Black Issues Book Review articles from March 2002

Black Issues Book Review archives from March 2002

From the editor-in-chief.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... It's an honor for me to feature poet and publisher Haki Madhubuti on BIBR's cover for March-April. I count him as a dear personal friend. More significantly, he is a black cultural luminary and one of the brethren who are building...

Executive editor's view.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... Welcome to the dollhouse," is how literary agent Manie Barron greeted me when we first met in January. Indeed, that line aptly describes the world of black books--capricious and ever-changing, yet fiercely competitive. In this, my first...

Black romance. (Letters to the editor).
March 1, 2002... Thank you for your article "How Black Romance--Novels, That Is--Came to Be" by Gwendolyn Osborne. Ms. Osborne is the author of countless articles on the black romance genre and has proven to be an authority on African-American romance, and a...

Taking issue with Terry McMillan. (Letters to the editor).
March 1, 2002... Since I am listed in Black Issues Book Review as one of the two editorial advisers, I thought I would comment on the January-February 2002 issue. It was good to see a very attractive and happy Terry McMillan on the cover. However, I was upset...

Upcoming special reports in BIBR. (Letters to the editor).
March 1, 2002... Over the next few issues, we will be adding coverage of special interest to our readers. In the May-June issue: Book Expo and Black Music. In July-August: Self-Publishing and Summer Reading. In September-October: Education Report and Careers...

The Schomburg Center receives $1.16 million from New York Life--largest donation ever for young people's program. (between the lines: the inside scoop on what's happening in the publishing industry).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture received a $1.16 million, four-year grant from the New York Life Foundation. The grant established The New York Life/Schomburg Center Junior Scholars Program, an educational program for...

Best-selling author Pearl Cleage moves from William Morrow to One World/Ballantine. (Deals).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Anita Diggs, senior editor and director of One World/Ballantine, has acquired the next two novels from acclaimed playwright and novelist Pearl Cleage; the first is to be published in summer 2003. Cleage's previous works include Deals with the...

Langston Hughes stamp. (between the lines: the inside scoop on what's happening in the publishing industry).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Friday, February 1, 2002, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned a stamp in honor of Harlem Renaissance writer and poet Langston Hughes. The stamp commemorates the 100th birthday of Hughes, and the 25th anniversary of the Black Heritage stamp...

A Day in the Life of Africa.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... On Thursday, February 28, 2002, one hundred of the world's eminent photojournalists from 18 different countries spread out over 53 nations on the continent of Africa to capture the incredible images of African culture in one day. The best...

2001 BET Arabesque Man.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Paul Haney is the grand prize winner of the 2001 "Do You Know an Arabesque Man?" contest sponsored by BET Arabesque Books. Haney, 44, a firefighter based in Bethesda, Maryland, was among the rescue workers called to the Pentagon after the...

Awards spotlight.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Taylor and Pinkney win 2002 Coretta Scott King Awards Congratulations to Mildred Taylor and Jerry Pinkney, winners of the 2002 Coretta Scott King Awards, presented by the American Library Association. Taylor won for The Land, the prequel to...

Events corner.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Date Change: The new date for Write Now 3! An African American Literary Experience is March 15-16, 2002. For more information contact 410-542-0193 or visit www.sibanye.com National Library Week National Library Week is April...

The Life of Langston Hughes Volume I: 1902-1941 I, Too, Sing America. (BIBR recommends).
March 1, 2002... The Life of Langston Hughes Volume I: 1902-1941 I, Too, Sing America ISBN 0-195-14642-5 by Arnold Rampersad Oxford Univ. Press, Feb. 2002, $21.50 each Stanford University Professor Arnold Rampersad's definitive two-volume biography of...

The Life of Langston Hughes Volume II: 1941-1967 I Dream a World. (BIBR recommends).
March 1, 2002... The Life of Langston Hughes I Dream a World ISBN 0-195-14643-3 by Arnold Rampersad Oxford Univ. Press, Feb. 2002, $21.50 each Stanford University Professor Arnold Rampersad's definitive two-volume biography of Langston Hughes is now...

