African Americans into the Millennium
55 Books for Black History Month and Beyond

by Ann Burns with Emily J. Jones

Reprinted with permission from LIBRARY JOURNAL, November 1, 1999
Copyright (c) 1999 by Reed Publishing, USA, Div. of Reed Holdings Inc.

The theme of Black History Month in February 2000, "Heritage and Horizons: The African American Legacy and the Challenges of the 21st Century," is reflected in many of the 55 titles listed below. There are numerous books on both the African and African American experience -- from major reference works like Africana and histories like Wonders of the African World to two books on the Harlem Renaissance and one on the Civil Rights movement. There are memoirs/autobiography from Marian Wright Edelman, James Alan McPherson, and the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin. And there are 12 novels and one short story collection, attesting to the continued power of African American fiction. There is food for thought (The Cornel West Reader), for the body (Mama Dip's Kitchen), and for the soul (bell hooks's All About Love and Sapphire's Black Wings and Blind Angels). These books will support collections well beyond Black History Month.

Arts

Courtney-Clarke, Margaret. Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living.
     Potter, dist. by Crown. Feb. 2000. c. I 32p. ISBN 0-609-60458-9. $22.50. PHOTOG

Photographer Courtney-Clarke offers a moving tribute to the famed poet, professor, and actress, capturing the writer in intimate moments with friends and on solitary walks through her garden.

Biography

Edelman, Marian Wright. Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors.
     Beacon, dist. by Houghton. 1999. c.208p. photogs. ISBN 0-8070-7214-1. $20. AUTOBIOG

As president of the Children's Defense Fund, Edelman fights tirelessly for the rights of the young. In this memoir, she pays tribute to those who helped shape her life, and shows how crucial their influences were. They include her parents, teachers, and civil rights activists like Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Martin Luther King.

Evanzz, Karl. The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad.
     Pantheon: Random. Dec. 1999. c.656p. photogs. bibliog. index. LC 99-11826. ISBN 0-679-44260-X. $27.50. BIOG

Muhammad, the controversial Nation of Islam leader who died in 1975, was instrumental in converting nearly four million African Americans to his religion. In this revealing portrait, Evanzz, a Washington Post writer, shows how his huge personal fortune, illicit affairs, and betrayal of friends caused him to fall from grace.

Marks, Carole and Diana Edkins. The Power of Pride: The Men and Women Who Embodied the Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance.
     Crown. Nov. 1999. c.272p. photogs. ISBN 0-609-60096-6. $35. BIOG

Through text and 150 black-and-white photographs, Marks (Black American studies, Univ. of Delaware) and coauthor Edkins pay tribute to the African Americans who blazed a trail during the Harlem Renaissance. Among those featured are Langston Hughes, Dorothy West, and Duke Ellington.

Economics

Jackson, Jesse L., Sr. and Jesse L. Jackson Jr. with Mary Gotschall. It's About the Money!: How You Can Get Out of Debt, Build Wealth, and Achieve Your Financial Dreams.
     Times Business: Random. Jan. 2000. c.256p. index. ISBN 0-8129-3296-X. $23. FINANCE

Rev. Jackson (founder, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's Wall Street Project) and his Illinois congressman son join forces to present the basics of personal finance, along with an inspiring message of empowerment.

Fiction

Alexis, Andre. Despair and Other Stories.
     Holt. Jan. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 0-8050-5979-2. $23. F

These eight short stories by the Trinidad-born Canadian Alexis were called "the fiction debut of the year" by the Toronto Sun when they were published in Canada in 1994.

Allen, Jeffrey R. Rails Under My Back.
     Farrar. Jan. 2000. c.352p. ISBN 0-374-24626-2. $25. F

This first novel by Allen (English, Queens Coll., CUNY) speaks to issues that are prevalent in many families: abandonment and the devastation that it often leaves. Here, the central characters are Lucius and John Jones, who marry the McShan sisters, Gracie and Sheila.

