A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance
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- Create Date：2021-12-28 00:51:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Hanif Abdurraqib
- ISBN：0141995793
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Summary
'Gorgeous' - Brit Bennett
'Pure genius' - Jacqueline Woodson
'One of the most dynamic books I have ever read' - Clint Smith
At the March on Washington in 1963， Josephine Baker was in a mood to reflect on her life and her legacy。 She had spent decades as one of the most successful entertainers the world had ever seen， 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， celebrated poet and music critic Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound meditation on the history of Black performance and performers in America， in which culture， politics and his own lived experience collide。 Each moment in each performance he examines has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures， the politics of American empire， and his own personal history of love and grief。 Together they swell to an unique and urgent exaltation of Black communities， artistry， resistance and power。
'Pure genius' - Jacqueline Woodson
'One of the most dynamic books I have ever read' - Clint Smith
At the March on Washington in 1963， Josephine Baker was in a mood to reflect on her life and her legacy。 She had spent decades as one of the most successful entertainers the world had ever seen， 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， celebrated poet and music critic Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound meditation on the history of Black performance and performers in America， in which culture， politics and his own lived experience collide。 Each moment in each performance he examines has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures， the politics of American empire， and his own personal history of love and grief。 Together they swell to an unique and urgent exaltation of Black communities， artistry， resistance and power。
Reviews
Sylvia
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How music provides hope and promise to troubled souls。
Giorgio Palumbo
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Questi saggi sono di uno scrittore che sa di vivere in uno stato e in una società contraddittoria e per lo più votata al white privilege。 La nota di base è questa e la sua paura di morire， pertanto questo libro parla tanto di musica， di amicizia， di sportivi ma anche tanto di paura e morte。 Non tutti da ricordare ma la stragrande maggioranza sono saggi di altissimo livello。
Ian Mathers
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Just a start to finish delight， pretty much every page containing writing that astonished， delighted， provoked thought， provoked what I might jokingly call professional jealousy， and moved me。 Abdurraqib is just absolutely one of the best in the writing about music/art game right now and although he makes clear in some of the supplementary stuff here that writing this one wasn't necessarily as effortless as the result reads， however he does it it's stunning， revelatory stuff。 Just a start to finish delight， pretty much every page containing writing that astonished， delighted， provoked thought， provoked what I might jokingly call professional jealousy， and moved me。 Abdurraqib is just absolutely one of the best in the writing about music/art game right now and although he makes clear in some of the supplementary stuff here that writing this one wasn't necessarily as effortless as the result reads， however he does it it's stunning， revelatory stuff。 。。。more
Derrick Contreras
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Truly incredible。 Artistic。 Beautiful。 It’s essentially poetry in essay form。 The structure and arrangement of everything is just wow。
Julie
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My favorite essays were: On Marathons and Tunnels， On Going Home as Performance， An epilogue for Aretha， Sixteen ways of Looking at Blackface， On the Certain and Uncertain Movement of Limbs， The Josephine Baker Monument Can Never Be Large Enough and My Favorite Thing About Don Shirley。In， On Marathons and tunnels， it was fascinating to learn about the evolution of dance marathons in the years after the 1929 stock market crash。 People were desperate， they participated in the hope of winning the j My favorite essays were: On Marathons and Tunnels， On Going Home as Performance， An epilogue for Aretha， Sixteen ways of Looking at Blackface， On the Certain and Uncertain Movement of Limbs， The Josephine Baker Monument Can Never Be Large Enough and My Favorite Thing About Don Shirley。In， On Marathons and tunnels， it was fascinating to learn about the evolution of dance marathons in the years after the 1929 stock market crash。 People were desperate， they participated in the hope of winning the jackpot prize， and were glad to receive a hot meal。 White dancers won the biggest prizes。 However， "Black people were dancing with an interest in skill over endurance。" They sought true dance partners who would move to the music， rather than someone to just hold them up。In， On Going Home as a performance， I was moved by Hanif Abdurraqib's description of the purpose of "the funeral - particularly the Black funeral - is a way to celebrate what a person's life meant and to do it as if they're still there。 To offer gratitude for the fullness of whatever years someone chose to have their life intersect with your own。"In， This One Goes Out to All the Magical Negroes， Abdurraqib writes regarding being in a movie theater when a joke is told at the expense of Black people about halfway into the movie。 He writes， "I don't know how many Black people were in the theater with me， just that the laughter trembled the walls close and pulled the ceiling low until I was in a room all my own。" It is truly humbling to have viewed the same movie， but not remember this scene and how hurtful it could be to others。Then， in， Sixteen ways of Looking at Blackface， Abdurraqib writes about white people making themselves up as Black people and how "Darkness was achieved by what seemed like all measures: shoe polish， makeup， even markers， faces sloppily colored in。" What is most hurtful is the realization that "This is what they think we look like。"Finally， in， On Certain and Uncertain Movement of Limbs， Abdurraqib writes， "There are Black artists who are not just packaged and marketed to white people， but - more importantly - to their white imagination， and to the limits of Black people within it。" For me， this is truly eye-opening。 I hadn't thought about this。 It's one more way that racism is perpetuated。 。。。more
