A Matter of Complexion
Tess Chakkalakal
A biography of Charles Chesnutt, one of the first American authors to write for both Black and white readers.
“Excellent . . . An overdue celebration of an unjustly forgotten author, this enthralls.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An immersive account of the life and thought of one the post-Civil war era’s most fascinating public intellectuals.”
—Mia E. Bay, Paul A. Mellon Professor of American History at the University of Cambridge and author of Traveling Black
“Outstanding . . . the most complete and insightful portrait we have of this fascinating artist and prophetic public intellectual.”
—William L. Andrews, author of Slavery and Class in the American South
“Celebrates a boundary-breaking writer who deserves to be far better known, and gives us a compelling history of America’s cultural, business, and political life. An important contribution to our understanding of race, art, and citizenship.”
—Tracy Daugherty, author of Larry McMurtry: A Life