Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2017 -

In his nuanced exploration of blackface, Roberts (history and writing, Univ. of Northern Iowa) asserts that by the early 20th century blackface was an established facet of American music, culture, and politics, and "was well on its way to becoming America's gift to the world" (an ironic phrase from the introduction). Roberts writes that popular song, through which blackface initially spread, was a key, if not the dominant, form of media in 19th-century America, an assertion he supports with examples of music and lyrics that reflect seemingly contradictory American attitudes about tradition, community, patriotism, race, and ethnic identity. The author rejects simplistic explanations of American cultural development, and he works hard to probe all aspects of the larger sociohistorical record to prove his point. For instance, he argues that ideas of blackness and whiteness developed in tandem, and to demonstrate that he devotes three chapters to the Hutchinson Family Singers, a wildly popular singing group devoted to abolitionist causes and social reform, whose success paralleled that of the blackface minstrels. Roberts's fascinating, well-written book offers revelatory tidbits throughout, such as the musical origins of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as a drinking ballad and the preponderance of middle-class "communism" (with a small "c") in mid-19th-century America. Excellent notes with full references.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.