A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance
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- Author：Hanif Abdurraqib
- ISBN：1984801198
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Summary
A stirring meditation on Black performance in America from the New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead in the Rain
At 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。
Abdurraqib 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， 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。
At 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。
Abdurraqib 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， 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。
Reviews
Jules Kelly
，
I savored every single perfect word of this collection， I didn't want it to end。 "According to the rules of the Prestige， the magic trick doesn't work if that which was vanished never reappears。 If， in place of the vanishing is more vanishing。 I tell my friend that I'm done writing poems about black people being killed and he asks if I thin that will stop them from dying。" I savored every single perfect word of this collection， I didn't want it to end。 "According to the rules of the Prestige， the magic trick doesn't work if that which was vanished never reappears。 If， in place of the vanishing is more vanishing。 I tell my friend that I'm done writing poems about black people being killed and he asks if I thin that will stop them from dying。" 。。。more
Danny Rosenberg
，
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Dan Gibson
，
I feel a little dumb reviewing anything on here， but especially when the book is this good。 If you care about culture， music， or just want to read a master of the written word at work， go get yourself a copy of this book。 That's about all I can say。 I feel a little dumb reviewing anything on here， but especially when the book is this good。 If you care about culture， music， or just want to read a master of the written word at work， go get yourself a copy of this book。 That's about all I can say。 。。。more
kayla goggin
，
there are so many gems in here: platonic love between men viewed through the lens of the Wu-Tang Clan; the depressing history of dance competitions contrasted with the shining star that was Soul Train; Josephine Baker and choosing when/how to love the country you call home。。。 but really this is worth reading purely for “Sixteen Ways of Looking at Blackface，” which is absolutely one of the best essays i’ve ever read
Kurt Neumaier
，
I really can't even say how amazing I think this book is I really can't even say how amazing I think this book is 。。。more
Hannah Flynn
，
Wow wow wow。 This book makes me never want to read another book NOT by a poet ever again。 Abdurraquib’s language is at once so gentle and radical that I found myself underlining more often than not。 What an incredible anthology packed with history， memoir， poetry， vulnerability， and affection。 Cannot recommend highly enough。
Alex Lewis
，
I’m glad I get to read Hanif’s words， and I’m thankful he’s generous enough to share them with us。 For all the flowers he gives， Hanif deserves his。 Thank you for this one。
Michaela
，
Incredible！ I’m not usually an annotating person but I was so frustrated to be reading the library’s copy because there was so much I wanted to flag and highlight。
Mary
，
This is a beautiful book。。。and painful。。。and lyrical。。。and provocative。。。and thoughtful。。。and ultimately supremely satisfying。 It is a meditation on black performance and on black life in the United States， on the human condition and relationships， on struggle and failure， on success and fame， on life and death。 Hanif Abdurraqib has woven musical performance， personal experience and pain， and reflections on the history and experience of blacks in this country into a series of essays organized in This is a beautiful book。。。and painful。。。and lyrical。。。and provocative。。。and thoughtful。。。and ultimately supremely satisfying。 It is a meditation on black performance and on black life in the United States， on the human condition and relationships， on struggle and failure， on success and fame， on life and death。 Hanif Abdurraqib has woven musical performance， personal experience and pain， and reflections on the history and experience of blacks in this country into a series of essays organized into 5 movements。 The first four movements are topics related to the theme “On Times I Have Forced Myself to Dance; the final movement is a single topic related to the theme “On Times I Have Forced Myself Not to Dance”。 I am too old to recognize some of the musicians or popular culture references - they’re just not part of my life experience - but I found that it really didn’t detract from my understanding of the essays and HA’s perspective on black history and racism in the United States。 I also appreciated JD Jackson’s narration。 。。。more
Courtney
，
It’s such a pleasure when an artist outdoes themself， again and again。 All of Hanif’s books are beautiful， and somehow each one is better than the last。 This is an incredible book。 I found the Merry Clayton piece was the most affecting， but all the essays in here really shine。 I’ll be thinking about this/feeling this for a long time。
