Kevin Young Books
Kevin Young is an American poet, essayist, and editor. He has served as poetry editor of The New Yorker and director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Known for: Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
Books by Kevin Young
Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
In this wide-ranging cultural history, Kevin Young explores the American fascination with hoaxes, fakes, and frauds—from P.T. Barnum’s humbug to modern-day fake news. He traces how deception has shaped art, politics, and identity, revealing the deep connections between race, authenticity, and truth in American life.
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Origins of Humbug
The story of bunk begins, as so many American stories do, with P. T. Barnum. Barnum understood something essential about his country: that people didn’t just want truth—they wanted spectacle. In the 19th century, he cultivated a culture of humbug, which he defined as "putting on glittering appearanc...
From Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
The Rise of the Hoax
As the 19th century unfolded, humbug evolved into the literary hoax. Writers such as Edgar Allan Poe blurred the lines between reportage and fabrication, producing stories presented as fact—balloon voyages to the moon, premature burials, improbable adventures. The penny press carried these tales to ...
From Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News
About Kevin Young
Kevin Young is an American poet, essayist, and editor. He has served as poetry editor of The New Yorker and director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. His works often explore themes of history, identity, and cultural memory.
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Kevin Young is an American poet, essayist, and editor. He has served as poetry editor of The New Yorker and director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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