Paul Laurence Dunbar

"One of ESSENCE'S 55 New Books We Can't Wait to Read"
"A New Yorker Best Book of the Year"
"A Book Riot Best Biography of the Year"
"A book that pulls you along like an open bag of potato chips; for the first 100 or so pages, I could barely put it down."---John McWhorter, New York Times
"Drawing on Dunbar’s sizable correspondence with friends, family, and benefactors, Jarrett illustrates his struggle to reconcile his professional success with a sense of himself as a failure—an errant husband, an alcoholic, and, above all, a Black artist who couldn’t liberate his community from racial stereotypes." * The New Yorker *
"A raw, unadulterated portrait of the writer’s short yet full life. . . . It offers immense detail and newly discovered information."---Vesper North, Los Angeles Review of Books
"A meticulously crafted biography. . . . [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
"A pioneering Black poet battles racism and his inner demons in this incisive biography. . . . Jarrett situates his analysis of Dunbar’s ambitious, sometimes prickly intellect innan insightful, vividly written portrait of Black political and literary culture at the turn of the 20th century, and probes his subject’s alcoholism, gambling, and violent tendencies. The result is a fascinating exploration of Black creativity wrestling with social constraints and personal failings." * Publishers Weekly *
"A detailed, empathetic biography. . . . Jarrett offers astute readings of all of Dunbar’s works. . . . Impressive research." * Kirkus Reviews starred review *
"This is one of those classic biographies that I think readers will just love diving into. Rich in detail and nuance, it drops readers into Dunbar’s life and times, offering a fascinating look at both the literary and personal life of this great American poet." * Book Riot *
"This new biography does a thorough and compelling job in telling the story of a remarkable and partially tragic life."---David Mehegan, Arts Fuse
"We are indebted to Jarrett for elevating Dunbar’s voice back to the place of prominence it should hold in literary history." * The American *
"[A] definitive biography. . . .Indispensable and judicious."---Douglas A. Jones Jr, Times Literary Supplement
"

Magnificent. . . . [Paul Laurence Dunbar] should be praised not just for the work that it is, but for the work that it will usher in. [Jarrett] has cleared the path for Dunbar scholarship.

"---Jamie Fenton, American Nineteenth Century History
"Jarrett has contributed significantly to African American literary studies with this meticulous account of the writer’s life. . . . Scholars will continue to learn from Jarrett’s authoritative biography of Dunbar for decades to come."---Nadia Nurhussein, American Literary History