African American Literature: Voices in a Tradition

Customer Reviews:

African American Literature - High School Loved It.......2004-09-29

This book is excellent stand alone and in conjunction with other literature concurrent in time. It dovetails well with 'The Great Gatsby' because of the selections from the Harlem Renaissance in Unit Five. Other periods can supplement this text; and it can be used in Social Studies as well (Unit One - Three touches on ancient Egypt,African Proverbs and exerpts from Olaudah Equiano,Benjamin Banneker. Units Six - Eleven cover writings to the Eighties. I have used this book for years, the students keep asking for more.

Teacher's lifesaver.......2002-04-30

Let me just tell you this book kept 8th graders loving literature like no other literature could. There is violence, love, jealousy, family, struggle... in practically every story. Lots of great nonfiction, too. A wonderful wonderful item for read aloud even.

Teacher's lifesaver.......2002-04-30

Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal

Average customer rating:

Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal
Singing with Joy
Lift Every Voice and Sing II
Wonderful Music

Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal

Manufacturer: Church Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 089869194X

Customer Reviews:

Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal.......2007-07-16

The book is great. I want to incorporate African American hymns in my liturgy and this book is a wonderful resource.

Singing with Joy.......2007-06-27

This book brings back memories of songs I grew up with, plus new songs I have never sung before, and no, I am not an African American, but I did grow up in the South, and went to a Baptist Church, and sang many of these songs.

Lift Every Voice and Sing II.......2007-06-11

It is a wonderful hymnal. I would like to order more used copies.

Wonderful Music.......2006-03-07

These are beautiful arrangements of African American religious songs and melodies, not too difficult for someone with intermediate piano-playing ability. I got this as a Christmas present, and have used it happily ever since. My only suggestion for improvement would be a spiral-bound edition, to make it easier to keep the book open on the piano stand.

Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance (Blacks in the Diaspora)

Average customer rating:

Informative
A valuable contribution to black and queer studies
Not So Quiet Gay Voices!!!
A Must for everyone interested in the Harlem Renaissance

Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance (Blacks in the Diaspora)
A. B. Christa Schwarz
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0253216079

Customer Reviews:

Informative.......2006-08-16

Honestly, the book is a a difficult read in some spots. Some items may require a second reading just to make sure the point is taken the way it is meant by Schwarz. That said, it is not an impossible read. Usually, Langston Hughes is the primary focus of such detailed scharlarship. This book examines Nugent, Cullen, and McKay who were, in their distinctive ways, just as important as Hughes in contributing to the Harlem Renaissance. All men were gay and dealed with their sexuality in print in a the mannor comfortable to them. Hughes, Cullen, and McKay employed Whitmanesque techniques and Nugent was completely unguarded in his sexual proclivities. For me, that Hughes and Nugent were both gay and yet showed different tastes in men and how they dealed with their sexuality is so interesting. The two men are the same and yet polar opposites of one another. Anyway, the reader will be happy with this book. Such work as Schawrz provides a new way of reading and re-reading these important figures in general literature and adds to the growing study of literature by gay African Americans, an under represented and all to often overlooked area of study.

A valuable contribution to black and queer studies.......2006-07-18

I'm not sure why the other two reviewers found Christa Schwarz's Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance difficult to read. I find Schwarz's prose clear and natural and her organizational scheme transparent. More important, Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance is a valuable contribution to black and queer studies--Schwarz's scholarship is impressive and thorough. Until this book appeared, the critical question of how queer genealogy intersected with the New Negro literary movement tended to be localized in debates over individual authors, such as the question of Langston Hughes's sexual orientation. But Schwarz's book does much more than merely consolidate archives into a single text. Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance performs the necessary labor of demonstrating that to talk of the Harlem Renaissance is to speak of the beginning of the queer revolution in the U.S., to suggest that among the emancipatory products of the New Negro was queer counterculture. The significance of Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance cannot be understated.

Not So Quiet Gay Voices!!!.......2005-07-06

A.B. Christa Schwarz's GAY VOICES OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE isn't an easy read. Barring the first two chapters, "Gay harlem and the Harlem Renaissance" and "Writing in the Harlem Renaissance....Burden of Representation and Sexual Dissidence," the remaining chapters will need a second or third reading for a coherent understanding for those interested in her discussion.

