Book Review: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry


I recently read the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a play written in 1958. It recounts a critical moment for an African American family received a large sum of money from the father’s life insurance after his death. The hopes and dreams of each family member awakens and their perseverance in the face of adversity. The trailblazing Broadway production depicts an authentic view of African American culture. As a white person reading this, I found the introduction by Robert Nemiroff helpful in that it places the play in its historical and cultural context, and explains the significance of a couple of scenes which probably would have gone over my head otherwise. The story is highly relatable and still so very relevant today. I can see why this is a classic! It is also very telling that this was not required reading for me in my predominantly white high school, years ago. I hope this has changed and if not, that it will change. We all can keep it a classic by reading it now, if you have never read it before, and pass it on. If you are local to the Twin Cities area it is being produced at Park Square Theater from Feb 22 to March 16, 2018. I planning on going! Here is the link for more information: ParkSquareTheater.org