256 pages, anthology, Belt Publishing, softcover, $12

When the national news deigns to turn its gaze to the Midwest, it’s often because of political news, a crisis of some kind, or a perceived curiosity about our way of living. But one thing that’s usually missing from the conversation is how diverse the region really is and how the lives of many midwesterners don’t fit the homogenous picture that’s often portrayed in national outlets.

A new anthology from Belt Publishing, released in September, aims to help correct this problem. Black in the Middle contains essays, fiction, poems, and photos from a wide array of Black midwesterners. The book adds context to the popular understanding of the Midwest as a region by simply having its contributors reflect on their experiences here.

“Black Americans have been among the hardest hit by the rapid deindustrialization and accompanying economic decline that have become so synonymous with the Midwest,” reads a blurb on Belt Publishing’s website. “Since the 2016 election, many traditional media outlets have renewed attention on the conditions of ‘Middle America,’ but the national discourse continues to focus on the White working class and marginalize the Black people who live there.”

Although the book’s contributors reside throughout the region, Missouri readers may be particularly interested in Melissa Stuckey’s essay “Slavery, Freedom, and African American Voices in the Midwest,” which pays particular interest to the history of slavery in Missouri, from the Missouri Compromise to the Dred Scott case. In addition, Lyndsey Ellis’s essay “Hair” details experiences attending the University of Missouri in Columbia.

A good book can entertain us, and a great one can change the way we think. This book fits the latter category in this reviewer’s opinion, and you can pick up a copy from the Belt Publishing website and find out whether you agree.

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