BOOKS IN BRIEF

Crisis, The, Nov/Dec 2004

BOOKS IN BRIEF

I'll Find a Way or Make One: A Tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, by Juan Williams and Dwayne Ashley (Amistad, $35). This informative volume chronicles the founding of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) after the Civil War, their transformation from being governed by Whites to Black leadership and, through the decades, their overcoming political and financial challenges. The book highlights famous graduates - from Martin Luther King Jr. to Toni Morrison - and reminds readers that "HBCUs still graduate 70 percent of all Black physicians and dentists and half of all Black engineers in the United States."

The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey, by Muhammad Ali with Hana Yasmeen AIi (Simon & Schuster, $22). Ali wrote this personal volume - which he calls a spiritual memoir - with his daughter. Only a bit of him was revealed while he was boxing, he says. Here, in mostly short passages and some verse, he opens up about his life in the ring, personal relationships, politics and religion.

We Shall Overcome: A Living History of the Civil Rights Struggle Told in Words, Pictures and the Voices of the Participants, by Herb Boyd (Sourcebooks, $45). This comprehensive volume uses photographs and text to recount the history of the fight for civil rights during the 1950s and '60s. Two accompanying audio CDs narrated by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee bring the era alive.

Echoes of Brown: Youth Documenting and Performing the Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, edited by Michelle Fine et. al (Teachers College Press, $14.95). This DVD and accompanying book grew out of a special program at the City University of New York in which a diverse group of 13 students participated. Using research, readings and discussions with veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, they immersed themselves in the Brown decision. The result is dance and spoken-word performances that address historic issues, as well as the shortcomings and promise of public education today.

The Artificial White Man: Essays on Authenticity by Stanley Crouch (Basic Civitas, $24). Crouch offers his usual biting, often insightful, examination of our culture. This time his critical essays about race, the arts, sex and religion tackle "authenticity" - distinguishing the genuine from the counterfeit. A range of matters, including the films of Quentin Tarantino, John Singleton's Baby Boy ana Michael Jackson's accusations of racism in the record industry, meet the wrath and praise of his pen.

Some People, Some Other Place, by J. California Cooper (Doubleday, $24.95). Cooper notes that "we all want to find a place where we will be happy." So she has set her fourth novel in a town called Place and tells a multigenerational story about the racially diverse families who live on Dream Street. The intertwining stories of the residents' triumphs and shortcomings are told through the book's narrator, whose great-grandparents migrated in 1895 from down South to Oklahoma and the Midwest.

The Prodigal: A Poem, by Derek Walcott (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $20). Walcott, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992, offers a book-length poem, which he claims to be his last. This epic effort spiritually and literally traverses many lands, including "Old Europe," Colombia and his native St. Lucia.

American Smooth: Poems by Rita Dove (W.W. Norton, $22.95). Dove, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former U.S. Poet Laureate, has written her first collection of poetry in five years. Her title is a reference to ballroom dancing, an exercise that allows for release, improvisation and free expression, all characteristics of Dove's verse. Here, her subjects range from the aspirations of a little girl in Harlem to Bessie Smith's vocals, angel food cake and the goings on at the local shooting range.