Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known. George M. Johnson. 2024. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 127 pages. [Source: Public library.] The Harlem Renaissance was a remarkable period in American history, but was pivotal within Black America. The “New Negro Movement” launched the careers of countless scholars, photographers, musicians, and dancers and ushered in a rebirth of racial pride and solidarity, in addition to leaving a treasure trove of art reflecting this new attitude. While many of the central figures’ names are easily recalled, the fullness of their identities is not always centered in conversations about their impact. Indeed, the fact that many of these artists were queer was often ignored or outright hidden while they navigated the social mores of the time. It is only more recently that some of these figures have shifted from being symbols only in relation to the Harlem Renaissance to being recognized also members of the LGBTQ/queer community. With Flamboyants, George M. Johnson shines a light on twelve prominent — and queer — figures within the Harlem Renaissance and explores their lives and legacies in a series of essays. The majority of those featured are well-known for their association with the movement, regardless…

Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur. Sheldon Pearce. 2021. Simon & Schuster. 288 pages. [Source: Public library.] How does one approach writing about Tupac Shakur more than 25 years after his death? He’s one of the most well-known hip-hop artists of all time, and is among the most controversial artists, period. Tupac has been the subject of films (documentary and biopic), books, countless articles, and even academic courses. What else is there to possibly bring to the conversation? That’s where Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur comes in. Changes is not simply another take on Tupac’s life and legacy from someone waxing philosophically about his career and controversies. As Pearce acknowledges, the book seeks to “probe the collective memory” and serve as an “examination of influence.” As such, there’s little in the way of Pearce interpreting and translating the words of people interviewed for the book. Instead, the first-hand accounts of the “chorus” are presented largely as-is, pieced together to present a chronology of Shakur’s life. This group is wide-reaching and intentionally centers voices that have not often been the most sought-after; included are former teachers, business associates, family friends, medical personnel, journalists, and contemporary artists whose insight…

It Was All a Dream. Justin Tinsley. 2022. Abrams Press. 352 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.] When the impending release of It Was All a Dream was announced last year, I ran to get my hands on it. I was enticed by the opportunity to read a fresh look at one of the most lauded emcees of my youth, but was also intrigued by what perspective an author from my generation would bring to such a well-publicized timeline. Released weeks shy of what should have been Biggie’s 50th birthday, It Was All a Dream presents an in-depth and reflective examination at Christopher Wallace’s too-brief life. It can be difficult to approach a subject like the Notorious B.I.G. with novelty. There is no shortage of film, books, or other media that have already examined his life, career, death, and legacy. However, with It Was All a Dream, Tinsley has the benefit of more than two decades to frame this retrospective. Ample time has passed, allowing him to consider the lasting impacts of Biggie’s short but notable career in ways that couldn’t have been anticipated in the 1990s. The result is a…

The Dead Are Arising. Les Payne & Tamara Payne. 2020. Liveright. 601 pages. [Source: Public Library.] But people are always speculating-why am I as I am? To understand that of any person, his whole life, from birth, must be reviewed. All of our experiences fuse into our personality. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient. Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X I first heard of The Dead Are Arising when it was awarded the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The book represents over three decades of research to portray a clearer picture of who Malcolm X was, shedding light on aspects of his life that hadn’t been made public previously. I was captivated by the intensive labor started by the late Les Payne in the 1990s and concluded by his daughter Tamara Payne after his death in 2018. The result is truly an epic read that emcompasses not only Malcolm’s story but that of those closest to him. Like many who are familiar with Malcolm X, I was introduced to much of his life story through The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Yet, where the autobiography serves as Malcolm’s distillation of his experiences, The Dead Are Arising…

The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle. Rob Kenner. 2021. Atria Books. 446 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.] The Marathon Don’t Stop is the book I’ve most anticipated since it was announced in 2019. Nipsey Hussle’s official debut album, Victory Lap, is deeply personal to me and remains in near-daily rotation three years after its release. His sudden murder in 2019 rocked me with shock and disbelief that was more acute than what I felt as a 13-year-old hearing of Tupac Shakur’s death. This book, then, is a fitting opportunity for fans and newcomers alike to better understand the full trajectory of Nipsey’s life as “the Tupac of his generation.” In this biography, Kenner examines Nipsey’s life from the lens of, unsurprisingly, a marathon. Starting with his childhood in South Central Los Angeles and following his resolute pursuit of success on his own terms, The Marathon Don’t Stop is a retrospective of Nipsey Hussle as a multifaceted man — Ermias Asghedom — not just a Crip turned rapper. Kenner approaches The Marathon Don’t Stop as one would expect of a journalist. It is abundantly clear that…