Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America -- An Anthology

This outstanding collection of writings by African-American males has been edited by Boyd (Down the Glory Road) and Allen (The Port Chicago Mutiny) with a commitment to inclusion and diversity. More than 100 pieces are organized by subjects such as forefathers, relationships, racism, sports, music and other themes that define the black man's experience. There are contributions from notables James Baldwin, Countee Cullen, Ralph Ellison, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but the editors also include material from emerging creative writers and political thinkers. The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Mar.)