A Little Devil in America - In Praise of Black Performance (Paperback)

**As featured on Barack Obama's Summer 2022 Reading List** Winner of the Gordon Burn Prize Winner of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for the Pen/Diamonstein-Spievogel Award for the Art of the Essay Shortlisted for the National Book Award 'Gorgeous' - Brit Bennett 'Pure genius' - Jacqueline Woodson 'One of the most dynamic books I have ever read' - Clint Smith At the March on Washington, Josephine Baker reflected on her life and her legacy. She had spent decades as one of the most successful entertainers in the world, but, she told the crowd, "I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too". Inspired by these words, Hanif Abdurraqib has written a stirring meditation on Black performance in the modern age, in which culture, history and his own lived experience collide. With sharp insight, humour and heart, Abdurraqib explores a sequence of iconic and intimate performances that take him from mid-century Paris to the moon -- and back down again, to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio. Each one, he shows, has layers of resonance across Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and his own personal history of love and grief -- whether it's the twenty-seven seconds of 'Gimme Shelter' in which Merry Clayton sings, or the magnificent hours of Aretha Franklin's homegoing; Beyonce's Super Bowl show or a schoolyard fistfight; Dave Chapelle's skits or a game of spades among friends.

General

Imprint:	Penguin Books
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	March 2022
Authors:	Hanif Abdurraqib
Dimensions:	198 x 129 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	320
ISBN-13:	978-0-14-199579-3
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Film, television, music, theatre Books > Arts & Architecture > Performing arts > Theatre, drama > General Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Jazz Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Blues Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > Popular culture Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Rock & pop > Rap & hip-hop Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Ethnic studies > Multicultural studies > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Biography > Film, television, music, theatre Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Blues Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Jazz Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Rock & pop > Rap & hip-hop
LSN:	0-14-199579-3
Barcode:	9780141995793

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