I Too Sing America

by Wil Haygood

First published 2018

Wil Haygood examines the Harlem Renaissance one century after its emergence following World War I. The author approaches this cultural movement through visual materials including paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and period documents. Haygood organizes his study thematically to capture how black writers, artists, and musicians converged during a concentrated period of creative activity. The survey features work by artists including Romare Bearden, Allan Rohan Crite, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Archibald Motley, and James Van Der Zee. Drawing on decades of research into Harlem's cultural history, Haygood traces how this movement expanded beyond its Manhattan origins to influence the broader nation. The book offers readers a visual chronicle of the era's artistic output alongside the social history that shaped it.

Genres: history, 20th-century, american, african-american, art-history, cultural

Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking

Tropes: historical-fiction

Setting: Harlem, Manhattan

Period: World War I, Harlem Renaissance

248 pages · Hardcover · Rizzoli Electa

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