From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up. While this title bears Spike Lee's name, only about 20 percent of its content is about Lee's career and films. It is actually a fairly comprehensive overview of African-American filmmakers and the representation of African Americans in film. And as such, it has much to commend it. The book is particularly notable for putting the achievements of the filmmakers in historical context. Jones shows how early stereotypical images led African-American directors to make films for a black audience. There is a good treatment of the controversy over Birth of a Nation, which demonstrates the power of film to reinforce societal attitudes. The author covers "blaxploitation" films of the '70s and points up disagreements within the African-American community regarding how black people should be portrayed. Excellent-quality, black-and-white movie stills, posters, and photographs appear throughout. This well-documented resource captures the author's passion for his subject, and that of the filmmakers themselves.?Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 7^-12. Beginning with the movies of the 1920s and 1930s and ending with the rapidly expanding field of black-directed and -produced films in the 1990s, this attractively formatted book delivers more than the title promises. Jones, author of Say It Loud! The Story of Rap Music (1994), charts the progress of black filmmakers and performers battling racism among Hollywood studio heads, theater owners, and the white public to gain recognition. Ethics, responsibility, and personal choice are themes that echo throughout the book as Jones discusses individuals who grew rich by portraying offensive stereotypes and by glorifying violence (as in the "blaxploitation" movies of the 1970s and their recent cousins). His unwritten question falls quietly into the reader's lap: What would you do if you were in their shoes? Capturing the highs and lows of a richly creative history, this thoroughly readable chronicle is sure to attract both good and reluctant readers; it will also appeal to teachers, who can use the book as a springboard for history and biography reports. When this starts circulating, be ready to sign out your library's videocam. Randy Meyer
