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laura_sackton's review
Brilliant, gorgeous, wow wow wow.
Really amazing to read this so soon after reading TATY.
They share a heart, are very different.
He's just. He looks at things so clearly and with his whole being.
Really amazing to read this so soon after reading TATY.
They share a heart, are very different.
He's just. He looks at things so clearly and with his whole being.
jordanian_reads_'s review
5.0
Abdurraqib’s book of music writing meets memoir, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us,” was a 2022 standout for me, so I knew I’d be picking up his newest book sooner rather than later. Hanif’s sophomore book of essays, “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance” examines and celebrates Black performance and Black artists as an essential part of American culture. As always, Abdurraqib writes with insight, humanity, nuance, and a poignance that betrays his origins as a poet.
A Little Devil covers the following topics, among others:
- Merry Clayton’s role in The Rolling Stones’ song Gimme Shelter
- Octavia Butler and afrofuturism
- Josephine Baker and African American artists in Paris following WWI
- Beyoncé and the Super Bowl
- Growing up as a Black punk fan
- The evolution of dance marathons and the Great Depression
- Whitney Houston and what it means to be a sellout
- Michael Jackson’s death and Hanif’s mother’s homecoming
Abdurraqib’s essays marry the personal, the historical, and the political in a raw, heartfelt package that is so well written and researched, and so compelling. I dare you to read this book and not learn something. I double dog dare you to read this book and not feel something.
I’m sure A Little Devil in America is terrific in any format, but I particularly enjoyed listening to it on audiobook.
“I am in love with the idea of partnering as a means of survival, or a brief thrill, or a chance to conquer a moment. Even if you and the person you are partnered with part ways walking into the sunlight after exiting a sweaty dance hall, or spinning off-camera after dancing your way down a line of your clapping peers.”
“My boys and I find a corner booth and I play 'Can It Be All So Simple' because I'm feeling nostalgic for a very particular brand of Wu-Tang Clan, and this is it. One of those Wu songs that really isn't about anything other than the fact that none of us can be as we were when we were young. That a great deal of us have seen too much or heard too much or lived through too much to wrestle our innocence back from whatever cynicism or heartbreak has grown in its place.”
A Little Devil covers the following topics, among others:
- Merry Clayton’s role in The Rolling Stones’ song Gimme Shelter
- Octavia Butler and afrofuturism
- Josephine Baker and African American artists in Paris following WWI
- Beyoncé and the Super Bowl
- Growing up as a Black punk fan
- The evolution of dance marathons and the Great Depression
- Whitney Houston and what it means to be a sellout
- Michael Jackson’s death and Hanif’s mother’s homecoming
Abdurraqib’s essays marry the personal, the historical, and the political in a raw, heartfelt package that is so well written and researched, and so compelling. I dare you to read this book and not learn something. I double dog dare you to read this book and not feel something.
I’m sure A Little Devil in America is terrific in any format, but I particularly enjoyed listening to it on audiobook.
“I am in love with the idea of partnering as a means of survival, or a brief thrill, or a chance to conquer a moment. Even if you and the person you are partnered with part ways walking into the sunlight after exiting a sweaty dance hall, or spinning off-camera after dancing your way down a line of your clapping peers.”
“My boys and I find a corner booth and I play 'Can It Be All So Simple' because I'm feeling nostalgic for a very particular brand of Wu-Tang Clan, and this is it. One of those Wu songs that really isn't about anything other than the fact that none of us can be as we were when we were young. That a great deal of us have seen too much or heard too much or lived through too much to wrestle our innocence back from whatever cynicism or heartbreak has grown in its place.”
trkravtin's review
Provocative. I found this quote that somewhat represents my experience with this book.
Every man should periodically be compelled to listen to opinions which are infuriating to him. To hear nothing but what is pleasing to one is to make a pillow of the mind. — St. John Ervine
My openness as a reader diminished considerably after realizing the particular slant with which the author viewed his culture. Interesting structure and flow at times. Social evaluations and entertainer analysis were limited to an attitude while claiming broad perspective, yet excluding wide swaths of demographics. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Abdurraqib has a stylistic means of expressing his.
hilary_weckstein's review against another edition
5.0
Still one of my favorite poets.
“My loves, I want to know if heaven is real only if you are promised to be in it. I do not fear death as much as I fear the uncertain dark. An eternity that doesn’t include a chance for me to make amends for all of the things that kept me from holding you close while you were breathing and telling you how much I didn’t understand about love. I know now that I have always loved you and now you are gone. I am trying to love better in your memory.”
“My loves, I want to know if heaven is real only if you are promised to be in it. I do not fear death as much as I fear the uncertain dark. An eternity that doesn’t include a chance for me to make amends for all of the things that kept me from holding you close while you were breathing and telling you how much I didn’t understand about love. I know now that I have always loved you and now you are gone. I am trying to love better in your memory.”
dinasamimi's review
5.0
Hanif is a true gift. I am so grateful to be alive in a time that I get to read this person's work and take a glimpse into their mind. I read this twice in 2021 (easily one of my favorites of the year) once on audio and once on the page -- both are outstanding. It is generous, personal, poetic and just extraordinary. Get ready to expand your mind and spirit through music, dance, and performance (the literal and metaphoric) in celebration and in the uplift of Blackness and all its magic.