African American Visions

Nearly 50 trend-setting titles for your collection

By Ann Burns -- Library Journal, 11/1/2006

What's hot in African American publishing? As always, LJ's annual roundup in anticipation of Black History Month in February can give us some clues. Erotic fiction is clearly on the rise, with prolific writer Walter Mosley and two new black British novelists now jumping into the fold. This genre has taken the literary world by storm, competing with street lit, pop fiction, and serious works, and black writers are helping define it. Also on this list in nonfiction: a biography of the first great black filmmaker, a cookbook from a popular comedienne, a book celebrating the Black Panther Party's 40th anniversary, a ground-breaking account of the Little Rock Nine, a memoir from a basketball superstar, and much more for librarians to savor and add to their collections.

Biography

Brooke, Edward W. Bridging the Divide: My Life. Rutgers Univ.. Nov. 2006. c.320p. photogs. ISBN 0-8135-3905-6. $29.95. AUTOBIOG

In this memoir, Brooke, who in 1967 became the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate, recalls the Civil Rights Movement, the dark days of Watergate, and his relationships with the Kennedys and other political figures. He also speaks poignantly of his recent bout with breast cancer.

McGilligan, Patrick. Oscar Micheaux: The Great and Only; The Life of America's First Great Black Filmmaker. Regan Bks: HarperCollins. Jan. 2007. c.384p. photogs. ISBN 0-06-073139-7 [ISBN 978-0-06-073139-7]. $29.95. BIOG

McGilligan (Alfred Hitchcock) offers a vivid portrayal of Micheaux (1884–1951), the "Jackie Robinson" of film. You don't know him? He directed 22 silent and 15 sound films (e.g., The Girl from Chicago, Murder in Harlem) and wrote and published several novels in his lifetime. Yet he died penniless and forgotten.

Cookery

Mo'Nique. Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted. Amistad: HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. c.256p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-06-112105-3 [ISBN 978-0-06-112105-0]. $26.95. COOKERY

Comedienne Mo'Nique (Skinny Women Are Evil) dishes up some mouthwatering, down-home recipes in an amusing cookbook filled with reminiscences, cooking tips, and romantic advice for women, including how to catch a man and how to set the mood with food.

Tillery, Carolyn Quick. Southern Homecoming Traditions: Recipes and Remembrances. Citadel: Kensington. Nov. 2006. c.400p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8065-2683-1. $24.95. COOKERY

A celebration of Atlanta's historic black colleges, Tillery's (A Taste of Freedom) latest cookbook in the African American heritage series includes traditional recipes, modern dishes and drinks, speeches, photographs, and stories.

Winder, Delilah with Jennifer Lindner McGlinn. Delilah's Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking with Style. Running Pr. Nov. 2006. c.280p. ISBN 0-7624-2601-2 [ISBN 978-0-7624-2601-0]. $29.95. COOKERY

Former business analyst Winder, now owner of six Delilah's Southern Cuisine stands, serves up a feast of recipes and menus, along with special memories, tips, and suggestions for preparing soul food dishes, including her famous Macaroni & Cheese.

Fiction

Baraka, Amiri. Tales of the Out & the Gone. Akashic. Dec. 2006. c.240p. ISBN 1-933354-12-7 [ISBN 978-1-933354-12-5]. pap. $14.95. F

In these daring pieces, Baraka (Somebody Blew Up America), former poet laureate of New Jersey and always the provocateur, reflects on the politics of the 1970s and 1980s, makes fun of buppies, and offers many more unusual stories. (See review, p. 71.)

Black, Millenia. The Great Betrayal. NAL: Penguin. Dec. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-451-21953-8. pap. $13.95. F

Black's (The Great Pretender) new novel features the Cavanaughs, who would appear to have an ideal marriage and family life. But the wife's painful secret and the husband's affair threaten to spoil everything.

Bland, Eleanor Taylor. Suddenly a Stranger. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Feb. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 0-312-36045-2 [978-0-312-36045-0]. $23.95. F

In Bland's (A Dark and Deadly Deception) latest mystery, Detective Marti MacAlister is implicated in the murder of Lieutenant Gail Nicholson, who made many enemies leaking police records to aid criminals. The action is motivated by a large shipment of drugs.

