A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance
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- Create Date：2021-05-03 10:51:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Hanif Abdurraqib
- ISBN：0241503574
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Summary
I say I love my people and mean there is a language that is only ours， and within that language there is shelter。 But when I speak that language in the world， I know how eager the world might be to bend it to its own desires。
From breakout writer and peerless new voice Hanif Abdurraqib， the New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest， comes a soaring and heartfelt examination of Black performance in America， in which race， history， culture， entertainment， and lived experience collide。
"Funny， painful， precise， desperate， and loving throughout。 Not a day has sounded the same since I read him。" Greil Marcus， Village Voice
From breakout writer and peerless new voice Hanif Abdurraqib， the New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest， comes a soaring and heartfelt examination of Black performance in America， in which race， history， culture， entertainment， and lived experience collide。
"Funny， painful， precise， desperate， and loving throughout。 Not a day has sounded the same since I read him。" Greil Marcus， Village Voice
Reviews
lilias
，
goodreads people， you know that feeling， tfw you realize the book you’re reading is one of the best books you’ve ever read。 And the only downside is the push and pull of wanting to savor it while wanting to devour it。 That’s the feeling I kept having as I read this book。 Abdurraqib writes sentences that are so good I dwell on them， and he makes connections that are brilliant。 And then the book is over。 My admiration for the book keeps going， so here we go。I read Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us U goodreads people， you know that feeling， tfw you realize the book you’re reading is one of the best books you’ve ever read。 And the only downside is the push and pull of wanting to savor it while wanting to devour it。 That’s the feeling I kept having as I read this book。 Abdurraqib writes sentences that are so good I dwell on them， and he makes connections that are brilliant。 And then the book is over。 My admiration for the book keeps going， so here we go。I read Abdurraqib’s They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us last year and was thrilled to find myself reading a book that would become one of my favorites of 2020， a year in which reading， more than ever， became a vital part of my life。 So I couldn’t stop myself from expecting to love this 2021 book， which is so often a situation that leads to disappointment。 Not this time。Abdurraqib writes about the impact of music on a cultural scale and on an individual。 In doing so， these essays explore the personal and the universal， to a degree。 And that degree is crucial as this book is specially， as the title says， “in Praise of Black Performance。” It is deeply emotional， as it both celebrates Black joy and allows Black grief。 It is a poignantly American book， and I feel fortunate to to have read it。 。。。more
Arlette
，
4。5 starsAbdurraqib does it again， utilizing his lyrical writing style to discuss Black performance， it’s history and notable figures。 Comprised of essays unified behind this theme， Abdurraqib also delves into personal stories。 I’m partial to this style， how he weaves personal experiences and insights to cultural criticism seamlessly。 I also acknowledge that this is not written for me， rather that I am humbled to read and learn from this work。 Highly recommend to folks who appreciate the impact 4。5 starsAbdurraqib does it again， utilizing his lyrical writing style to discuss Black performance， it’s history and notable figures。 Comprised of essays unified behind this theme， Abdurraqib also delves into personal stories。 I’m partial to this style， how he weaves personal experiences and insights to cultural criticism seamlessly。 I also acknowledge that this is not written for me， rather that I am humbled to read and learn from this work。 Highly recommend to folks who appreciate the impact of Black Americans in popular culture （mainly musical， dance， film and some comedians） and essays on cultural history and criticism。 。。。more
Shannon
，
This beautiful book is impossible to describe except to say that it is a work of genius。
Amy Kett
，
I wish I had more stars to give this book。 I wish I had all the stars in Hanif’s own natal chart。 Maybe the moon， too。
Madeline
，
so so good！！！ as usual。 i loved the form of the mike tyson/bernie mac piece
Jackie
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Highly， highly recommend。
Sophie
，
i am afraid not of death itself， but of the unknown that comes after。 i am afraid not of leaving， but of being forgotten。 i am in love today but am afraid that i might not be tomorrow。 and that is to say nothing of the bullets， the bombs， the waters rising， and the potential for an apocalypse。
Allie Marini
，
