INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Finalist for the 2025 Kirkus Prize

“Sensational…commanding…[with] sure-footed authority and comprehensiveness…subtle and solemn at once, [it] dazzles and awes…the kind of masterly narrative ability achieved only with deep research and deep understanding…stunning…a book whose true beauty allows Baldwin to reveal himself slowly, almost tenderly.”  – Charles M. Blow, the New York Times

“Lively and vigorously researched…even-handed and critically rigorous…superlative…the new gold standard.” – Marc Weingarten, the Los Angeles Times

“Compulsively interesting and beautifully written—there is something to treasure on every page.
I absolutely loved it.”  –ZADIE SMITH