Black Writers on the Rise
Over 50 Titles, Both New and Forthcoming,
For Black History Month
By Ann Burns with Emily Jones
Reprinted with permission from Library Journal, November 1, 1998.
Copyright (c) 1998 by Reed Publishing, USA, Div. Of Reed Holdings, Inc.
With all the fanfare surrounding the release of Jonathan Demme's Beloved,
starring Oprah Winfrey, it's worth reminding ourselves where all the excitement started:
with
a book. Toni Morrison won't be releasing a new novel in the coming months, but librarians
stocking up for Black History Month in February still have plenty of titles
from which to choose. From works by former models and on Nobel Peace Prize recipients to
three accounts of slavery to tributes to Thurgood Marshall, the selections
here admirably show the diversity of the African American experience today.
Biography
- Ball, Howard.
A Defiant Life: Thurgood Marshall & the Persistence of Racism in
America.
Crown. Jan. 1999. c.448p. bibliog. index. LC 98-23031. ISBN 0-517-59931-7. $27.50.
- Williams, Juan.
Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary.
Times Bks. 1998. c.512p. permanent paper. photogs. index. LC 98-9735. ISBN
0-8129-2028-7. $30. BIOG
These two books about a giant in U.S. legal and political history mirror each other in myriad
ways, detailing the history of the NAACP, the rise of Jim Crow, lynchings, etc. Ball's (political
science, Univ. of Vermont) study contains more legal lingo, which makes for a less interesting
read, while Williams's portrait is more revealing of the private side of the justice.
- Davis, Ossie & Ruby Dee.
With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together.
Morrow. Nov. 1998. c.512p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-688-15396-8. $25. AUTOBIOG
In this memoir, actors Davis and Dee reflect on their struggle to maintain a healthy
marriage, relate stories of the places they've been and the people they've met,
and share their experiences as Civil Rights activists.
- Dirie, Waris & Cathleen Miller.
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey
of a
Desert Nomad.
Morrow. 1998. 228p. photogs. LC 98-17480. ISBN 0-688-15823-4. $25. AUTOBIOG
As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Somalian supermodel Dirie speaks
out against the custom of genital mutilation, a "barbaric rite" that she underwent at age
five. In this memoir, she "provides a fascinating glimpse of her separate
lives--camel herder, supermodel, human rights activist -- and manages to weave threads of
drama,
humor, and courage into each." (LJ 11/1/98)
- Evers-Williams, Myrlie with Melinda Blau.
Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on
Becoming the Woman I Was Meant To Be.
Little, Brown. Jan. 1999. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 0-316-25520-3. $23. AUTOBIOG
The widow of Medgar Evers, Evers-Williams is a Civil Rights leader herself. Here she offers her
life story as an inspiration to us all.
- Haizlip, Shirlee Taylor & Harold C. Haizlip.
In the Garden of Our Dreams:
Memoirs of a Marriage.
Kodansha, dist. by Farrar. 1998. 306p. permanent paper. photogs. LC 98-20313. ISBN
1-56836-254-4. $24. AUTOBIOG
In this romantic husband-and-wife memoir, the
Haizlips (he is a prominent educator, she is the author of The Sweeter the Juice, LJ 1/94,
a memoir tracing her black, white, and Indian heritage) speak in alternate
voices. Through this story, they aim to relate "the larger continuing struggle of their generation to
achieve human dignity and racial equality."
- Henry, Charles P.
Ralph Bunche: Model Negro or American
Other?
New York Univ. Jan. 1999. c.320p. permanent paper. photogs. index. ISBN
0-8147-3582-7. $34.95. BIOG
Bunche (1903-1971), who helped mediate the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli conflict, was the
first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In this work, Henry (African
American studies, Univ. of California) offers a revealing portrait of a man he feels
is "virtually forgotten" despite his accomplishments.
- King, Martin Luther, Jr.
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.
Warner. Nov. 1998. c.392p. ed. by Clay borne Carson. ISBN 0-446-52412-3. $25.
AUTOBIOG
Carson (history, Stanford Univ.) threads together what King wrote or said at various times,
creating an "eloquent and
expressive narrative that moves from the early years to the unfulfilled dreams of the slain Civil
Rights leader." (LJ 11/l/98)
- McDonald, Janet.
