Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology [Paperback]

Herb Boyd (Editor), Robert L. Allen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 1996

"[AN] OUTSTANDING COLLECTION...
The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The purpose of this extraordinary anthology is made abundantly clear by the editors' stated intention: "to create a living mosaic of essays and stories in which Black men can view themselves, and be viewed without distortion." In this, they have succeeded brilliantly. Brotherman contains more than one hundred and fifty selections, some never before published--from slave narratives, memoirs, social histories, novels, poems, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, position papers, and essays.
Brotherman books us passage to the world that Black men experience as adolescents, lovers, husbands, fathers, workers, warriors, and elders. On this journey they encounter pain, confusion, anger, and love while confronting the life-threatening issues of race, sex, and politics--often as strangers in a strange land. The first collection of its kind, Brotherman gathers together a multitude of voices that add a new, unforgettable chapter to American cultural identity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This outstanding collection of writings by African-American males has been edited by Boyd (Down the Glory Road) and Allen (The Port Chicago Mutiny) with a commitment to inclusion and diversity. More than 100 pieces are organized by subjects such as forefathers, relationships, racism, sports, music and other themes that define the black man's experience. There are contributions from notables James Baldwin, Countee Cullen, Ralph Ellison, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but the editors also include material from emerging creative writers and political thinkers. The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The editors' attempt to gather essays, poems, and segments of larger works as well as short stories covering every aspect of the black man in America?past, present, and future?explains this book's thickness. Their scope is truly comprehensive; selections range from some of the great names of literature and history to figures who are currently in vogue. But if you already have a reasonable collection of works by and about African Americans, you may find this offering to be somewhat redundant. Readers would have been better served by a smaller book of new essays to represent each theme and a bibliography referring to the theme's seminal works. Recommended for libraries that do not have much to offer in their coverage of black studies; otherwise, an optional purchase.?Anita L. Cole, Miami-Dade P.L. System, Fla.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine (January 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345383176
• ISBN-13: 978-0345383174
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Herb Boyd is a journalist, activist, teacher, and has authored or edited 22 books, including his most recent one, Civil Rights: Yesterday & Today. His book Baldwin's Harlem, a biography of James Baldwin, was a finalist for a 2009 NAACP Image Award. In 1995, with Robert Allen, he was a recipient of an American Book Award for Brotherman--The Odyssey of Black Men in America, an anthology. We Shall Overcome, a media-fusion book with narration by the late Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, is used in classrooms all over the world, as is his Autobiography of a People and The Harlem Reader. His articles can be found in such publications as The Black Scholar, The Final Call, the Amsterdam News, Cineaste, Downbeat, and The Network Journal, among others.
Among the highlights of his remarkable journalistic career was an invitation to fly on Air Force One with President Obama, whom he has interviewed on several occasions.
Over the last decade or so, Boyd has scripted several documentaries, including several with Keith Beauchamp on cold cases of martyrs from the civil rights era that were shown on Biography Channel and TV One. With filmmaker Eddie Harris, he was the writer on three documentaries--Trek to the Holy Land, Cri de Coeur (Cry from the Heart), and Slap the Donkey, that tracks the Rev. Al Sharpton's presidential bid in 2004. The latter film was recently selected to be screened at the Montreal Film Festival in 2010. Boyd is also a frequent guest on national television and radio shows, as well as a keynote speaker at many functions sponsored by noted community and college organizations, where his commentaries on African American culture and politics have earned him an increasingly large audience and popularity. For more than forty years, he has taught at institutions of higher learning. Currently, he teaches at the College of New Rochelle in the Bronx and at City College New York, and is also a national and international correspondent for Free Speech TV.org, a media company that specializes in Internet television.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for everyone, August 2, 2000

By 

Linora Carr (Midlothian, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology (Paperback)

I first read this book as a required reading for my English class in college. I kept this book throughout the years as it reflected on the African-American man (and sometimes woman). The stories discuss history, our beginnings, love and heartache, the issue of race, death and life as we know it. I recommened this book to everyone who wants to understand themselves through the various stories, fiction and non fiction. The book is so simple to follow, you don't have to read the whole book, you can pick and chose stories to read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Anthology, December 28, 2002

By 

Sam (Yonkers, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology (Paperback)

This is an excellent introduction to writings by Black men. A must-have for people of African descent. The writings consist of pictures, short stories, poems and novel excerpts; some writers included are Sterling Brown, Howard Thurman, Countee Cullen, Haki Madhubuti, Ishmael Reed, James Baldwin, Robert Hayden, Richard Wright, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and many others

0 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can't review, May 10, 2002

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"coolval" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology (Paperback)

Can't review because my third party order was never received. It's been over a month! I ordered a total of 4 books (3 were third party orders). I received all of them in a matter of days and was very pleased with the conditions of the books and the quality of the packaging the books were shipped in. However the
seller still has the same book up for sell! After reading some of the reviews and finding out that several others have not received their orders I'm wondering if we ordered from the same seller. I gave this book a rating of one star simply because I couldn't enter anything less plus you can't rate what you can't read! I'm sure the book is excellent and would love to read it and give it a proper review.