Black History Month Sneak Peek: 96 Titles
By Margaret Heilbrun Oct 21, 2010This sneak peek of our annual "Black History Month Preview" offers more context and nearly 30 additional titles than what will be published in the Nov. 1, 2010, print issue. Enjoy and see also my dual Q&A with Obama genealogical historians Peter Firstbrook and Stephen MacDonogh, each of whom has authored a new book on Obama's roots.
(This article originally appeared in the newsletter BookSmack! Click here to subscribe.)
ARTS | BIOGRAPHY | BUSINESS | COOKING | FICTION | GRAPHIC NOVELS | HISTORY | LAW | LITERATURE | PERFORMING ARTS | POETRY | POLITICAL SCIENCE | REFERENCE | SELF-HELP | SOCIAL SCIENCE | SPORTS
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Celebrate People's History!: The Poster Book of Resistance and Revolution. Feminist Pr: dist. by Perseus. Nov. 2010. 256p. ed. by Josh MacPhee. ISBN 9781558616776. pap. $24.95. GRAPHIC ARTS
Not a collection of primary-source posters, these were newly commissioned by editor MacPhee to "pay tribute to revolution, racial justice, women's rights, queer liberation, labor struggles, and creative activism and organizing," with artists such as Cristy Road, Swoon, Nicole Schulman, and Christopher Cardinale showing views of John Brown, Harriet Tubman, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and James Baldwin, among others.
Raiford, Leigh. Imprisoned in a Luminous Glare: Photography and the African American Freedom Struggle. Univ. of North Carolina. Feb. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780807834305. $45. PHOTOG
Raiford examines photography's role in documenting African America as well as in revealing the roles of blacks and whites in the civil rights struggle
Achebe, Nwando. The Female King of Colonial Nigeria: Ahebi Ugbabe. Indiana Univ. Pr. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 9780253355386. $80; pap. ISBN 9780253222480. $27.95. BIOG
The history of an Igbo woman, born in the late 19th century, who became king in colonial Nigeria, having lived a well traveled and varied life. Author Achebe also steps back and examines the wider perspective of gender roles, sexuality, and colonial studies.
Bracey, Earnest N. Fannie Lou Hamer: The Life of a Civil Rights Icon. McFarland. Feb. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780786460304. pap. $38. BIOG
A new biography of the woman from rural Mississippi who, through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), came to be a major activist for civil rights.
Carter, Rubin "Hurricane" with Ken Klonsky. Eye of the Hurricane: My Path from Darkness to Freedom. Lawrence Hill: Chicago Review. Jan. 2011. 320p. ISBN: 9781569765685. $26.95. AUTOBIOG
Readers of a certain age will remember the tremendous public move to free former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter from prison, wrongfully convicted of a 1966 triple homicide. The conviction was overturned in 1985, and Carter has been an advocate for the wrongly convicted since then. Here is his own story of his life, trials, and credo.
Davis, Belva with Victoria Haddock. Never in My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism. PoliPoint. Feb. 2011. 296p. ISBN 9781936227068. $24.95. AUTOBIOG
A pioneering black woman radio and television journalist and a daughter of the Depression in the Deep South, Davis tells of her encounters with volatile news stories from the Vietnam era on, and with the many newsmakers involved.
Firstbrook, Peter. The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family. Crown. Jan. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780307591401. $26; ebook. BIOG
While Stephen MacDonogh's Pioneers: The Frontier Family of Barack Obama (see LJ 11/1/10) relates the history of Obama's Irish ancestors, Firstbrook takes readers through Obama's Kenyan family history, going back 23 generations across 400 years.
Marable, Manning. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Viking. Mar. 2011. 608p. ISBN 9780670022205. $30; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Blackstone/Penguin). BIOG
Embargoed until March 8, 2011.
Thornton, Yvonne S., M.D. with Anita Bartholomew. Something To Prove: A Daughter's Journey To Fulfill a Father's Legacy. Kaplan. Jan. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9781607147244. $24.99. AUTOBIOG
Here is Thornton's sequel to her Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Ditchdigger's Daughters. Picking up where her previous memoir ended, she describes the tremendous challenges she faced as an African American woman attending medical school and going on to become a specialist in obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine. With her earlier memoir much praised as moving and inspiring, fans will look for this installment.
Pinkett, Randal & Jeffrey Robinson with Philana Patterson. Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies To Achieve Success and Find Greatness. AMACOM: American Managemet Assn. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780814416808. $24.95 BUS
Pinkett (Campus CEO) won season four of The Apprentice, the first African American winner. Here he, with his coauthors, offers ten strategies not simply for successful entrepreneurship but also successful "intrapreneurship," gaining success through knowing oneself and the realities of functioning in today's society.
