In this first-ever collection of nonfiction by John Edgar Wideman, a “towering figure in American literature” (The Nation), five decades of cultural and literary criticism paint a vivid portrait of America’s changing landscape and chronicle the emergence and evolution of a generational talent.

“Wideman is a writer of titanic skill.” —4Columns

John Edgar Wideman, acclaimed since the early 1970s for his award-winning fiction and memoirs, has long been engaged in a project to redefine the wondrous and appalling power of his country’s literary culture and history. Now, in this collection assembled by the author from his extensive body of long-form journalism, this volume goes beyond mere compilation. Its challenging, insightful critical essays tell the story of a nation in transition—from the shame of legalized human slavery, to the civil rights movement, to the rise of the Obama era, and beyond.

Originally featured in publications such as Esquire, Vogue, and The New Yorker, these narratives explore the elusive cores of American culture, politics, and identity. For the first time, readers may see and judge for themselves how Wideman has proven himself a luminous witness of America’s history and one of the essential literary voices in contemporary literature.