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Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess

Kendra Y. Hamilton
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About

Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess is a literary and cultural history of a place: the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that's one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the "cradle of Black culture" in the United States.

Romancing the Gullah seeks to fill a gap and correct the maps. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on "the lowcountry," along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Great Migration and the Harlem (and Charleston) Renaissance.

By giving voice to artists and culture makers on both sides of the color line, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret connections between races amid official practices of Jim Crow, Romancing the Gullah sheds new light on an only partially told tale. A labor of love by a Charleston insider, the book imparts a lively and accessible overview of its subject in a manner that will satisfy the book lover and the scholar.

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Reviews

"A beautifully written, comprehensively researched, and profoundly informed critical study that stands alone as a long-needed monograph focused on the literary/artistic treatments of the Gullah/Geechee experience."
Keith Cartwright
"For libraries located on or near the Gullah Geechee Coast, this book is an essential purchase, but all Southeastern libraries with collections related to African American literature and culture should also consider this groundbreaking volume."
Allison Faix

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