Ms. Schwarz looks at the work of three male writers from the period who are given their own chapters: Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Richard Bruce Nugent. Of these writers, Cullen, Hughes, and McKay are identified as using
Whitmanesque techniques to express in coded forms their desire for those members of their own sex. For the none initiated, Walt Whitman often changed male gender specific pronouns in his poetry to the feminine form for public consumption. Bruce Nugent was the only one of this group out and open, to some extent, with his sexuality in work and life, even during the down low days in his marriage of comformity.

Of the writers featured here, Countee Cullen is known to have had a few affairs with black and white men as Claude McKay. Cullen was the only one to envelope much of his work in the traditional European framework. Even his funeral many years later was staid in the European tradition of ceremony, contrary to the funeral of Langston Hughes who embraced his blackness in a funeral ceremony far, far away from the white American and
European traditional dogma and form. Langston Hughes wrote primarily for a black audience, celebrated his blackness with radical pride, and avoided with great distaste the traditional European style in the framework and subject matter of his body of work. This should come as no surprised after reading Arnold Rampersad's meticulously researched biographies of Hughes, particularily Vol. 2 where in three uncommom moments absent
of sexual prejudice Rampersad states Hughes's "preference" for black men as evidenced by Hughes's work and "life" (the label of Rampersad being entirely homophobic is not totally fair to him). Schwarz has this in mind when making the comment that in many of Hughes sea/sailor poems, race isn't specified because of the camaraderie of sailors of different nationalities which is in synch with Hughe's socialism poetry of the 1930's. Claude Mckay had the most in common with Hughes in terms of radical black pride and a like of the "low life" or common working class black, but his foreigner status as a Jamaican also made him an outsider to Harlem both figuratively and literally; he chose Greenwich Village as a primary residence and spurned many of the Harlem black intelligentsia. McKay was the only real bisexual of the bunch who had affairs with men and women, black and white, domestic and foreign. Yet, as many of his coded gay references appeared to indicate, he could be harsh toward white society in gerneral. Richard Bruce Nugent was the only openly gay black man of the men in this book who did not employ Whitmanesque techniques to conceal his interest. He was open and primarily showed an interest in white men and white Latin men in his work and life, the complete polar opposite of Langston Hughes. Sadly, Ms. Schwarz fails to grasp an accurate understanding of the work SMOKE, LILLIES, AND JADE whose protagonist is black, not white or of underminded race. This bias is disturbing and ignores on her part that its inclusion in the short lived FIRE!! that was devoted to works "by," "about," and "for" black Americans (i.e. Negros circa 1920's). Two, she fails to realize that "Beauty," the Latin object of desire in the story is a composite of Langston Hughes, Harold Jackman, and Valintino.

The book isn't an easy read, but it is a worthwhile read providing one shows patience and at least a little knowledge of the subjects other than that of their surface persona. Incidentally, the cover is based on Cullen's poem "Tableau" where a black and white man are portrayed as walking hand in hand at the surprise and disgust of onlookers, black and white. The painting was designed by Jacob Lawrence.

A Must for everyone interested in the Harlem Renaissance.......2003-09-04

A. B. Christa Schwarz wrote a really learned book. Maybe it's the only way a German scholar can write. Not always easy to read it's a interesting study to read not only for literary historians. The study is a must for everyone interested in the Harlem Renaissance as a literary phenomenon. Schwarz focuses on Countze Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Richard Bruce Nugent. Readers learn a lot about Alain Locke as well. Locke played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance. Maybe Schwartz' next book will tell us more about Locke. We are waiting for it.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder: Heroes of the Bible in African-American Spirituals

Average customer rating:

Climbing Jacob's Ladder: Heroes of the Bible in African-American Spirituals
John Langstaff
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689504942

African Americans: Voices of Triumph : Creative Fire (African Americans: Voices of Triumph)

Average customer rating:

African Americans: Voices of Triumph : Creative Fire (African Americans: Voices of Triumph)

Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Judges | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0783522584

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Average customer rating:

Just wished I could have heard her, too!
If the planet Earth could sing
Richie's Picks: THE VOICE THAT CHALLENGED A NATION

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))
Russell Freedman
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0618159762

Book Description

"A voice like yours," celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, "is heard once in a hundred years." This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists-and for all Americans of color-when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts. Carefully researched, expertly told, and profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, one of today's leading authors of nonfiction for young readers illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history. Notes, bibliography, discography, index.