Project Girl.
Farrar. Jan. 1999. c.256p. ISBN 0-374 23757-3. $23.AUTOBIOG
Now practicing law in Paris, McDonald was raised in the projects of Brooklyn, NY, in the
midst of poverty, drug abuse, and violence. This is the wrenching story of her escape from that
life to Vassar, Columbia, and then to NYU Law School and the personal crises she surmounted
along the way. (LJ 11/l/98)
- Remnick, David.
King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an
American
Hero.
Random. Nov.1998. c.336p. ISBN 0-375-50065-0. $25. BIOG
This incisive study by Remnick, recently named editor of The New Yorker,
contrasts the three major heavyweight champions the 1960s (Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and
Ali) as competing
models of black identity. The result is "the smartest Ali biography since Wilfrid Sheed's elegant
ode Muhammad Ali (LJ 11/1/75) but with a broader cultural range." (LJ 10/1/98)
- Rogers, Mary Beth.
Barbara Jordan: American Hero.
Bantam. Dec. 1998. c.432p. bibliog. index. LC 98-19996. ISBN 0-553-10603-1.$23.95. BIOG
As the first black woman elected to Congress from the South and the first to deliver the
keynote address at a national party convention, Barbara Jordan became an American hero,
"through intellect, character, and powerful oratory." In this tribute, Rogers views her as
"independent and stoic" and as someone who won "power and influence through 'inside
politics.'" (LJ 11/l/98)
- Slevin, Kathleen E & C. Ray Wingrove.
From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones: The Life Experiences of Fifty
Professional African American Women.
New York Univ. 1998. 196p. permanent paper. index. LC 98-9091. ISBN 0-8147-8099-7.
$50; pap. ISBN 0-8147-8100-4. $17.50. BIOG
Pioneers in the work world, the women featured here "are models for young women of today
who are just beginning the journey they have completed." Now retired, they share their stories
of survival and resistance with the authors, both sociology professors. The issues they
consider include church, education, and the world of work.
- Stepto, Robert B.
Blue as the Lake: A Personal Geography.
Beacon, dist. by Ballantine. 1998. 209p. permanent paper. LC 98-5870. ISBN
0-8070-0944-X. $23. AUTOBIOG
In this intimate memoir, English professor Stepto recounts his childhood in Chicago, his
summers vacationing with his grandparents, and his family history from slavery in the East to
Missouri.
Economics
- Bunkley, Anita.
Steppin' Out with Attitude: Sister, Sell Your Dream!
HarperPerennial: HarperCollins. 1998. c.320p. illus. ISBN 0-06-095288-1. pap. $12.50.
BUS
In this self-help guide for ambitious African American women -- businesswomen, entrepreneurs
needing specific motivational and selling tools, and young women entering the job market --
Bunkley (Balancing Act, LJ 4/15/97) reveals the secret to her success.
Fiction
- Danticat, Edwidge.
The Farming of Bones.
Soho, dist. by Farrar. 1998. c.320p. LC 98-3655. ISBN 1-56947-126-6. $23. F
Haitian-born novelist Danticat, perhaps best known for Krik? Krak! (LJ
3/15/95), uses "calm, lyrical, sensual language" to explore the brutal massacre carried out by
Dominican president Trujillo. (LJ 8/98)
- Files, Lolita.
Getting to the Good Part.
Warner. Jan. 1999. c.335p. LC 98-22549. ISBN 0-446-52420-4. $24. F
In this novel,
feisty and candid Files (Scenes from a Sistah) brings back Reesy Snowden and her
best friend, Misty Fine, to wend their way through more turbulent chapters of their lives.
- Griffith, Lois.
Among Others.
Crown. Dec. 1998. c.320p. LC 98-22693. ISBN 0-517-70367-X. $23. F
First novelist Griffith "addresses the issues of color, race, class, politics, and sexuality" in
this work,
which takes place at the
height of the student and black power movements. (LJ 10/1/98)
- Haley, Alex & David Stevens.
Mama Flora's Family.
