They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us: Essays*2018 12 best books to give this holiday season --TODAY Show In an age of confusion, fear, and loss, Hanif Abdurraqib's is a voice that matters. Whether he's attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the day after visiting Michael Brown's grave, or discussing public displays of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show, he writes with a poignancy and magnetism that resonates profoundly. In the wake of the nightclub attacks in Paris, he recalls how he sought refuge as a teenager in music, at shows, and wonders whether the next generation of young Muslims will not be afforded that opportunity now. While discussing the everyday threat to the lives of black Americans, Abdurraqib recounts the first time he was ordered to the ground by police officers: for attempting to enter his own car. In essays that have been published by the New York Times, MTV, and Pitchfork, among others--along with original, previously unreleased essays--Abdurraqib uses music and culture as a lens through which to view our world, so that we might better understand ourselves, and in so doing proves himself a bellwether for our times. Funny, painful, precise, desperate, and loving throughout. Not a day has sounded the same since I read him. --Greil Marcus, Village Voice |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - Smokler - LibraryThingSimply one of the best books in memory about music, culture and this profound moment of change in America. Bighearted, kind, real, unshakably black and for everyone. Read full review
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
User Review - Publishers WeeklyAbdurraqib’s essay collection is mesmerizing and deeply perceptive. Most of the essays are about music, particularly live music, touching on how it acts as a balm in a time of fear and pain. One essay ... Read full review