“Biography of a Dangerous Idea further cements Andrew S. Curran as one of our greatest scholars of the terrible history of race. . . A vitally important, beautifully crafted book.”

— Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of The Black Box: Writing the Race

‘This book is urgently needed. It restores vitality to the story of how race became a dominant political and scientific idea, extending familiar narratives with provocative new detail.”

— Paul Gilroy, author of There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack

“As wonderfully accessible as it is meticulously researched. . .a true gift for readers who seek to understand this complicated story.

–Robert Bernasconi, author of The Critical Philosophy of Race

“Cleverly crafted and well executed. [This book] is sweeping, it is stunning, and hard to put down.”

–Rana A. Hogarth, author of Medicalizing Blackness