Jes Grew is a contagious spiritual manifestation that is spreading across the country. Infected people exhibit symptoms such as dancing and lusting. White people claim that those overtaken by Jes Grew enter “a state of ‘uncontrollable frenzy’ and begin ‘lusting after relevance’” (4).

Jes Grew symbolizes Black rebellion in a nation dominated by Eurocentric culture. Jes Grew does not abide by the laws and mores imposed by the white establishment. It cannot be contained by powerful Atonists who for centuries have effectively suppressed Black culture. It infects people with rhythm and zeal while offering an escape from an oppressive sociopolitical environment.

The author’s incorporation of jazz represents Black innovation and white appropriation. In the first chapter, the author includes a block quotation from Louis Armstrong (7). Shortly thereafter, he discusses Charlie Parker (16). Early in the book, it is established that jazz will have a meaningful role in the narrative. Jazz was a shocking musical innovation when it was invented by Black artists in New Orleans in the late 19th century. By the 1920s, it was flourishing in New York, and many white musicians had become faces of the