Angelou, Maya. Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart. Random. Dec. 2010. 176p. ISBN 9781400068449. $30; ebook. COOKING
Angelou's second cookbook. Recipes with slices of memoir added. Sure to be savored
Alers, Rochelle. Because of You. Kimani: Harlequin. Nov. 2010. 304p. ISBN 9780373831937. pap. $6.99; ebook. ROMANCE
First in a new series, "The Wainwright Legacy," from the prolific Alers. Here readers meet New York attorneys Jordan Wainwright and Aziza Fleming. They become involved, with passions and secrets getting stirred up in the process.
Brown, Tracy. Aftermath: A Snapped Novel. Griffin: St. Martin's. Feb. 2011. 368p. ISBN 9780312555221. pap. $14.99; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Blackstone). F
The sequel to Snapped continues where the best-selling Brown left her readers, as four New York women confront murder, illicit romances, and more shocks and surprises.
Cole, Teju. Open City: A Novel. Random. Feb. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9781400068098. $25. F
Cole's first novel, after the novella Every Day Is for the Thief, is getting a 25,000-copy first printing. The doctor protagonist, like the author, is a Nigerian who came to New York. Julius moves about his adopted city encountering people whose lives tell of earlier African immigrant experiences and of the many lives the city has held.
Forna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. Atlantic Monthly. Jan. 2011. 464p. ISBN 9780802119650. $24.95. F
Forna's second novel after her well-regarded memoir, The Devil That Danced on the Water, takes place in Sierra Leone and weaves stories, past and present, involving Kai, a young surgeon; Elias, an older patient; and Adrian, a British psychiatrist. Who stands at the center of their stories?
Hairston, Andrea. Redwood and Wildfire. Aqueduct Pr. Feb. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9781933500522. pap. $20. F
Described as "a novel of what might have been," this has elements of magical realism, taking readers from the turn of the 20th century into imagined worlds while exploring visions of performance from vaudeville to film and much in between, including hoodoo.
Haiti Noir. Akashic. Jan. 2011. 320p. (Akashic Noir). ed. by Edwidge Danticat. ISBN 9781617750137. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781936070657. $15.95. M
The latest in the "Akashic Noir" series presents new stories by volume editor Danticat, as well as by Haitian and non-Haitian authors such as M.J. Fievre, Evelyne Trouillot, Aanu Zoboi, Madison Smartt Bell, Katia D. Ulysse, Mark Kurlansky, and Marie Ketsia Theodore-Pharel, including some contributions that take place after the recent earthquake.
Jackson, Brenda. Bachelor Unleashed. Kimani: Harlequin. Dec. 2010. 224p. ISBN 9780373861880. pap. $6.25. ROMANCE
The second title in Jackson's "Bachelors in Demand" series. Farrah Holloway remembers bachelor Xavier Kane and yearns for more.
Jackson, Brenda. A Silken Thread. Kimani: Harlequin. Feb. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780373534265. pap. $14.95. ROMANCE
Brian Lawson and Erica Sanders plan to be married—until something unexpected happens and they are torn apart. Years later, is there a chance for them to find happiness again?
Mason, J.D. Somebody Pick Up My Pieces. St. Martin's. Feb. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780312368876. $24.99; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Blackstone). F
Mason's fourth novel to follow the Rodgers women, after You Gotta Sin To Be Saved, is set to be another powerful family drama.
Osondu, E.C. Voice of America. Harper. Nov. 2010. 224p. ISBN 9780061990861. $19.99; ebook. F
A first collection from the Nigerian writer whose story "Waiting," included here, won the 2009 Caine Prize for African Writing. These stories are set both in Nigeria and America. An anticipated debut publication.
Perrin, Kayla. Winter Break. Griffin: St. Martin's. Jan. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780312644581. pap. $14.99. F
Romance! Suspense! A thriller that takes place on a cruise trip, so maybe better not take it with you on that shipboard vacation!
Roby, Kimberla Lawson. Love, Honor, and Betray. Grand Central. Jan. 2011. 336p. ISBN 9780446572453. $24.95. F
This is number eight in Roby's Reverend Curtis Black series, and life is still complicated. The challenges continue for Curtis and Charlotte.
Smith, Maureen. Whatever You Like. Kimani: Harlequin. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780373831982. pap. $6.99; ebook. ROMANCE
The first title in the new "Kimani Nights" line, this is a spicy Chicago entrée with erotic seasoning.
