Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance

I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too. Inspired by these few words, spoken by Josephine Baker at the 1963 March on Washington, MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow and bestselling author 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 examineswhether its 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 dealthas layers of resonance in Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and Abdurraqibs own personal history of love, grief, and performance.

Touching on Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Billy Dee Williams, the Wu-Tan Clan, Dave Chappelle, and more, Abdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain. 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 Americaexalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and spacefrom midcentury Paris to the moon, and back down again to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio.

Paperback, Mar 8th 2022