Gerald Lyn Early (born April 21, 1952) is an American essayist and American culture critic. He is currently the Merle Kling Professor of Modern letters, of English, African studies, African-American studies, American culture studies, and Director, Center for Joint Projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
Books in order of publication:
Tuxedo Junction: Essays on American Culture (1989)
Life with Daughters: Watching the Miss America Pageant (1990)
The Culture of Bruising: Essays on Prizefighting, Literature, and Modern American Culture (1994)
Daughters: On Family and Fatherhood (1994) (memoir)
One Nation Under a Groove: Motown & American Culture (1994) (music history)
How the War in the Streets Is Won: Poems on the Quest of Love and Faith (Time Being Books, 1995) (poetry)
Yes I Can! The Sammy Davis Jr. Story (2001) nominated for a Grammy (Best Album Notes)
Rhapsodies in Black: Music and Words From the Harlem Renaissance (2002) (nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes)
Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America (2025)
Oak Lawn Library Friends 