Twenty years in the making, this major biography covers Robeson's life from his birth in 1898 to the early height of his career in 1939. Focusing on the role of race in the development of Robeson's radical politics (e.g., how his understanding of political solidarity was broadened by exposure to anti-Semitism as well as racism at Rutgers), and how it manifested itself in his theater work (e.g., his refusal to use racially offensive language in revivals of O'Neill's The Emperor Jones), Boyle and Bunie confirm Robeson Jr.'s thesis that his father's career was cut short because of the racism and anti-leftism of the 1950s.... Boyle and Bunie have condensed a huge amount of research into an accessible, perceptive biography that will be essential reading for anyone interested in studies of race, performance or theater in America. - Publishers Weekly ""More than any other recent biography, this book helps us understand Robeson's fusion of art and scholarship, his feeling for languages, his search for an alternative to racism that eventually led him to the Soviet Union and to alignment with the Left generally. The work offers a moving portrayal of the racist indignities and insults to which he was subjected."" - Herbert Shapiro, author of White Violence and Black Response ""Boyle and Bunie paint a positive yet warts-and-all portrait, in particular exploring Robeson's convoluted public and private lives.... Highly recommended for all libraries."" - Choice ""Given the meticulous research that went into this excellent biography, one can only hope that Boyle and Bunie will devote another volume to the years of Robeson's demise."" - American Historical Review ""The authors set Robeson's triumphs both against his personal failings and against pervasive racism.... This is an excellent biography."" - Journal of American History