Among the many gifted African American authors who emerged in the 1970s and 80s, John Edgar Wideman is one of the most challenging and innovative. In Understanding John Edgar Wideman, D. Quentin Miller offers a comprehensive overview of Wideman's writings, which range from critically acclaimed books to lesser known early novels.

D. Quentin Miller chairs the Department of English at Suffolk University in Boston and is the author, editor, or coeditor of ten books, including, most recently, The Routledge Introduction to African American Literature. His interest in Wideman stemmed from teaching writing in prisons in the 1990s, which in turn led to a fascination with works by prisoners and about the prison experience.