The People Can Fly: American Promise, Black Prodigies, and the Greatest Miracle of All Time

Poet and literature scholar Bennett (Spoken Word) offers a sprawling meditation on the history of African American child geniuses and prodigies. The author opens with recollections of his own upbringing by parents who saw him as a gifted child “destined for a path that would further the cause of our people’s freedom.” As he progressed through his studies, however, Bennett experienced the double-edged sword of such high expectations—“There was no middle ground: I was either an exemplar or a washout.” From there, the author employs a unique assortment of history, criticism, disability studies, and memoir to explore what it means to have potential as a Black child, delving into the early lives of such luminaries as James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Gwendolyn Brooks, as well as those of lesser-known figures like Thomas Fuller, an enslaved mathematical genius known as “The Virginia Calculator,” and Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins, a late-19th-century pianist who could precisely replay any musical performance he heard. While Bennett’s expansive analysis at times meanders, it abounds with insights, such as his perceptive deconstruction of the stereotype of the singular lone genius—the author carefully tracks how his subjects’ success came down to the care and education provided by teachers, families, churches, communities, and artistic forebears. It adds up to a profound rumination on what is needed to foster children’s promise. (Feb.)