The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Volumes 1-17. (BIBR recommends).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Volumes 1-17 Various editors Chronology by Arnold Rampersad University of Missouri Press, 2001-2002, $29.95 each www.system.missouri.edu/upress This compilation of Hughes' novels, poems, essays and...

Remember Me to Harlem: the Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten, 1925-1964. (BIBR recommends).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Remember Me to Harlem: The Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten, 1925-1964 Edited by Emily Bernard Vintage, February 2002, $15.00 ISBN 0-375-72707-8 Now available in paperback, this collection of letters edited by University of...

Mahalia: a Life in Gospel Music. (BIBR recommends).(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Mahalia: A Life in Gospel Music by Roxane Orgill Candlewick Press, January 2002, $19.99, ISBN 0-763-61011-9 Thirty years after her death, Mahalia Jackson's moving voice is still recognized by millions of music lovers around the world....

Freedom's Daughters: the Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. (BIBR recommends).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson Touchstone Books, January 2002, $16.00, ISBN 0-684-85013-3 Freedom's Daughters fills a hole in history by informing readers about...

Book dealers serve up used, rare and well-done books. (market buzz).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In Walter Mosley's novel Fearless Jones, the protagonist Paris Minton is the owner of a small, used bookstore in South Central Los Angeles who stocks his shelves with castoffs from local libraries. When the store is destroyed, it serves as a...

The art of moderation. (books N clubs).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Diane Brooks has attended all but one of the monthly meetings of the Sisters Reading Club of Dayton, Ohio, since joining in 1999. An enthusiastic participant in the group's book discussions, Brooks wanted to do more than simply talk about the...

Web wonders. (book bytes: SistaPower).
March 1, 2002... In 2000, Lorraine Phillips and Jacqueline Cornelius created an online inspirational magazine for black women. The Atlanta-based founders feature cultural and literary information on their website and are hoping to expand its content. BIBR...

Sesame street online. (Just For Kids).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Welcome to the online world of Bert, Ernie and, yes, Elmo. There are lots of images here, so if your browser is slow, be patient. It's worth the few extra seconds of loading time. There are actually two worlds to explore on...

Got permission? One seller comes under fire. (Online Bookselling).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... It's not Amazon, Cushcity, or Borders.com, but one online bookseller is in hot water after being suspected of not only posting and selling excerpts from books without permission, but suggesting that using the excerpt is better than buying the...

Is the e-book craze over? (Tech Trend).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A few more websites bit the dust in publishing cyberspace. Mightywords.com, a spin-off of Fatbrain.com and owned by barnesandnoble.com, received loads of attention when it launched in December 2000, heralded as the site to target new authors...

Education: an attempt to bridge the digital divide? (Net News).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In January, a federal education bill called the No Child Left Behind Act created by the Bush administration was passed by Congress. Also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Authorization Bill, a major component of the measure is...

Click on this: www.LiterateNubian.com.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Are you a poet or writer that needs inspiration or simply wants to share your work? Maybe you enjoy reading new, undiscovered literary talent? If so, this site might be of interest to you. LiterateNubian.com was created as a place for...

The Black Female Body: a Photographic History. (eye).
March 1, 2002... The Black Female Body: A Photographic History by Deborah Willis and Carla Williams Temple University Press, February 2002 $50.00 ISBN 1-566-39928-9 Shame has been the veil through which many of us have viewed our naked bodies at times....

Beautiful: Nudes. (eye).
March 1, 2002... Beautiful: Nudes by Marc Baptiste Photographs by Marc Baptiste Text by Bethann Hardison, Deborah Gregory and Pamela Chess Universe Publishing December 2001, $45.00 ISBN 0-789-30646-8 Shame has been the veil through which many of us have...

Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture. (eye).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture by Ima Ebong Universe Publishing, October 2001, $25.00 ISBN 0-789-30624-7 "Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair...," or so go the words to the title song from the Broadway musical Hair. We talk...

You Look Beautiful Like That: the Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibe. (eye).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... You Look Beautiful Like That: The Portrait Photographs of Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibe by Michelle Lamuniere Yale University Press September 2001 $22.95 ISBN 0-300-09188-5 Whoever said, "A picture is worth a thousand words," understated...

I Am Iman. (eye).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... I Am Iman by Iman, foreword by David Bowie Universe Publishing, November 2001 $45.00, ISBN 0-789-30633-6 When Iman burst onto the fashion scene in 1975, she was not the first black model to set foot on the runway. There had already been a...

A Camel for the Son. (eye).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A Camel for the Son by Fazal Sheikh Netherlands Photo Institute and the Mondrian Foundation, February 2001 ISBN 0-970-76130-9 Breaking with tradition in merging book with reader, Fazal Sheikh (A Sense of Common Ground, The Victor Weeps:...

Ramadan Moon. (eye).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Ramadan Moon by Fazal Sheikh Netherlands Photo Institute and the Mondrian Foundation, April 2001 ISBN 0-970-76131-7 Breaking with tradition in merging book with reader, Fazal Sheikh (A Sense of Common Ground, The Victor Weeps: Afghanistan)...

The new literary blackface.
March 1, 2002... Satire has a long history in African-American culture. The very language that black people created once they arrived in America is filled with ironic rituals and stories, which like all satire point out failures and foibles using humor....

Miracle at St. Anna. (fiction reviews).
March 1, 2002... Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride Riverhead Books February 2002, $24.95 ISBN 1-573-22212-7 James McBride, the journalist and musician who authored the best-selling 1996 memoir The Color of Water, has written a compelling first novel...

The Fall of Rome. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate Scribner, February 2002, $23.00 ISBN 0-684-86500-9 Because uninspired, malicious teachers like the protagonist in Martha Southgate's The Fall of Rome really do exist, countless African-American children...

Discretion. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Discretion by Elizabeth Nunez One World/Ballantine, March 2002 $23.95, ISBN 0-345-44731-X In Discretion, Trinidad-born, award-winning author Elizabeth Nunez offers up a mystical tale about love, passion and the choices we make in life. The...

The God Who Begat a Jackal. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The God Who Begat a Jackal by Nega Mezlekia Picador, January 2002, $23.00 ISBN 0-312-28701-1 Nega Mezlekia's rich, fanciful world of feudal lords, vassal serfs, rebel slaves and damsels in distress puts a fictional spin on 18th-century...

Love Don't Live Here Anymore. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Love Don't Live Here Anymore by Denene Millner and Nick Chiles Dutton, March 2002, $23.95 ISBN 0-525-94641-1 Most men--and women--would consider it a dream assignment to spend a few months working in Paris. But for Randy Murphy, his stay is...

You Know Better. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... You Know Better by Tina McElroy Ansa William Morrow & Co., April 2002, $24.95 ISBN-0-060-19779-X Tina McElroy Ansa, author of The Hand I Fan With and Baby of the Family, once again plumbs the spirit world to solve the problems of a few...

This Bitter Earth. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... This Bitter Earth by Bernice L. McFadden Dutton, February 2002, $23.95 ISBN-0-525-94636-5 In this beautifully written follow-up to her debut novel, Sugar, Bernice L. McFadden continues to chronicle the hapless life of Sugar Lacey, who was...

Meant to Be. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Meant to Be by Rita Coburn Whack Strivers Row, March 2002, $11.95 ISBN-0-375-75809-7 Patience is a virtue. That adage proves to be true in the life of Patience Jan Campbell, 13, who lives in suburban Illinois. Jan, as everyone calls her,...

