Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) - Hardcover

Aberjhani; West, Sandra L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816045399 ISBN 13: 9780816045396

Publisher: Facts on File, 2003

Synopsis

Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance is guide to a colorful and significant era in African-American history. The book includes an introduction; A-to-Z entries; a chronology, a glossary of slang; a bibliography and lists of sources for further reading, listening, and viewing; a subject index; a general index; 12 maps; and more than 105 black-and-white photographs.

About this title

About the Author

Born in Savannah, Georgia (USA), Aberjhani is anauthor and cultural arts worker known for his accomplishments as a historian,poet, essayist, journalist, editor, and visual artist. He has won recognitionfor his commitment to fostering camaraderie among creative artists on a globalscale and for promoting the strategic practice of compassion among communityand world leaders. Among his most recent titles is the highly-anticipated memoir,Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah, written and illustrated by Aberjhani. Heis a frequent contributor to the Charter for Compassion blogsite and the ownerof Bright Skylark Literary Productions.

From the Back Cover

In the decades of the 1920s and1930s in the section of New York City known as Harlem, there developed a unique awakening of mind and spirit, of race consciousness and artistic advancement. This declaration of African-American independence becameknown as the Harlem Renaissance. Stemming from the Great Migration whenlarge numbers of blacks living in the rural South made their way to theurban centers of the North and Midwest, it was marked by an emergence of new ideas in political thought; numerous groundbreaking artisticdevelopments in theater, music, literature, and visual arts; and aninauguration of civil rights organizations, unions, and otherassociations.

Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance is a fascinating guideto this colorful and culturally productive era in African-Americanhistory. Including a foreword by Dr. Clement Alexander Price, anesteemed scholar and the current director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience at Rutgers University; a generalintroduction; A-to-Z entries; a chronology; a glossary of slang; abibliography and list of sources for further reading, listening, andviewing; a subject index; and a general index, this encyclopediacontains an abundance of information presented in an accessible formatthat everyone can enjoy.

Reviews

Grade 9 Up--Originating in the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North and Midwest, the Harlem Renaissance flourished in new ideas in political thought; artistic achievements in the theater, music, literature, and the visual arts; and the establishment of civil rights organizations, unions, and other associations. This encyclopediais a comprehensive alphabetical listing of more than 370 topics that exemplify this movement. Each entry is followed with suggestions for further reading. Appendixes include a glossary of Harlem Renaissance slang; 12 maps including those of the Confederate states, the Great Migration, and New York City; and a list of museums and centers that feature works from the period. The black-and-white photographs are primarily of individuals and there are occasional reproductions of artwork. The illustrations vary in quality, but do add to the text. Previous knowledge of the period, such as that found in Ann Graham Gaines's The Harlem Renaissance in American History (Enslow, 2002) or Veronica Chambers's The Harlem Renaissance (Chelsea, 1997), would help students use this encyclopedia effectively.--Ann Joslin, Erie County Public Library, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Although numerous reference works contain significant entries on the Harlem Renaissance, this is the first encyclopedia devoted to the movement. Entries are ordered alphabetically and cover famous names (Duke Ellington, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston); influential organizations (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Universal Negro Improvement Association); popular black magazines and newspapers (Amsterdam News, Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier) ; musicals (Hot Chocolates, How Come?) ; notable places ancillary to the awakening in Harlem (Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.); and other topics (Howard University, Patrons, Rent party). Entries on nonblack people who had an effect on the time period, like Fiorella LaGuardia, illustrate the comprehensiveness of the volume.

Most entries are half a page, though some stretch over a few pages. The volume is liberally filled with photos and graphics that bring the time period to life. All entries are followed by a further reading list. Additionally, there is a compiled bibliography at the end of the book. Cross-references are plentiful and helpful. A brief (three-page) foreword, entitled "Race, Blackness, and Modernism during the Harlem Renaissance," provides a historical context and background for the entries, as does the introduction, "Black Phoenix Rising."

A "Glossary of Harlem Renaissance Slang" in appendix A defines terms such as dogs (feet) and kicks (shoes). Appendix B contains maps delineating subjects like African American population, states with laws banning interracial marriage, and train routes used to migrate northward. Even a somewhat detailed map of Harlem is provided. A chronology begins in 1619, when the first slaves came to Virginia, and continues up until the present day. Indexing is detailed but not comprehensive; the index entry Talented Tenth, for example, misses the references to "Talented Tenth" in the W. E. B. DuBois entry.

Overall, this is a fine resource--one could read it like a book, from cover to cover. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0816045399
• ISBN 13: 9780816045396
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448