The Strange Career of Porgy and Bess: Race, Culture, and America's Most Famous Opera

"[An] exceptionally cogent and intelligent book. . . . Highly recommended." -- CHOICE

"[A] thorough history. . . . Intriguing." -- Southern Register

"A valuable case study of the ways in which racial attitudes manifested themselves in and influenced the discussion and presentation of art in America." -- American Historical Review

"A well-crafted and intriguing read." -- Journal of American Culture

"Ellen Noonan digs deep into the production and reception history of what has been called 'the most contradictory cultural symbol ever created in the Western world.' In this richly detailed book, Porgy and Bess becomes a prism refracting myriad triumphs and tragedies, collusions and fissures, in the American history of race, region, and culture. It is about white fantasy and black jobs, the slippery intersection of cultural and political representation, the problems of canonization, and, ultimately, the distorted feedback loop between the imaginary Catfish Row and the realities of everyday life for African Americans in Charleston. I was on the edge of my seat until the curtain call." -- Karl Hagstrom Miller, University of Texas

"Ellen Noonan has written a provocative, imaginative study chronicling the complicated artistic and racial politics surrounding the American classic Porgy and Bess." -- Journal of American History

"Noonan demonstrates a mastery of her myriad sources, evincing an exhaustive search through archival collections of correspondence, publicity, and journalistic criticism." -- South Carolina Historical Magazine

"Noonan's incisive book explores the social, aesthetic, and cultural dynamics that shaped this significant American opera. Her analysis of this play and its production history provide important insight into the continually evolving politics of race in the United States. The successful 2011 Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess makes Noonan's contribution all the more relevant to our present moment. Engaging and informative, this is a most notable book for scholars and students interested in American cultural history." -- Harry J. Elam, Jr, Olive H. Palmer Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University

"This captivating read is an important contribution to the scholarship surrounding Heyward's and Gershwin's work." -- Library Journal

"Well researched, thoughtful, and as appealing and satisfying as the opera itself." -- North Carolina Historical Review

Ellen Noonan is a historian, educator, and media producer at the American Social History Project, the Graduate Center, City University of New York.