With The Princess and the Prophet: The Secret History of Magic, Race, and Moorish Muslims in America (Beacon Press, 2020), Jacob S. Dorman uncovers the hidden history of the founder of the precursor of the Nation of Islam and his secret life on Broadway, in the circus, in vaudeville, and in the Harlem Renaissance—as well as new chapters in the sordid tale of Chicago political corruption in the age of Al Capone.

UCLA’s Robin D.G. Kelley writes: “Performer, prestidigitator, peddler, preacher, prophet, politician, prisoner, and precursor of the Nation of Islam—these are the many faces of the enigmatic Noble Drew Ali.  Jacob Dorman’s deft and riveting historical ‘thriller’ demolishes everything we thought we knew about the man, his equally mysterious wife, and the movement he led.  A journey through continents and circus tents, barbershops and backrooms, millennia of religious traditions and an ersatz ‘Orient’ embodied in the flesh of Black pretenders, The Princess and the Prophet is itself a prodigious feat of detective work and archival magic. A spectacular book in so many ways.” Michael Muhammad Knight judges it “a masterful blend of rigorous scholarship and compelling narrative…an immense accomplishment.” Michigan State University’s LaShawn D. Harris calls it “a must-read!...fascinating and compelling.” Publisher’s Weekly deems it “a remarkable study.”

Jacob S. Dorman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History and Core Humanities at the University of Nevada, Reno, solves historical mysteries using microhistory and deep archival research, as well as a writing style that has been called “captivating.” In addition to The Princess and the Prophet, he is the author of Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions (Oxford University Press 2013), winner of four book awards. Many funders have generously supported his writing, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.