A timely and ground-breaking collection of essays and poems about race in America from some of its most unique and powerful voices
In 1962, in reaction to the one hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States of America, James Baldwin wrote in a piece later included in his landmark publication The Fire Next Time, You know and I know, that the country is celebrating one hundred years of freedom one hundred years too soon. '
In light of recent tragedies and widespread protests across the United States and the world, Jesmyn Ward now takes this famous examination of race in America as a jumping off point for this ground-breaking collection of essays and poems about race from the most important voices of her generation and our time.
For contributors, Jesmyn Ward has turned to some of her generation 's most original thinkers and writer, including Claudia Rankine, Kiese Laymon and Natasha Tretheway. Together, these unique and powerful writers shine a light on the darkest corners of American history, wrestle with its current predicament and envision a better future.
