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A little devil in America : notes in praise of Black performance / Hanif Abdurraqib.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Random House, [2021]Edition: First editionDescription: xii, 300 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781984801197
  • 1984801198
Subject(s):
Contents:
PERFORMING MIRACLES: On times I have forced myself to dance -- On marathons and tunnels -- On going home as performance -- An epilogue for Aretha -- SUSPENDING DISBELIEF: This one goes out to all the magical negroes -- Sixteen ways of looking at blackface -- On certain and uncertain movement of limbs -- Nine considerations of black people in space -- ON MATTERS OF COUNTRY/PROVENANCE: The Josephine Baker monument can never be large enough -- It is safe to say I have lost many games of spades -- My favorite thing about Don Shirley -- I would like to give Merry Clayton her roses -- Beyoncé performs at the Super Bowl and I think about all the jobs I've hated -- ANATOMY OF CLOSENESS // CHASING BLOOD: The beef sometimes begins with a dance move -- Fear: a crown -- On the performance of softness - Board up the doors, tear down the walls -- CALLINGS TO REMEMBER.
Summary: "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. At the outset of this project, Abdurraqib became fascinated with clips of black minstrel entertainers like William Henry Lane, better known as Master Juba. Knowing there was something more complicated and deep-seated in the history and legacy of minstrelsy, Abdurraqib uncovered questions and tensions that help to reveal how black performance pervades all areas of American society. 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"-- Provided by publisher.
List(s) this item appears in: Black History Month for Adults
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 791.0899 A136 Checked out 05/20/2024 33111010495873
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * A sweeping, genre-bending "masterpiece" (Minneapolis Star Tribune ) exploring Black art, music, and culture in all their glory and complexity--from Soul Train, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Whitney Houston, and Beyoncé

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Dallas Morning News, Publishers Weekly

"Gorgeous essays that reveal the resilience, heartbreak, and joy within Black performance."--Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half

"I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too." Inspired by these few words, spoken by Josephine Baker at the 1963 March on Washington, MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow and bestselling author Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound and lasting reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture. Each moment in every performance he examines--whether it's the twenty-seven seconds in "Gimme Shelter" in which Merry Clayton wails the words "rape, murder," a schoolyard fistfight, a dance marathon, or the instant in a game of spades right after the cards are dealt--has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and Abdurraqib's own personal history of love, grief, and performance.

Touching on Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Billy Dee Williams, the Wu-Tan Clan, Dave Chappelle, and more, Abdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain. With care and generosity, he explains the poignancy of performances big and small, each one feeling intensely familiar and vital, both timeless and desperately urgent. Filled with sharp insight, humor, and heart, A Little Devil in America exalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and space--from midcentury Paris to the moon, and back down again to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio.

WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL AND THE GORDON BURN PRIZE * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Boston Globe, NPR, Rolling Stone, Esquire , BuzzFeed, Thrillist, She Reads, BookRiot , BookPage, Electric Lit, The Rumpus, LitHub, Library Journal, Booklist

Includes index.

PERFORMING MIRACLES: On times I have forced myself to dance -- On marathons and tunnels -- On going home as performance -- An epilogue for Aretha -- SUSPENDING DISBELIEF: This one goes out to all the magical negroes -- Sixteen ways of looking at blackface -- On certain and uncertain movement of limbs -- Nine considerations of black people in space -- ON MATTERS OF COUNTRY/PROVENANCE: The Josephine Baker monument can never be large enough -- It is safe to say I have lost many games of spades -- My favorite thing about Don Shirley -- I would like to give Merry Clayton her roses -- Beyoncé performs at the Super Bowl and I think about all the jobs I've hated -- ANATOMY OF CLOSENESS // CHASING BLOOD: The beef sometimes begins with a dance move -- Fear: a crown -- On the performance of softness - Board up the doors, tear down the walls -- CALLINGS TO REMEMBER.

"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. At the outset of this project, Abdurraqib became fascinated with clips of black minstrel entertainers like William Henry Lane, better known as Master Juba. Knowing there was something more complicated and deep-seated in the history and legacy of minstrelsy, Abdurraqib uncovered questions and tensions that help to reveal how black performance pervades all areas of American society. 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"-- Provided by publisher.

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