BOOKSHELF - Bibliography

Ebony, Nov, 2000

A lush novel set in the world of Black art, Shadow Dancing (One World, $12.95) is the story of how two souls--a journalist and a theater director--learn to struggle through their fears and embrace love, by Louise Meriwether. This engaging tale, by the author of the coming-of-age novel Daddy Was a Number Runner, kindles a connection with that earlier book through its canny insight on human relationships and powerful description. Unlike the former however, this one is a grown-up tale of the intricacies and hard lessons of moving from affection to commitment while managing the pressures of the outside world. In Shadow Dancing, Meriwether takes us on a captivating voyage into the hearts of her characters and our own.

On Sunday morning in churches across America, Sisters don hats that express their spirituality and style. In Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats (Doubleday, $27.50), Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry celebrate this wonderful tradition with striking black-and-white photographs and vignettes--some funny, many touching --of the personal statement made by these Black women. From the "hat queen" to the teen who rebels against the hat-and-gloves image only to one day claim it as her own, the book is a testament to an enduring African-American custom.

A memoir of an R&B pioneer, Only the Strong Survive (Indiana University Press, $24.95), is the story of Jerry Butler written with Earl Smith. The author, now a Cook County, Ill. commissioner, recalls his birth in rural Mississippi, his move to Chicago, his climb to stardom and his involvement in Chicago's political world. Butler's story is an interesting one. He takes us on an engaging ride filled with anecdotes of his relationships with music legends such as Curtis Mayfield (fellow member of the Impressions), Patti LaBelle and his later interaction with political luminaries such as the former mayor of Chicago Harold Washington. More than an autobiography, Only the Strong Survive is also a glimpse at the political and social climate of the times which shaped the life of one man.

A beautiful display book filled with romantic words and images, A Star for Noon: An Homage to Women in Images, Poetry and Music (Bulfinch Press, $50), is a tribute to love, by renowned photographer-author-composer Gordon Parks. The unique volume blends a collection of Parks' unpublished poetry with pictures of nudes and still life. Music brings the ensemble to life with a CD (included in the book) that features the author playing original piano compositions. It's a wonderful token to share as a gift or to keep as a reminder of the magic and ardor of love.

A story of Sisters who strive for success in life and love, Blind Ambitions (Simon & Schuster, $23) takes us to the fast-paced world of Hollywood, by Lolita Files. The author introduces us to three ambitious talents, Desi, Bettina and Sharon (an actress, a screenwriter and a producer) who must confront the demons of their past before they claim the blessings of the future. It's a page-turner filled with the dialogue, memorable characters and suspense that popularized Files' other novels.

It's the Little Things: The Everyday Interactions that Get Under the Skill of Blacks and Whites (Harcourt, $22), a breakthrough book on the little behaviors that create immense divides between Blacks and Whites in America, by Lena Williams. In a perceptive look at the world of race, Williams mines her experience and those of other African-Americans to reveal those biting moments--being followed around a store, being told "how articulate you sound," watching a White elderly woman shrink into the back of the elevator when a Black man gets on--that show how far America has to go before it can close the gaps in understanding that fuel racial prejudice and mistrust. With her smart narrative, by turns funny and sobering, the author breaks the code of daily interactions between Blacks and Whites and offers new hope for healing.

Just/in Time (Forge, $22.95), is an inventive thriller that fuses the supernatural with the world of espionage, by Billy Dee Williams and Rob MacGregor. The novel, a sequel to the authors' first book, Psi/Net, takes us on a journey with Trent Calloway, a former spy who has a gift for seeing what happens in distant places. When he uses his psychic ability to help investigate a cult suspected of unleashing a lethal virus, we are taken on a rousing ride. The authors have succeeded again in creating a great story with an enduring character--Trent Calloway, a New Age sleuth for a new millennium.

Souls Looking Back: Life Stories of Growing Up Black (Routledge, $18.99), a moving collection of 16 autobiographical essays by university students, edited by Andrew Garrod, Janie Victoria Ward, Tracy L. Robinson and Robert Kilkenny. The book, which features the voices of biracial, African-Caribbean and African-American young people, shares the experiences and candid reflections of a group that's often misunderstood.

Lay My Burden Down: Unraveling Suicide and the Mental Health Crisis Among African-Americans (Beacon Press, $25), a ground-breaking study of a health crisis in Black America--the rising suicide rates among African-American youth, by Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D. and Amy Alexander. Exploring the relationship between Blacks and the White medical world, the two authors outline the historical, cultural and social factors that contribute to the problem of suicide and following dangerous lifestyles that may end in death and suggest ways for turning the situation around.