Driving the Green Book
4.8/5
Critic Rating
Award-winning broadcaster and educator Alvin Hall hits the road alongside activist and social justice trainer Janée Woods Weber. They drive from Detroit to New Orleans, collecting powerful, personal testimony about how Black Americans used the historic travel guide The Negro Motorist's Green Book during the height of segregation as a vital resource to quell fears, find safe havens, and travel with dignity. As he drives the Green Book, Alvin unearths both inspiring and heartbreaking tales that tell a different story from what Hollywood would have you believe. Driving the Green Book is a living history podcast that preserves a p...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4.8
Erik Jones • Bello Collective • Dec 2, 2020
"The show not only gives a sense of how dangerous travel was and still is for Black Americans, but also weaves in uplifting histories of the communities and entrepreneurship that thrived in Black communities in the U.S. during this time."
Score: 4.7
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Sep 26, 2020
"First, Driving the Green Book. Presented in beautifully modulated tones by broadcaster-educator Alvin Hall, this 10-part podcast series explores 20th-century African American lives. "
Score: 4.8
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Sep 19, 2020
"But while there is poignancy in the stories shared here, the overwhelming tone is of warmth and compassion, of communities and families coming together to protect one another, and the hope that things will get better. Meanwhile, Hall, whose delivery is stern yet empathetic, shows us the strategies used by African-Americans to go about their lives without interference, and the ways they have made their feelings known about the racist systems and attitudes they live with."
Score: 4.7
Morgan Hines • USA Today • Sep 15, 2020
"The interview subjects "offer incredible insights and meaningful perspective into what travel was like for Black people during this era," Kathy Doyle, the vice president of Macmillan Podcasts, told USA TODAY. "Some of them are shocking, while others are incredibly inspiring, so the series evokes a wide range of emotions while truly giving the listener a deep understanding of the issues and challenges faced during this time." The stories vary, Hall explained: Some are inspiring, some are disturbing, some are funny or amusing."
