By Hanif Abdurraqib
Random House, 2021. 300 pages. Nonfiction
A Little Devil in America is an urgent project that unravels all modes and methods of Black performance, in this moment when Black performers are coming to terms with their value, reception, and immense impact on America. With sharp insight, humor, and heart, Abdurraqib examines how Black performance happens in specific moments in time and space--midcentury Paris, the moon, or a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio. Abdurraqib's prose is entrancing and fluid as he leads us along the links in his remarkable trains of thought. A Little Devil in America considers, critiques, and praises performance in music, sports, writing, comedy, grief, games, and love.
This is one of the most stunning collections of essays I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I, personally, listened to the audiobook, which I would highly recommend. Hanif Abdurraqib writes so poetically that these essays are enhanced by being spoke out loud. He speaks about the subject of each essay with reverence and generosity while delving into critically important social commentary. He is able to paint the bigger picture while highlighting the most beautiful intricacy. The essays “The Josephine Baker Monument Can Never Be Large Enough” and “It Is Safe to Say I Have Lost Many Games of Spades” were particularly profound for me. Highly, highly recommend.
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By Danyel Smith
Roc Lit 101, One World, 2021. 292 pages. Nonfiction
From one of the preeminent cultural critics of her generation, a radiant weave of memoir, criticism, and biography that tells the story of black women in music--from the Dixie Cups to Gladys Knight to Janet, Whitney, and Mariah-- as the foundational story of American pop.
By Jasmine Mans
Berkley, 2021. 245 pages. Nonfiction
A literary coming-of-age poetry collection, an ode to the places we call home, and a piercingly intimate deconstruction of daughterhood, Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing. As a competitive spoken-word poet who draws large crowds of people, Jasmine Mans's collection is divided into six sections, each with a corresponding active telephone number where she has recorded excerpts of her poems. You can listen now, just dial! Using poetry to bring change to the world with positive agitation and hoping to prompt dialogue where there is normally fear, poet Jasmine Mans explores the intersection of race, feminism, and queer identity in her latest collection Black Girl, Call Home.
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