Trevor Seigler
，
This essay collection by Hanif Abdurraquib examines various moments in Black history， in terms of performance （both for white audiences and for each other）。 It's an extended look at performers in the public eye like Whitney Houston and the first Black minstrels to apply blackface to their skins （which then was taken up by white performers for more insidious purposes）， talking about how the performers caught in the middle were whitewashed until they had to try and reclaim their Blackness in many This essay collection by Hanif Abdurraquib examines various moments in Black history， in terms of performance （both for white audiences and for each other）。 It's an extended look at performers in the public eye like Whitney Houston and the first Black minstrels to apply blackface to their skins （which then was taken up by white performers for more insidious purposes）， talking about how the performers caught in the middle were whitewashed until they had to try and reclaim their Blackness in many cases （or tried to and were denied）。 Other essays deal with performance on a much smaller scale， such as the violence enacted between males to show love and affection and the ways in which Black punk rock audience members have had to know which spaces were safe for them to engage in， and which could be potentially hostile to their presence。 There are meditations on Josephine Baker， who left the United States to find love and fame in France， and who then used her status as an entertainer to spy for the Resistance when the Nazis overran the country in 1940。 There's also a look at Merry Clayton， the voice behind the "rape， murder/it's just a shot away" line in the Rolling Stones' landmark song "Gimme Shelter。" Abdurraqib is an author who I wasn't familiar with before reading this book， but I'll make sure to keep up with his work from now on。 。。。more
Jillian DeSimone
，
“If I am going to be afraid， I might as well do it honest。 Arm in arm with everyone I love， adorned in blood and bruises， singing jokes on our way to the grave。”Really gorgeous collection。 Unsurprising， of course， but still so lovely to explore a different style of writing from They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us。 He knows just how much to give enough away without diverting from the point of each essay。 Beautiful。
Vincent
，
This is unequivocally my favorite Hanif Abdurraqib book。 It perfectly combines everything that makes his writing special。 For me， Hanif is at his best when he is navigating the intersection of music， emotion， culture， history， race， and his own life。 I suppose， you could argue he does that in all of his writing， and to some extent I would agree。 However， I'd counter that his other books and essays are not all those things at once like they are here。 I adore "They Can't Kills Us Until They Kill U This is unequivocally my favorite Hanif Abdurraqib book。 It perfectly combines everything that makes his writing special。 For me， Hanif is at his best when he is navigating the intersection of music， emotion， culture， history， race， and his own life。 I suppose， you could argue he does that in all of his writing， and to some extent I would agree。 However， I'd counter that his other books and essays are not all those things at once like they are here。 I adore "They Can't Kills Us Until They Kill Us。" It was a book that both validated and changed my feelings of music writing。 I believe it to be a rare perfect book。 That said， it is divided into 3 parts， although really 2 parts。 The first is mostly about bands from many genres （but mostly punk adjacent）， their history， and what makes them special to him and others。 The second is mostly about being Black in america。 Both of these parts have been tremendously important to me since reading。 But they do feel a bit isolated from each other。 There is intersection， but it isn't the heart of the book necessarily。"Go Ahead in the Rain" is also very good， and starts to more consistently combine the history of Tribe/Rap/Hip Hop， the emotions fandom produces， politics， race， and culture。 But， as much as I loved this book I thought the execution was a bit inconsistent。 The first third-ish of the book spends a lot of time detail hip hop's genesis is necessary， but frankly a bit boring。 It hardly ruins the book， especially because the entire second half is basically perfect and there's still nuggets of really powerful stuff in that first part （specifically the opening commentary on "when rap became political"）。 Now that I've unnecessarily recounted the history of Hanif's prior books， I'll conclude by saying the issues of inconsistency in various natures discussed above are nowhere to be found in this book。 From start to finish， "A Little Devil in America" is something beyond perfection。 Hanif's ability to weave through Black History， his life， music， politics， and performance is incredible。 I was brought to many emotions as I read this， and I mean that in the best way possible。 The Wu Tang essay made me reflect on my own friendships past and present， but mostly past。 The Josephine Baker piece educated me and gave me another angle to see through the gentrification。 All of the essays made me think about political impulses in life and the importance of nuance and detail， but also the right to just be fucking upset， and also joyful。My expectations for this book were sky high， and they were thoroughly shattered。 I am also sitting here looking at the table of contents and trying to pick out my favorite essays， but I think that might be an impossible task。 Anyway， read this book 。。。more
