{"product_id":"a-little-devil-in-america-notes-in-praise-of-black-performance-hanif-adurraqib","title":"A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance;  Hanif Adurraqib","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\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, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Little Devil in America\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarch 30, 2021\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMuzzle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eVinyl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePEN American\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe FADER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. His first full length poetry collection, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Crown Ain't Worth Much\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, was released in June 2016 from Button Poetry. It was named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. With Big Lucks, he released a limited edition chapbook, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eVintage Sadness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, in summer 2017 (you cannot get it anymore and he is very sorry.) His first collection of essays, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThey Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and was named a book of the year by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eOprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eCBC\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Los Angeles Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Chicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, among others. He released \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGo Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e with University of Texas press in February 2019. The book became a New York Times Bestseller, and was met with critical acclaim. His second collection of poems, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Fortune For Your Disaster\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, was released in 2019 by Tin House. He is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FREEAIR Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47917664731458,"sku":"","price":10.77,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/8735\/3154\/files\/littledevil.jpg?v=1709318789","url":"https:\/\/shop.freeairbooks.com\/products\/a-little-devil-in-america-notes-in-praise-of-black-performance-hanif-adurraqib","provider":"FREEAIR Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}