Anthony, Sterling. Cookie Cutter.
     One World: Ballantine. Nov. 1999. c.336p. ISBN 0-345-42604-5. $24.99. F

Anthony's first novel is a complex murder mystery a la Walter Mosley that explores race relations and politics in the deep South in the Sixties and present-day Detroit. The victims are all black -- stabbed repeatedly and left for dead with their fingers folded around a cookie, black on the outside and white on the inside. (LJ 10/15/99)

Bambara, Toni Cade. Those Bones Are Not My Child.
     Pantheon: Random. 1999. c.944p. ISBN 0-679-44261-8. $29.95. F

This is Bambara's final novel (after The Salt Eaters et al.), published four years after her death and based on the Atlanta child murders of the early 1980s. In haunting detail she describes the plight of one fictional family as they try to find their missing child without support from either the police or politicians. (LJ 9/l/99)

Berry, Bertice. Redemption Song.
     Doubleday. Jan. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 0-385-49844-6. $21.95. F

This simple love story is a first novel by Berry (comedian, former TV talk-show host, and motivational author). Its two protagonists, squabbling over a slave memoir in a bookstore and forced by the store's owner to read the book together, forge an emotional bond.

Berry, Venise. All of Me: A Voluptuous Tale.
     Dutton. Jan. 2000. c.288p. permanent paper. LC 99-35474. ISBN 0-525-94463-X. $23.95. F

Berry's (So Good) second novel is the humorous story of a woman struggling with her weight who finds her world crumbling, ends up in a hospital after attempting suicide, and fights for her recovery.

Bland, Eleanor T. Scream in Silence.
     Minotaur: St. Martin's. Feb. 2000. c.336p. ISBN 0-312-20378-0. $23.95. F

Homicide Detective Marti MacAlister returns as an arsonist lets loose on sleepy Lincoln Prairie, IL. Bland has a loyal following, so expect demand.

Haywood, Gar Anthony. All the Lucky Ones Are Dead.
     Putnam. Jan. 2000. c. ISBN 0-399-14540-0. $23.95. F

Haywood continues the Aaron Gunner mystery series with another suspenseful title set in LA. PI Gunner investigates the suicide of rap star C.E. Digga Jones, while trying to protect ultraconservative talk show host Sparkle Johnson.

McFadden, Bernice L. Sugar.
     Dutton. Feb. 2000. c.240p. permanent paper. LC 99-35589. ISBN 0-525-94531-8. $23.95. F

In a touching first novel, McFadden traces the relationship between two broken women in 1950s Arkansas, one a prostitute, the other a stalwart church-goer.

McKinney-Whetstone, Diane. Blues Dancing.
     Morrow. Nov. 1999. c.288p. ISBN 0-688-14995-2. $24. F

A love story spanning 20 years, this novel, like the author's earlier ones (Tumbling and Tempest Rising), is set in Philadelphia. Despite a trite-sounding plot ---star-crossed lovers-LJ's reviewer said the book had "real depth and emotion." (LJ 10/1/99)

Roy, Lucinda. The Hotel Alleluia.
     HarperCollins. Jan. 2000. c.400p. ISBN 0-06-019395-6. $25. F

In this latest novel from the author of Lady Moses, two half-sisters, one white, the other African, are reunited amidst revoluon in West Africa after being separated in childhood and raised continents apart.

Wesley, Valerie Wilson. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do.
     Avon. 1999. 336p. ISBN 0-380-97703-6.$24. F

Wesley is best known for her Tamara Hayle mystery series. As in those novels, she makes her characters' world become the reader's. Here, she explores family, divorce, and relationships from the perpective of a 40-year-old African American woman.

Youngblood, Shay. Black Girl in Paris.
     Riverhead: Putnam. Feb. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 1-57322-151-1. $23.95 F

Youngblood is the author of the novel Soul Kiss and winner of a Pushcart Prize. In this coming-of-age novel, a young African American woman from the South heads to Paris in search of James Baldwin, hoping for inspiration.

