A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders Speak (Hardcover)

~ Howard Bingham (Editor), Camille Cosby (Editor), Renee Poussaint (Photographer) "Maya Angelou is a remarkable Renaissance woman..." (more)
Key Phrases: African American, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important and inspiring collection of essays by some of the most important African-American leaders of the last 50 years."

-- Ebony

"The 'elders'...share portions of their lifelong stories with humor, poignancy, and good old-fashioned 'mother wit' that can only come from years of living, loving, and overcoming."-- Chicago Sun-Times

"Inspiring, enlightening, and informative.... A companion to the slave narratives by our 19th-century forebearers."

-- Black Issues Book Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

A Wealth of Wisdom
Legendary African American Elders Speak

Camille O. Cosby and Renee Poussaint believe, as do legions here and around the world, that the wisdom of our elders is our most valuable resource. "Longevity has its virtues," said Martin Luther King Jr. in his now famous speech, "I Have a Dream." A Wealth of Wisdom, edited by Cosby and Poussaint, serves as profound evidence of the abundance of those virtues.

A Wealth of Wisdom is a collection of stories, experiences, and observations of more than fifty African Americans, ages seventy and over, including Maya Angelou, Ray Charles, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, David Dinkins, Katherine Dunham, Dick Gregory, Robert Guillaume, Coretta Scott King, Gordon Parks, and Andrew Young. Accompanied by portraits by famed photographer Howard L. Bingham, the accounts by these pivotal leaders take us behind their historic public moments to their underlying personal realities.

Camille O. Cosby and Renee Poussaint collected the stories of these national and regional leaders as a part of their work with the National Visionary Leadership Project, an organization they founded to ensure that the lessons learned from our country's African American elders are preserved and passed on to the young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow.

The women and men included in this groundbreaking book represent every region in the nation, plus a wide range of professional and personal lifestyles. They are clergy, educators, artists, healers, military leaders, politicians, architects, social scientists, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, grandparents and advisers.

These visionary elders are the living embodiment of our ongoing history. They are men and women whose commitment and abilities shaped this country, and in particular its African American community. Their extraordinary stories allow us to understand how we as a nation got where we are. Their insights can help us, especially our younger generations, determine where we are going.

A Wealth of Wisdom offers all of us a chance to sit at the feet of our most accomplished elders. As Geoffrey Holder declares, "Find your great-aunt or your favorite godmother, and ask them questions. They'll give you all the answers -- their way. They are the writers of the book."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria; 1 edition (January 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743478924
• ISBN-13: 978-0743478922
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,096,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wealth of Knowledge - History's Truths, January 18, 2004

By	Dr. Rene Thomas (Methuen, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thanks to Dr. Cosby and Renee Pouissant we now have a fabulous book allowing elders, who have lived history, to tell us the truth about American History. At last a book that respects our elders and allows them the opportunity to express the truth of their experiences. It is entertaining, historical and informative. Once you start reading you can't put it down and when finished you are ready for the next edition. It is refreshing to read about courageous people who have been given the freedom to express their truth rather than stories that pretend to know their truth. Every school should have this book in their curriculum and the pattern of this book should be the impetus to get people of all ethnicities to respect their elders and learn from them.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down, February 12, 2004

By	AfroAmericanHeritage (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This is one of those rare books I simply could not stop reading! I highly recommend it. The interviews are intimate and illuminating, and I think young adults in particular will be inspired, though middle-aged ones like myself can take heart in how much these folks are STILL achieving well after 70. While I enjoyed getting to know some of the famous people in a new way, I was especially impressed by stories of "unfamous" elders like the educators Jayme Coleman Williams and McDonald Williams, people who have had tremendous, sustained impact in their communities. The best part is, you can access even more of the work of the National Visionary Leadership Project at their web site, VisionaryProject.com

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed It!!, February 5, 2004

By	thesavvybamalady "swblkdiamond" (Prichard, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

I enjoy reading this book. Really. The reason I gave it the four stars is that there wasn't enough of them. Mostly it had stories from famous people that we already know on. What I wanted to read was from people who are not as famous. Who had a lot of things to tell. I pray there is a sequel.