Gene Andrew Jarrett

One of ESSENCE'S 55 New Books We Can't Wait to Read

"A definitive biography of Dunbar." ― New York Times

"A meticulously crafted biography. . . . [Paul Laurence Dunbar is a] thorough and eminently readable account of Black genius."---Omari Weekes, Vulture

"Fascinating and beautifully written. . . . It’s an intimate portrait of a complex and complicated literary figure who deserves more recognition."---Keisha N. Blain, Politico

“Framed by an audacious pairing of ‘presidential bookends’ (Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obama), Representing the Race forces us to rethink our most basic assumptions about the putative political value of African American literature. Jarrett draws our attention away from the legacy of Black Arts in the 1960s to a richly historicized set of case studies from the colonial era to the present.” —Brent Hayes Edwards, Columbia University, and author of The Practice of Diaspora