{"product_id":"harlem-nocturne-women-artists-progressive-politics-during-world-war-ii-9780465018758","title":"Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists \u0026 Progressive Politics During World War II","description":"As World War II raged overseas, Harlem witnessed a battle of its own. Brimming with creative and political energy, the neighborhood's diverse array of artists and activists took advantage of a brief period of progressivism during the war years to launch a bold cultural offensive aimed at winning democracy for all Americans, regardless of race or gender. Ardent believers in America's promise, these men and women helped to lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement before Cold War politics and anti-Communist fervor temporarily froze their dreams at the dawn of the postwar era. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eHarlem Nocturne\u003c\/i\u003e, esteemed scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin tells the stories of three black female artists whose creative and political efforts fueled this historic movement for change: choreographer and dancer Pearl Primus, composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, and novelist Ann Petry. Like many African Americans in the city at the time, these women weren't't native New Yorkers, but the metropolis and its vibrant cultural scene gave them the space to flourish and the freedom to express their political concerns. Pearl Primus performed nightly at the legendary Cafe Society, the first racially integrated club in New York, where she debuted dances of social protest that drew on long-buried African traditions and the dances of former slaves in the South. Williams, meanwhile, was a major figure in the emergence of bebop, collaborating with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell and premiering her groundbreaking Zodiac Suite at the legendary performance space Town Hall. And Ann Petry conveyed the struggles of working-class black women to a national audience with her acclaimed novel \u003ci\u003eThe Street\u003c\/i\u003e, which sold over a million copies -- a first for a female African American author. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A rich biography of three artists and the city that inspired them, \u003ci\u003eHarlem Nocturne\u003c\/i\u003e captures a period of unprecedented vitality and progress for African Americans and women, revealing a cultural movement and a historical moment whose influence endures today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Civitas Book Publisher\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/10\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780465018758\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013 pg. 89\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2013 pg. 26\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/22\/3013 pg. 12\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2013 pg. 82\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2014\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Farah Jasmine Griffin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43672934547637,"sku":"9780465018758","price":22.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_1fa2f3aa-89ca-4f57-a19f-962a0efb40a4.jpg?v=1709051968","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/harlem-nocturne-women-artists-progressive-politics-during-world-war-ii-9780465018758","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}