DuQuesne, Aisha. Soul Siren. Delta: Dell. Jan. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 0-385-34074-5 [ISBN 978-0-385-34074-8]. pap. $13. F

An erotic thriller, this first novel features R&B singer Erica Jones, whose trysts with men and women drive her to take risks that could destroy her career and lead to the murder of her lovers.

Ford, Wallace. What You Sow. Dafina: Kensington. Nov. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-7582-0954-1. pap. $14. F

Ford revisits a group of powerful African Americans featured in The Pride, but things have changed. Investment banker Gordon now lies in a coma while his wife leads a life of luxury; Paul, a lawyer, has remarried his ex-wife; and businessman Jerome has recently become a widower.

Foster, Sharon Ewell. Abraham's Well. Bethany. Nov. 2006. 336p. ISBN 0-7642-2887-0 [ISBN 978-0-7642-2887-2]. pap. $12.99. F

Told from the point of view of Armentia, an aged black Cherokee woman, this historical novel from Foster (Passing by Samaria) focuses on the narrator's youth, her family, and their struggle to hold on to their dreams. (See review, p. 60.)

Howard, Ravi. Like Trees, Walking. Amistad: HarperCollins. Mar. 2007. c.320p. ISBN 0-06-052959-8 [ISBN 978-0-06-0529598]. $24.95. F

Set in Mobile, AL, this fact-based first novel chronicles the lynching of a 19-year-old man in 1981. The story focuses on the family of morticians responsible for planning his funeral, particularly the son, who reflects 22 years later on the day his brother saw his friend hanging from that tree.

Hunter, Travis. Something To Die For. One World: Ballantine. Nov. 2006. c.272p. ISBN 0-345-48167-4 [ISBN 978-0-345-48167-2]. pap. $12.95. F

Combining street lit with pop fiction, Hunter (A One Woman Man) profiles a college basketball star falsely convicted of murder, who's given a life sentence but released after five years. He returns home to find his mother hooked on drugs and a daughter he didn't know existed.

Jackson, Brenda. What a Woman Wants. Griffin: St. Martin's. Jan. 2007. c.320p. ISBN 0-312-35934-9 [ISBN 978-0-312-35934-8]. pap. $13.95. F

The suicide of a friend leads three women to decide they'll make the most of their lives, so they head to a beach house for the summer in search of new adventures and new men. From the author of No More Playas.

Jakes, T.D. Not Easily Broken. Warner Faith: Warner. 2006. c.245p. ISBN 0-446-57677-8 [ISBN 978-0-446-57677-2]. $23.99. F

This new novel from prolific writer and pastor Jakes (Woman Thou Art Loosed) features Clarice and David Johnson, whose marriage is rocky owing to different values. Then a car accident leaves Clarice with a broken leg and an unwillingness to accept David's support, leading him to seek attention from another woman. (See review, p. 62.)

Lawrence, Lisa. Strip Poker. Delta: Dell. Jan. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 0-385-34073-7 [ISBN 978-0-385-34073-1]. pap. $13. F

British freelance writer Lawrence's first novel is an erotic thriller focusing on Teresa, a former international courier now employed by the owner of a male escort agency. Teresa's new assignment: she must locate the blackmailer of a well-known black politician who's into wild sex.

Mallette, Gloria. If There Be Pain. Dafina: Kensington. Dec. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-7582-1159-7. pap. $15. F

In Mallette's (What's Done in the Dark) latest, successful businessman and philanderer Kyle Lawson seeks out a fortune teller when he's visited by frightening dreams following the death of his Native American grandfather.

Michaels, Cherlyn. First Fridays. Hyperion. Jan. 2007. c.272p. ISBN 1-4013-0814-7. pap. $14.95. F

In a novel filled with sexual tension, Naja prefers not to combine business with pleasure, even after meeting handsome Russ at a networking party. From the author of Counting Raindrops Through a Stained Glass Window.

