For this reader, the best sections of the book are the later chapters. In her discussions of family and community life in freedom, the economics of free black life, recreation, black military service, Day makes a real contribution by culling facts from dozens of little-known local histories, memoirs, travel books, and from a close reading of the federal census. Long Island remained resolutely rural until World War II, when massive demographic and social changes occurred. Day ably accounts for the increasing assertiveness of Long Island blacks during the Civil Rights movement and up to the present moment. An epilogue charts the remarkable successes of Long Island blacks and honestly confronts their difficulties.
Appendices expand our knowledge of early black churches, and other historic sites and sources.
Not intended to be the last word on African-American life in this important region, Day's book is a very worthwhile endeavor akin to Giles Wright's survey of New Jersey blacks and Jeffrey Crow's several studies of North Carolina black life. Affordably priced, it is of real value to historians and the general public alike. It can serve as a model for similar efforts in other parts of the state.