Juba!

Myers's posthumously published novel draws on the historical record to imagine the life of legendary African American dancer William Henry Lane (approx. 1825–1854), better known as Juba. Juba first makes a name for himself in his late teens, performing in and organizing a successful integrated dance gala in New York City's Five Points neighborhood. A chance encounter with Charles Dickens (who lauds Juba's dancing in his book American Notes) opens the door to a tour of Great Britain with Gil Pell's minstrel group, The Serenaders. Knowing that audiences will expect him to "coon it up," Juba has misgivings; Pell convinces him, insisting he wants the show to portray authentic African American music and dance. Juba receives acclaim and meets his future wife, Sarah, but his success and happiness are short-lived: he falls ill and dies alone in a Liverpool workhouse at age thirty, seeking opportunities to perform right up to the end. Interspersed into Juba's personable first-person narration are reproductions of period maps, photos, and primary source documents. Throughout, Myers confronts head-on the racial realities of the pre–Emancipation Proclamation era: an acquaintance is kidnapped and sold into slavery; Juba must constantly reiterate his own humanity and his integrity as an artist in the face of the insulting "darky" entertainer jobs he is offered. Appended are an epilogue clarifying fact from fiction, a timeline, and a note about Myers's research methods written by his wife, Constance Myers. Katie Bircher

Myers's posthumously published novel imagines the life of legendary African American dancer William Henry Lane (approx. 1825–1854), better known as Juba, who toured Great Britain with minstrel group The Serenaders. Myers confronts head-on the racial realities of the pre–Emancipation Proclamation era. Appended are an epilogue clarifying fact from fiction and a note about Myers's research methods written by wife Constance Myers. Timeline.