How to Rent a Negro

May 15, 2005
Ayo, a conceptual artist who integrates social issues in her visual and performing art, offers a satirical look at race relations and the myriad ways that whites and blacks interact on a daily basis but fail to penetrate racial barriers. Ayo claims that all blacks have been "rented" at some time, placed in the role of token at work or in a social setting, or drafted to represent the entire race with an opinion on a current race-related topic. Whites tend to be the renters, employing blacks in particular social situations to demonstrate their awareness of race issues or to deflect charges of racism. Ayo's pseudo-guidebook for renters and rentals offers a range of social issues and contact, from touching a black person's skin or hair to racial profiling from police or coworkers. She offers quizzes for readers to determine if they have inadvertently been in the position of renter or rental. Like many running jokes, the book wears thin after a while, but overall, it's an amusing look at the sorry state of race relations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)