Bombingham. (fiction reviews).
March 1, 2002... Bombingham by Anthony Grooms The Free Press, October 2001, $24.00 ISBN 0-743-20558-8 In the war-torn rice fields of Vietnam, GI Walter Lee Burke recalls the other battlefields where his mettle was tested--the streets of Birmingham and his...

Black Silk: a Collection of African American Erotica. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Black Silk: A Collection of African American Erotica edited by Retha Powers Warner, February 2002, $13.95 ISBN 0-446-67691-8 "There were lovers giggling in the A&P, nose to nose in the ATM line, holding on to each other in the Chinese...

Granddaddy's Dirt. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Granddaddy's Dirt by Brian Egeston Carter-Krall Publishers, October 2001 $23.00, ISBN-0-967-55059-9 Writer Brian Egeston mixes a potent concoction of family scandal, long-buried secrets and humor to create an enthralling and modestly...

Sittin' in the Front Pew. (fiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Sittin' in the Front Pew by Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown Strivers Row, April 2002, $13.95 ISBN-0-375-75705-8 Edward Naylor was a solid brother. He worked hard, raised four daughters on his own, and touched everyone with his generous and kind...

On Her Own Ground: the Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles Washington Square Press January 2002 $15.00 ISBN 0-743-43172-3 Madame C.J. Walker, the first black female millionaire, has her story told by someone very...

Finding Fish: a Memoir. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quentone Fisher Harper Perennial, December 2001, $13.95 ISBN 0-060-00778-8 Life wasn't always glamorous for Hollywood screenwriter Antwone Fisher. This autobiography is inspiring and soon to be released as...

Breathing Room. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Breathing Room by Patricia Elam Washington Square Press January 2002 $13.00, ISBN 0-671-02843-X Female relationships are complex ones. Holding friendships together is a challenge that most have faced. Elam's debut novel eloquently tells...

Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self by Rebecca Walker Riverhead Books, January 2002, $14.00 ISBN 1-573-22907-5 Identity is something every human being must find. In this honest autobiography, Rebecca Walker, daughter...

Soul Food: 52 Principles for Black Entrepreneurial Success. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Soul Food: 52 Principles for Black Entrepreneurial Success by Robert L. Wallace Perseus Publishing, January 2002, $16.00 ISBN 0-738-20591-5 Fifty-two is the magic number within this helpful guide. Robert Wallace, president and CEO of...

Fire in Beulah. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Fire in Beulah by Rilla Askew Penguin, January 2002, $13.00 ISBN 0-142-00024-8 1920s Oklahoma is the backdrop for the story of two women from two completely different backgrounds whose paths unexpectedly cross. Althea Whiteside and her...

Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana D. Byrd & Lori L. Tharps St. Martin's Press, January 2002, $12.95 ISBN 0-312-28322-9 Hair has always been a major issue in establishing black women's identities. Ayana Byrd...

The Living Blood. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The Living Blood by Tananarive Due Washington Square Press January 2002 $14.00 ISBN 0-671-04084-7 Jessica Jacobs-Wolde has lost her husband and first daughter. Left with only her second daughter Fana, Jessica is petrified at the thought of...

The Quest for Cosmic Justice. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell Touchstone, February 2002, $14.00 ISBN 0-684-86463-0 Thomas Sowell didn't write this book to appease anyone. In fact, he wrote it to demonstrate how misconceptions of justice and equality...

A Personal Odyssey. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell Touchstone, February 2002, $15,00 ISBN 0-684-86465-7 Sowell educates readers on his lessons in the school of hard knocks. From his years in Harlem to the Marines, this controversial intellectual, gives...

The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Country. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Country by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cornel West Touchstone, January 2002, $16.00 ISBN 0-684-86415-0 Two authorities on the African-American experience, Cornd West and Henry...

Tenderheaded: a Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories. (new to paperback).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories edited by Juliette Harris and Pamela Johnson introduction by Ntozake Shange Washington Square Press, February 2002 $14.00 ISBN 0-671-04756-6 Pamela Johnson and Juliette Harris bring...

