A 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 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.

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 space–from midcentury Paris to the moon, and back down again to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio.

Hanif Abdurraqibis a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry has been published inMuzzle,Vinyl,PEN American, and various other journals. His essays and music criticism have been published inTheFADER,Pitchfork,The New Yorker, andThe New York Times. His first full length poetry collection,The Crown Ain’t Worth Muchwas named a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize, and was nominated for a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. His first collection of essays,They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Uswas named a book of the year byBuzzFeed,Esquire, NPR,O: The Oprah Magazine,Paste,CBC,The Los Angeles Review,Pitchfork, andChicago Tribune, among others. His most recent book,Go Ahead in the Rain:Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, debuted on theNew York Timesbestseller list.

• Publisher:Random House Trade Paperbacks (March 8, 2022)
• Language:English
• Paperback:320 pages
• ISBN-10:1984801201
• ISBN-13:9781984801203
• Item Weight:8 ounces
• Dimensions:5.17 x 0.63 x 7.98 inches