{"product_id":"magically-black-and-other-essays-9780063161078","title":"Magically Black and Other Essays","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*** Finalist for the PEN\/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay****\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this engaging follow up to \u003cem\u003eHow to Make a Slave and Other Essays\u003c\/em\u003e, the recipient of PEN New England Award for nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award sharply examines and explains Black life and culture with equal parts candor and humor.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn Magically Black and Other Essays\u003c\/em\u003e Jerald Walker elegantly blends personal revelation and cultural critique to create a bracing and often humorous examination of Black American life. He thoughtfully addresses the inherent complexities of topics as eclectic as incarceration, home renovations, gentrification, the crip walk, pimping, and the rise of the MAGA movement, approaching them through various Black perspectives, including husband, father, teacher, and writer. The collection's overarching theme is captured in the titular essay, which examines the culture of heroic action African Americans created in response to their enslavement and oppression, giving proof to Albert Murray's observation that the \"fire in the forging process . . . for all its violence, does not destroy the metal that becomes the sword.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWalker, Jerald:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJerald Walker\u003c\/strong\u003e's work has appeared in publications such as the \u003cem\u003eHarvard Review, Creative Nonfiction, \u003c\/em\u003ethe \u003cem\u003eIowa Review\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eMother Jones, \u003c\/em\u003e as well as six editions of The Best American Essays series and the Pushcart Prizes. A recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the James A. Michener Foundation, Walker is a professor of creative writing and African American literature at Emerson College. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Amistad Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50896700735762,"sku":"9780063161078","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_17e9a588-08e6-43d7-8f9b-908fa3b8e62b.jpg?v=1758637387","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/magically-black-and-other-essays-9780063161078","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}