Reviews
"There is brutal candour in Reed's argument, which often feels refreshing in light of the euphemisms and platitudes typically expressed in both polite discourse and the media's self-scrutiny . . . Whether or not one agrees with Reed, one can only be entertained by his gleeful barbs and edgy turns-of-phrase. He names names and shames with derision." —Montreal Review of Books
“Among American writers, Ishmael Reed is probably the one whose sensibility is closest to jazz.” —New York Times
“The brightest contributor to American satire since Mark Twain.” —Nation
"Reed’s prose style resembles the youthful Ali's ring style." —New York Times Book Review
"Brilliant!" —Jill Nelson, award-winning novelist and journalist
"I hope his book will lead to more journalistic self-reflection and intellectual honesty." —Werner Sollers, Harvard University
"Just when you think that Reed is exaggerating, or being one-dimensional in his analysis of racial issues, he'll open another page of American history and show you something new." —David Homel, Rover Arts
"Highly provocative." —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Author Biography
Ishmael Reed is an important American poet, novelist, playwright, and song writer who has taught at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and the University of California–Berkeley. He is author of Japanese by Spring, The Terrible Twos, and Writin' Is Fightin: Thirty-seven Years of Boxing on Paper. He lives in Oakland, California.