Black Genius (Paperback)

~ (Author), Alvin F. Poussaint (Foreword) "It was 1893, thirty years since Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation..." (more)
Key Phrases: black genius, learning tree, New York, Elma Lewis, Frederick Douglass (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this collection of essays and interviews journalist Dick Russell examines the role of African Americans through two centuries of American history. He focuses primarily on the role of blacks in the cultural life of the United States. Russell writes about notable figures such as educator Mary McLeod Bethune, speaks with Harvard professor Cornel West about W. E. B. Du Bois, and discusses Frederick Douglass and James Baldwin in an essay titled "Timeless Voices, Parallel Realities." Black Genius and the American Experience, with an introduction by Alvin F. Poussaint, takes a thoughtful and fascinating look at the contributions to U.S. history made by Americans of African descent. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Seeking to provide inspiration for his biracial son, Russell (The Man Who Knew Too Much, Carroll & Graf, 1992) delves here into the roots of achievement by African Americans. From research and interviews with many of his subjects, Russell successfully explores the interconnectedness of influences across generations and ties together his overarching themes: "family and intergenerational continuity, spirituality and diligence, activism and struggle." He focuses on 24 men and nine women, some well known and many lesser known?among them Duke Ellington, Romare Bearden, Ralph Ellison, Cheryl McAfee, Paul Robeson, Gordon Parks, Cornel West, Toni Morrison, Bob Moses, Elma Lewis, and Albert Murray?in a refreshingly atypical narrative style of juxtapositions rather than linearity. With recommended readings and notes on sources; an essential purchase for African American studies collections in public and academic libraries.?Susan Hamburger Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs. Univ. Park
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786705736
• ISBN-13: 978-0786705733
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,521,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening!, May 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Genius: And the American Experience (Hardcover)

This book should also be sold out of the inspirational section of bookstores. If read with an open mind (are you listening Kirkus?) one will find all sorts of tidbits that will motivate further study on the subjects being interviewed. As a result of my reading this book I have placed books by Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch and Alvin Ailley on my reading list As a 57 year old African-American I was embarrassed to be reading about people like Romare Bearden, Elma Lewis and Lois Jones for the first time. The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra died last night. Frank was quoted as saying "he patterned his singing style after Bing Crosby." According to statements made in Black Genius, Bing Crosby patterned his singing style after Louis Armstrong. It's stuff like this that makes this book so interesting. Mr. Russell had a way of bringing out the characters that made them seem human and like folks we'd like to know better. . Reading about Paul Robeson, Jr who went to Technical High School in Springfield, Mass. with my aunts and uncles was quite interesting. I grew up hearing a lot about the Robesons, but Black Genius added to that knowledge. The Talmud says "we don't see things as they are, we see things as we are," therefore I'm happy that I felt good while reading this book. I plan to give it to my friends with a note saying, "you don't have to wait until Black History Month," " Keep the faith baby!" (You'll find the originator of that statement in the book also)

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IN DEPTH PORTRAITS, December 25, 2000

By	Bonita L. Davis (Decatur, Georgia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Most biographical profiles of African-Americans are to general in their view of the person or superficial in the analysis of that person's contribution to American life. Dick Russell avoids both mistakes by providing you with an in depth portrait of Black men and women whose lives and work impacted upon the cultural milieu of America.

A genius is defined as one who has an exceptional natural capacity of intellect. Black Genius shows you such persons but goes further in documenting the distinctive character or spirit of African-American experience that birthed these individuals. You have men and women representative in the fields of the arts, science and theological realms. Their individual achievements in those fields are a part of a continuous thread of genius passed down from one generation to the next.

You will find people here that are not well known (and their work) except within their own communities or fields. Such examples are Bob Moses, Carl & Allen Shaw, and Elma Lewis. Others are better known but the inner depth of their intellectual qualities are invisible. Albert Murray, Paul Robeson and others are just a few examples.

Black Genius is a fresh look at African-American intellectuals from a different perspective and gives us a greater appreciation for their contributions. I enjoyed the fact that individuals were included that were not well known or hidden in obscurity. These are the people who serve as the continued thread and spirit of African-American life and culture. I highly recommend this text for those wanting to get a greater in depth look at the heart of what makes an African-American Genius.