The Last of the Black Emperors, author Jonetta Rose Barras explains the many paradoxes of Marion Barry's career, and documents the growth of his racial and political identities parallel with those of his largely black constituency.

Barras places the D.C. mayor in context, comparing him with politicians-black and non-black-of his generation, and with "the new black leaders" who have rendered his style obsolete. Focusing on the period from Barry's 1992 prison release, through his 1994 mayoral victory, and the subsequent erosion of his influence in the nation's capital, Barras's study traces the uneven trajectory of a wily, controversial, but captivating personality.

Barras also offers glimpses of young Barry--his childhood in the south under Jim Crow, his early political life in the civil rights movement and SNCC, and his forsaking activism for the pursuit of elected office. The Last of the Black Emperors shows us Barry as an embodiment of Anansi the Spider, a "trickster" figure from African folklore who is both victim and victor, and resounds in the psyche of black America to this day.

"The story of Marion Barry is the story of a life and rare opportunity recklessly misspent, and Jonetta Rose Barras, who knows Washington much better than most, captures this story with sympathy and sensitivity. In an unflinching dissection of man and opportunity, she shows us why and how Marion Barry cheated himself, his city, and all the rest of us."

- Wesley Pruden, Editor-in-Chief, The Washinton Times

"A deeply rewarding book. Ms. Barras is lucid both in her writing and her reportage. She deftly places Maryor Barry as the last beneficiary of a bygone era in black politics. All said and done, Marion Barry has been read his political obituary."

- Max Rodriguez, publisher, The Quartely Review of Books