Cody
，
Maybe （probably） the best book I’ll read this year。 Hanif Abdurraqib has such a way with language & digression & nostalgia & his writing is so insightful and specific to his experiences yet general in such a way that even people like me who have dramatically different lived experiences than him can relate & resonate with the pathos of his writing。 This book is just a masterclass in so many areas of storytelling。
Matthew
，
Having grown up in a suburb that had literally built a wall to keep city folk （read: Black people） out， the majority of my adolescence was nothing short of monochromatic （and racist）。 I went to school with few African Americans， those whose families had disregarded the blatant attempts at diverting them elsewhere for the possibility of a more prosperous future for their children。 It made for a rather misleading childhood， one practically without any semblance of diversity – and not just sans Bla Having grown up in a suburb that had literally built a wall to keep city folk （read: Black people） out， the majority of my adolescence was nothing short of monochromatic （and racist）。 I went to school with few African Americans， those whose families had disregarded the blatant attempts at diverting them elsewhere for the possibility of a more prosperous future for their children。 It made for a rather misleading childhood， one practically without any semblance of diversity – and not just sans Black folk， but people of color pretty much as a whole。 Thankfully I had entertainment to provide me with an unofficial introduction。 My upbringing was defined by pop culture vis a vis sports and music， with Lou Whittaker， Isiah Thomas， Michael Jackson and Prince acting as my teachers。 These were figures I not only idolized but learned from， for they taught me to both acknowledge and appreciate their existence， their contributions to society， their greatness。 I couldn’t have imagined my life without their influence， even if the town I grew up had all but implored its residents to ignore anyone who looked like them。But even then， my consumption of their respective crafts was only scratching the surface of Black performance’s place within our country’s cultural constitution。 Television and records only provided broad strokes， the former oftentimes positioning people of color as either “token” or secondary， the latter offering a prepackaged version of the artist so that it’s fit for public （read: White people） consumption。 Nowadays I live in an urban landscape rife with color and culture， and I couldn’t be more thankful to be raising my own child in such an environment。 And yet she too has been introduced to Black culture by way of entertainment – and this is despite her having already experienced more diversity within her first year of school than I did my first twelve。 Much of this was admittedly my own doing; Cecilia was introduced to the aforementioned King of Pop and Purple One before she could even turn over。 Mind you， it was not my intention to use MJ and Prince so much to introduce my daughter to people of color as it was to introduce her to entertainment as a whole。 That both so happened to be Black was not only coincidence， but hardly taken into consideration。 To me， they were vital simply as artists， not just as Black artists。 To exclude them from my daughter’s cultural education would be akin to building my own wall， for American culture would be incomplete without Black performance。 And while I may be ill-equipped at teaching my daughter the importance of their contribution， we thankfully have Hanif Abdurraqib to pick up the slack。 Though “picking up the slack” is a disservice to the writer’s own contributions to American culture， as he is arguably its finest living essayist。 I’ve already gone on record with regards to Abdurraqib’s previous two collections – They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us and Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest – and how each demonstrated a seemingly innate and certainly genius ability to make “readers， for lack of a better term， give a shit” about subjects that may be only of moderate interest to them。 And while yes， from a macro level I did find Abdurraqib’s predecessors to be wholly interesting， it made me wonder just how transcendent I’d find a collection of his should the subject matter be one of personal interest at a more micro level。 Well， luckily for me the writer’s latest collection， A Little Devil in America， is precisely that collection。 Though billed as “Notes in Praise of Black Performance” A Little Devil in America is so much more。 