Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture. . - eye - book review

Black Issues Book Review, March-April, 2002 by Kathleen Anderson

Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture by Ima Ebong Universe Publishing, October 2001, $25.00 ISBN 0-789-30624-7

"Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair ...," or so go the words to the title song from the Broadway musical Hair. We talk shop about it, exclaim it, even agonize over it. Hair has even become significant to us in defining our cultural identity.

In her new book, Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture, Ima Ebong brings visions of black hair and its cultural mores and traditions to the page. Ebong collected works from visual artists, wordsmiths and archival photographs to delve into the depths of the black experience with hair. More than a hairstylist's exhibit of artistry and technique, this book is a visual and lyrical treatise on the subject. From Nairobi to New York, Ebong includes poems about hair, hair stories and hairstyles connecting us with our African roots and our colonial bondage.

Black Hair spins anecdotes about Afros, braids, relaxers and hot combs, weaves, wigs and curls. "Ever wonder why most women ask for Madam Walker?" You'll find out from a reproduction of the ad featuring this promotional quote. The drawings, paintings and photographs in this book are worth the investment, and the collection of poems is priceless. If hair is our crowning glory, then Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture is the gilding in the crown.

--Kathleen Anderson is an educator from Amherst, MA.