Understanding Suzan-Lori Parks

"Larson's book breaks new ground. Her critical study of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright provides us with an aesthetic lens through which to see the impressive and complex works of one of our country's geniuses. Parks's plays, screenplays, essays, and her fiction explore American history and culture in a daring, revolutionary way that Larson is able to express in a clearly written and well researched critical study."—College Language Association Awards Committee Evaluation

"Through her haunting plays, screenplays, and fiction exploring black experiences in white America, Suzan-Lori Parks is creating a legacy that future playwrights need to acknowledge and follow, if they dare. Parks has revolutionized the American theatre and has been the subject of a growing body of critical work. Incorporating and expanding that scholarship, Jennifer Larson has written a carefully nuanced and historically grounded introduction to Parks's provocative and prolific canon. Larson is to be commended for her well-informed discussions of Parks's challenging body of work."—Philip C. Kolin, University Distinguished Professor, College of Arts and Letters, University of Southern Mississippi