating the Broken Promise of America, about black millennials and upward mobility is out now from from Nation Books/Hachette.

She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Quartz, Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, Glamour and more, and has produced a range of films, video, and radio for PBS, MSNBC, WYNC and HBO.

Reniqua is also completing a Ph.D in American Studies from Rutgers University. Her dissertation looks at how black culture has and continues to engage with the idea of the American Dream. She lives in the South Bronx.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
45 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Christina Conklin
5.0 out of 5 stars An important book to read and discuss
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
If you consider yourself to be an open-minded white person who is interested in understanding race in America today, read this book! Better yet, choose it for your book club, as it will spark really lively and boundary-busting conversations. Allen writes in a personal, frank voice that is vulnerable and pained at times, frustrated and angry at others. She pulls no punches as she walks readers through a contemporary reality that is a difficult blend of Millennial challenges and enduring racism. She doesn't provide any easy answers, but tells the complex stories of dozens of real people who are navigating their 20s and 30s in the best way they can. I found myself breathing deeply as I read, in order to stay with the discomfort of recognizing my white privilege in these pages.... Now I have to go form a book group!
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lewis Beilman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Debut!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Reniqua Allen's debut book, It Was All a Dream, is an eye-opening work on racial disparities. In flowing, clear prose, Allen intersperses objective narratives, first-person observations, and subject interviews to explain why "equality" is not a given in contemporary America. Despite the errant beliefs of many people that discrimination no longer exists and that minorities would succeed more if they just pulled themselves up by their boot straps, Allen shows how hundreds of years of prejudice continue to weigh heavy on the shoulders of Black Americans in particular--and how that prejudice continues in insidious forms today.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Heather M
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
Amazing book that provides an insightful look into black millenialhood. Ms. Allen provides a voice to a generation in the most beautiful manner.
Helpful
 Report
Savvy Seattle Guy
4.0 out of 5 stars Need to read for ALL Americans with integrity and hope
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
Eye opening from a lens the author owns, and one I do not. Extremely important interviews and shared experiences that moved me. A call to action for solutions for our society. Now!
Helpful
 Report
JORDAN BARBOUR
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book itself was well written and kept you reading. It open your eyes to what this generation really thinks.
Helpful
 Report
Rocky
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on a hugely important topic!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very engaging read on a very important and under-reported topic. A must read.
Helpful
 Report
Kristine VR
5.0 out of 5 stars Great add for his collection
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
My boyfriend enjoyed it.
Helpful
 Report
Michelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Primer to Understanding the Depth of Inequity in the Current Moment
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
Public-facing writing about millennials is plentiful and varied: "Millennials are selfish;" "Millennials are tech wizards/start-up geniuses/egregiously wealthy;" "Millennials aren't politically engaged;" "Millennials are post-race and possess fewer biases than previous generations." However, rarely are millennials disaggregated along axes of social difference. Moreover, many observations attributed to millennials at large are actually mined from the lives of white, upper-middle-class millennials. How then should we understand the social location of Black American millennials? This question is of particular importance since many came of age during the first decade of the 21st century. That moment, marked by the election of the United States' first Black president, was once deemed the dawn of a new post-racial era. The Movement for Black Lives has shown that such a statement is far from true...

Allen begins with the 'American Dream,' the promise that determination, faith, and hard work make upward mobility and economic abundance accessible to those who work diligently for it. Do Black millennials believe in it? Have they found it applicable to their lives? Relying upon interviews with Black millennials across the country from a variety of regional, ethnic, class, educational, and professional backgrounds, Allen draws a portrait of Black millennial life that unveils how myriad policy, laws, and institutional practices have made the American Dream inaccessible to the majority of Black American millennials. The book's strongest chapters are the ones on student debt, the working-class, and housing. In these chapters, Allen deftly integrates historical analysis, quantitative data, and ethnography to show how inaccessible higher education has become for Black millennials; those who do manage to complete undergraduate degrees still find themselves drowning in debt and unable to cross the threshold into the middle-class. Allen discusses the importance of possessing generational wealth in establishing economic security, something that has eluded Black Americans for centuries. In her discussions about housing, she critically examines how the global recession of 2008 functioned as a devastating depression for Black American communities; not only were they victims of subprime mortgage lending, but they also lost the majority of their wealth when the housing market turned.

I expected a few chapters to be a bit bolder, particularly the chapter on love and the chapter on politics and activism. The former didn't discuss how much colorism and anti-Black bias permeate dating life and shape notions of desirability and the latter was too focused on the three interviewees/didn't provide enough analysis and observation of the wider context. I also wish that there had been more discussion of why Black immigrants and their children tend to fare better than multigenerational Black Americans in the labor market. The stereotypes of multigenerational Black Americans as "lazy," "lacking ambition," or suffering from "broken households" conveyed by some interviewees weren't addressed and debunked. The chapter on Hollywood felt a bit out of place in the text as a whole; I wonder whether a chapter about arts and culture more broadly would have tied in more seamlessly.

Nonetheless, the text serves as a great primer to understanding the depth of inequity in the current moment. It does a great job of unpacking the structural without obscuring personal narratives. In this way, Allen *visceralizes* the data. 'It Was All a Dream' would fit very well into the readings of an Introduction to Sociology or Introduction to American Studies course.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report