Terry, Kimberly Kaye. To Tempt a Wilde. Kimani: Harlequin. Feb. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780373862016. pap. $6.25. ROMANCE
First in a new trilogy, "Wilde in Wyoming," with a multicultural cast of characters that takes readers beyond the usual cowboy story.
Flowers, Arthur (text) & Manu Chitrakar (illus.). I See the Promised Land: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tara Pr. Dec. 2010. 142p. ISBN 9789380340043. $16.95. BIOG
This YA crossover shows King's life expressed through Chitrakar's rich Patua art and Flowers's poetic text.
Love, Jeremy (text) & Patrick Morgan (illus.). Bayou Volume Two. Zuda. Jan. 2011. 160p. ISBN 9781401225841. pap. $14.99. F
The first volume of Bayou won five Glyph Awards. Love, again with colorist Morgan, returns to 1930s Mississippi to depict black sharecropper's daughter Lily, along with strangers and friends beyond the human realm, coping with real human threats such as lynching.
O'Neil, Dennis (text) & Neal Adams (illus.). Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. rev. ed. DC. Nov. 2010. 96p. ISBN 9781401228415. $19.99. F
Don't worry, they're on the same team—fighting aliens. But the aliens want to see a prizefight between the two. This came out as a comic in 1978 and is now available clothbound, all the better for library circulation. With new extras.
Phelps, Earl R. Silent Protector: One Man Making a Difference. Phelps, dist. by IPG. Jan. 2011. 96p. ISBN 9781887627078. pap. $15.95. F
Another boxing champ—this one fictional—who, with the help of his wife, becomes a superhero crime fighter.
Phillips, Gary (text) & Shawn Martinbrough (illus.). Angeltown: The Nate Hollis Investigations. Moonstone. Feb. 2011. 176p. ISBN 978-1933076881. $19.95. F
A master of black and white, Martinbrough did the art for the excellent Luke Cage Noir. Now Moonstone reprints a 2005 Vertigo miniseries about a cool private eye's frantic search for a pro basketball star up to his eyeballs in sex scandals. In addition here are two new illustrated LA noir prose stories from Phillips.
Adams, Luther. Way Up North in Louisville: African American Migration in the Urban South, 1930-1970. Univ. of North Carolina. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780807834220. $49.95. HIST
As a counter to the many recent studies of the African American populations that left the South for the North in the mid-20th century, Adams studies the lives and transformations among those who remained in the urban South.
Ali, Omar H. In the Lion's Mouth: Black Populism in the New South, 1886-1900. Univ. Pr. of Mississippi. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9781604737783. $55. HIST
Like Adams, above, Ali studies blacks in the South, with his focus going back to the decades after Reconstruction, when blacks formed a network of populist movements, outgrowths of their church ties, fraternal organizations, and their agrarian work.
Berg, Manfred. A History of Lynching in America: Popular Justice. Ivan R. Dee. Feb. 2011. 208p. ISBN 9781566638029. $35. HIST
Berg traces lynching's U.S. history, starting with the Colonial era and coming to the present, addressing the characteristics of this brutal punishment undertaken by "ordinary" people. Berg places both "popular justice" and "frontier justice" within a broader historical context.
Brown-Nagin, Tomiko. Courage To Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement. Oxford Univ. Feb. 2011. 608p. ISBN 9780195386592. $34.95; ebook. HIST
Brown-Nagin (Univ. of Virginia) puts her combined academic expertise in law and history to work in this detailed study of the struggle to end Jim Crow in the South as reflected in the work of activists in Atlanta from the end of World War II through the 1970s.
Burns, Rebecca. Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Funeral and the Week That Transformed Atlanta and Rocked the Nation. Scribner. Jan. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9781439130544. $24; ebook. HIST
Here is a chronicle of the days in 1968 between Martin Luther King's death in Memphis and his funeral in Atlanta, one of the largest ever held for a private citizen. With numerous interviews and extensive research, Burns presents the story from both individual and national perspectives.
Ernest, John. A Nation Within a Nation: Organizing African-American Communities Before the Civil War. Ivan R. Dee. Feb. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9781566638074. $35. HIST
The decades from the late 18th century up to the Civil War in the North are Ernest's focus. He examines the powers of African American organizations and networks, showing the context beyond slavery through which blacks found self-definition.