For the work is a performance in and of itself， the result of an artist at the peak of his powers， an apt demonstration of the very subject matter he is praising。 With a poetic grace and pugilist’s precision， Abdurraqib rhapsodically raps on the impact and influence of Black entertainers within American culture， all the while juxtaposing his own personal stories of performance， both big and small。 Whether it’s a Depression-era dance marathoner’s subsequent influence on the Soul Train Line， or Aretha Franklin showcasing her ability to direct her final performance even in death， or the “magical negroes” whose greatest trick is to entertain white folks all the while being invisible to them， or Josephine Baker’s assertion that being “a little devil in America” caused her departure for another country， etcetera & etcetera & etcetera， each essay captures a moment in time and defines it by its performers in stunning， provocative fashion。 And yet I’m hardly doing the respective parts of A Little Devil in America much justice for I found myself so blown away by it as a whole。 The collection is just as much a historical text as it is an homage; it’s both well-researched and elegiacally articulated。 But where it truly shines is when Abdurraqib takes over the performance for himself， subtly transcending the transcendent with visionary thought and rhythmic delivery。 He’s not necessarily challenging his readers to a dance-off a la Sandman; he’s engaging his audience to the point where they can’t look away。 Which is to say for all of the names referenced throughout A Little Devil in America， from Buster Douglas to Beyonce， Merry Clayton to Method Man， none shine brighter than that of Hanif Abdurraqib。 He’s the greatest entertainer of them all， emceeing an event as culturally significant as the original Woodstock and the first lunar landing combined。 American culture as we know and love it would be incomplete without the contributions of its Black performers。 Better still， without works such as A Little Devil in America， American culture as we know and love it would be historically inaccurate。 Thankfully we have both。 。。。more
Artist Atwork
，
The story is powerful， I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。topNovelStar also has a competition this April。 You might want to check out the links for more information。https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 （APP）Thank you！ The story is powerful， I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。topNovelStar also has a competition this April。 You might want to check out the links for more information。https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 （APP）Thank you！ 。。。more
Irene
，
y'all know I would listen to Hanif talk about literally anything under the sun， but there is a particular tenderness I feel in seeing him write so skillfully about Black performance， and the communities created by Black performance， and the ways Black performance is deliberately misunderstood by non-Black people in a way that is only recognizable to Black people who have known those things。 Rarely feels as though he is explaining™ for other people's sake。 thanks for showing out Hanif。 y'all know I would listen to Hanif talk about literally anything under the sun， but there is a particular tenderness I feel in seeing him write so skillfully about Black performance， and the communities created by Black performance， and the ways Black performance is deliberately misunderstood by non-Black people in a way that is only recognizable to Black people who have known those things。 Rarely feels as though he is explaining™ for other people's sake。 thanks for showing out Hanif。 。。。more
Anada Werner
，
Damn。
Rae
，
This book wasn't what I was expecting， and is all the better for it。 I thought it would be an academic history of Black performers in the US， but it is really more of a memoir/history/meditation on many facets of Black performance， ranging from the personal to pop culture， and often meeting at the intersection of both。Beautifully written， with writing that changes format and approach depending on the subject， it was an eye opening， emotional， and deeply honest。 Recommend to fans of memoir， pop c This book wasn't what I was expecting， and is all the better for it。 I thought it would be an academic history of Black performers in the US， but it is really more of a memoir/history/meditation on many facets of Black performance， ranging from the personal to pop culture， and often meeting at the intersection of both。Beautifully written， with writing that changes format and approach depending on the subject， it was an eye opening， emotional， and deeply honest。 Recommend to fans of memoir， pop culture， and anyone interested in having a deeper understanding of what it means to be Black in America。 。。。more
Alina
，
Nothing short of brilliant！
Sophia
，
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib Published March 30， 2021<3 Loved all the lyrical moments within these essays！ So well done！ <3At 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 Amer A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib Published March 30， 2021<3 Loved all the lyrical moments within these essays！ So well done！ <3At 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。Abdurraqib 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， 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。 。。。more
