The Souls of Black Folk is a classic study of race, culture, and education at the turn of the twentieth century. With its singular combination of essays, memoir, and fiction, this book vaulted W. E. B. Du Bois to the forefront of American political commentary and civil rights activism. The Souls of Black Folk is an impassioned, at times searing account of the situation of African Americans in the United States. Du Bois makes a forceful case for the access of African Americans to higher education, memorably extols the achievements of black culture (above all the spirituals or 'sorrow songs'), and advances the provocative and influential argument that due to the inequalities and pressures of the 'race problem', African American identity is characterized by 'double consciousness'.

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was a foundational American sociologist, historian, author, and civil rights activist who co-founded the NAACP and edited The Crisis. As the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, he pioneered sociological research on race relations in works like The Souls of Black Folk.