Hollywood Black

May 1, 2019
This book engagingly chronicles the challenges and achievements of African Americans in Hollywood. After filmmaker John Singleton's foreword and Bogle's introduction, the book is arranged chronologically, by decades after the 1920s. The film industry is contextualized socioeconomically, including hiring difficulties, stereotypes, and distribution. Earlier films are pretty equally covered, but by the millennium, coverage varies, from a couple of sentences to, as with Black Panther, several pages. Bogle details the contributions of significant players, from ground-breaking filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and early sound stars, such as Stepin Fetchit and Nina Mae McKinney, to contemporary standouts like director Ryan Coogler and actor Viola Davis. He does a good job acknowledging additional obstacles that Black women have faced in Hollywood. Bogle's narrative style makes for absorbing reading, and the book's glossy, photo-filled pages will further attract readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)