The Devil and Dave Chappelle: And Other Essays (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In October 1995 Louis Farrakhan succeeded in drawing one million black men to Washington, D.C., to participate in his Million Man March..." (more)
Key Phrases: white slaveholders, New York, United States, African American (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An unflinching collection of essays that takes on the subjects of Biggie Smalls, Three 6 Mafia, The King Family, and what it takes to be black at the turn of the twenty-first century.

About the Author

William Jelani Cobb, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of History at Spelman College, as well as a critic, essayist and fiction writer whose writings on politics, the African Diaspora and contemporary African American culture have appeared in a number of national outlets. His column “Past Imperfect” appears regularly on AOL BlackVoices. He is editor of The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader, which was a Notable Book of the Year by Black Issues Book Review. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Essence, Emerge, The Progressive, The Washington City Paper, One Magazine and Alternet.org.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (March 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259779
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259770
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #528,958 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating - A Must Have, July 26, 2007

By	David Rockwell (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're looking for essays that make you think about the contradictory state of race relations and a younger generation of black Americans in a very new light, this is a book you need to have. Don't borrow it: buy it. It needs to be read more than once. The essays are thought provoking and have several layersthat need to be uncovered. You can't do this is one reading.

The writing is as intelligent as the thinking. I bought the book because
of the title, but found the other writings as cogent and informative. An
excellent book for a discussion group.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings us up to speed on everything!, August 9, 2008

By	Freedom Speaks Ink - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is not a book of essays I enjoy more than this one. It touched on so much, from why Harry Belafonte wasn't at Coretta Scott King's funeral, to universities owning slaves in the 1800s, to the justified reasons some black people don't like Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, to issues in sports. I never thought anyone would capture the position of "favorite essayist" from Alice Walker as Dr. Cobb did, but I could not put this book down. It was a history lesson and more, written from the perspective of a member of the hip hop generation. The topics he spoke on are socially and politically relevant, and will continue to be. This is an extremely important book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars William Jelani Cobb - A New Thinker for Today's Black Folk, April 25, 2007

By	D. Sparks "Blumpy" (D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How does one classify a black author who excoriates the King family, lambastes Colin Powell, and weeps over the death of Jam Master Jay? Is he a "hip-hop" writer, a "counterrevolutionary" or a "neo-con"?

William Jelani Cobb confounds the reader and demolishes the trite labels that the MSM would ascribe to him. Rather he is insightful, wry and at times tender, as when he describes his short-lived marriage and the heartache he feels missung his adopted daughter.

Mr. Cobb's work comes at a pivotal time for black America. This is a period in which the gap between black "haves and have nots" is expanding, a time when we blacks are experiencing fantastic economic, educational and social success yet we are still killing each other by the bushel.

I keep "The Devil and Dave Chapelle" by my bedside and have re-read several chapters. If not for the entertainment value, but for the refreshing insights he brings to a group of people who sorely need a new breed of thinker to chart the way into the future.