Because 'New Negro' is really just a catchprase for the capacious topic of race in America, this is less an anthology than a mix of articles, criticism, essays, theories, calls to action and commentary by people both black and white, ranging from the famous (Richard Wright, James Weldon Johnson, H.L. Mencken) to those lesser known but prominent in their time ... Read more(Alain Locke). The result is a spirited...dialectic tracing the most intense period of New Negro discussions, between 1892 and 1938.
Erin Aubry Kaplan, Los Angeles Times Book Review Recent years have seen an explosion of writings on the so-called new Negro... Now Gates and Jarrett lend their considerable voices to the discussion. Including an excellent introduction that situates the debate, this anthology collects some 100 essays on the trope of the new Negro between 1892 and 1938, years that broadly encompass the period known as the Harlem Renaissance... The book covers not only literature but also music, theater, and the fine arts and convincingly links them with social and political happenings of the period... [O]verall this is a masterful piece of work.
L. J. Parascandola, Long Island University, for CHOICE The New Negro is a valuable collection of essays that is accessible to scholars, teachers, and those generally interested in African-American history. When placed within the context of recent New Negro scholarship, the anthology reinforces the need to expand the depth and breadth of research into Post-Reconstruction representations of race in African-American culture.
Gabriel A. Briggs, Callaloo Show Less