Scribner. 1998. 394p. LC 98-5389. ISBN 0-684-83471-5. $25. F
In this final tale by Haley (Roots), finished from his notes by coauthor Stevens,
an African American family moves through slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow into the Civil
Rights era. Although not entirely successful (see the review, p. 125), this emotional account of
intergenerational life does reflect the struggles common to many African American families. And
Haley is certainly a draw.
- Hill, Mars.
The Moaner's Bench.
HarperFlamingo: HarperCollins. 1998. c.384p. ISBN 0-06-019102-3. $24. F
In this
powerful first novel, Hill introduces an African American boy growing up in rural
Arkansas during the late 1920s and 1930s, who struggles painfully with "racial segregation, the
Great Depression, and the slow death of his diabetic father." (LJ 9/1/98)
- Johnson, Guy.
Standing at the Scratch Line.
Random. Dec. 1998. c.432p. permanent paper. ISBN 0-375-50158-4. $24.95. F
After
murdering two white lawmen, LeRoi Tremain
is on the run -- straight into the army and the Great War, where he proves himself an able killer.
The result is "a brief history of 20th-century black America in the guise
of a testosterone-fueled adventure yarn in this fast-paced, intelligent, and extremely violent first
novel." The author comes by his talents naturally; he's the son of Maya Angelou. (LJ 10/1/98)
- Jones, Gayl.
Mosquito.
Beacon, dist. by Ballantine. Jan. 1999. c.632p. ISBN 0-8070-8346-1. $28.50. F
A cult
figure in African American literature in the 1970s, Jones dropped out of sight for
personal reasons. Earlier this year, Beacon published The Healing, her first novel in
20 years and its first novel ever. Since in the news because of shocking personal
events, she continues to publish, exploring politics, romance, and racism in a new novel that
uniquely captures the Southern dialect of Texas.
- Lamar, Jake.
Close to the Bone.
Crown. Feb. 1999. c.352p. LC 98-21773. ISBN 0-517-70407-2. $23. F
Whether he's writing fiction (The Last Integrationist) or nonfiction
(Bourgeois Blues), Lamar cuts through to the controversies surrounding the African
American experience. Here, three black men deal with issues
of interracial dating and heritage at the time of the O.J. Simpson trials.
- Major, Clarence.
All-Night Visitors.
Northeastern Univ. (Library of Black Literature). Dec. 1998. c.288p. ISBN 1-55553-367-1.
$24.95. F
Major's first novel, originally published in an expurgated edition in 1969, is finally presented
intact. The disturbing story, which details the struggles of a young African
American man, is filled with "violence, sex, and rage, and Major's graphic descriptions are not
for the squeamish." (LJ 10/15/98)
- Mosley, Walter.
Blue Light.
Little, Brown. Nov. 1998. c.288p. ISBN 0-316-57098-2. $23. F
Noted for his mysteries featuring Easy Rawlins, Mosley changes course with a work that
follows a large group of strangers touched by a mysterious blue light from space. "This is a great
leap of faith for his fans, but those who make it will be rewarded with a beautifully written,
deeply spiritual novel," said LJ's reviewer (LJ 10/1/98).
- Porter, Connie.
Imani All Mine.
Houghton. Jan. 1999. c.224p. ISBN 0-395-83808-8. $23. F
This latest from the author of All Bright Court deals with a 14-year-old with a
child of her own.
- Ray, Francis & others.
Winter Nights.
Kensington. Dec. 1998. c.304p. LC 98-065851. ISBN 1-57566-369-4. $22. F
Three of the hottest African American romance writers team up to bring together this
steamy compilation of holiday stories, filled with a strong sense of family and the love shared
with those closest to you.
- Roby, Kimberla Lawson.
Here and Now.
Kensington. Feb 1999. c.288p. LC 98-065260. ISBN 1-57566-366-8. $22. F
As in her previous novel, Behind Closed Doors, Roby continues to explore the duality in
women's lives with the story of two African American sisters who feel that they would be much
better of in each other's shoes.
- Smith, Mary Burnett.
Ring Around the Moon.
Morrow. 1998. c.288p. LC 98-23520. ISBN 0-688-15987-7. $24. F
Smith's (Miss Ophel" LJ 8/97) second novel is the moving story
of an African American woman who discovers more secrets about her family than she would like
to
know, which helps her to put her own life in order.
