Hi! Welcome to my blog where I will be reviewing books selected from the American Library Association’s weekly planner for July 2023-December 2024. The book for February 4-10 is A Little Devil in America a novel written by Hanif Abdurraqib. It is a novel that praises Black performance in America and speaks about how this style of performance has always been woven into American culture.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Abdurraqib writes descriptively about the meaning of Black performance in America and how it has continued to have a cultural impact. He examines the different connotations and contexts of Black performance from the early 1900s through the present day. There are five different movements throughout the book and each one of them encompasses a different style of Black performance.
The Soul Train Dance Show, source
The first section is entitled “Performing Miracles” and talks about the beginning of Black performance in America. It focuses on the time in the 1950’s and 60’s and the beginning of Black performances in dance being featured on late night shows. He specifically mentions “The Soul Train” which was a televised dance pair competition.
This kind of competition used to be only White dancers and slowly Black dancers were integrated and it became just Black dancers on “The Soul Train.” Dance was also a symbol of joy and being free during the Great Depression. This placed a lot of strain on many Americans mentally, economically and socially.
The dance craze inspired records-seekers to dance the night aways and become the longest couple dancing. Oftentimes, this partner would be someone who had the same endurance and skills as you, not always the partner you were dating.
The relief provided by performance in such a trying time emphasizes the impact performance has always had on society as it is a way to relax.
Other sections later in the book discuss the infamous Josephine Baker moment from the March on Washington that inspired the title of this book. She was quoted saying “I was a devil in the countries, and I was a little devil in America too.” The quote is the common thread throughout the novel and speaks about the connection between politics and performance as an art.
Josephine Baker at the March on Washington, source
Abdurrafiq is a lyrical author and his storytelling works very well in a novel about real performances. The reader is able to imagine the dancing and singing occurring and really picture how performance changed in Black culture over time too.
Overall, this book is perfect to read as someone who’s interested in American history, especially one that is not a white washed version. As a person who was a member of theater, choirs, and bands growing up this book also resonated with me learning about performances. A Little Devil in America earns 4 out of 5 stars from me.