Customer Reviews:

Just wished I could have heard her, too!.......2006-04-24

I was not too familiar with the life of Marian Anderson, so it was
with some degree of anticipation that I listened to THE VOICE THAT
CHALLENGED A NATION by Russell Freedman . . . it did not
disappoint.

Anderson began her career, singing in church choirs . . . because
she had to quite school after her father died when she was in
eighth grade, she did not get to complete high school until
she was 24 . . . yet she continued to sing, helped along by
members of her church who constantly came together to raise
money for her lessons.

She eventually sang to sold-out concert halls throughout Europe . . . yet
the book's most moving part described her return to this country in
1939 . . . when she was denied permission to perform in Constitution
Hall in because she wasn't white, she staged--with help from
Eleanor Roosevelt--a breathtaking outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

I would have liked this CD to have contained some of the performances
of her actual songs . . . yet for that, I guess I'm just going to have to
spring for another CD of her music . . . it will be my pleasure to do so.

If the planet Earth could sing.......2005-02-22

Writing a biography of a private person who led a public life is, by definition, difficult. So it only stands to reason that writing a children's biography of a private person who led a public life would be ten times as hard. Children's biographies cannot speculate over the sex life of the subject. They can't delve into shoddy rumors or dredge up conspiracy theories related to the person's sordid background. None of this is to say that Marian Anderson had such sketchy rumors floating about her person, of course. By all accounts she led an exciting life, had a fabulous career, and is regarded as a great American hero. But she was also a private person, which places Russell Freedman in a difficult position. As the author of, "The Voice That Challenged a Nation", Freedman's job is to tell Anderson's story while relying on as many good, strong, clean facts as he can get his hands on. Fortunately, we're talking about the premiere biographical children's author here. Alongside fellow genius James Giblin, Freedman knows exactly how to present a life this interesting and detailed. The book will not charm every child assigned it in school. But if you've a kid who's open-minded and able to get into Marian's struggle, this is an excellent resource. Even if, prior to this book, they couldn't tell Marian Anderson from Ella Fitzgerald.

The book opens with what is inarguably Anderson's greatest moment in the public eye. She stands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a crowd of 75,000 people below her, waiting to hear her sing. The date is April 9, 1939, and Anderson has been refused the chance to perform at Constitution Hall. Anderson is black and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) is inherently racist. With this concert, under the shadow of Lincoln himself, Anderson gives a heckuva performance that stands as a dignified response to racism in America. It goes very well and from here we shoot back and see Ms. Anderson's life in full. From her early days as a choir member in Philadelphia to her triumphant European tour in the early 30s. Certain aspects of Marian's life repeat themselves. She was wholly dedicated to her mother and took her everywhere. She was uncertain of her own talents at times but continued to sing and conquer. Freedman expertly weaves fascinating aspects of Marian's life (example: her high school boyfriend waited some twenty years to marry her) with factual information about the times in which she lived. Kids who read this book learn just as much about Jim Crow laws and deeply imbedded segregation as they do about Ms. Anderson's life. By the end of the book you find yourself emerging with a fascinating look at a truly great woman.

Freedman follows up this book with an extensive bibliography (which gives props to fellow fabulous child biography, "When Marian Sang" by Pam Munoz Ryan). There's also a discography, a series of picture credits, and a wonderful index. It seems petty to demand that an author (or publisher) bend even farther backwards after producing such a gorgeous book, but I was a teensy bit sad that "The Voice That Challenged a Nation" didn't have a small cd accompanying it. When you read a quote, like the one from opera and concert singer Jessye Norman saying that, "If the planet Earth could sing, I think it would sound like Marian Anderson", you want to hear that voice. Not just read about it. But as I said, them's small potatoes. As it is, this may be one of those few children's books that inspire kids to search for Marian Anderson recordings on itunes (which has a lovely selection, by the way).

