African American Literature

March 1, 2020

In this single volume, editors Ostrom (African American studies, Univ. of Puget Sound, WA) and Macey (English, Univ. of Central Oklahoma), who in 2005 produced the five-volume Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature, have assembled what they call an introduction and overview to African American literature, aimed primarily at students. The majority of the information-dense, extensively sourced entries cover individual writers, but others address movements (the Harlem Renaissance, black feminism), themes and influences (folklore), and genres (essays, crime and mystery fiction); providing general outlines and then detailing African American contributions, this latter type will likely be the most useful. All summaries are signed, and brief profiles of the entries' writers appear in the back (most are academics, though there are a few independent researchers as well). The title contains an index, a general bibliography, and extensive resources. A time line is oddly broad, beginning in 35,000 BCE and ending in the present. VERDICT Overall, a useful option for its target audience: students. The entries will be accessible to high schoolers, and possibly younger students, as well as college-level readers, who will learn much from the coverage of varied genres, from mystery, romance, and horror, influenced by African American writers.--Robert Mixner, Bartholomew Cty. P.L., Columbus, IN

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
Based on the five-volume Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature (2005), this introductory resource is intended as a jumping-off point for further research on African American literature topics. Each entry provides historical context, publication history, and critical reception, as well as resources for further exploration. Entries on horror and children's fiction sit side by side with entries on postmodernism and lyric poetry; rap and hip-hop have their own entries, as do spirituals and performance poetry. The largest number of entries focus on individual authors; while no African American literature survey would be complete without information on Zora Neale Hurston, W. E. B. DuBois, and Maya Angelou, researchers are also introduced to lesser-known figures such as June Jordan, Eric Derwent Walrond, and Clarence Major. Entries on several contemporary authors also have been added: writers such as Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and poet Terrance Hayes represent a new generation of African American writers. Supplementary material includes a general bibliography; a list of selected organizations, museums, and research centers; and a time line of African American literary history. Highly recommended for high school and undergraduate libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)