Kit Wren
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Lester Bangs said in a self-defeating quip that writing about music is like dancing about architecture。 After reading these essays by Hanif Abdurraquib， the greatest writer about music this fucked up country has ever made， I truly think he could dance about architecture， or any other number of impossible prepositional phrases。 Maps to whole continents unfurl as he jumps from personal to social contexts， from the art to the artist， tightroping along the umbilical cord between， and then to the int Lester Bangs said in a self-defeating quip that writing about music is like dancing about architecture。 After reading these essays by Hanif Abdurraquib， the greatest writer about music this fucked up country has ever made， I truly think he could dance about architecture， or any other number of impossible prepositional phrases。 Maps to whole continents unfurl as he jumps from personal to social contexts， from the art to the artist， tightroping along the umbilical cord between， and then to the intensely personal， addressing the reader as a friend， and more than once， more than ten or twelve times， reaching a state of rhapsodic ecstasy such that the words start glowing like a fireplace poker。 This raises the bar on what we can all do when we're talking about something we like， and what it pulls us through。 。。。more
Austin Mccullough
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Sometimes you pick up a book on a whim and are absolutely blown away by it。 This was one such book。
Stephanie Burke
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Excellent read。 I learned about many great black artists who are new to me and some fun facts about others I thought I knew。 I love how Hanif weaves his story with the stories of the other artists。 I love his poems， perspectives and his writing。 This was a pleasure to read。 Thank you for continuing to share yourself with the world。 And thank you for reminding us or introducing us to some pretty amazing people。 These folks who deserve to have their work and their names to be spoken aloud again。
Paulette
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I don't even know where to start with how brilliant this book is。 It was engrossing， and the way Abdurraquib uses his words was enrapturing to read。 I love a book that more than earns its hype， and I'm glad I got the chance to finally read it。 I don't even know where to start with how brilliant this book is。 It was engrossing， and the way Abdurraquib uses his words was enrapturing to read。 I love a book that more than earns its hype， and I'm glad I got the chance to finally read it。 。。。more
Martin P
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So damn good。
Amy Holodak
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My god， this book is exceptional。 A contemplation of Black humanity through the lens of Black performance。
Andrea
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What an excellent prose writer。 This book requires taking your time to savor the turns of phrase。 I need to look up more of his work。
Mckenna Bailey
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all big history is small and personal and abdurraqir is a master at proving that。
Theleem
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This might be the most beautiful collections of essays I have ever encountered。 I lack the language to describe this collection， other to say that it is a masterful blend of memoir， essay， poetry， and history， and that it does better to capture the state of modern America than almost anything else I've seen in any medium。 Must-read。 This might be the most beautiful collections of essays I have ever encountered。 I lack the language to describe this collection， other to say that it is a masterful blend of memoir， essay， poetry， and history， and that it does better to capture the state of modern America than almost anything else I've seen in any medium。 Must-read。 。。。more
Natalie
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Tait rec
Chiara
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4。5⭐ This was really good。 It definitely wasn't what I was expecting， it is so much more than commentary on Black performance in the expected forms （music， dance， actors， etc。）。 It is just so much more than I anticipated and I don't know a good way of describing that feeling or 'how' it is so much more。 Anyways。 It is written exquisitely and is so rich， deep， and nuanced。 It took me a little time to get settled in to the writing style and get where this book of essays was going， but once I was i 4。5⭐ This was really good。 It definitely wasn't what I was expecting， it is so much more than commentary on Black performance in the expected forms （music， dance， actors， etc。）。 It is just so much more than I anticipated and I don't know a good way of describing that feeling or 'how' it is so much more。 Anyways。 It is written exquisitely and is so rich， deep， and nuanced。 It took me a little time to get settled in to the writing style and get where this book of essays was going， but once I was in， I WAS IN。 Everything in movement iii I loved， also the very last couple essays truly moved me。 There were some essays that resonated more than others but hey that's the way of an essay collection。 But the ones that I loved， I really loved - it makes me wish I'd bought this （instead of from the library） so I could mark up my favorite quotes and essays for a later read。 Overall this was excellent and is truly worth your time。 I'm so glad I read this and can't wait for The Stacks podcast discussion on it。 。。。more
Kate Reeder
