African-American teen Louretta Hawkins discovers music and, through it, the worth of her black identity. She navigates an urban world of poverty, overcrowding, hostile police, and feuding gangs to emerge triumphant, secure in her talent and in the love of her family and friends. Inner of the Council on Interracial Books for children award as the year's best book for older children. "Packs a wallop...Taut, fast-moving, absorbing, and believable, it probes with honest realism the problems of a wide range of unforgettable characters...This powerful book deserves wide reading." -- "Book World"

A fourteen-year-old girl tries to reconcile her dreams and hopes for the future with the harsh and often unpleasant realities of life in the bad section of town.

A fourteen-year-old girl tries to reconcile her dreams and hopes for the future with the harsh realities of life in the black ghetto.

Comprehensive and up-to-dateThe first contemporary publication to go beyond examining broad themes and trends in the field, this timely volume looks closely at specific authors and texts. The book is comprehensive and as current as possible, covering works by African American authors for young adults published between 1968-1993-some 200 titles by close to 50 writers. In addition to established authors and bestselling titles, the coverage includes material overlooked by previous studies, such as works from small presses and talented new authors.Guidlines for evaluationAn extensive introduction reviews important milestones in this body of literature and analyzes noteworthy bibliographical and critical publications about such writing. It includes suggested guidelines for evaluating a work in terms of its direct and indirect treatment of such issues as race, gender, class, ability, age, sexuality, and sexual orientation. The book also offers specific guidance for determining the appropriate readership for a work with regard to age and gender.Unusually extensive annotationsThe main body of the book is an annotated bibliography, alphabetical by author, with the works arranged chronologically by publication date. The annotations are much more extensive than those in other bibliographies. Each annotation reads more like a full-length book review and is from one to two pages long and explores themes, plot and character development, evaluates the quality of the writing, judges the handling of issues of race, class, and gender, and provides a readership recommendation.Written in accessible language, this user-friendly book presents a wide range of factual information, evaluations, and analyses. It is a valuable tool for all teachers, librarians, counselors, and young adults

African American women writers published extensively during the Harlem Renaissance and have been extraordinarily prolific since the 1970s. This book surveys the world of African American women writers. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on more than 150 novelists, poets, playwrights, short fiction writers, autobiographers, essayists, and influential scholars. The Encyclopedia covers established contemporary authors such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor, along with a range of neglected and emerging figures. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a brief biography, a discussion of major works, a survey of the author's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. Literature students will value this book for its exploration of African American literature, while social studies students will appreciate its examination of social issues through literature. African American women writers have made an enormous contribution to our culture. Many of these authors wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, a particularly vital time in African American arts and letters, while others have been especially active since the 1970s, an era in which works by African American women are adapted into films and are widely read in book clubs. Literature by African American women is important for its aesthetic qualities, and it also illuminates the social issues which these authors have confronted. This book conveniently surveys the lives and works of African American women writers. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on more than 150 African American women novelists, poets, playwrights, short fiction writers, autobiographers, essayists, and influential scholars. Some of these figures, such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor, are among the most popular authors writing today, while others have been largely neglected or are recently emerging. Each entry provides a biography, a discussion of major works, a survey of the writer's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The Encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. Students and general readers will welcome this guide to the rich achievement of African American women. Literature students will value its exploration of the works of these writers, while social studies students will appreciate its examination of the social issues these women confront in their works.

Winners of the James A. Partridge Outstanding African American Information Professional Award examine issues of race, inclusion, diversity, and justice. Their insights are complimented by the writings of other scholars, educators, and practitioners who study, teach about, and experience issues of race in the field firsthand.

“Black women writers and critics are acting on the old adage that one must speak for oneself if one wishes to be heard.” —Claudia Tate, from the introduction Long out-of-print, Black Women Writers At Work is a vital contribution to Black literature in the 20th century. Through candid interviews with Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Gwendolyn Brooks. Alexis Deveaux, Nikki Giovanni, Kristin Hunter, Gayl Jones, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Tillie Olson, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, Margret Walker, and Shirley Anne Williams, the book highlights the practices and critical linkages between the work and lived experiences of Black women writers whose work laid the foundation for many who have come after. Responding to questions about why and for whom they write, and how they perceive their responsibility to their work, to others, and to society, the featured playwrights, poets, novelists, and essayists provide a window into the connections between their lives and their art. Finally available for a new generation, this classic work has an urgent message for readers and writers today.