Joshua Mantilla
，
Great story！ You can broaden your audience by publishing your story on Novel Star Mobile App。3。Reading a good story like this one， I suggest you join Novel Star’s writing competition on April。
Karan Mittal
，
this book is authentically displaying that artwork is continually political， however greater importantly， continually personal。 Hanif doesn’t shrink back from the main， predictable topics of his essays， as an alternative takes conversations to exclusive places， one's greater deserving of note。 I love this， and it’s a superb addition to his tremendous paintings he’s already done。 Really really well worth your time！ this book is authentically displaying that artwork is continually political， however greater importantly， continually personal。 Hanif doesn’t shrink back from the main， predictable topics of his essays， as an alternative takes conversations to exclusive places， one's greater deserving of note。 I love this， and it’s a superb addition to his tremendous paintings he’s already done。 Really really well worth your time！ 。。。more
Sarah Smith
，
The writer is so talented。 You can publish you work on NovelStar App and earn big time。 Also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。
Shannon Wolf
，
I have no useful words for the genius of this work。 I love Hanif Abdurraqib， I love to watch him read or just hold forth on one of the many， many topics that he seems to have endless knowledge。 Reading this book feels like playing witness to him in real-time。 Watching him unspool a narrative about Whitney Houston and the way her Blackness was capitalized upon， and torn away from her， or learning us about the backstories of Black performers - tap dancers and singers and magicians - long before I I have no useful words for the genius of this work。 I love Hanif Abdurraqib， I love to watch him read or just hold forth on one of the many， many topics that he seems to have endless knowledge。 Reading this book feels like playing witness to him in real-time。 Watching him unspool a narrative about Whitney Houston and the way her Blackness was capitalized upon， and torn away from her， or learning us about the backstories of Black performers - tap dancers and singers and magicians - long before I was born。 It’s one of those books where I already have a half dozen snapshots of paragraphs that made me stop in my tracks， and one of those books that I had to put down and write something of my own， not once but twice， as I made my way through these deeply enmeshed， braided， bountiful essays。 Read this book。。 。。。more
Jak Krumholtz
，
Aaah！ Hanif is so good。 He makes me claim Columbus when I grew up an hour away。This is the book Abdurraqib was meant to write。 He's a favorite author， so clearly I'm biased， but this is astounding。 I went through all the emotions， often in the same chapter。 I looked up obscure clips， changed my spotify around， visited wikipedia repeatedly and in general learned a ton while being moved and reflecting on my own life。 Please read。 Aaah！ Hanif is so good。 He makes me claim Columbus when I grew up an hour away。This is the book Abdurraqib was meant to write。 He's a favorite author， so clearly I'm biased， but this is astounding。 I went through all the emotions， often in the same chapter。 I looked up obscure clips， changed my spotify around， visited wikipedia repeatedly and in general learned a ton while being moved and reflecting on my own life。 Please read。 。。。more
Stewart Mitchell
，
I've loved Abdurraqib since I discovered him， but he's operating on an entirely different level of emotion in this book。 He writes about race in such a piercing way that it becomes something tangible， something you can hold and feel and laugh and smile and cry about。 His work makes the case for love and brotherhood， but it also demonstrates that there are limits to these things， and that they simply aren't enough for the marginalized people of the world。 These essays are gorgeously written and h I've loved Abdurraqib since I discovered him， but he's operating on an entirely different level of emotion in this book。 He writes about race in such a piercing way that it becomes something tangible， something you can hold and feel and laugh and smile and cry about。 His work makes the case for love and brotherhood， but it also demonstrates that there are limits to these things， and that they simply aren't enough for the marginalized people of the world。 These essays are gorgeously written and heartbreaking in a way that， as a white person， I won't ever be able to truly understand。 But if I was to pick a book for the rest of us white people in America to read， I think I'd pick this one。 。。。more
Hillary Copsey
，
Abdurraqib is a brilliant writer and an insightful cultural critic。 Must read。
Charles Davis
，
Please publish your work on NovelStar。 For sure a lot of readers will love your work。 There are also a lot of talented writers in the platform that you might want to work with。
CAMILA ARAUJO
，