Shadow and Act is Ellison's first collection of non-fiction, gathering essays, interviews and reviews written over about two decades. He writes about literature, jazz and blues, folklore, film and politics, and about what it means to be both Black and American. Several pieces reflect on his own craft, including how Invisible Man came to be written. He argues against narrow views of Black life as simple suffering, stressing instead its complexity, humour and creativity, and its place at the heart of American culture. The book is a good companion to his fiction and a thoughtful entry into mid-century American debates.