Customer Reviews

Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An encyclopedia's worth of facts, the familiar known as well as the obscure, about African-Americans, this volume is a must. It features some of the most intriguing facts that would probably go unnoticed (the first black auto dealership, the first black to author a detective story, the first black to win an Emmy, etc.) by the average student of history.

This is a book that is vital at a time when there are still so many unknowns about the contributions made by African-Americans to the many aspects of the nation's, along with the world's, development.

A five-star recommendation is not enough for this mammoth undertaking.

BLACK FIRSTS is a wonderful collection of historical facts reaching through the hands of time. Ms. Smith provides insight to more than 3,000 individuals and events in BLACK FIRSTS. She opens our eyes and introduces us to these great pioneers. The book is broken into various topics such as sports, writers, religion, civil rights and education just to name a few.

Using the book as my reference guide, I created a trivia game for Black History Month. Examples of questions included: "Who was the first Black woman to head a major educational institution for Blacks?" The answer is Fanny Jackson Coppin who was in charge of the Institute for Colored Youth of Philadelphia. Another question was based on publishing-icon John H. Johnson and Johnson Publishing Company, which currently publishes such great magazines as Ebony and Jet. The trivia question was "Which well-known Black publisher first published the Negro Digest in 1942? With such comprehensive information contained within this BLACK FIRSTS, it lent itself well to my attempt to become more familiar with Black history.

Admittedly I am not a history buff, yet this book I found to be very comprehensive and interesting. Ms. Smith consistently cites her references and captures the information beautifully. For anyone looking to learn a little more about themselves by travelling back into history, then BLACK FIRSTS is a necessary read.

This review refers to the first published addition, ISBN 1578591171.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Black First presents a variety of events that identify Black firsts from all over the country.

I am a returning customer and will continue to do business. The book provides useful information, the print is very small which makes for difficult reading.

This a very educational book for those interested in Black History. This is a must for Schools.