The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities (Paperback)

by Lawrence C. Ross Jr. (Author)
Key Phrases: guide right, ivy leaf, finer womanhood, African American, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Howard University (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
This history of black fraternities and sororities confirms the underlying purpose of these institutions: to provide a supportive educational environment for their members during college and social and business networks beyond college. Ross notes the substantial variation on the specific circumstances behind the formation of black fraternities and sororities. For example, Alpha Phi Alpha was formed at Cornell University just after the turn of the last century to counterbalance extreme racial hostilities aimed at the few black students. Shortly thereafter, in the more protective environment of predominantly black Howard University, Omega Psi Phi was formed. More recently (1963), older commuter students at Morgan State formed Iota Phi Theta. The underlying theme in all cases was camaraderie with a special emphasis on providing support to minorities in hostile environments, whether on campus or the broader racial environment of the U.S. Ross profiles several members of black fraternities and sororities, many of them prominent, and notes the contributions the groups have made to black leadership in the U.S. Vernon Ford --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758202709
• ISBN-13: 978-0758202703
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education > Education Theory > Organizations & Institutions
  #46 in	Books > History > Europe > Greece
  #58 in	Books > History > United States > African Americans

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Divine Nine, December 31, 1999

By	Llewelyn T. Barton (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Nine: The History of African-American and Sororities in America (Hardcover)

I gifted myself with a copy of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities by Lawrence C. Ross, Jr. It is a must have book that all Black Greeks and African Americans in general should display on their bookshelves!

The author is a 15 year member of Alpha Phi Alpha, married to a soror of Delta Sigma Theta and is a journalist who has written for many newpapers. He realized that the history of our organizations is an important part of the history of our people in this country in this century and should be told. The time and effort that he put into compiling the information in the book must have been mammoth.

The book is divided into sections profiling each sorority and fraternity. Each section contains a historical overview, interviews with an undergraduate and a graduate chapter, profiles and lists of prominent members, messages from the national president/basileus/polemarch and pictures dating back to the early years. This is followed by a section entitled Achievers Talk which consists of interviews with members such as Spencer Christian, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant, Cynthia Horner, John H. Johnson, Julian Malveaux, Shaquille O'Neal, Tavis Smiley, Faye Wattleton, just to name a few. They each speak about what membership means to them and impart an important message that they feel fraters and sorors should hear. The author follows this section with information from the National Pan Hellenic Council and procedures for those who are seeking membership.

Our organizations could not have done a better public relations job. There are no secrets revealed, just great accomplishments. The recurring theme is our achievements as organizations and those of individual members. We all know about the projects that our own sorority/fraternity have championed and are proud. When you look at the collective activities, our contributions to our people and communities have been and continue to be monumental. It's only appropriate that this book was written at this time when we are in the process of changing centuries and approaching the anniversaries of 100 years of existance.

This is something I think we all need to support and applaud.

LTB

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but problematic..., February 10, 2000

By	M. Jennings "Nupe357" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Divine Nine: The History of African-American and Sororities in America (Hardcover)

Let me first state that this book is an excellent reference for those intersted in African-American fraternities. However, it does have a few shortcomings. The book is primarily a summary of the history of each of the nine NPHC organziations. This is fine but where is the historical analysis? Without this, all we get is a "basic" history which tells us little about the evolving context that continuously shapes these organizations. Second, this book does not do justice to the huge "shake-up" that has occured surrounding the monumental changes in how NPHC organizations create new members. This issue is at the very core of "fraternal idenity" and what it means to be a member of an African-American fraternity/sorority in today's society. So how come it isn't discussed more? This is akin to ignoring the presence of an elephant that is sitting in your living room!

Lastly, despite being a history book, Mr. Ross falls slightly short in his examination of the early years of surrounding the history of black "Greeks." First, how does Mr. Ross justify including on his list of famous Alpha men a person (Frederick Douglass) who was dead more than ten years before Alpha Phi Alpha was founded? Second (and more importantly), how can you even BEGIN to talk about African-American greek-letter organziations without mentioning (or discussing) the role that Prince Hall freemasonry played in shaping the African-American fraternal movement of the early twentieth century?

All in all this is a good book but a truly thorough analysis of these 9 organizations has yet to be written...

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Those Interested in Greek Life, February 7, 2000

By	A Sorority Woman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Nine: The History of African-American and Sororities in America (Hardcover)

I was very disappointed in the book. I felt that the book was written for the benefit of people interested in Black Greek Life or men interested in Alpha. For all of the hoopla surrounding this book, it's written more like several long drawn out magazine articles than it is a book(I am still trying to figure out the point of including an interview section). I found that it did not read as smoothly as a "real" novel would. I found it interesting that he spent double the amount of pages talking about his organization, Alpha Phi Alpha than any other(40 vs. 20). I found him to be biased in his view of some of the fraternities in regards to what he included. Also, some of the "history" that he included about those fraternities is questionable. And finally, I found that the interview section of supposed prominent greeks to be uninteresting. Had he spent more time on research and actually learning about the other organizations as opposed to taking things out of their history books, I would have enjoyed the book. So, basically, I would recommend the book to someone trying to get an insight onto Black Greek Life but not to a fellow Black Greek(It's just not worth the $30).