A stirring meditation on Black performance in America from the New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead in the Rain At the March on Washington in 1963, Josephine Baker was fifty-seven years old, well beyond her most prolific days. But in her speech she was in a mood to consider her life, her legacy, her departure from the country she was now triumphantly returning to. “I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too,” she told the crowd. Inspired by these few words, Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound and lasting reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture. Each moment in every performance he examines—whether it’s the twenty-seven seconds in “Gimme Shelter” in which Merry Clayton wails the words “rape, murder,” a schoolyard fistfight, a dance marathon, or the instant in a game of spades right after the cards are dealt—has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and Abdurraqib’s own personal history of love, grief, and performance. Abdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain, infused with the lyricism and rhythm of the musicians he loves. With care and generosity, he explains the poignancy of performances big and small, each one feeling intensely familiar and vital, both timeless and desperately urgent. Filled with sharp insight, humor, and heart, A Little Devil in America exalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and space—from midcentury Paris to the moon, and back down again to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio.

"A heartfelt but playful romp" with "deft prose," "plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor," and a "clever, imaginative world." —Kirkus ReviewsA dead drag queen. A cozy café. A shady deal—and an unexpected family.Deceased drag queen Pearly Gates has the worst job in the cosmic sanitation worker. When her soulmate leaves her, claiming she’s incapable of growth, Pearly hatches a plan to win him back. By striking an illicit deal to take over the caseload of a burnt-out spirit guide, she’ll prove she’s worthy of love—and a second chance.Her mission takes her to Thunderbolt Books & Coffee, a small-town Midwestern bookshop café haunted by a 1920s burlesque dancer. Tasked with guiding a grieving young widow, a terminally ill college graduate, and a trans woman searching for purpose, Pearly uses her magic (and charm) to help them heal and connect. But when she discovers the café’s owner is her soulmate reincarnated, her plans take an unexpected turn.As one of Pearly’s charges falls for the café owner, she faces a dilemma - be the good guide she promised to become or sabotage the relationship. Between saving the café, dodging celestial detectives, and surviving a lip-sync battle with her own body double, Pearly must decide what matters most. At her second chance, her soulmate—even her soul.Pearly Gates is a humorous, heartwarming LGBTQ+ fantasy celebrating found family, new love, and self-discovery—even after life’s final curtain call.