Letters from Black America
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Letters from Black America fills a literary and historical void by presenting the pantheon of African American experience in the most intimate way possible—through the heartfelt correspondence of the men and women who lived through monumental changes and pivotal events, from the 1700s to the twenty-first century, from slavery to the war in Iraq.
The first-ever narrative history of African Americans told through their own letters, this book includes the thoughts of politicians, writers, and entertainers, as well as those of slaves, servicemen, and domestic workers. From a slave who writes to his wife on the eve of being sold to famous documents like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," these writings illuminate struggles and triumphs, hardships and glory, in the unforgettable words of the participants themselves. Letters from Black America is an indispensable addition to our country's literary tradition, historical understanding, and self-knowledge.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With nearly 200 letters arranged chronologically under broad rubrics (e.g., Family, Courtship and Romance, Politics and Social Justice, Across the Diaspora), Newkirk (Within the Veil) sets out to offer "a sweeping narrative history of the Black American experience." That is too large a claim only 16 letters precede the end of the Civil War; Newkirk's principle of selection is unclear; and the value of the collection is seriously diminished by the uneven source documentation, both for archival and published material. Public letters (Benjamin Banneker to Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley to George Washington, James Baldwin's letter to his nephew, Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter to white clergymen), while essential, call for more straightforward publication data; private letters call for more straightforward location data. Newkirk's bland section introductions do little to set a context for particular letters, though the head notes are generally useful. About half of the letters were written between 1900 and 1940, but the book is up-to-date on the Obama campaign with letters from Rev. Wright and Toni Morrison. This is an instructive, moving even delightful primer on the myriad facets of African-American private and public life.