Health

Oliver, Stephanie Stokes. Daily Cornbread: 365 Secrets for a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul.
     Doubleday. 1999. 384p. ISBN 0-385-48769-X. pap. $21.95. HEALTH

Oliver is a former editor of Essence magazine and founding editor-in-chief of Heart and Soul, a bimonthly fitness magazine for African American women. Here, she draws on her background to provide suggestions to black women for soothing their souls, satisfying their minds, and reviving their bodies every day of the year.

Staying Strong: Reclaiming the Wisdom of African-American Healing.
     WholeCare: Avon. 1999. 336p. ed. by Sara L. Reese and Kirk Johnson with Therman Evans, M.D. ISBN 0-380-79402-0. pap. $14. HEALTH

This guide, edited by the staff of HealthQuest, an alternative health quarterly primarily for African Americans, focuses on "Whole Living," which involves going natural -- using herbs, etc., to achieve good health -- becoming spiritual, and combining modem medicine with healing traditions of the past. (LJ 10/15/99)

Weaver, Roniece and others. Slim Down Sister: The African-American Woman's Guide to Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss.
     Dutton. Jan. 2000. c.240p. permanent paper. photogs. index. LC 99-16262. ISBN 0-525-94458-3. $23.95. HEALTH

Written by nutrition consultants Weaver and Fabiola Gaines and a senior editor at Family Circle magazine, Angela Ebron, this work deals with the issue of obesity among black women and its link to lifethreatening illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. It also contains real-life stories about women who have lost weight and kept it off, and 35 low-fat recipes.

History

Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African-American History Told by Those Who Lived It.
     Doubleday. Jan. 2000. c.352p. ed. by Herb Boyd. ISBN 0-385-49278-2. $24.95. HIST

In this anthology, journalist Boyd (Brotherman) celebrates the spirituality, courage, and intellectual achievements of African Americans by tracing the history of their experience in the words of important leaders like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Colin Powell.

Collier-Thomas, Bettye and V.P. Franklin. My Soul Is a Witness: A Chronology of the Civil Rights Era, 1954-1965.
     Holt. Jan. 2000. c.288p. photogs. ISBN 0-8050-4769-7. $30. HIST

The authors (both history professors) examine one of the most significant periods in U.S. history. Among the topics covered are the Brown v. Board of Education decision, freedom rides, and the famous March on Washington.

Gates, Henry Louis. Wonders of the African World.
     Knopf. 1999. c.288p. photogs. bibliog. index. LC 99-18496. ISBN 0-375 40235-7. $40. HIST

This account of discovery by Harvard University professor Gates offers, said LJ's reviewer, a "12-nation reprise of the magnificence of ancient African civilizations." It belongs in "every library serious about Africa or world civilizations, and it will grace both coffee tables and scholars' desks." (LJ 10/15/99)

Home Economics

Banks, Ingrid. Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness.
     New York Univ. Jan. 2000. c. I 92p. ISBN 0-8147-1336-X. $55; pap. ISBN 0-8147-1336-X. $55; pap. ISBN 0-8147-1337-8. $17.50. PERSONAL GROOMING

For this discussion on the politics of black hair, Banks, a professor of black studies at Virginia Tech, interviewed over 50 women, from teens to seniors, to determine how hair shapes ideas about race, gender, sexuality, beauty, and power.

Council, Mildred. Mama Dip's Kitchen.
     Univ. of North Carolina. 1999. 230p. permanent paper. illus. index. LC 99-19973. ISBN 0-8078-2508-5. $27.50; pap. ISBN 0-8078-4790-9. $15.95. COOKERY

In this memoir/cookbook, Council, a popular restaurant owner in North Carolina, explains her famous "dump cooking" method of preparing food, which means no recipes, just measuring by eye, feel, taste, and testing. She also includes 250 of her favorite dishes.

The Essence Total Makeover.
     Crown. Jan. 2000. c.216p. ed. by Patricia M. Hinds. photogs. ISBN 0-609-60365-5. $30. PERSONAL GROOMING

This is a fully illustrated guide trom the popular lifestyle magazine for African American women, covering all the beauty bases: skin, hair, makeup, fitness, diet, and health.