- Walker, Alice.
By the Light o f My Father's Smile.
Random. 1998. c.256p. LC 98-5464. ISBN 0-375-50152-5. $22.95. F
Reading more like an essay than a novel, this latest work by the prodigious Walker
(Anything We Love Can Be Saved, LJ 5/1/97) is an "exploration of sexuality and
how society's attitudes toward it have damaged both men and women." (LJ 8/98)
- Wesley, Valerie Wilson.
Easier To Kill.
Putnam. 1998. 193p. permanent paper. LC 98-21239. ISBN 0-399-14445-5. $23.95. F
Once again, Wesley's (No Hiding Place) African American supersleuth, Tamara
Hayle, finds herself in a grand mess as she tries to help one of New Jersey's hottest
radio personalities figure out who is stalking and keeping the woman's shady past from coming
to light.
- Wideman, John Edgar.
Two Cities.
Houghton. 1998. 242p. LC 98-22915. ISBN 0-395-85730-9. $24. F
"Beautifully structured, cunningly interlaced, and sensuously immediate," this novel by
the highly regarded Wideman (The Cattle Killing, LJ 7/96) presents the story of an
African American woman afraid to love after losing both husband and sons to street violence.
Photographs documenting a half-century of black experience help call her back to life. (LJ
10/15/98)
Health
History
- Berlin, Ira.
Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North
America.
Belknap: Harvard Univ. 1998. c.512p. maps. ISBN 0-674-81092-9. $29.95.
- Johnson, Charles & Patricia Smith.
Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery.
Harcourt. 1998. c.512p. illus. index. ISBN 0-15-100339-4. $30.
- Remembering Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of
Slavery and Freedom.
New Pr., dist. by Norton. 1998. c.352p. ed. by Ira Berlin & others. photogs. index.
ISBN 1-56584-425-4. $49.95. HIST
Recently, there has been a spate of books on the issue of slavery. Drawing on tapes made by
the Federal Writers Project in the 1930s and 1940s, Remembering Slavery (LI
9/1/98) records the history of slavery as told by ex-slaves. This powerful document was
edited partly by Berlin, a prominent historian on the subject, whose Many Thousands
Gone, offers "an imaginative, detailed account of American slavery from its origins at the
beginning of the 17th century through the revolution" (LJ 9/15/98). Johnson
and Smith's book, which accompanies a PBS series, has been marred by controversy -- Smith
was
fired from the Boston Globe for fabricating stories. But the
book remains both an "easy-to-read history of American slavery" (LJ 9/15/98) and
an imaginative rethinking of history: fiction writer Johnson integrates a
dozen short stories into the text.
Home Economics
- Fornay, Alfred.
The African-American Woman's Guide to Successful Make-Up and Skin Care.
Amber, 1334 E. Chandler Blvd., Ste. 51367, Phoenix, AZ 85048. 1998. c. 154p. photogs.
index. LC 98-21455. ISBN 0-9655064-2-8. pap. $14.95. PERSONAL GROOMING
Fornay, former creative director for Revlon Cosmtics, presents a how-to handbook for
all women of color. He covers the health and beauty of the skin,
its maintenance and treatment, and applying make-up.
Literature
Performing Arts
Poetry
- Major, Clarence.
Configurations: New and Selected Poems, 1958-1998.
Copper Canyon. 1998. c.360p. ISBN 1-55659-092-X. pap. $17. POETRY
Major is perhaps best known for his fiction (see All-Night Visitors, listed
above), but he has been writing poetry for years. This, however, is his first collection in a decade.
The unlikely images don't always work, but when they do, "his poetry is excellent." (LJ
10/1/98)
- Sanchez, Sonia.
Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems.
Beacon, dist. by Ballantine. Jan. 1999. c. 176p. ISBN 0-8070-6850-0. $22. POETRY
In this anthology, which includes a tribute to her father, love poems, and notes to
graduating seniors, African American poet and lecturer Sanchez brings
together selections from her previous works (including the National Book Critics Circle
nominee, Does Your House Have Lions?).
- Wright, Bruce.
Love Hangs Upon an Empty Door.