*I received this book free in exchange for a fair & honest review * Wow。 What a beautiful， heartbreaking， but ultimately joyful explosion of writing。 No one， and I mean NO ONE， writes as lovingly， tenderly， and gracefully about music and its impact than Hanif Abdurraqib。 Every essay is a rare gem that takes a song you think you know （like the essay about Merry Clayton & “Gimme Shelter”） and makes sure that you will never listen to that song quite the same way again （and that's a GOOD thing。） And *I received this book free in exchange for a fair & honest review * Wow。 What a beautiful， heartbreaking， but ultimately joyful explosion of writing。 No one， and I mean NO ONE， writes as lovingly， tenderly， and gracefully about music and its impact than Hanif Abdurraqib。 Every essay is a rare gem that takes a song you think you know （like the essay about Merry Clayton & “Gimme Shelter”） and makes sure that you will never listen to that song quite the same way again （and that's a GOOD thing。） And it's so important to note that the book focuses as much on Black joy as it does on Black grief， which is part of why Abdurraqib's writing about music is so powerful -- where else but music are joy and grief so inextricably intertwined， in a way that is accessible and provides a common ground for people who are different to understand one another？ Because I think that the core of all these essays is how music is part of what you use when words don't suffice， that allows the suffering a way to come out， and that lassos moments of joy in a way that they can always be revisited， at least for the 3 minutes of playtime。 These essays are a love letter to music and identity， because the personal is political and the political becomes poetry when Abdurraqib writes about music。 For Black readers， I imagine these essays will feel like a homecoming。 For white readers， perhaps this is an introduction， and it's one that we need， and that though hard to read at times， is a necessary part of doing the work。 But most of all， above all else， this is a glorious collection of essays that show that music is the tool of memory， joy， loss， grief， and hope。 If you loved They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us， what a gift you have waiting for you in A Little Devil In America。 。。。more
James
，
I really like Abdurraqib as a personality and as a guide。 His "listen， brother" direct address didn't bother me much。 I just didn't find much new here。 I know about Soul Train and Sun Ra and Dave Chappelle and Josephine Baker。 I'd actually have liked hearing more about Columbus。 I'm a midwesterner， though。 I really like Abdurraqib as a personality and as a guide。 His "listen， brother" direct address didn't bother me much。 I just didn't find much new here。 I know about Soul Train and Sun Ra and Dave Chappelle and Josephine Baker。 I'd actually have liked hearing more about Columbus。 I'm a midwesterner， though。 。。。more
Amy
，
I heart Hanif and I don't know what else to say that I haven't said in a previous review。 This collection of essays particularly drew me in with its framing having to do with dancing。 Coming out of this COVID year， my nostalgia for dancing - being on the dancefloor and communing with people that way - is at an all-time high。 Abdurraqib also deals with grief， as he often has before， but in a way that we still always need， and with blackness at the forefront。 I heart Hanif and I don't know what else to say that I haven't said in a previous review。 This collection of essays particularly drew me in with its framing having to do with dancing。 Coming out of this COVID year， my nostalgia for dancing - being on the dancefloor and communing with people that way - is at an all-time high。 Abdurraqib also deals with grief， as he often has before， but in a way that we still always need， and with blackness at the forefront。 。。。more
Kaelyn
，
wow。 Hanif comes through once more。 incredible。 poetic。 lovely。 i couldn’t put it down。
Elly
，
4。5 stars。 Steve H's review of the book says pretty much everything I want to say so go read it instead me being like， "This is so good， Hanif is soooo good" （which， to be fair， is also true）。 4。5 stars。 Steve H's review of the book says pretty much everything I want to say so go read it instead me being like， "This is so good， Hanif is soooo good" （which， to be fair， is also true）。 。。。more
Betsy
，
This was equal parts performer biography， memoir， cultural commentary and poetry。 It was truly lovely， even the parts with trauma and loss and grief。 I am thankful that Mr。 Abdurraqib opened his heart and vulnerably showed us some its content， along with his love for Black artistic performance。 The narrator was wonderful to listen to。
Kristen Curtis
，
Such beauty and emotion in every sentence。 Hanif is one of the greatest
Amanda Stryker
，
I loved this。 Just a really incredible collection of essays by one of my favorite authors。
Alanna Why
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I cried at the first essay， then the second， then the third， composed myself for a while， and then absolutely lost my shit reading about Merry Clayton。 Long review here: https://alannawhy。substack。com/p/whit。。。 I cried at the first essay， then the second， then the third， composed myself for a while， and then absolutely lost my shit reading about Merry Clayton。 Long review here: https://alannawhy。substack。com/p/whit。。。 。。。more
Shane Orr
，