Monroe, Mary & Victor McGlothin. Borrow Trouble. Dafina: Kensington. Dec. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-7582-1223-2. $24. F

Monroe (God Don't Play) and McGlothin (Down on My Knees) team up for the first time in a pair of gripping novellas. In "Nightmare in Paradise," a woman vacationing in the Caribbean is wrongfully arrested for prostitution and spends three months in jail; two best friends lead a life of crime in "Bad Luck Shadow," resulting in the death of a racist businessman.

Mosley, Walter. Killing Johnny Fry. Bloomsbury, dist. by St. Martin's. Jan. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 1-59691-226-X [ISBN 978-1-59691-226-7]. $23.95. F

In his first foray into erotic fiction, Mosley (The Wave) introduces Cordell Carmel, who decides on a novel tact after discovering his girlfriend with another man: he buys a pornographic DVD and begins a series of sexual adventures. (See review, p. 69.)

Parks, Electa Rome. Ladies' Night Out. NAL: Penguin. Jan. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 0-451-22025-0 [ISBN 978-0-4512-2025-7]. $19.95. F

Something revelatory could threaten the relationship of four single best friends, who've been meeting every month since college to share wine and laughter and discuss their dreams, their families, and the men in their lives. The latest from the author of Loose Ends.

Pete, Eric. Lady Sings the Cruels. NAL: Penguin. Nov. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-451-21954-6. pap. $13.95. F

Pete (Gets No Love) introduces singer Amelia Bonds, who has a second chance to become a star when she gets a gig at a local nightclub. There she meets Ike, a corrections officer with shocking ties to her past.

Pina, Gabrielle. Chasing Sophea. One World: Ballantine. Nov. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-345-47619-0 [ISBN 978-0-345-47619-7]. pap. $13.95. F

In her second novel (after Bliss), Pina tells a realistic story but laces it with supernatural effects. Though she's a wife and mother with a successful career, the troubled young protagonist must struggle to overcome tragedies from her childhood involving her Dallas family, which has operated a funeral home for eight generations. (LJ 7/06)

Ray, Francis. In Another Man's Bed. Griffin: St. Martin's. Feb. 2007. c.368p. ISBN 0-312-35613-7 [ISBN 978-0-312-35613-2]. pap. $13.95. F

Ray's (Like the First Time) latest novel revolves around a cheating husband caught in the act by his wife, who vows she'll get a quick divorce. As he follows her in his car, he has an accident and ends up in a coma, leaving her to decide whether or not to pull the plug.

Roby, Kimberla Lawson. Love and Lies. Morrow. Feb. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 0-06-089249-8 [ISBN 978-0-06-089249-4]. $23.95. F

College professor Janine struggles to get rid of her lazy, unemployed, abusive boyfriend, Antonio, even as Roby (The Best-Kept Secret) reintroduces us to Rev. Curtis Black and his wife, Charlotte, who still has doubts about her husband's fidelity.

Tademy, Lalita. Red River. Warner. Jan. 2007. c.419p. ISBN 0-446-57898-3 [ISBN 978-0-446-57898-1]. $24.99. F

Following her New York Times best seller, Cane River, Tademy continues to mix fact with fiction in a historical novel about freed slaves, voting for the first time in Colfax, LA, who elect a Republican sheriff but face opposition from a group of ruthless white citizens.

Thomas, Michael. Man Gone Down. Black Cat: Grove. Jan. 2007. c.432p. ISBN 0-8021-7029-3 [ISBN 978-0-8021-7029-3] pap. $14. F

In this debut, Thomas focuses on an African American man in search of the American Dream—never mind that he's broke, separated from his white wife and three children, and forced to live with a friend. (LJ 10/15/06)

Weber, Carl. The First Lady. Dafina: Kensington. Jan. 2007. c.304p. ISBN 0-7582-1575-4. $24. F

Weber (So You Call Yourself a Man) returns with the story of a pastor's wife whose dying wish is to make sure her husband has a good woman to take care of him when she's gone. Her solution? She selects four likely prospects.

Health

Collier, Andrea King & Willarda V. Edwards. The Black Woman's Guide to Black Men's Health. Warner Wellness: Warner. Feb. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 0-446-69772-9 [978-0-466-69772-9]. pap. $13.99. HEALTH

Healthcare consultant Collier and internist Edwards have written a comprehensive resource for women who care about the health of the men in their lives. The issues covered include prescription drugs, various diseases that affect African American men, aging, and much more.

