“A vibrant narrative composition in which the stirring voices of black intellectuals and artists echo like soloists in an eloquent Ellington suite” (Mel Watkins, author of On the Real Side).   Written by New York Times–bestselling author Dick Russell, Black Genius offers intimate, in-depth portraits, interviews, and essays of African-American musicians, civil rights leaders, philosophers, writers, and actors, including Barack Obama, Duke Ellington, Will Marion Cook, Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Albert Murray, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Frederick Douglass, and Romare Bearden. Each figure is interconnected with the next, exploring themes of family and intergenerational community, spirituality, and diligence, activism, and struggle.   These remarkable portraits reveal the true spirit of the American pioneers who forged much of the heart of this nation, but whose achievements have been largely overlooked. Concluding with a list of sources and suggested reading, this fascinating and vibrant look at American history is a must for any collection.   “Valuable for its oral-history component and for celebrating the communal contribution to the achievements of even the most independent geniuses.” —Booklist   “Dick Russell melds exhaustive historical research with fresh and revealing contemporary interviews. The combination creates a window on African-American genius and geniuses that has never been opened. This is an astonishing book.” —Richard Newman, former Fellows Officer of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute