Stars and Shadows is the first book to provide a comprehensive history of the political significance of interracial friendship in American politics. From Thomas Jefferson's abrupt connection with Benjamin Banneker to the rich and familiar friendship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the book traces the ways in which such friendships have been integral to demonstrating the possibilities-and, at times, shortcomings-of multiracial democracy in America. By invoking less familiar as well as well-covered examples ranging from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass to Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, Stars and Shadows offers an innovative approach to thinking about the relationship between racial equality, political leadership, and personal friendship. Taking the metaphor of Stars and Shadows from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, this text exposes the strengths and weaknesses endemic to America's quest to become a truly egalitarian nation.