The Cotillion: Or, One Good Bull is Half the Herd [Hardcover]

John Oliver Killens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

Beautiful, high-stepping Yoruba of Harlem is invited to the annual cotillion thrown by African American high society of Queens. Caught between the indifference of her father, the excitement of her social-climbing mother, and her prodigal boyfriend's militancy, Yoruba persuades her sister debutantes to challenge the aging doyennes in one of the most sidesplitting scenes in American literature.

Nominated for a Pulitzer in 1972, Killens's uproarious satire captures the conflicts within black society in the 1960s. The Cotillion is the fourth title in Coffee House Press's acclaimed Black Arts Movement series.

John Oliver Killens was born in Macon, Georgia in 1916. Co-founder of the Harlem Writers Guild, he taught at Howard and Columbia Universities. His other novels include And Then We Heard the Thunder, and The Great Black Russian.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Killens forged an alternative style, a new way of distilling black culture, and making it resonate with fresh vigor. -- Black Issues Book Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Alexs D. Pate's debut novel Losing Absalom received a Minnesota Book Award and was named Best First Novel by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Additional novels include the New York Times best-seller Amistad, Finding Makeba, The Multicultiboho Sideshow, and West of Rehoboth. Pate, born in Philadelphia, now teaches at the University of Minnesota.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Trident Press; 1st edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671270729
• ISBN-13: 978-0671270728
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,044,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Memory Lane, July 10, 2007

By 

M. Peters "Funky Folklorist" (New Bedford, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cotillion: or, One Good Bull Is Half the Herd (Black Arts Movement Series) (Paperback)

The first time that I encountered this book was in 1984, when I was a teenager. I was on my way to do laundry and wanted something to read and this book was on my mother's bookshelf, in that spot where she put books that she bought at the deal table at the library (Great books for sale from ten cents and up). I was never much of a romance novel reader, but neither is my mother so I figured there had to be more to the book then the back flap description, and boy was I right! This book was a definite early influcne on my own style and approach as a writer, as Killen's poetic approach to the language and his recreation of a mood, time and attitude of the Black Power era. As a very slow reader, this book became my companion for the next two weeks. As the 80's were a period of serious contradictions and identity crisis for a lot of Black people, this book proved to be a reconnection to a time and place in history where the clashes of tradition and self-determination created something beautiful. A great read and highly recommended.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best!, September 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cotillion: or, One Good Bull Is Half the Herd (Black Arts Movement Series) (Paperback)

An excellent book detailing the perils and possibilities of Blackness in America. While there are references to African American/New York-centric institutions (such as the I-Be-Damn News) that may escape some readers, it provides a viciously funny, historically accurate and insightful look at a community in transition.