Customer Reviews

Lorraine Hansberry Collection: A Raisin in the Sun / To Be Young, Gifted and Black / Lorraine Hansberry Speaks Out

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James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee. Three of today's most prominent actors bring vital poignancy to the unforgettable words of Lorraine Hansberry.

"A Raisin In The Sun," the first drama penned by a black woman to reach Broadway, electrified audiences when it opened in 1959. Loosely basing her play on an Illinois antisegregation case which her father won, Ms. Hansberry sets her story in south Chicago. In it, Walter Lee, a black chauffeur, dreams of improving his life. He hopes to use his father's money to open a liquor store.

However, his mother is against the liquor business, and uses the money to buy a family home. Conflicts arise when someone from this all-white neighborhood attempts to buy them out.

"To Be Young Gifted and Black," a compilation of Ms. Hansberry's writings appeared not only in book form but in 1969 was produced off-Broadway.

Also included on this keepsake audio are seven of Ms. Hansberry's speeches and interviews recorded between 1959 and 1964. It is thrilling to hear her voice.

Regrettably this gifted playwright and author died of cancer at the young age of 34. Her pen was stilled but her words are as relevant and moving today as when they were written.