A “vast, multifaceted and enchanting” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) meditation on the color blue and its fascinating role in Black history and culture, from National Book Award winner Imani Perry, “the most important interpreter of Black life in our time” (Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.)Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hop...

WINNER OF THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTIONINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“An elegant meditation on the complexities of the American South—and thus of America—by an esteemed daughter of the South and one of the great intellectuals of our time. An inspiration.” —Isabel WilkersonAn essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revela...

FINALIST, LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE IN AUDIOBOOK NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY: Time, USA Today, People, AARP, Today.com, BookRiot, Bustle, LitHub, BookPage, Our Culture, and VultureA surprising and beautiful meditation on the color blue—and its fascinating role in Black history and culture—from National Book Award winner Imani PerryThroughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably in...

Winner of the 2019 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for BiographyWinner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ NonfictionWinner of the Shilts-Grahn Triangle Award for Lesbian NonfictionWinner of the 2019 Phi Beta Kappa Christian Gauss Award**A New York Times Notable Book of 2018A revealing portrait of one of the most gifted and charismatic, yet least understood, Black artist...

“An elegant meditation on the complexities of the American South—and thus of America—by an esteemed daughter of the South and one of the great intellectuals of our time. An inspiration.”—Isabel Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsAn essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—a...

2020 Chautauqua Prize Finalist2020 NAACP Image Award Nominee - Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction)Best-of Lists: Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 (Kirkus Reviews) · 25 Can't-Miss Books of 2019 (The Undefeated)Explores the terror, grace, and beauty of coming of age as a Black person in contemporary America and what it means to parent our children in a persistently unjust world....

A collection of bold and tender writing on June Jordan’s multidimensional legacy as a poet, healer, and activist.This Unruly Witness was curated for people who see love as a life force, who seek a community that can sustain us, who know that “we are the ones we have been waiting for.” Celebrating the life and legacy of the poet activist June Jordan, this collection illuminates why we need Jordan more than ever.Featuring a foreword by Alexis Pauline...

The twin acts of singing and fighting for freedom have been inseparable in African American history. May We Forever Stand tells an essential part of that story. With lyrics penned by James Weldon Johnson and music composed by his brother Rosamond, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was embraced almost immediately as an anthem that captured the story and the aspirations of black Americans. Since the song’s creation, it has been adopted by the NAACP and performed by countless artists in ti...

Winner of the 2019 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for BiographyWinner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ NonfictionWinner of the Shilts-Grahn Triangle Award for Lesbian NonfictionWinner of the 2019 Phi Beta Kappa Christian Gauss Award**A New York Times Notable Book of 2018A revealing portrait of one of the most gifted and charismatic, yet least understood, Black artist...

At once the most lucrative, popular, and culturally oppositional musical force in the United States, hip hop demands the kind of interpretation Imani Perry provides here: criticism engaged with this vibrant musical form on its own terms. A scholar and a fan, Perry considers the art, politics, and culture of hip hop through an analysis of song lyrics, the words of the prophets of the hood. Recognizing prevailing characterizations of hip hop as a transnational musical form, Perry advances a ...

The twin acts of singing and fighting for freedom have been inseparable in African American history. May We Forever Stand tells an essential part of that story. With lyrics penned by James Weldon Johnson and music composed by his brother Rosamond, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was embraced almost immediately as an anthem that captured the story and the aspirations of black Americans. Since the song’s creation, it has been adopted by the NAACP and performed by countless artists in ti...

Perry argues that racism in America has moved into a new phase--post-intentionalFor a nation that often optimistically claims to be post-racial, we are still mired in the practices of racial inequality that plays out in law, policy, and in our local communities. One of two explanations is often given for this persistent phenomenon: On the one hand, we might be hypocritical—saying one thing, and doing or believing another; on the other, it might have little to do wi...