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And just like that， I’ve read all twelve of #TheStacksBookClub 2021 selections 🥳Traci （@thestackspod） said A Little Devil In America is one of her favorite （if not THE favorite） book of 2021 and I can see why。 This book is an examination and meditation of black performance in America。 Hanif weaves in personal anecdotes with moments in American history so flawlessly。 The book is a collection of essays， but I found myself wanting to read all of them in one sitting！ While all of the essays were imp And just like that， I’ve read all twelve of #TheStacksBookClub 2021 selections 🥳Traci （@thestackspod） said A Little Devil In America is one of her favorite （if not THE favorite） book of 2021 and I can see why。 This book is an examination and meditation of black performance in America。 Hanif weaves in personal anecdotes with moments in American history so flawlessly。 The book is a collection of essays， but I found myself wanting to read all of them in one sitting！ While all of the essays were impactful， the most moving one for me was I Would Like To Give Merry Clayton Her Roses。 Prior to this essay， I had never heard of Clayton。 But…I had heard her voice without knowing it。 She is the female vocal in Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones。 I can’t do the essay justice （y’all have to read it and then， when you listen to Gimme Shelter， you’ll be like 🤯🤯）， but I’ll leave you with this quote from the book: “…fewer people talk about what it must have been like for an artist like Merry Clayton to give so much of herself to an industry that already made a box for her before she’s even arrived to be put into it。 She was going to be the big-voiced singer who pushed songs over the edge， but never got to immerse herself in the fame and infamy that she so eagerly provided to others。” This is the only nonfiction book I’ve read from the 2021 National Book Award List for Nonfiction， but I can 100% see why it was nominated （and probably should have won？！ Again I haven’t read any others so maybe I don’t have the right to say that）。 Hanif made my brain hurt in the best way possible while reading his thoughts and connections about America and black performance。 。。。more
Carolyn
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Five bajillion stars。
Tyler
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Definitely one of the best books I read this yr
Liz
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Each of these essays covers a lot of ground， bringing together pop culture and personal experience to build on a theme。 They evoke a mood， and explore masculinity and Blackness and music and more。 "Fear: A Crown" （about Mike Tyson and Bernie Mac and Abdurraqib's fear of flying） was a standout for me， as was "Beyoncé Performs at the Superbowl and I Think About All the Jobs I've Hated。" My favorite might be "On the Performance of Softness，" about the Wu-Tang Clan and masculine gentleness and love Each of these essays covers a lot of ground， bringing together pop culture and personal experience to build on a theme。 They evoke a mood， and explore masculinity and Blackness and music and more。 "Fear: A Crown" （about Mike Tyson and Bernie Mac and Abdurraqib's fear of flying） was a standout for me， as was "Beyoncé Performs at the Superbowl and I Think About All the Jobs I've Hated。" My favorite might be "On the Performance of Softness，" about the Wu-Tang Clan and masculine gentleness and love and violence and gender performance。For me， I think I would have appreciated and enjoyed this collection more if I had read it one essay at a time， rather than cover to cover。 That's probably my own issue， though， not a knock on the book。 Each essay was beautiful on its own。 。。。more
Amy Melena
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As always with Hanif， I hang on every word he writes。
Samantha
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This book is so good！ The writing is so beautiful and the arguments Hanif makes are unique。 He writes about well known social/art/music events and people and really expands on parts not commonly discussed and ties it all back to personal stories and experiences。 Overall an amazing collection of essays！
edga net
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This book fucking rocks
Bethany
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The part about Merry Clayton is still haunting me。 Possibly the best nonfiction book I've read all year。 The part about Merry Clayton is still haunting me。 Possibly the best nonfiction book I've read all year。 。。。more
Aly
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These essays were fascinating。 My only regret was that there wasn't a multi-media component to show the video clips and photos and hear the music referenced （though I was able to find most of them on my own）。 Once I returned the library copy， I went and bought one of my own。 These essays were fascinating。 My only regret was that there wasn't a multi-media component to show the video clips and photos and hear the music referenced （though I was able to find most of them on my own）。 Once I returned the library copy， I went and bought one of my own。 。。。more
Curtis
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（4。5 Stars）
Christina
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This book is way more than I thought it would be。 I guess I should know by now that anything Hanif talks about is poetry and is gold。 This isn’t just a history of Black performance， though I was excited when I thought that’s what this was。 It’s a history of the writer and the world through Black performance。 It’s really great。
Lindsay Loson
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4。5/5I find it really interesting that two books I’ve read in the past couple weeks （this and Minor Feelings） both touch upon the absence or fetishization of race in Blade Runner: 2049; but other than that these essays were eye opening， thoughtful， and thought provoking as well。 I think one of my favorite essays was about Merry Clayton and her feature on “Gimme Shelter”， something that I didn’t know a lot about。 Definitely need to get to the other Abdurraqib books on my tbr asap！
Alex
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A fantastic set of essays！！
Elena Robidoux
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