“[An] intellectually dense collection . . . Mabanckou’s challenging perspective on African identity today is as enlightening as it is provocative.” —Publishers Weekly In The Tears of the Black Man, award-winning author Alain Mabanckou explores what it means to be black in the world today. Mabanckou confronts the long and entangled history of Africa, France, and the United States as it has been shaped by slavery, colonialism, and their legacy today. Without ignoring the injustices and prejudice still facing blacks, he distances himself from resentment and victimhood, arguing that focusing too intenselyon the crimes of the past is limiting. Instead, it is time to ask: Now what? Embracing the challenges faced by ethnic minority communities today, The Tears of the Black Man looks to the future, choosing to believe that the history of Africa has yet to be written and seeking a path toward affirmation and reconciliation.Praise for Alain Mabanckou and his works “Mabanckou counts as one of the most successful voices of young African literature.” —Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin “Africa’s Samuel Beckett . . . one of the continent’s greatest living writers.” —The Guardian “One of the most compelling books you’ll read in any language this year.” —Rolling Stone