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Jazz by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison’s 1992 novel Jazz takes place in Harlem in the 1920s. It tells the story of a tumultuous love affair during the jazz age. It has been praised for its musical writing that mirrors jazz itself. Jazz is the second installation in Morrison's Dantesque trilogy on African American history. The first is Beloved and the last is Paradise.

by Erin Balser

Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story between the Great Wars

Harlem in Montmartre is a great read if looking for more historical background on the jazz movement in 1930s and 1940s Paris. William A. Shack takes a comprehensive look at the Harlem renaissance that was taking place across the Atlantic Ocean in Europe.

by Erin Balser

But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz by Geoff Dyer

Like Half-Blood Blues, But Beautiful takes a fictional look at jazz through some key figures in the movement, such as Duke Ellington and Harry Carney. Through eight separate vignettes, Geoffrey Dyer tells the stories of these important jazz musicians.

by Erin Balser

Different Drummers: Jazz in the Culture of Nazi Germany by Michael H. Kater

Michael H. Kater's Different Drummers takes a historical look at the effect of European on Nazi culture. To Nazis, jazz was the lowest form of creative expression and heavily demonized.

by Erin Balser

Destined to Witness: Growing up Black in Nazi Germany by Hans J. Massaquoi

Destined to Witness is the true story of Hans J. Massaquoi’s upbringing as a black child in Nazi Germany. He is the son an African man and a German woman. Hans Massaquoi falls under the spell of the Nazi party and tries to join the Hitler Youth, but is denied access because of his race.

by Erin Balser

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