With some authors, you know to trust them. You pick up their latest work without a smidgen of doubt in your mind that what you're about to peruse is going to impress you. After Freedman won my respect with his glorious, "Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery" (Eleanor shows up quite a lot in this book as well, I'm pleased to report), I expected nothing but the best from his Marian Anderson bio. And the best it is. A fine selection for any library, whether personal or public, anywhere.

Richie's Picks: THE VOICE THAT CHALLENGED A NATION.......2004-10-28

"This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'
"And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

"Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

"Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

"But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

"Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

"Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring..."

--Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

Dr. King must surely have had a thought or two of Marian Anderson as he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on that historic afternoon and delivered those words.

Many of us know Marian's basic story:

Marian Anderson was a helluva singer.

Despite being celebrated in Europe as the voice of a century, and despite having the strong support of the President's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marian Anderson was denied the opportunity to perform in Constitution Hall in Washington, DC because it was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and those ladies didn't allow no black folks to be singing in their hall. That refusal led to Marian performing instead from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a crowd of 75,000 people on the Mall and a nationwide radio audience.

She stood up tall where Martin would stand a quarter-century later and led off her performance with a rendition of My County 'Tis of Thee.

Her performance is seen as a historic event at the dawn of the modern Civil Rights movement.

Two years ago, Pam Munoz Ryan and Brian Selznick created the stunningly beautiful 40 page picture book, WHEN MARIAN SANG (Scholastic Press, 2002), which won all sorts of awards including a Sibert Honor.

Now Russell Freedman has written a beautiful and more detailed biography of Marian Anderson which will similarly captivate readers with its engaging text and its clear, oversized photographs of the singer herself and of supporting characters in the story of Marian Anderson.

The most precious of those supporters were also some of the earliest. Through the chapters focusing on her earliest years, I was moved by Freedman's portrayal of how Marian's childhood community came through time and time again to insure that her dreams would not be in vain:

"Again there was no money for lessons. Most of Marian's earnings from concert appearances went to her mother, who was still taking in laundry and scrubbing floors, and to her sisters, who were still in school. And again the congregation at Union Baptist Church came to Marian's aid, organizing a benefit concert that raised $566 so that she could study with Boghetti."

Equally moving is the subplot of her life that involves Orpheus Fisher:

"I don't wanna wait in vain for your love" --Bob Marley

Having had to quit school after eighth grade in the wake of her father's death, Marian did not complete high school until she was twenty-four. It was during her delayed high school years--back when America was engaged in the First World War--that Marian met Orpheus Fisher who, "like her, was still in high school. He fell for the shy singer with the soft laughter and huge sparkling eyes who was almost as tall as he..."

Decades later, America was midway through the Second World War when Marian finally relented and married Orpheus, who has tirelessly and faithfully pursued her all those years, while she was single-mindedly focused on her career.

And what a career it was:

"During one ten-month period she gave 123 concerts in fifteen different countries, performing a repertoire that included over two hundred songs and arias in German, Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and other languages."

It must have been amazingly disheartening for Marian Anderson to return home from entertaining European royalty and once again come face to face with Jim Crow. Like black sports stars of that era, Marian faced dangerous and humiliating conditions when traveling and performing around some regions of our "sweet land of liberty." And yet, in photos, she appears both to have left that all behind and to be channeling some kind of higher power as she sings.

" 'It was music-making that probed too deep for words.' "

Marian Anderson remains a symbol of the historic fight to let freedom ring for all Americans. In VOICE THAT CHALLENGED A NATION, Russell Freedman goes far beyond the symbolic to provide us a memorable look at the life of a singer whose talents knew no bounds.

Black Power Inc.: The New Voice of Success

Average customer rating:

Now you KNOW you're not alone
Very Interesting and Very True Outlook on Black Struggle in Corporate America
Well worth it.
What more can I say...
A very truthful, honest, assessment

Black Power Inc.: The New Voice of Success
Cora Daniels
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Motivation & Self-Improvement | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0471470902

Book Description

Black Power Inc. explores the emergence of a new black elite that sees business and economics as the true base of American power, rather than politics. Instead of mobilizing voters, they are storming boardrooms across the country and establishing themselves in positions of real influence. Now, Fortune magazine writer Cora Daniels, one of the primary chroniclers of this new shift in attitudes, reveals both the professionals who drive it and their motivations for doing so.

