A profound, personally engaged anatomy of the codes that have shaped, and continue to shape, black manhood. Marlene Kim Connor reveals cool as a vital code of behaviors and attitudes that plays an often disregarded role in shaping the conception of manhood among young black boys. In this thoughtful, impassioned and provocative book, Connor uncovers cool’s history, explores its essence, and explains why, even though it deserves praise, cool often becomes an insidious force affective black American life today.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Apparently the outgrowth of a decades-old undergraduate thesis, this book is distinctly amateurish. Freelance writer Connor asserts that cool is "the new rules and new culture" for blacks who reject white America, and that it is also "perhaps the most important force in the life of a man in black America." She proceeds discursively through "Street Cool," the mechanism for survival in the inner city; "Revolutionary Cool," associated with the racial pride born in the 1960s; "Middle-Class Cool," which allows survival on white campuses and in white workplaces; and "Electronic Cool," as exemplified in the media. She observes, however, that cool has hampered relations between black men and black women, and she warns that the concept can be a limiting self-definition in a diverse world. Though this topic is worth exploring, the book lacks insights from anthropology, sociology or literature.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
" Cool" is an adjective used by most Americans to describe people, places, and things, especially clothes or the latest fad. When applied to young black males, the word takes on meanings far different than the definitions found in Webster's. In What Is Cool? Connor stresses that "cool" is largely an attitude supported by family, friends, and peers and that within those grouping it does not connote negative meanings. Connor delves into the phenomenon of "cool" by looking at its significance in the context of the black male's environment: "Street Cool," "Revolutionary Cool," "Middle-Class Cool," "Electronic Cool," and "Women and Cool." At the core of each description is an interpretation of the way the black male relates to his environment and struggles to exist in it. Ultimately, Connor suggests that "being cool" is synonymous with "being a man." An interesting reevaluation of an attitude and way of behaving that has been a part of black existence in the U.S. for many years and was thrust into American consciousness and myth during the development of jazz. Lillian Lewis
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Cool' redefined,
This review is from: What Is Cool?: Understanding Black Manhood in America (Paperback)
Connor's book somehow slipped by those who supposedly care about the subject. The pervasive term 'cool' means 'fashionable' or 'hip' to white folks but they're just the people who ought to read it. The definition changed for black folks long, long ago, but no one else seems to have written about it. No, it's not the first African-American word to be co-opted by a larger community, but the definitions are distinct.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Makes A Man?,
By Charles Shipps Jr. (Detroit, MI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: What Is Cool?: Understanding Black Manhood in America (Hardcover)
This is one of the most important documents ever assembled. Every single opinion rings true - even in the few instances that I did not personally agree, the author's power of persuasion seemed so effortless in building my trust to agree to disagree, I was hypnotically compelled to read every word in two settings. It leaves inspired, with an explosion of total elation. I simply did not want it to end. Connor is the most intelligent woman on the planet (after my wife), and galvanizes the meaning of every single variation of what it really means to be a black man in today's American society. It is a very clear and easy read, and I'd like to see it as required reading in some classrooms. It's engaging and will command my attention again as an excellent reference to initiate talks with my own child in developing to different levels of manhood. She is a healthy minded educator with concerns and practical observations about males from puberty to gray hair. She knows us all; with warm and direct answers to what should be simple stages of development and maturity. I recommend it to everybody!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