History

Austin, Curtis J. Up Againist the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party. Univ. of Arkansas. Nov. 2006. c.420p. illus. index. ISBN 1-55728-827-5 [ISBN 978-1-55728-827-1]. $34.95. HIST

A force to be reckoned with in the 1960s, the Black Panther Party celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Austin (history, Univ. of Southern Mississippi) focuses on the basics, recapping the founding of the party, its leaders and programs, and its eventual downfall.

Honey, Michael K. Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign. Norton. Jan. 2007. c.640p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-393-04339-8 [ISBN 978-0-393-04339-6]. $35. HIST

Honey (Black Workers Remember) provides a detailed look at the assassinated civil rights leader's involvement in the plight of sanitation workers who went on strike for better working conditions after two men were killed in the back of a faulty truck in Memphis, TN, in 1968.

Jacoway, Elizabeth. Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis That Shocked the Nation. Free Pr: S. & S. Jan. 2007. c.352p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7432-9719-9 [ISBN 978-0-7432-9719-6]. $28. HIST

In 1957, nine black students successfully integrated an all-white high school in Little Rock, AR, despite resistance from the governor and the National Guard. Jacoway (coauthor, Understanding the Little Rock Crisis) has written this account to coincide with the 50th anniversary of this major event of the Civil Rights Movement, explaining what really happened and what it means.

Humor

Littleton, Darryl. Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African Americans Taught Us To Laugh. Applause. Dec. 2006. c.360p. photogs. index. ISBN 1-55783-680-9. $27.95. HUMOR

In this work, stand-up comedian and comedy writer Littleton traces the history of African American humor, which started on slave ships, and interviews and pays tribute to some of the giants (e.g. Dick Gregory, Marla Gibbs, and Redd Foxx) who made major contributions to the world of laughter.

Literature

Wintz, Cary D. & others. Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance. Sourcebooks MediaFusion: Sourcebooks. Nov. 2006. c.272p. ISBN 1-4022-0436-1 [ISBN 978-1-4022-0436-4]. $29.95. LIT

African American literature, music, art, and politics flourished during the Harlem Renaissance (1919–30), here chronicled by examining the careers and contributions of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Bessie Smith, and many others.

Performing Arts

Bogle, Donald. Brown Sugar: Over 100 Years of America's Black Female Superstars. Continuum. Jan. 2007. c.352p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-8264-1675-6. pap. $34.95. THEATER

Bogle (Dorothy Dandridge), a leading expert on blacks in popular culture, celebrates African American divas in this update of a classic, profiling the lives, careers, and sometimes disparaging images of such stars as Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, Lena Horne, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Poetry

Bridges, Constance Quarterman. Lions Don't Eat Us. Graywolf, dist. by Farrar. 2006. c.80p. ISBN 1-55597-454-6. pap. $14. POETRY

Winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, given for the best first collection of African American poetry, this collection distills generations of African American experience in poetry that is tough-minded but powerfully lyric. (See review, p. 81.)

Mullen, Harryette. Recyclopedia: Trimmings, S*PeRM**K*T, Muse & Drudge. Graywolf, dist. by Farrar. Nov. 2006. c.176p. ISBN 1-55597-456-2 [ISBN 1-55597-456-5]. pap. $15. POETRY

Mullen (Sleeping with the Dictionary) ranges far in her prose poems, covering fashion and femininity, advertising and the supermarket, even singing the blues as she pays tribute to Gertrude Stein, Sappho, and others.

Smith, Patricia. Teahouse of the Almighty. Coffee House, dist. by Consortium. 2006. c.114p. ISBN 1-56689-193-0 [ISBN 978-1-56689-193-6]. pap. $15. POETRY

Rooted in performance, the poems in this "National Poetry" series winner from a four-time national poetry slam champion demonstrate the everlasting power of poetry. (LJ 7/06)

Troupe, Quincy. The Architecture of Language. Coffee House, dist. by Consortium. 2006. c.110p. ISBN 1-56689-189-2 [ISBN 978-1-56689-189-9]. $24.95; pap. ISBN 1-56689-190-6 [ISBN 978-1-56689-190-5]. $15. POETRY

