The nearly 30 essays collected here explore aspects of what it is to be a black man in America that all too often don't appear on television or in the newspapers. Writers as well-known as John Edgar Wideman and Walter Mosley (as well as emerging writers whose names we'll soon know better) consider the experience of being a son or being a father, meditate on violence and its effects, and share their losses, joys and triumphs.
From Publishers Weekly
This diverse anthology, mainly of original essays, serves as an excellent counterpoint to media stereotypes of black men. Topics include black male images, relations with women, family life and heroism. Some favorites: soft-voiced scholar Robin D.G. Kelley recounts how his newly shaved head scared people; novelist Randall Kenan recalls a mysterious, kind and loving mentor; Quinn Eli faces the tendency of black men to accuse black women of not being supportive; filmmaker Isaac Julien and poet Essex Hemphill debate whether black unity can include gay men; novelist Walter Mosley muses about why his PI protagonist, Easy Rawlins, needs the backup of the remorseless killer Mouse to survive in an oppressive world. Belton, a former reporter for Newsweek who teaches at Macalester College, contributes his own touching effort, which treats the gap between himself and the ghetto-trapped nephew he loves.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
