Black Philosopher, White Academy: The Career of William Fontaine
"William Fontaine should be considered a pioneering African American intellectual. What is so fascinating about his story is that it is neither a heroic tale nor a tragic one. This is a portrait of academic life for so many: one of grinding travail and minimal success. While Fontaine was a standout within the African American community, his career in an Ivy League school, before and after the high tide of the civil rights movement, was spent largely in obscurity. What must this have been like for him? Bruce Kuklick has masterfully brought us to the limits of what we may know."—Edward J. Blum, author ofW. E. B. Du Bois, American Prophet