Citizen : An American Lyric - Softcover

Claudia Rankine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555976905 ISBN 13: 9781555976903

Publisher: Graywolf Press, 2014

Synopsis

Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in 21st century daily life and in the media. The accumulative stresses come to bear on a person's ability to speak, perform and stay alive. Our addressability is tied to the state of our belonging, Rankine argues, as are our assumptions and expectations of citizenship. In essays, images and poetry, Citizen is a powerful testament to the individual and collective effects of racism in our contemporary, """"post-race"""" society.

About this title

Review:

'...many white western media sources are still obliviously insisting that racism is not a problem. In these times of violence and dehumanisation against black people, it is important to pay attention to black art. In these times, books like Citizen are vital: they cut through the mess of lies and deception, to the painful truth underneath.' - --Cadaverine

From the Back Cover:

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR POETRY
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR POETRY

'Everywhere were flashes, a siren sounding and a stretched-out roar. Get on the ground. Get on the ground now. Then I just knew.

'And you are not the guy and still you fit the description because there is only one guy who is always the guy fitting the description.'

'There is nothing slight about the slights described here. They have the force of body blows ... Powerful' Kate Kellaway, Observer, Poetry Book of the Month

'Read it once and you will want to read it again ... Rankine draws on her own and others' experience to show prejudice working all the way up the economic ladder' Sean O'Brien, Independent

'Rankine tells you what it's like to be treated as if you are not absolutely normal. Take a look. She does it very well' William Leith, Evening Standard

'Wonderfully innovative ... Rankine finds a new way of writing about race' Nick Laird, New York Review of Books

About this edition

• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1555976905
• ISBN 13: 9781555976903
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160