{"product_id":"a-little-devil-in-america-notes-in-praise-of-black-performance","title":"A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance","description":"\u003cb\u003eA stirring meditation on Black performance in America from the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of\u003ci\u003e Go Ahead in the Rain\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Whether heralding unsung entertainers or reexamining legends, Hanif Abdurraqib weaves together gorgeous essays that reveal the resilience, heartbreak, and joy within Black performance. I read this book breathlessly.\"--Brit Bennett, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Vanishing Half\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the March on Washington in 1963, Josephine Baker was fifty-seven years old, well beyond her most prolific days. But in her speech she was in a mood to consider her life, her legacy, her departure from the country she was now triumphantly returning to. \"I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too,\" she told the crowd. Inspired by these few words, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAbdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain, infused with the lyricism and rhythm of the musicians he loves. 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, \u003ci\u003eA Little Devil in America\u003c\/i\u003e 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.","brand":"Landmark Booksellers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40630570582189,"sku":"9781984801197","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0586\/1385\/8477\/products\/img_450f8efb-dfec-4a76-81ba-1e59b7a46997.jpg?v=1631189045","url":"https:\/\/landmark-booksellers.myshopify.com\/products\/a-little-devil-in-america-notes-in-praise-of-black-performance","provider":"Landmark Booksellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}