Gill, Jonathan. Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America. Grove. Feb. 2011. 496p. ISBN 9780802119100. $29.95. HIST
The iconic neighborhood is sometimes called "the capital of Black America"—and African American Harlem's 20th-century impact upon American culture and politics is examined here—but Gill takes readers back to the area's earliest peoples and on through Dutch, British, and American domination, as generations of immigrants have lived there.
Goldstone, Lawrence. Inherently Unequal: The Betrayal of Equal Rights by the Supreme Court, 1865-1903. Walker & Co. Feb. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9780802717924. $26. HIST
Goldstone places responsibility for the Jim Crow era upon the Supreme Court in the years following the Civil War, in spite of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which the court did much to subvert. He studies the justices involved, along with their decisions, and the long-term impact of their record.
Greenhaw, Wayne. Fighting the Devil in Dixie: How Civil Rights Activists Took on the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. Lawrence Hill: Chicago Review. Jan. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9781569763452. $26.95. HIST
Harper Lee Award winner Greenhaw tells the story of the burgeoning of the KKK in Alabama in response to the rising Civil Rights Movement, showing how four-term governor George Wallace supported the Klan's work but ultimately came to renounce it and ask forgiveness for what he'd done.
Harrold, Stanley. Border War: Fighting Over Slavery Before the Civil War. Univ. of North Carolina. Nov. 2010. 312p. ISBN 9780807834312. $30. HIST
Harrold examines violence along the North-South border from New Jersey and Maryland west to Missouri and Kansas before the Civil War, showing that violence had erupted steadily well before any declarations of war. [See Part 2 of the military history roundup, LJ 10/15/10.—Ed.]
Hicks, Cheryl D. Talk with You Like a Woman: African American Women, Justice, and Reform in New York, 1890-1935. Univ. of North Carolina. Dec. 2010. 392p. ISBN 9780807834244. $65; pap. ISBN 9780807871621. $24.95. HIST
Hicks brings readers the perspectives of black working-class women, especially those who migrated from the South, and their experiences of urban life, especially in New York.
Johnson, Nelson. The Northside: African Americans and the Creation of Atlantic City. Plexus. Nov. 2010. 352p. ISBN 9780937548738. $24.95. HIST
Johnson's first book from New Jersey publisher Plexus, Boardwalk Empire, inspired the current HBO series. Now he tells of Atlantic City's African American community, covered in one chapter of his previous book, here covering that history from the early 19th century to the heyday of the seaside city.
Jones, Clarence B. & Stuart Connelly. Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech That Transformed a Nation. Palgrave MacMillan. Jan. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780230103689. $22. HIST
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Jones co-wrote the speech with King and now tells the behind-the-scenes story of the weeks of 1963 leading up to that watershed event.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "All Labor Has Dignity." Beacon, dist. by Random. Jan. 2011. 240p. ed. by Michael K. Honey. ISBN 9780807086001. $26.95. HIST
A gathering of King's speeches by which to remind readers that his campaign for civil rights was as much about economic justice as desegregation. Editor Honey includes prepared formal lectures by King as well as his extemporaneous "Mountaintop" speech given the night before his assassination. Many of these will be new to general readers and will remind them of King's continued relevance.
Lentz, Richard & Karla K. Gower. The Opinions of Mankind: Racial Issues, Press, and Propaganda in the Cold War. Univ. of Missouri. Jan. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780826219084. $39.95. HIST
With the Cold War's end, all the more has been written about it, but not always recounting the use of racial issues by the Soviet Union, which sought to show the hostile and violent side of American life by publicizing, for Soviet and European readers, American racist incidents. How did the United States respond?
Lusane, Clarence. The Black History of the White House. City Lights. Dec. 2010. 544p. ISBN 9780872865327. pap. $19.95. HIST
Slaves have toiled in the White House; 25 percent of our Presidents were slaveholders. Lusane reminds readers of the place of the President's house, from its very construction onward, in African American history, a tale all-too rarely told.
Magness, Phillip W. & Sebastian N. Page. Colonization After Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement. Univ. of Missouri. Feb. 2011. 192p. ISBN: 9780826219091. $34.95. HIST
Although it has always been known that President Lincoln supported the colonization of African American slaves away from the United States, Magness shows that Lincoln continued to support this approach after emancipation. Was Lincoln still considering such a policy at the war's conclusion?
Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall. Amistad: HarperCollins. Jan. 2011. 448p. ed. by Michael G. Long. ISBN 9780061985188. $27.99. HIST
As an NAACP attorney, decades before LBJ appointed him to the Supreme Court, Marshall worked tirelessly against racial discrimination and segregation. This selection of letters reveals the depth and breadth of Marshall's work long before what we consider the start of the Civil Rights Movement.
