Soul! was where Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire got funky, where Toni Morrison read from her debut novel, where James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni discussed gender and power, and where Amiri Baraka and Stokely Carmichael enjoyed a sympathetic forum for their radical politics. Broadcast on public television between 1968 and 1973, Soul!, helmed by pioneering producer and frequent host Ellis Haizlip, connected an array of black performers and public figures with a black viewing audience. In It's Been Beautiful, Gayle Wald tells the story of Soul!, casting this influential but overlooked program as a bold and innovative use of television to represent and critically explore black identity, culture, and feeling during a transitional period in the black freedom struggle.

Single used copy, clean interior; some warping

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gayle Wald is a professor of English and American Studies at George Washington University and a Guggenheim Fellow. From 1994-95 she was Visiting Assistant Professor of English and American Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

REVIEWS

“[An] evocative, detailed book. . . . Wald’s book is both a timely and a galvanizing addition to what might be described as black analog studies.”—Mark Anthony Neal, Chronicle Review

“Wald's writing energises the reader when describing specific episodes. She was granted full access to the 30 or so episodes that survive as well as securing photographs for the book from Chester Higgins, who shot publicity stills each week during filming. When the narrative and the photographs intersect, the book really begins to resonate. Every couple of pages, you wish that you could view the Thelonious Monk performance being described, or hear the voice of Malcolm X's widow Betty Shabazz detailing her struggles. This is a singular book that will never be bettered or repeated. . . ."—Pat Thomas, The Wire

“In the late 60s and early 70s, Ellis Haizlip's groundbreaking public television program Soul! presented black authors, activists, and musicians speaking and performing without any kind of filter. Episodes included Nikki Giovanni debating James Baldwin and Labelle covering the Who's ‘Won't Get Fooled Again.’ Wald provides evocative descriptions of the shows and places them in cultural context.”―Aaron Cohen, Chicago Reader

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Duke University Press Books (April 1, 2015)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0822358379
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0822358374
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches