An Essay in These Hands I Know
Synopsis:
A broad range of black family life is offered in this collection of essays, some reprinted and others original, from a variety of writers and poets, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Alice Walker, Edwige Danticat, and Marilyn Nelson. Henry Louis Gates writes about the secret eccentricities of his mother's family; Trent Masiki laments his Ugandan father's alienation from the family, which resulted in cutting off access to intimate knowledge of African culture; Tara Betts recalls her eventual reconciliation with an emotionally distant father, which eases a lifelong cynicism about men. The 17 essays provide a broad cultural span of the African diaspora, from Africa to the Caribbean to the U.S., and are as evocative of geographic place as they are of one's place in the family as child, parent, or sibling. Remembrances range from the struggle to form and maintain families in the face of oppression and forced separation to recollections about swapping lies and telling painful truths. A joyous celebration of the variety and enduring humanity of black family life. Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Topics/Categories:
African American Interest, Biography and Memoir
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Original Publish Date:
2002-08-15
ISBNs:
1889330728 978-1889330723
Formats:
Paperback
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