Minchin, Timothy J. & John Salmond. After the Dream: Black and White Southerners Since 1965. Univ. Pr. of Kentucky. 408p. Feb. 2011. ISBN 9780813129785. $40. HIST
Shifting from the conventional focus, the authors use passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act as their starting points. They assess the social, economic, and political implications and impact of those laws, with special attention to the era since the mid-1970s, ending with the election of Barack Obama.
Mjagkij, Nina. Loyalty in Time of Trial: African American Experience in World War I. Rowman & Littlefield. Feb. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780742570436. $36.95. HIST
Add this title to the expanding number of books now studying the African American experience in World War I, in which almost 370,000 African Americans served, not to mention the 400,000-plus black civilians who headed north for defense jobs.
Morris, Robert V. Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor from the American Revolution to Today. Zenith. Jan. 2011. 160p. ISBN 9780760339176. $33. HIST
Here are 250 images from almost two and a half centuries of African Americans who served the United States in times of war.
Mouser, Bruce L. For Labor, Race, and Liberty: George Edwin Taylor, His Historic Run for the White House, and the Making of Independent Black Politics. Univ. of Wisconsin. Jan. 2011. 278p. ISBN 9780299249144. pap. $24.95; ebook. HIST
Taylor ran for President against Teddy Roosevelt in 1904, the first African American to be a political party's nominee for that office. His nomination by the National Negro Liberty Party reflected major party disregard and contempt for African American civil rights.
Reinhardt, Mark. Who Speaks for Margaret Garner? Univ. of Minnesota. 320p. Dec. 2010. 320p. ISBN 9780816642588. $60.; pap. ISBN 9780816642595. $19.95. HIST
Margaret Garner's experience inspired Toni Morrison's Beloved. Now Reinhardt uncovers further details of the 1856 fugitive slave case involving Garner and her family, who escaped from Kentucky across the Ohio River to Cincinnati, seeking—but not finding—refuge.
Ruble, Blair A. Washington's U Street: A Biography. Johns Hopkins. Dec. 2010. 432p. ISBN 9780801898006. $29.95. HIST
Ruble undertakes original and archival research into a Washington neighborhood, from the Civil War to the present.
Sharfstein, Daniel. The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White. Penguin Pr. Feb. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9781594202827. $27.95. HIST
The story of the wealthy Gibsons of Colonial South Carolina, the farming Spencers of 19th-century Kentucky, and the middle-class Walls of post-Civil War Washington, DC, and each family's shifting self-identity from black to white.
Walsh, Kenneth T. Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House. Paradigm. Feb. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781594518331. $26.95. HIST
This book examines the intertwined relationships between our Presidents and the African Americans who have been an integral part of the White House since the beginning of the Republic. Walsh starts with the slave-owning Presidents and moves through the civil rights breakthroughs engineered by LBJ working in concert with Martin Luther King. Includes an exclusive interview with President Obama.
Women and Slavery in America: A Documentary History. Univ. of Arkansas. Feb. 2011. 330p. ed. by Catherine M. Lewis & J. Richard Lewis. ISBN 9781557289575. $59.95; pap. ISBN 9781557289582. $22.50. HIST
This volume brings together primary sources, including manuscripts and newspapers, that reveal the lives of slaves and the roles that women played—both in bondage and empowered—in the progress of slavery from the Colonial era through Reconstruction.
The Words of African-American Heroes. Newmarket. (Words of...). Feb. 2011. ed. by Clara Villarosa. 160p. index. ISBN 9781557049469. $18.95; pap. ISBN 9781557049452. $12.95. HIST
Arranged by theme, here you can find quotes from Sojourner Truth and Ella Fitzgerald; Frederick Douglass and George Washington Carver; Jackie Robinson and Toni Morrison, as well as Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. Included are a biographical section and notes on sources, so it's more than a gift book.
Coleman, William T., Jr., with Donald T. Bliss. Counsel for the Situation: Shaping the Law To Realize America's Promise. Brookings Inst. Nov. 2010. 450p. ISBN 9780815704881. $34.95. LAW
Coleman has been a pioneer: the first African American to clerk for the Supreme Court; the first to be a partner at a major law firm. This is his memoir, focusing on the possibilities of the discipline of law in advancing the public good. With a foreword by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
Coleman, James W. Writing Blackness: John Edgar Wideman's Art and Experimentation. Louisiana State Univ. Dec. 2010. 216p. ISBN 9780807136447. $37.50; ebook. LIT
Coleman seeks to attract additional readers to one of our era's most acclaimed, but elusive, African American writers, by examining his novels, short stories, memoir, and other nonfiction in the context of Wideman's life.