Customer Reviews:

Now you KNOW you're not alone.......2007-04-24

Black Power, Inc. is the book for which I've been waiting for quite some time. Daniels covers the real thought process of today's black professional, being a continuation of the previous generation's achievements, yet something altogether different. Today's black professional sees him/herself as a freedom fighter of a different brand, with corporate and entrepreneurial success as the new 'cause'. As I read this book, I found myself shouting 'Yes!' and 'Finally!' at the thought that there were actually others in the professional world who thought like me. The poignant analysis of the post-civil rights generation and its prevailing thought process was everything I needed to give me perspective and understanding of what my real purpose for acheivement has always been. If you are a young, striving, achieving, believing, competent, and driven black professional, this book is for you. This book IS you.

Very Interesting and Very True Outlook on Black Struggle in Corporate America.......2007-01-09

I must say that Cora Daniels is very insightful as she brings a voice to of us who are "Working While Black" I found myself nodding in affirmation to a lot of the things she made mention of. I discuss situations like the one's addressed in this book on a regular basis with friends and old college classmates. It is amazing how our careers span out over different professions not to mention cities and states yet we still can recall similar incidents. This book is a definite read if you are "Working While Black" or if you are not Black and wish to gain some insight into how your Black colleagues may feel.

Well worth it........2006-12-10

Reading the book felt like one of the venting sessions that I need every now and then to keep my sanity. The book was a reflection of the many experiences that I have had and also have witnessed. It was nice to feel that I was not alone and that there is an answer out there and our generation will help find it.

What more can I say..........2004-10-12

What more can I say about this book that hasn't already been said by the other gracious reviewers... except read it. If you want to know what it's like to be a black person age 25 - 40 and work in Corporate America then READ THIS BOOK. If you want to know what your African American co-workers are going through daily then READ THIS BOOK. If you are responsible for a diversity program at a fortune 500 company then please READ THIS BOOK. If you are a Sista and you plan to enter Corporate America then READ THIS BOOK. Finally, if you are "Working While Black" then READ THIS BOOK... I promise it will make you feel better and increase your drive to succeed in spite of the circumstances.

A very truthful, honest, assessment.......2004-08-02

The thing which brings this book the best form of credibility is Mrs. Daniels had access to the very subjects of the book. While I was reading it, I laughed, sighed, shook my head, smiled and many other feelings and words (some of which I cannot repeat) came out of me. For me, this was something I've seen for a while now. I'm happy I am not the only one who has felt these things and seen the things which were discussed in the book. It is not a pipe dream: the author, as well as the people she interviewed, don't give us a 1+1=2 solution to the condition of the corporate world for young Black Americans, because it would not be realistic. I would recommend this to any young Black American (or the old-school cats for that matter) who is looking to take that step to corporate America. It will open eyes for some and re-inforce existing ideas for others.

My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out

Average customer rating:

one of the best
A must for Teen Book Clubs or Women's Studies courses!
Iris Jacob's collection rocks!!

My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out

Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Teens | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 080506821X

Book Description

In the tradition of the bestselling Ophelia Speaks, a collection of provocative essays by teenage girls of colorMy Sisters' Voices is a passionate and poignant collection of writings from teenage girls of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and biracial backgrounds. With candor and grace, they speak out on topics that are relevant not only to themselves and their peers but to anyone who is raising, teaching, or nurturing young women of color. As adolescents, women, and minorities, these young authors represent a demographic that has had no voice of its own, a group often spoken for but rarely given the opportunity to be heard. Now these young women have a chance to stand up and be counted, to present their own unique perspectives in fresh and astonishing ways. Here you'll find a Native American girl writing about the bumps in her relationship with her best friend, who's white; a Korean American girl who wishes she could help her mother understand that it's okay to socialize with boys as well as girls; and a biracial girl who feels she must be the designated spokesperson for blacks when she's around whites, for whites when she's around blacks, and for biracial people around everyone. These personal and inspiring stories about family, friendship, sex, love, poverty, loss, and oppression make My Sisters' Voices essential reading for young women of all backgrounds.

Customer Reviews:

one of the best.......2005-07-28

Ms. Jacob provides a much needed forum for the voices of young women of color to be heard. The book is well-suited for use by both high school and college courses, but is written in a style that would also appeal to any young woman of color as well as those who are involved with them as parents, teachers and friends. The stories are both personal and inspiring. Highly recommended.