Barricade. Nov. 1998. c.122p. LC 98-24616. ISBN 1-56980-129-0. pap. $12. POETRY
In this collection of poems, retired justice Wright (Black Justice in a White World, LJ
11/l/96) draws attention to the strife in Africa, gives his thoughts on a formal cocktail
party at the United Nations, and speaks on race relations, love, and death.
Political Science
- Steele, Shelby.
A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America.
HarperCollins. 1998. c.224p. ISBN 0-06-016823-4. $24. POLITICS
Steele (senior fellow, Hoover Institution) has taken on a tough role: that of African
American conservative. Here he argues that "white acceptance of affirmative action and the
promotion of afrocentric ideology are rooted in a need to expiate the shame felt by a culture that
historically mistreated black Americans, rather than an effort to create a society based on racial
equality." (LJ 10/15/98)
Reference
Religion
- DeCaro, Louis A., Jr.
Malcolm and the Cross: The Black Muslims and the White Man's
Religion.
New York Univ. 1998. c.282p. permanent paper. index. ISBN 0-8147-1860-4.
$29.95. REL
In this study, DeCarc, presents a "fine appreciation of Malcolm X's life and
work that not only shows him as a religious revolutionary but clarifies his
contribution in affirming the religious community in its glorious diversity." (LJ 8/98)
Social Sciences
- Cornish, Grace.
10 Bad Choices That Ruin Black Women's Lives.
Crown. 1998. c.240p. LC 98-11062. ISBN 0-609-60050-8. $20. SOC SCI
Listen up, sisters: psychologist Cornish, offers several reasons why black women fail in
their relationships with men. They include disrespecting and competing with other women,
looking for a man with money and status, and getting involved
with a married man.
- Graham, Lawrence Otis.
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class.
HarperCollins. Jan. 1999. c.320p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-06-018352-7. $25. SOC SCI
In this work, Graham, who exposed bias against African Americans in his sharp tongued
account of working at an elite country club (Member of the Club, LJ 5/l/95), here
focuses on "America's black upper class": a conservative, well-to-do group that dates back to the
first black millionaires in the 1870s and whose members are associated with institutions like the
Links and the Oak Bluffs area of Martha's Vineyard.
- Henderson, George.
Our Souls To Keep: Black/White Relations in America.
Intercultural. Dec. 1998. c.227p. index. LC 98-29811. ISBN 1-877864-65-X. $19.95. SOC
SCI
Henderson speaks primarily to white Americans to help them understand black
people who are their "mirror images."
- Ladner, Joyce A.
The Ties That Bind: Timeless Values for African American Families.
Wiley. Feb. 1999. c.224p. ISBN 0-471-19953-2. $22.95. SOC SCI
To suggest values for raising children today, Ladner draws on her own Mississippi
childhood as well as her experience as a black sociologist at Howard, where she has served as
president.
- Smith, Barbara.
The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom.
Rutgers Univ. Nov. 1998. c.224p. bibliog. ISBN 0-8135-2573-X. $23. SOC SCI
In these essays, Smith, an independent scholar and editor, explores several explosive
issues, among them sexual politics, racism and women's studies, and
homophobia.
- Summers, Barbara.
Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models.
Amistad, dist. by St. Martin's. 1998. 284p. photogs. index. LC 98-28644. ISBN
1-56743-031-7. $60. SOC SCI
Former model Summers presents a fascinating portrait of the black fashion world,
chronicling the arrival of black designers and modeling agencies and the emergence of black
supermodels on the runway. (LJ 11/l/98)
Sports
- Halberstam, David.
Michael Jordan: The Making of a Legend.
Random. Feb. 1999. 352p. ISBN 0-679 41562-9. $24.95. SPORTS
What makes Jordan tick? That's what historian Halberstam is set to discover.
- Harris, Francis C. & Charles F. Harris, Jr.
The Amistad Pictorial History of the African American Athlete. 2 vols.
Amistad, dist. by St. Martin's. Nov. 1998. c.352p. photogs. index. ISBN 1-56743-048-1.
$35. SPORTS
These two volumes, one collegiate, the other professional, cover each major sport,
including baseball, football, and tennis, with photographs of great teams
and their coaches.
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