The Color of Strength: Embracing the Passion of Our Culture: An Anthology. Stonehold Bks. Dec. 2010. ed. by Frederick Williams. 285p. ISBN 9780970995735. pap. $14.95. LIT
A collection of original pieces—fiction, autobiographical, and inspirational—by writers from age 17 to 87, their pieces aimed at reinforcing positive messages about African American heritage, culture, and opportunity.
"Girl, Colored" and Other Stories: A Complete Short Fiction Anthology of African American Women Writers in The Crisis Magazine, 1910-2010. McFarland. Jan. 2011. 456p. ed. by Judith Musser. ISBN 9780786446063. pap. $75. LIT
The Crisis has been the official magazine of the NAACP ever since W.E.B. DuBois established it in 1910, the year following the NAACP's birth. Defining itself as the "crusading voice for civil rights," it is best known for its take on politics and history, but this collection will remind readers that numerous writers have contributed fiction to its pages.
Lavender, Isiah, III. Race in American Science Fiction. Indiana Univ. Pr. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 9780253355539. $70; pap. ISBN 9780253222596. $24.95. LIT
Science fiction, almost by definition, has to do with racial differences. Lavender classifies the appearances and silencing of race in the genre. His readings embrace such notables as Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
Pereira, Malin. Into a Light Both Brilliant and Unseen: Conversations with Contemporary Black Poets. Univ. of Georgia. Dec. 2010. 284p. ISBN 9780820331072. $59.95; pap. ISBN 9780820337135. $19.95. LIT
Interviews with eight of today's leading African American poets—e.g., Wanda Coleman, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Thylias Moss—set their work in a fuller cultural context.
Schreiber, Evelyn Jaffe. Race, Trauma, and Home in the Novels of Toni Morrison. Louisiana State Univ. Dec. 2010. 256p. (Southern Literary Studies). ISBN 9780807136492. $42.50; ebook. LIT
English professor Schreiber takes a cross-disciplinary approach to all nine of Toni Morrison's novels, encompassing neuroscientific and psychoanalytical, as well as cultural and literary approaches, to understand the multigenerational effects of slavery as trauma.
Whitfield, James M. The Works of James M. Whitfield: America and Other Writings by a Nineteenth-Century African American Poet. Univ. of North Carolina. Feb. 2011. 256p. ed. by Robert S. Levine & Ivy G. Wilson. ISBN 9780807834459. $65; pap ISBN 9780807871782. $26.95. LIT
Whitfield (1822-71), who worked all his life as a barber, was an African American poet and abolitionist. Here are all of his writings, collected for the first time to re-establish Whitfield's place in African American studies.
Jay-Z. Decoded. Spiegel & Grau. Nov. 2010. 336p. ISBN 9781400068920. $35; ebook. MUSIC
Rapper/mogul Jay-Z presents the lyrics to 36 of his songs, and provides their fuller autobiographical and cultural context.
Lawson, R.A. Jim Crow's Counterculture: The Blues and Black Southerners, 1890-1945. Louisiana State Univ. Nov. 2010. 328p. (Making the Modern South). ISBN 9780807136805. $45; ebook. MUSIC
Historian Lawson studies the birth of the blues in the Deep South in the context of the dominating Jim Crow oppression, showing how the region's black musicians responded with a complex counterculture of struggle and survival.
Lee, Spike & Jason Matloff. Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing. Ammo. Dec. 2010. 360p. ed. by Steve Crist. ISBN 9781934429518. $39.95. FILM
The movie came out in 1989. Now here's an inside look at it from the filmmaker himself and film journalist Matloff, including interviews and assessments of the cultural impact.
Nollen, Scott Allen. Paul Robeson: Film Pioneer. McFarland. Nov. 2010. 215p. ISBN 9780786435203. pap. $45; ebook. FILM
Robeson may be best known for his powerful singing voice and his stage work, but he also acted in 11 movies, from the late silent era until World War II. Nollen explores the impact of Robeson's cinematic work.
The 100 Best African American Poems. Sourcebooks. Nov. 2010. 256p. ed. by Nikki Giovanni. ISBN 9781402221118. $22.99 with audio CD. POETRY
Award-winning poet Giovanni selects over 100 poems, both classic and current, from such writers as Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Kwame Alexander, DJ Renegade, and herself. An accompanying CD contains many of the poems read by the poets or others.