Veteran poet Troupe (e.g., Choruses) is indeed an architect of language, using striking word choice to reach out and capture the moment, thereby reframing our sense of self and society. (LJ 8/06)

Young, Kevin. For the Confederate Dead. Knopf. Jan. 2007. c.165p. ISBN 0-307-26435-1 [ISBN 978-0-307-26435-0]. $24.95. POETRY

Ever influenced by jazz and the blues (see, for instance, Jelly Roll, a National Book Award nominee), Young leads us on journeys both real and imagined to produce his most ambitious book yet. (LJ 10/15/06)

Politics

Rich, Wilbur C. David Dinkins and New York City Politics: Race, Images, and the Media. State Univ. of NY. Nov. 2006. c.224p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-7914-6949-2 [ISBN 978-0-7914-6949-1]. $35. POLITICS

Dinkins was the first African American mayor of New York City, serving from 1990 to 1994. Here, Rich (political science, Wellesley Coll.) examines his tenure, exploring such key factors as Dinkins's staff, racial events druing his tenure, his relations with employee unions, and more.

Reference

Encyclopedia of African American Women Writers. 2 vols. Greenwood. Mar. 2007. c.712p. ed. by Yolanda Williams Page. ISBN 0-313-33429-3 [ISBN 978-0-313-33429-0]. $99.95. REF

Edited by Page, coordinator of collegiate success at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, this book examines the lives and works of more than 150 African American women novelists, poets, playwrights, and essayists. Not surprisingly, Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor are tops among them.

Religion

Preaching with Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1650 to the Present. Norton. Mar. 2007. c.1056p. ed. by Martha Simmons & Frank A. Thomas. illus. ISBN 0-393-05831-X [ISBN 978-0-393-05831-4]. $39.95. REL

Simmons and Thomas, publisher and CEO, respectively, of the journal the African American Pulpit, have compiled this collection of speeches from preachers like Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Malcolm X, who talk of their life in slavery, their fight for freedom, and the rise of the black power movement.

Social Science

Franklin, Robert M. Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities. Fortress. Jan. 2007. c.208p. ISBN 0-8006-3887-5 [ISBN 978-0-8006-3887-0]. pap. $15. SOC SCI

Franklin (social ethics, Emory Univ.) identifies the four institutions that have played a vital role in the black struggle for freedom: the church, colleges and universities, black families, and civil rights organizations.

Stodghill, Ron. Redbone: Money, Malice & Murder in Atlanta. Amistad: HarperCollins. Mar. 2007. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 0-06-089715-5 [ISBN 978-0-06-089715-4]. $25.95. CRIME

Stodghill, a former editor in chief of Savoy magazine, here investigates the flamboyant lifestyle and brutal murder of Lance Herndon, a prominent African American owner of a computer consulting firm.

Sports

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem with Raymond Obstfeld. On the Shoulders of Giants. S. & S. Feb. 2007. c.304p. photogs. ISBN 1-4165-3488-1 [ISBN 978-1-4165-3488-4]. $26. SPORTS

Former basketball player Abdul-Jabbar (Brother in Arms) here shares his life story, beginning with his childhood in Harlem, moving on to show how he was influenced by the Harlem Renaissance, and including contributions from celebrities like Magic Johnson, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee.

Jacobson, Steve. Carrying Jackie's Torch: The Players Who Integrated Baseball—and America. Lawrence Hill: Chicago Review. Jan. 2007. c.256p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 1-55652-639-3 [ISBN 978-1-55652-639-8]. $24.95. SPORTS

In 1947, Jackie Robinson (1919–72) became the first African American to play major league baseball. Sports journalist Jacobson profiles this pioneer and others who followed in his footsteps.

Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes. Univ. of Arkansas. Nov. 2006. c.464p. ed. by David K. Wiggins. photogs. index. ISBN 1-55728-826-7 [ISBN 978-1-55728-826-4]. $34.95. SPORTS

This essay collection, edited by Wiggins (Glory Bound), considers famous and not-so-famous men and women athletes from the 19th century to today, pointing out how they struggled to make it in a segregated society. (LJ 10/15/06)