Reid-Pharr argues that black gender and sexuality have always played a crucial role in the questions of black national identity. He identifies the origins of a "national" African-American literature in the founding of the black press in 1827 and locates the beginnings of a novelistic tradition in the antebellum period. He also shows how state conventions, churches, newspapers, and novels--predominantly aimed at northeastern black communities--were integral in shaping the ideal of the black family.

Robert F. Reid-PharrAssistant Professor of English and Director of the Program in Comparative American Cultures, Johns Hopkins University

"Reid-Pharr, by contrast, takes pains to 'belabor' his points, resulting in a much more succint, and ultimately more satisfying piece of scholarship."-American Literature |k No