Charles J. Shields

The New York Times bestselling author of Mockingbird reveals the life of the woman behind A Raisin in the Sun, the most widely anthologized, read, and performed play in American history. Written when she was just twenty-eight, Hansberry’s landmark play is listed by the National Theatre as one of the 100 most significant works of the twentieth century. Millions of students read the play as part of their high school curriculum every year. Hansberry was the first black woman to have a play performed on Broadway, and the first black and youngest American playwright to win a New York Critics' Circle Award. Yet so much of her life has escaped public knowledge: her fight for peace and nuclear disarmament, the reason why she embraced Communism during the Cold War, the comfort she found in James Baldwin, shown firsthand through their never-before-seen correspondence. Charles J. Shields uncovers the complicated life of the famous playwright with fresh analysis and exclusive context. Hansberry was from an upper-class family, which some critics said disqualified her as a spokesperson about racism; she was black and a woman, “twice oppressed,” she said, because “the most oppressed group of any oppressed group will be its women.” She was gay, but maintained an image of being straight for the sake her roles as critic, spokesperson, and artist. Many of the identity issues she contended with remain relevant and urgent today, which perhaps explains why her work—and now her own story—will endure.

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