Smith, Barbara. B. Smith: Rituals and Celebrations.
     Random. 1999. c.224p. photogs. index. LC 99-24504. ISBN 0-375-50236-X. $35. COOKERY

In this book, Smith, former model and now owner of three restaurants (in New York City, Sag Harbor, NY, and Washington, DC), offers "menus and ideas for festive events throughout the year, from 'A New Year's Day Buffet' to 'A Christmas Eve Fondue."' (LJ 9/15/99)

Literature

Dweck, Stephan and Monteria Ivey. The Field Guide to White People.
     Three Rivers: Crown. Feb. 2000. c. 96p. ISBN 0-609-80542-8. pap. $8.95. HUMOR

Comedy writers Dweck and Ivey, producers of the HBO "Snaps" specials, offer an amusing guide for black Americans to the behaviors, mating, and child-rearing habits and traits of white people, including survival tips on how to deal with them.

Giant Steps: The New Generation of African American Writers.
     Quill: Morrow. Feb. 2000. c.304p. ed. by Kevin Young. ISBN 0-688-16876-0. pap. $14. LIT

In this collection, poet Young has gathered the works of 35 "up and coming" authors, who in poetry, essays, and fiction discuss subjects like slavery, sexuality, growing up poor, and sharecropping.

McPherson, James Alan. A Region Not Home: Reflections from Exile.
     S. and S. Feb. 2000. c.288p. ISBN 0-684-83464-2. $23. LIT

In these essays, both old and new, Pulitzer Prize-winning short story writer and essayist McPherson (Elbow Room) reflects on his deep love for his daughter and the meaning of home, among other topics.

Patrick, Diane. Terry McMillan: The Unauthorized Biography.
     Thomas Dunne Bk: St. Martin's. 1999. 231p. LC 99-23849. ISBN 0-312-20032-3. $23.95. LIT

A freelance contributor to Publishers Weekly, Patrick has written a "breezy biography," said LJs reviewer, of the African American author (Waiting To Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back). (LJ 8/99)

A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Voices of an American Community.
     Bard: Avon. Nov. 1999. c.320p. ed. by Lionel C. Bascom. ISBN 0-380-97664- l. $24. LIT

In this collection of essays English professor Bascom introduces the early writings of some of the masters of American literature -- Ralph Ellison and Dorothy West are among the notables -- who detail the lives of pullman porters, domestic workers, and other everyday people of Harlem.

Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin That Talk: Language, Culture and Education in African America.

Noted for her best-selling Black Talk, Smitherman (English, Michigan State) explores the state of "Ebonics," a controversial black dialect that caused a stir in the media not too long ago. In these essays she writes about the African American oral tradition and the influence of rap and hiphop on black language.

Performing Arts

Armstrong, Louis. Louis Armstrong, in His Own Words: Selected Writings.
     Oxford Univ. Nov. 1999. c.288p. permanent paper. ed. by Thomas Brothers. illus. index. LC 99-17040. ISBN 0-19-511958-4. $25. MUSIC

In this collection jazz trumpeter Armstrong (1900-71) gives a fascinating glimpse into his "early musical influences, rise to fame, life on the road, role in the Civil Rights movement, and final years." (LJ 9/15/99)

Franklin, Aretha and David Ritz. Aretha: From These Roots.
     Villard: Random. 1999. 254p. permanent paper. photogs. discog. LC 99-38540. ISBN 0-375-50033-2. $25. MUSIC

Award-winning author and lyricist Ritz assists the "Queen of Soul" in this autobiography that proves you can be a star while still being human. Franklin takes us from being a teenage mother to traveling cross country playing the "Chitlin Circuit" to longtime stardom.

