This biography by Bonnie Greer gives us an insight into the controversial African-American writer and campaigner Langston Hughes. Hughes campaigned tirelessly for civil rights, but testified before the witch-hunting House Un-American Activities Committee. The author refuses to ignore or excuse these contradictions but asks how they formed him. With honesty and wit Bonnie confronts the contradictions of his day and allows us to draw strength from the unsolvable world in which Hughes found himself.