In The Cotton Club, Jim Haskins chronicles the story of the Cotton Club, an acclaimed nightclub in Harlem, New York, from 1923-1940 that was a symbol of the Jazz Age. This book tells the story of the Cotton Club which featured legendary Black singers and musicians and served as a meeting location with “Celebrity Nights.” Here, Haskins shares stories of amazing popular artists, jilted love, prohibition, segregation, social impact, and more. First published in 1977, this book served as the basis for the 1984 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Jim Haskins was a prolific author and scholar, writing more than one hundred books for adults and children. Many of his books highlight the successes and importance of African Americans. In 2024, the LibraryPress@UF reissued new versions of four of his important books: The Cotton Club, Scott Joplin: The Man Who Made Ragtime, Barbara Jordan, and Fighting Shirley Chisholm.