Poetry

Sapphire. Black Wings & Blind Angels.
     Knopf. 1999. c.144p. ISBN 0-679-44630-3. $20. POETRY

Sapphire's brutally honest Push may have won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's First Novelist award in 1997, but she is best known as a poet of slick-talking, nearly hallucinatory riffs on growing up poor, tough, and black in America. Spiky and uncompromising, her new poems promise more of the same.

Troupe, Quincy. Choruses.
     Coffee House, dist. by Consortium. 1999. c.112p. LC 99-35487. ISBN I-56689-092-6. $23.95; pap. ISBN 1-56689-090-X. $14.95. POETRY

It comes as no surprise (if readers didn't know already) that Troupe has worked closely with Miles Davis; in his five volumes of poetry (out of nine books), he unspools long, luscious lines of verse like the wailing of a trumpet. Ever inventive, Troupe here includes works done collaboratively with other artists for a theater development of his career as an academic, project and for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego.

Political Science

Dellums, Ronald V. and H. Lee Halterman. Lying Down with the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power.
Beacon, dist. by Houghton. Feb. 2000. c.272p. permanent paper. photogs. index. LC 99-32097. ISBN 0-8070-4318-4. $25. POLITICS

In this memoir, former congressman Dellums reflects on his years as an activist in the House of Representatives, including his chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee, and reminds us of his courageous battles -- over a sensible defense policy, health-care reform, and ending apartheid in South Africa.

West, Comel. The Cornel West Reader.
     Basic Civitas: Perseus. Nov. 1999. c.604p. index. ISBN 0-465-09109-1. $35. POLITICS

In this anthology, Harvard University professor West (Race Matters) presents the best of his writings over the years, showing the development of his career as an academic, public intellectual, and activist. He also takes on the issues of affirmative action, black-brown relations, and black nationalism.

Psychology

hooks, bell. All About Love: New Visions.
     Morrow. Jan. 2000. c.240p. ISBN 0-688-16844-2. $22. PSYCH

English professor hooks (Remembered Rapture) has myriad views on the subject of love in this serious work; she touches on honesty in relationships, spirituality in our lives, greed as a destructive force, and the death of loved ones.

Millner, Denene and Nick Chiles. What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex: The Real Deal on Passion, Loving, and Intimacy.
     Quill: Morrow. Feb. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 0-688-17107-9. pap. $10 PSYCH

In this relationship guide, journalists Millner and Chiles, a married couple, convey what African American men and women really think about sex and intimacy, and give tips on communicating with and seducing one's mate.

Mother Love with Tonya Bolden. Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness.
     HarperCollins. 1999. 187p. LC 99-34892. ISBN 0-06-019450-2. $22.95. PSYCH

Daytime host Mother Love lends an ear and offers guidance daily on her TV talk show Forgive and Forget. In this inspirational book, which is part autobiography, part self-help, she reveals how friends as well as strangers abused and used her, and why she decided to forgive them; she also provides a stepby-step process to forgiving. (LJ 11/l/99)

Reference

Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience.
     Basic Civitas: Perseus. Nov. 1999. c.2144p. permanent paper. ed. by Kwame A. Appiah and Henry L. Gates. photogs. maps. bibliog. LC 99-37834. ISBN 0-465-00071-1. $89.95. REF

Harvard professors Appiah and Gates have fulfilled a lifetime dream of the late African American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois with this vital reference. Bringing the black world into focus, it includes the history of slavery, the civil rights movement, the black experience in countries like France, India, and Russia, and a wide range of other topics.

David, Jay. Songs of Wisdom: Quotations from Famous African Americans of the Twentieth Century.
     Morrow. Feb. 2000. c.224p. index. ISBN 0-688-16497-8. $20. REF

With quotations from notables like Martin Luther King, Spike Lee, and Maya Angelou, this reference from the author of Growing Up Black focuses on childhood and youth, race relations, and education, among other topics.