A must for Teen Book Clubs or Women's Studies courses!.......2002-05-02

As a former professor of psychology and women's studies and current director of a center for girls in NYC, I would like to say this book is a must-read. For all those who have lamented the "white" slant on the information that is available about teen girls' issues, this book fills a void. Iris Jacobs weaves together essays, poems, and stories with an engaging style that is both sophisticated and accessible. I think this book is a wonderful choice for teen book clubs and a must for women's studies courses.

Iris Jacob's collection rocks!!.......2002-04-05

Great collection for youth girls and younger women of color. It stands as a girl of color version of "Yell-Oh Girls," an equally empowering and loaded collection of writings by teen and young adult Asian Pacific American women. Buy this book for your little sister!

Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots

Average customer rating:

I'm glad there's a book out there on this topic!

Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots

Manufacturer: South End Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0896084477

Customer Reviews:

I'm glad there's a book out there on this topic!.......2002-08-20

Too often it's assumed that all environmentalists are white, class-privileged neo-hippies and that people of color are too busy with "real" issues. This book shows that activists of color are extremely dedicated to fighting pollutants in their community. This book stresses that a disproportionate number of communities of color have been targeted for toxic wastes sites, etc.; so it is not environmental classism, but specifically environmental racism. This book does a good job in showing how Blacks, Native Americans, and Latinos are equally engaged in fighting this tragedy. This book may be too simplistic for longtime activists. For non-scientists like myself, many of the chemical compounds mentioned and stuff like that went right over my head (figuratively, of course). Still, this helped me learn more on the topic and is a good starter book. I think this book can help bring progressives across color lines together.

The Books of the American Negro Spirituals

Average customer rating:

if you are a singer, and admire sprituals this is your source
The Best
The Books of American Negro Spirituals
Outstanding transcriptions of traditional music

The Books of the American Negro Spirituals
James Weldon Johnson , and J. Rosamond Johnson
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Entertainment | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0306812029

Book Description

In two elegant and masterly prefaces, James Weldon Johnson discusses the origin and history of more than 120 of the most significant spirituals known. Favorites like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," and "Go Down, Moses" are arranged for voice and piano by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and considered within their African tradition.

Customer Reviews:

if you are a singer, and admire sprituals this is your source.......2007-01-13

i love spirituals and especially for a bass/baritone, the spiritual is a form that allows the low voice to shine. i purchased this work and have begun to enjoy working from sheet music with songs that previously, i only had the words, and maybe a recording to learn from.

not much else to say. if you want to see how spiritual looked when they were first transcribed for musicians, this is a one stop source.

The Best.......2006-01-03

This is perhaps the best compilation of African American Spirituals. Both of editor James Weldon Johnson's volumes are included as are his excellent introductions. The introductions alone are worth the price of the book and more. Johnson's brother provides the arrangement, as close as possible to the most likely way(s) in which they were originally sung. The words themselves are also as close as possible to the original wording. "The Book of the American Negro Spirituals" provides a first-hand accounting of the lyrical majesty and the creative genius of the enslaved African Americans as they integrated Christian truth into their daily suffering.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."

The Books of American Negro Spirituals.......2003-02-02

This is one of the best reference books available on the history of Negro Spirituals as well as a vast collection of songs - many of which have not been heard during our time. The preface begins with an awe inspiring poem " O Black and Unknown Bards". This is a must read for musicians, especially singers of Spirituals. Composers and arrangers would appreciate it's content as well.

Outstanding transcriptions of traditional music.......1999-04-11

This book stays true to aural tradition and offers outstanding, non-Westernized arrangements of the aural traditional music of African American spirituals.

The choice of using phonetic spellings for the lyrics means that the lyrics are heavy in the use of words like "dese", "dose", "Heab'n", etc. However, given the original publication being in the 1920's, and the author's comments in the introduction, it is apparent that the spellings are not the result of gross cultural insensitivity.

The respect for, and love of this fine music comes through in the author's comments. And the transcriptions retain the strong harmonic features that are often "arranged out" of collections of aural traditional music.

It is a fine collection, and an absolute steal at the price.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books