The title of this book was too appealing for me to resist reading it, so I am grateful to have received it in order to share my view on it.

I was drawn to the title and intrigued by the character of Du Bois, of which I knew nothing about. What this book offers is an analysis of his work, following his understanding and treatment of democracy and beauty, and a demonstration of how his work is still relevant in these times.

I am sure there are many more knowledgeable people, both academics and people whose experience is more relevant than mine, who can critically review this book based on many aspects. For a reader that was just discovering Du Bois through this analysis - I was left with a new perspective on the political value of beauty, its ways to impact democracy in more ways than one and I appreciate greatly the way the author shades a light on the limitations of Du Bois' ideas when it comes to the role of black women.

In a sense, for me this book was an act of beauty in Du Bois' terms: an act of surprise, that left me changed, offering me a new perspective on the social impact of beauty, openness and hard won optimism.

I am not well-read in the subject of this book. I've read some DuBois and I know the context of his work, but the focus of this book was brand new for me to consider. However, when I saw this book being offered for review on NetGalley, I was intrigued and applied for a copy, which I received. It truly made me want to dig more into the subject and understand it better. Gooding-Williams has written an interesting book that is overall very readable even if you're not very familiar with the subject.