Three or More Is a Riot

“In this collection of cultural criticism and reportage—drawn mostly from his writing for The New Yorker—Cobb offers a cleareyed look at a turbulent decade of grass-roots social movements and the eventual right-wing backlash they inspired.”—The New York Times, “21 Nonfiction Books Coming This Fall”

“[Three or More Is a Riot] is a gripping anthology of Cobb’s writing. . . . Cobb is unfailingly modest about his insight and the power of his work to effect change. But that modesty belies the fact that Cobb’s writing makes us feel the injustice deeply. . . . It is foremost a stirring catalog of institutions lost, of other lives cut short. On the rare occasions when he inserts his personal experience into the journalism, the result is a rich and satisfying creation.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Cobb offers an expansive collection of his published essays. . . . The volume includes political reportage, thoughtful cultural criticism . . . and obituaries and profiles. . . . The collection’s through line is Cobb’s sharp exploration of how America’s history of white supremacy continues to influence contemporary events.”—Publishers Weekly

“Each essay is a vivid snapshot of the America that existed at the time and a glimpse at the one that might have been, ultimately showing the reader the how of what America came to be.”—Adam Serwer, New York Times bestselling author of The Cruelty Is the Point

“Three or More Is a Riot is an archive of a writer at the height of his powers—and his powers are many. Insight, historical memory, reportage, pith, and, not least of all, wit. All these gifts he deploys here without missing a beat, effortlessly weaving them into his own distinctive style. We live in a time when writers like Cobb are being targeted by the highest powers in this nation. Read this book to understand why.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of The Message

“Trained first as a scholar and then as a journalist, Jelani Cobb is an essayist of rare erudition and integrity. From his first pieces about Trayvon Martin to his more recent explorations of race in the Trump era, he has been an exemplar of intellectual honesty, fierce self-questioning, and independence. Jelani Cobb is a truth-teller and this book is a gift.”—David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker