New Black Man
One of the most brilliant cultural critics of his generation...Neal writes gracefully, thinks sharply, speaks cogently and is old school and new school at once. He's my favorite cultural critic and one hip brother. -- Michael Eric Dyson,Chicago Sun-TimesYou won't find many scholars with Neal's deep and abiding knowledge of contemporary black popular culture, and you won't find any able to throw down such head-noddin' prose. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, Columbia UniversityMark Anthony Neal's critique of old modes of discussing black masculinity is eloquent.  Indeed, his analysis of the 'the strong black man' and the risks that idea poses to black liberation is long overdue.  Engaging, thoughtful, and soulful, this important book is part cultural criticism and part blueprint for a new version of black masculinity (without homophobia and misogyny). I, for one, welcome the arrival onto the scene of the 'new black man'. -- Dwight A. McBrideYou need oxygen to breathe more than the fetid air of homophobia, misogyny, antiblack racism in the empire and its possessions. Read Mark Anthony Neal's New Black Man. Here, Neal redefines the 'burden' and expands the struggle for a society free of denigration and violence. -- Joy JamesMark Anthony Neal has always been a daring scholar, but in this work he does pirouettes on a razor's edge, deliberately and deftly defying the keepers of the weary worn 'race man' trope and all its essentialist trappings. -- E. Patrick JohnsonMark Anthony Neal's New Black Man is a fascinating exploration of an important scholar's acknowledgement of black feminism as a central mode of cultural investigation and a mode of humane existence. -- Michael AwkwardNeal's new work is sharp, provocative, and often laugh-out-loud funny in the manner of Michael Eric Dyson and Ishmael Reed (caveat: Neal's language can be rough). Taken in conjunction with Phillip Brian Harper's Are We Not Men?:Masculine Anxiety and the Problems of African-American Identity , this book is a clarion call that should be read by the entire African American community.. -- Library JournalNeal is refreshingly honest in his attempt to forge a new model of Black manhood. He admits that he himself is still struggling to overcome the sexist and homophobic views he held in the past. There are still occasions when he refuses to speak out against homophobia, fearing criticism from other Black males. However, Neal understands the importance of opposing the 'Strong Black Man' concept, which often denies the humanity of others...New Black Manoffers many stimulating ideas and slays many of the sacred cows of the Black Community...New Black Manis an important book. Neal is a proud member of the hip-hop generation. Considering the many antiprogressive messages in that genre of music and the culture it produces, his book is a welcome addition to the discipline of Black popular cultural studies. -- Free Inquiry