Dodson, Howard and others. The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology.
     c.480p. bibliog. ISBN 0-471-29714-3. $40.
The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference.
     c.640p. ISBN 0-471-23924-0. $34.95. ea. vol: Wiley. 1999. permanent paper. photogs. index. REF

These two volumes, both sponsored by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, concentrate on the black experience in America. In Black New Yorkers, Dodson, director of the Schomburg, and his coauthors trace the history of blacks in New York from 1613 to 1998, detailing the various voices, religions, and cultures that existed, then and now. The Desk Reference offers valuable information on topics such as civil rights, business, religion, and health, presenting it with charts, tables, time lines, and numerous other visual aids. (LJ 9/15/99)

Religion

Cone, James H. Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a Black Theology of Liberation, 1968-1998
     Beacon, dist. by Houghton. Nov. 1999. c.240p. permanent paper. index. ISBN 0-8070-0950-4. $24. REL

In this collection of essays, Cone (theology, Union Theological Seminary), who wrote Martin and Malcolm and America, bases some of his thoughts on these two legendary leaders (Martin Luther King and Malcolm X), as well as on Christianity, black power, and spirituals, and concludes with a take on white theology.

Jakes, T.D. Maximize the Moment: God's Action Plan for Your Life.
     Putnam. Jan. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 0-399-14565-6. $19.95. REL

Bishop Jakes, an influential minister of The Potter's House, a church in Dallas, and best-selling author who has affected the lives of millions of people, offers here a sensible, practical, and inspirational plan: Life will be rich and rewarding if you make wise choices; if you have God in your heart, you're a winner.

Tutu, Desmond M. No Future Without Forgiveness.
     Doubleday. 1999. 256p. ISBN 0-385-49689-3. $22.95. REL

Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, retired as Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa, in 1998. Here, he reflects on the wisdom he gained as chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a group formed to expose crimes committed under apartheid and to achieve reconciliation with South Africa's former oppressors.

Social Sciences

Dent, David J. In Search of Black America: Discovering the African American Dream.
S. and S. Feb. 2000. c.352p. ISBN 0-684-81072-7. $25. SOC SCI

After traveling throughout the country for four years, speaking to members of the middle class, Dent (journalism, New York University) has painted a candid portrait of how black Americans really live, revealing a diverse, large black middle-class and challenging many of our beliefs about race.

Robinson, Randall. The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks.
     Dutton. Jan. 2000. c.288p. ISBN 0-525-94524-5. $24.95. SOC SCI

For Robinson, founder and president of TransAfrica, an organization responsible for influencing U.S. policies toward Africa and the Caribbean, racial problems will continue to exist unless we confront the horrible effects of slavery and educate all Americans, black and white, about the history of Africa and its people. His solution is to find new leaders in the black community, develop meaningful educational programs, and help blacks empower themselves economically.

Smiley, Tavis. Doing What's Right: How To Fight for What You Believe -- and Make a Difference.
     Doubleday. Jan. 2000. c.144p. ISBN 0-385-49930-2. $17.95. SOC SCI

In this commentary, TV talk show host Smiley points out that because our neighborhoods are unsafe, our communities are falling apart, and our most basic values are being destroyed by the Oval Office, we should stand up and take action for those causes we believe in.

Sports

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches.
     Morrow. Feb. 2000. c.224p. ISBN 0-688-17077-3. $24. SPORTS

Former superstar basketball player Abdul Jabbar (Black Profiles in Courage) spent a season coaching and mentoring high school kids on the Alchesay Falcons basketball team, a Native American group. He relates his experiences with them, and what they learned from each other, not just about basketball but about life.

Robinson, Eddie with Richard Lapchick. Never Before, Never Again: The Stirring Autobiography of Eddie Robinson.
     Thomas Dunne Bk: St. Martin's. 1999. 268p. photogs. LC 99-36158. ISBN 0-312-24224-7. $24.95. SPORTS

At Grambling State University Robinson was considered the "winningest coach in college football history." Here, he traces his 57 years at the school, showing how "dedication and hard work despite seemingly unconquerable obstacles" made him successful.

(Ann Burns is Associate Editor, LJ Book Review, and Emily J. Jones is Assistant Editor, LJ)