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In Search of a Beautiful Freedom

New and Selected Essays
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( 27 ratings, 6 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Search of a Beautiful Freedom is a compelling collection of essays by Farah Jasmine Griffin, exploring the intersections of Black music, literature, feminism, and cultural politics. Traversing topics from the legacy of Odetta and 1970s soprano singers to Black women's literary renaissances and Malcolm X's politics, Griffin offers a profound reflection on pivotal moments such as Hurricane Katrina and the banning of Toni Morrison's Beloved. Through personal narratives and intellectual insights, the book celebrates the artists and ideas that have shaped both her identity and broader cultural landscapes.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Essential reading for those interested in Black feminism, cultural theory, and American arts and history, as well as readers seeking insightful essays on music, literature, and social justice.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Lively, insightful writings on Black music, feminism, literature and events from a β€œmasterful critic and master teacher” (Walton Myumba, Boston Globe)

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In Search of a Beautiful Freedom brings together the best work from Farah Jasmine Griffin's rich explorations into music, Black feminism, literature, the crises of Hurricane Katrina and COVID-19, and the Black artists she esteems. She moves from evoking the haunting strength of Odetta and the rise of soprano popular singers in the 1970s to the forging of a Black women's literary renaissance and the politics of Malcolm X through the lens of Black feminism.

She reflects on pivotal moments in recent American historyβ€”including the banning of Toni Morrison's Belovedβ€”and celebrates the intellectuals, artists, and personal relationships that have shaped her identity and her work.

Featuring new and unpublished essays along with ones first appearing in outlets such as the New York Times and NPR, In Search of a Beautiful Freedom is a captivating collection that celebrates the work of "one of the few great intellectuals in our time" (Cornel West).

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised by Daphne Brooks as a "stirring and lyrical pedagogy in motion," this collection showcases Griffin's dazzling prose and ethical wisdom. The essays weave a powerful symphony of Black cultural expression and political thought, making the book an instant classic and a testament to Griffin's stature as one of our greatest Black feminist thinkers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780393355772

Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 March 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: WW Norton & Co

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 211.0mm

Weight: 373g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Farah Jasmine Griffin (Ph.D. Yale), is the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African American Studies at Columbia University. She is the author of Who Set You Flowin’?: The African American Migration Narrative; If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday; Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II; and Read Until You Understand: New and Selected Essays, among other works.

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  • Read Until You Understand
    Farah Jasmine Griffin has taken to her heart the phrase "read until you understand," a line her father, who died when she was nine, wrote in a note to her. She has made it central to this book about love of the majestic power of words and love of the magnificence of Black life. Griffin has spent years rooted in...
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