African-American Social Leaders and Activists (A to Z of African Americans) - Hardcover

Rummel, Jack; Prentzas, G. S.

9780816080922: African-American Social Leaders and Activists (A to Z of African Americans)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816080925 ISBN 13: 9780816080922

Publisher: Facts on File, 2011

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About the Author:

Jack Rummel has worked as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. He has authored eight books, written numerous magazine articles, and edited more than 100 books. Among his books are Malcolm X, Langston Hughes, and Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight, an award-winning biography that was selected as a New York Public Library's Best Book. Rummel has contributed to The New York Public Library's African American Desk Reference, International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists, and Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns. He holds a B.A. in sociology and history from the University of Texas at Austin and has done graduate studies at the University of Texas's Institute of Latin American Studies.G.S. Prentzas is an author and editor who lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York. He has edited many reference and educational books on African-American history, culture, and biography. He has written more than 20 books, including biographies of Thurgood Marshall and Jim Brown. Prentzas received an A.B. with honors and a J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina.

From Booklist:

Part of Facts On File's A to Z of African Americans series, this volume deals with African American social reformers and political activists from the eighteenth century up to the present. Its intended audience is high-school students, undergraduates, and the general public. The author includes 164 profiles, each one between one and three pages long, with Martin Luther King Jr.'s entry the longest at almost four pages. Other entries include Joseph Cinque, Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks, and Sojourner Truth. Rummel has written other biographical works, such as Langston Hughes (Chelsea, 1988) and Malcolm X (Chelsea, 1989).

The book begins with an introduction that provides historical context. The actual articles are listed in alphabetical order and include cross-references to other individuals profiled in the book. Fifty black-and-white photographs accompany the text. After each entry the author provides a list of further readings, and he has also included a general bibliography at the end of the work. There is a general index as well as one that lists individuals by year of birth and another by their main activities, such as abolition and education.

In clear, concise language, the author manages to write entries that strike a good balance between the personal and the public, briefly sketching backgrounds before delving into accomplishments and professional activities. One minor flaw is the fact that so many of the "further readings" listed after each entry are Web based; at least one Web site we checked was already out of date and inaccessible. This book is recommended for high-school, undergraduate, and public libraries. Although there are other works that discuss reformers from a particular era, no other work covers this 200-year span.RBB
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