Resurrecting Mingus. (new to paperback).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Resurrecting Mingus by Jenoyne Adams Washington Square Press, February 2002, $13.00 ISBN 0-671-78781-0 Adams scores big with her captivating debut novel. Mingus Browning's worm seems to come crashing down when she learns of her father's...

The man and the plan: conspiracy theories and paranoia in our culture.
March 1, 2002... To promote his 1967 novel The Man Who Cried I Am, John A. Williams xeroxed portions of the book detailing the King Alfred Plan--an international conspiracy to exterminate all people of African descent--and left copies in subway car seats around...

Haki Madhubuti: the measure of a man. (Cover Story).
March 1, 2002... Haki Madhubuti is a serious man. Even before the first question is asked, he lets it be known that this is an important interview. Although he has been featured in local publications, and in Ebony and Essence, this is the first national...

Tested Faith: the Power of the Mind Over Cancer. (faith reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Tested Faith: The Power of the Mind Over Cancer by Yvonne L. Williams, M. Ed. Robert D. Reed Publishers, February 2001, $17.95 ISBN 1-885-00367-6 Take your brick walls, lay them flat, and make them stepping stones" writes Yvonne L....

You Are My Sister: an Inspirational Book That Promotes Sisterhood and Spiritual Growth. (faith reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... You Are My Sister: An Inspirational Book That Promotes Sisterhood and Spiritual Growth by Anfra R. Boyd F.I.G. Publishing, August 1999. $12.95 ISBN 0-967-34910-9 Books that are designed to inspire women to be better, stronger and smarter...

From My Window: Relevant Expressions of an Ordinary Woman. (faith reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... From My Window: Relevant Expressions of an Ordinary Woman by Felicia T. Scott Isaki Communications, September 2001 $14.95, ISBN 0-970-48980-3 Scott's collection of poems and personal essays is a testament to the therapeutic value of...

A Journey Back to Me: Rediscovering Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Wholeness. (faith reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A Journey Back to Me: Rediscovering Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Wholeness by ConSandra Jones Koinonia Publishing, February 2000 $15.00, ISBN 0-967-64903-X "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your...

What's love got to do with it? A conversation with writer/painter/ cultural critic bell hooks about her love books.(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 1, 2002... It's an old saw, but bell hooks really is the hardest-working woman in academia. At just under 50, she's already the author of over 20 books, ranging from the groundbreaking Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism--started when she was only...

Ask the book Doctor.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Dear Dr. Rosie, I am tired of having my manuscript rejected. I am considering the self-publishing route. But should I keep trying to get it published with a mainstream house, or should I self-publish? Dear Author, This question...

Deep Six: a Novel of Life, Death, Deception and Betrayal. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Deep Six: A Novel of Life, Death, Deception and Betrayal by Donna M. Dean Palo Alto Books, July 2001, $14.95 ISBN 1-889-90119-9 A woman's lifeless body is found with no sign of foul play. But her "soul" sister, Tondelayo Dubois, knows that...

Why I Kept My Past a Secret. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Why I Kept My Past a Secret by Teresa Browning Seaburn Books, June 2001, $14.95 ISBN 1-885-77887-2 The story of Ronda, a woman who struggle to keep her unfortunate past hidden in order to enjoy a brighter future.

A Silver Tongue. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... A Silver Tongue by Marlene Taylor Oshun Dynasty Publications, January 2002 $9.99, ISBN 0-967-76791-1 Substance abuse is a problem for millions of people. But few ever really get help. In A Silver Tongue, the storyline offers a valuable...

Women of Color and the Lives They Lead. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Women of Color and the Lives They Lead by Debra Knight Lightning Source, March 2001, $12.42 ISBN 0-759-60557-2 Rita, Monique and Sanerria are three women of color trying to find their way in life while navigating the complexities of men and...

In Search of a Quiet Place: the Jade Sheldon Story. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... In Search of a Quiet Place: The Jade Sheldon Story by S.L. Givhan Lightning Source, April 2001, $21.99, ISBN 0-738-85258-9 Nineteen-year-old Jade Sheldon is firm in her beliefs and knows exactly who she is. When she meets a famous recording...

A Secret Journal. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... A Secret Journal by S.L. Williams Lightning Source, June 2001 $15.54, ISBN 0-759-61579-9 The diary of a black man who survives Nazi Germany is given as a gift to his grandson. This journal not only serves as a compelling piece of history,...

Dubious & Darling. (self publishing roundup).
March 1, 2002... Dubious & Darling by Hugh Mitchell Bouvier Milligan Books, January 2000 $13.95, ISBN 1-881-52468-X Bouvier brings a book of poetry that reflects the emotional conflict black men sometimes experience, because of rigid cultural ideas about...

Black in 2100: the Quest. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Black in 2100: The Quest by Daniel E. Perkins Dexcel Publishing, September 2000 $14.95, ISBN 0-970-40158-2 What will the world be like for black Americans 99 years from now? Daniel Perkins takes on this challenge and offers insight into...

The Spirit of Franklin's Shoe Box. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The Spirit of Franklin's Shoe Box by Stormy Davis Writers Club Press, June 2001 $14.95, ISBN 0-595-19024-3 Franklin Cooper is a brother determined not to become a statistic. His only hope is stashed away in a shoebox. Can Franklin beat the...

The Daughters of a Mother. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The Daughters of a Mother by Boice-Terrel Allen Rattlecat Press, August 2000, $13.95 ISBN 0-970-13401-0 Native New Yorkers Talulah and Cora have to adjust to the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Anxious to find some fun in a small town, the girls...

Truth Be Told. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... Truth Be Told by Rachel Skerritt Lightning Source, March 2001 $22.99, ISBN 0-738-84207-9 Just when Kahlila thinks she has adjusted to college life, things become more complicated with a new love interest. Not only is he much older, but his...

The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Women. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Review)
March 1, 2002... The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Women by Michael Porter African American Images, April 2001 $14.95, ISBN 0-913-54376-4 It's no secret that life gets tough for sistahs everywhere. Society plays a big role in the hardships placed upon black...

Misbegotten. (self publishing roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Misbegotten by W. James Richardson Sterling House Publishing November 1999, $11.95 ISBN 1-563-15169-3 An innocent family outing turns into a nightmare. Retired cop Hugo Heiderberg's world is turned upside down when his daughter, Emily,...

A Song Flung Up to Heaven. (nonfiction reviews).
March 1, 2002... A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou Random House, April 2002, $22.95 ISBN 0-375-50747-7 Maya Angelou is the black woman's poet laureate, a title that means the most-respected poet of a nation. Her literary work embraces a nation of...

Starring in Your Own Life Reveal Your Hidden Star Quality and Make Your Life a Blockbuster Hit! (nonfiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Starring in Your Own Life Reveal Your Hidden Star Quality and Make Your Life a Blockbuster Hit! by Lena Nozizwe Fireside/Simon & Schuster New York November 2001, $12.00 ISBN 0-684-87308-7 Life shouldn't happen to you, you should happen to...

Harlemworld: Doing Race and Class in Contemporary Black America. (nonfiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Harlemworld: Doing Race and Class in Contemporary Black America by John L. Jackson Jr. University of Chicago Press December 2001, $30.00 ISBN 0-226-38998-7 There's a mystique that surrounds Harlem --with its rich historical tradition,...

The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Nonfiction. (nonfiction reviews).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Nonfiction by Jewell Parker Rhodes Broadway Books, December 2001, $14.00 ISBN 0-767-90578-4 If Jewell Parker Rhodes says she never "encountered a single reading assignment or exercise...