Congratulations to American Studies Professor Stacy Morgan for the upcoming release of his latest book, Frankie and Johnny: Race, Gender, and the Work of African American Folklore in 1930s America. The book, published by the University of Texas Press and now available for pre-order, Frankie and Johnny “presents a new argument for the centrality of African American folklore as a source of cultural expression in the 1930s.”
“I am extremely impressed by this book. I think it will be a valuable addition to African American studies, American studies, cultural studies, and popular culture studies.”James Smethurst, University of Massachusetts Amherst, author of The African American Roots of Modernism: From Reconstruction to the Harlem Renaissance
“A remarkable book. I was floored by the stories and connections that Morgan unearthed by following ‘Frankie and Johnny’ from its ambiguous origins to its use by everyone from Thomas Hart Benton to Ethel Waters. I was further impressed by the skill and sophistication with which Morgan made larger arguments about the complexity and flexibility of popular culture within larger political and social dynamics. This is important work that should be embraced by a variety of readers.”
Charles L. Hughes, The Memphis Center at Rhodes College, author of Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South