Finney, Nikky. Head Off & Split: Poems. Northwestern Univ. Feb. 2011. 80p. ISBN 9780810152168. $15.95. pap. POETRY
Finney's fourth collection contains numerous engagements with historical personalities, from Rosa Parks to Condoleezza Rice, to Strom Thurmond, as well as emblematic figures, such as a woman stranded by Hurricane Katrina.
Jackson, Gary. Missing You, Metropolis. Graywolf. Nov. 2010. 80p. ISBN 9781555975722. pap. $15. POETRY
Kansas-born Jackson's first collection of poems, this was awarded the 2009 Cave Canem Poetry Prize prior to publication. The poet envisions the comic book worlds of Superman, Batman, and the X-Men juxtaposed with the realities of his own native state.
Young, Kevin. Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels. Knopf. Jan. 2011. 240p. ISBN 9780307267641. $27.95. POETRY
A multiple-voiced epic poem using many poetic forms, relating the story of the Africans who mutinied on board the slave ship Amistad in 1839.
Kloppenberg, James T. Reading Obama: Dreams, Hope, and the American Political Tradition. Princeton Univ. Nov. 2010. 296p. ISBN 9780691147468. $24.95; ebook. POL SCI
Harvard history professor Kloppenberg seeks to come to a deeper understanding of our President by studying his intellectual growth during the course of his higher education and his law school days, an approach that shows that Obama's principles and worldview have traditional intellectual roots.
Muhammad, Dedrick Dunbar. Understanding Racial Inequality in the Obama Era: A Primer. Olive Branch: Interlink. Feb. 2011. 208p. ISBN 9781566568234. paper. $10. POL SCI
The brief yet thorough Olive Branch primer series now turns to assessing the status of civil rights in America today, both in the context of American history and by showing what remains to be accomplished.
Taylor, James Lance. Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama. Lynne Rienner. Nov. 2010. 410p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781588267788. $68.50. POL SCI
In reassessing the nature of black nationalism and its place in post-civil rights politics, Taylor (politics, Univ. of San Francisco) finds deeper roots to the movement as he explores such contributing factors, past and present, as religion, genealogy, and hip hop.
Encyclopedia of African American Music. 2 vols. Greenwood. Jan. 2011. 1200p. ed. by Emmet G. Price III and others. ISBN 9780313341991. $280; ebook; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. REF
Over 500 entries by over 100 scholars cover several centuries and all genres of music, placing the subjects in full stylistic, cultural, political, and social context.
Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. 4 vols. Greenwood. Jan. 2011. 1669p. ed. by Jessie Carney Smith. ISBN 9780313357961. $380; ebook; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. REF
This A-to-Z reference defines its subject in full, yet clear, historical and contemporary context.
World of a Slave: Encyclopedia of the Material Life of Slaves in the United States. 2 vols. Greenwood. Jan. 2011. 700p. ed. by Martha Katz-Hyman & Kym S. Rice. ISBN 9780313349423. $180; ebook; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. REF
A work newly incorporating the study of material culture into African American slave history from the 17th century through the Civil War. Incorporating all aspects of slave life, the systematic entries are arranged with introductory essays on literacy, oral culture, music, and dance.
Harvey, Steve. Straight Talk, No Chaser: How To Find, Keep, and Understand a Man. Amistad: HarperCollins. Dec. 2010. 256p. ISBN 9780061728990. $24.99; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Recorded Bks./HarperAudio); ebook. SELF-HELP
Comedian and radio/TV personality Harvey writes here for both men and women, sharing elements of his own story as he offers dating tips, advice on what questions a woman should ask a man, and how to maintain an enriching relationship.
Simmons, Russell with Chris Morrow. Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Jan. 2011. 208p. ISBN 9781592405879. $22.50; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Books on Tape/Penguin Audio); ebook. SELF-HELP
The hugely successful entrepreneur behind Def Jam Records, Phat Farm, and many other business and philanthropic ventures, reveals how to attain true abundance.
12 Angry Men: True Stories of Being a Black Man in America Today. New Pr., dist. by Perseus. Jan. 2011. 224p. ed. by Gregory S. Parks & Matthew W. Hughey. ISBN 9781595585387. $25.95. SOC SCI
These men make clear that we do not live in a "post-racial" America. Each tells of his experience of racism, reinforcing that what happened to Henry Lewis Gates Jr. on his own porch is not unique. Baseball hall of famer Joe Morgan is here, but most are not household names.