This is a brilliant book that is a collection of essays on what it means to be black in America， and how black performance is an essential part of the American story。 Abdurraqib weaves in stories of his own losses and how he has， or at times has failed to， come to grips with his anger throughout his life。 With stories of Trayvon Martin's ties to astronaut Michael P。 Anderson， Josephine Baker and her March on Washington， Beyonce's Superbowl Halftime performance， the origin of the Moonwalk， Aretha This is a brilliant book that is a collection of essays on what it means to be black in America， and how black performance is an essential part of the American story。 Abdurraqib weaves in stories of his own losses and how he has， or at times has failed to， come to grips with his anger throughout his life。 With stories of Trayvon Martin's ties to astronaut Michael P。 Anderson， Josephine Baker and her March on Washington， Beyonce's Superbowl Halftime performance， the origin of the Moonwalk， Aretha Franklin， or Dave Chapelle， Abdurraqib is a great storyteller who brings a new understanding to events and performances that stood out throughout American history and a glimpse into the pains of the black experience。 。。。more
Nicole Lynch
，
I just。 This book is genius。 I’m so glad it exists。 Read it。
Izabela
，
6/5 。。。Hanif po raz kolejny przeszedł sam siebie。
Shannon Moham
，
Required reading for Black Americans。
alyssa
，
Here is the thing which is that Hanif is possibly my favorite writer and I was always going to love this book and I did but it was better than I could have even hoped and “I cried so much” is not a recommendation to me all the time but sometimes it is to others and I did cry so much but it’s much more than just crying but unfortunately I am not as good at words as Hanif so you will simply have to read his instead to understand
Adrian Chiem
，
The thing about this collection is that it is very much like the first collection — I think about the way bands build a signature sound with a “perfect” album and then record sophomore albums that either change radically or try to give more of the same and lose themselves in the attempt。 Hanif does neither here， but sets a new standard by essentially stating this: My voice is as powerful as it has ever been， and I have so much more to say。 Please read it。Standouts include:“On Going Home as Perfo The thing about this collection is that it is very much like the first collection — I think about the way bands build a signature sound with a “perfect” album and then record sophomore albums that either change radically or try to give more of the same and lose themselves in the attempt。 Hanif does neither here， but sets a new standard by essentially stating this: My voice is as powerful as it has ever been， and I have so much more to say。 Please read it。Standouts include:“On Going Home as Performance”“On the Certain and Uncertain Movement of Limbs”“The Josephine Baker Monument Can Never Be Large Enough” “Is it Safe to Say I Have Lost Many Games of Spades”“I Would Like to Give Merry Clayton Her Roses”“On the Performance of Softness”“Board Up the Doors， Tear Down the Walls” 。。。more
Tanisha Burnett
，
A wonderful group of essays on the black experience。 Loved many of the stories。
Tanner Curtis
，
Hanif’s writing functions on so many levels and what’s most amazing is that you really FEEL each level。 Several of the essays demand you to pause and reflect while others urge you down a rabbit hole of additional research。 Each of these pieces stand alone but together， and in their edited order， have great emotional impact。 Highly recommend this and his other collections。
Jeché
，
No one currently writing is better at blending poetry， memoir and appreciation than Hanif。 This one took me a while to get through， as I’d often stop， Google or YouTube performances referenced in the book， even the familiar ones; just to determine how Hanif possibly arrived at his conclusions。 I’d always come away with fresh perspectives。 Even in our weary existence， Hanif reassures us how liberating and empowering performance can be。
Amanda F
，
The subtitle of this book is Notes in Praise of Black Performance， and I feel like that's exactly what I was shown in this book。 Hanif Abdurraqib does such a great job of weaving his poetry in the middle of these stories。 I was touched and educated by this book and I'm thankful that he was willing to stand up and say what he wanted to say and not try to end with some platitudes about how things will be fine and they will get better because people have been saying that for too many years and not The subtitle of this book is Notes in Praise of Black Performance， and I feel like that's exactly what I was shown in this book。 Hanif Abdurraqib does such a great job of weaving his poetry in the middle of these stories。 I was touched and educated by this book and I'm thankful that he was willing to stand up and say what he wanted to say and not try to end with some platitudes about how things will be fine and they will get better because people have been saying that for too many years and not much has changed。 It's because of writers who share their stories that some of us are changing， and I can't help but feel a little hopeful about that。 。。。more
Alex
，
I feel very thankful that I’m alive at the same time as Hanif Abdurraqib and that I get to read what he writes
John Adams
，
Such a compelling story。 You deserve to be a part of the Novelstar’s writing competition。
Sarah
，
Remarkable。 I don't think I've ever read such a poetic and informative work of nonfiction。 Remarkable。 I don't think I've ever read such a poetic and informative work of nonfiction。 。。。more
Emily
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