Asante, Molefi K. & Ronald E. Hall. Rooming in the Master's House: Power & Privilege in the Rise of Black Conservatism. Paradigm. Nov. 2010. 184p. ISBN 9781594518911. pap. $21.95. SOC SCI
A study of the black conservative movement, tracing its roots to the days of slavery; the book refers to those slaves given positions in the slave owner's house and who came to identify with their master against their fellow Africans, a syndrome that the authors see persisting today among black conservatives.
Barack Obama, The Aloha Zen President: How a Son of the 50th State May Revitalize America Based on 12 Multicultural Principles. Praeger. Feb. 2011. 397p. ed. by Michael Haas. ISBN 9780313394027. $54.95; ebook. SOC SCI
Haas gathers contributors from the full range of fields in the social sciences and humanities—each writer having lived in Hawaii—to place Barack Obama and his presidency in the context of his native state and its multicultural customs.
Curwood, Anastasia. Stormy Weather: Middle-Class African American Marriages Between the Two World Wars. Univ. of North Carolina. Dec. 2010. 216p. ISBN 9780807834343. $35. SOC SCI
In studying African American marriages, Curwood stipulates that we consider the public and private gender relationships they expressed as she focuses on marriages between upwardly mobile black Americans between the wars.
Farber, Paul Lawrence. Mixing Races: From Scientific Racism to Modern Evolutionary Ideas. Johns Hopkins. Feb. 2011. 136p. ISBN 9780801898129. $TBD; pap. ISBN 9780801898136. $TBD. SOC SCI
Farber studies the concept of race-mixing, going back to campus life in the 1960s and interviewing mixed-race couples. He assesses the shift in attitudes toward race relations as the 20th century progressed.
Harris, Jessica B. High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America. Bloomsbury. Jan. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781596913950. $25. SOC SCI
A narrative history—and travel memoir—of African American cuisine by the author of numerous popular cookbooks. Harris explains the rich provenance of African America's foodways and meals.
Rhodes-Pitts, Sharifa. Harlem Is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America. Little, Brown. Feb. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780316017237. $24.99. SOC SCI
The author reflects on her own Harlem, as well as the Harlem of its iconic storytellers.
Spencer, Rainier. Reproducing Race: The Paradox of Generation Mix. Lynne Rienner. Dec. 2010. 355p. ISBN 9781588267511. $68.50; pap. ISBN 9781588267764. $27.50. SOC SCI
Afro-American studies professor Spencer (anthropology, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) argues that mixed-race identity does not bring about a postracial society or the deconstruction of race. On the contrary, it promotes assumptions about white supremacy and antiblackness—and that's the paradox.
Callahan, Tom. His Father's Son: Earl and Tiger Woods. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). 284p. ISBN 9781592405978. $27; ebook. SPORTS
Former Time magazine senior writer Callahan explores Tiger Woods by studying the life of Tiger's father, Earl Woods. Having interviewed both men, as well as their friends and associates, the author promises new insights.
Duru, N. Jeremi. Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL. Oxford Univ. Jan 2011. 192p. (Law & Current Events Masters). ISBN 9780199736003. $24.95; ebook. SPORTS
Decades after the NFL desegregated, head coaching positions remained almost entirely held by whites—until two attorneys and a former offensive lineman worked to bring change. Temple University law professor Duru chonicles how it happened.
Hogan, Lawrence. The Forgotten History of America's Negro Leagues. Praeger. Feb. 2011. 204p. ISBN 9780313379840. $44.95: ebook. SPORTS
Given the volume of books published about the Negro Leagues, how much "forgotten history" can there be? But Hogan goes back well before the formation of the professional Negro leagues, and well after, to place the story in full context.
Jones, Roxanne & Jessie Paolucci. Say It Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete. ESPN: Ballantine. Nov. 2010. 256p. ISBN 9780345515896. $35. SPORTS
Aiming to be a definitive photographic history, this is the story of past and present stars who have gained the highest prominence in their specialties.
Merlino, Doug. The Hustle: One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White. Bloomsbury. Jan. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9781608192151. $26. SPORTS
In 1986 Seattle, the lives of ten kids, inner-city black and elite-schooled white, came together by means of one basketball team. Yes, the team won a state title, but what happened to its members upon growing up and confronting the realities of race, privilege, and possibility? Journalist Merlino was on the team, and now he seeks out his fellow players, more than two decades later.
Oher, Michael with Don Yaeger. I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Feb. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9781592406128. $26; audiobook, library/retail eds. (Recorded Bks./Penguin Audio); ebook. SPORTS
The football player we know from The Blind Side now tells his own story, relating his family's struggles, and how the right role models and continued determination can counter hopelessness and move you toward your dreams.
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