I first heard of Greg Tate back when he was writing for VIBE Magazine. I was impressed with his surreal and at the same time politically urban views. Greg Tate is a voice for the so-called "BOHO" or Black Bohemian Arts Movement, an underground urban culture which includes Black intellectuals who push the envolope of what traditional Black customes should be. Greg Tate interviews the musical genius George Clinton of Parliment/Funkadelic, science fiction, jazz innovators, unknown but gifted Black filmmakers, an essay about the legendary Rastafarian/Hardcore band Bad Brains, Amiri Baraka, and much more.

Greg Tate's writing style is like a cross between Amiri Baraka and Tim Leary. He has been a major influence on my writing. His ideas are so far out there that the mainstream Black intellectual community (who most still have the negroe mentality) won't accept them. Me personally, I have the same dilemma, because the mainsteam says a Black man should only write about Hip-Hop, 'hood stories, the "Negroe" Rights Movement, and slavery instead of science fiction, classical music, and a variety of other subjects. To the average Black mind; Black culture is confined to UPN/WB zitcoms, SoulTrain, goin' to church on Sunday, sittin' in the beauty shop, basketball, and eatin' grits. But Greg Tate says we are a colorful people who have a lot of potential and have no limitations. Only through art can we fully grow. Greg Tate is a gifted writer who deserves credit.

This work details the religious, political and cultural heritage of the Congolese people of Central Africa and how that heritage is evident in art throughout the Americas, including the American South. Ornamentation, like personal affects and shards of broken glass, in Southern graveyards reflect Congolese religious heritage; baton-twirling, by Cuban dancers and Southern cheerleaders, and jug bands in Louisiana reflect Congolese musical heritage. Other aspects of African-American and American Southern culture reflect not only Congolese religious and artistic heritage, but Congolese religio-political thought and practice. Some rightly advise caution in considering the consistency of a culture over several centuries. This work, however, is not only composed magnificently, but argued well and substantiated convincingly.

For works on the same region, see books by Wyatt MacGaffey, Jan Vansina, John M. Janzen and John Kelly Thornton, in addition to other works by Robert Farris Thompson. For similar themes of African culture in America, with a stronger caveat against thinking a culture does not change over time, see works by Mechal Sobel, Michael Angelo Gomez and Melville Herskovits. For studies of people from different African regions brought to different American regions, see Philip D. Curtin, The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census; David Eltis, et al., Routes to Slavery; and Daniel C. Littlefield, Rice and Slaves.

_Freedom Summer_ is a richly detailed account of a young white woman who participated in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's summer project in Mississippi in 1964. The text covers one incredibly intense summer from the basic training session in June to the Democratic Convention in August. I will assign this text in my Civil Rights Autobiography course next semester because, aside from being a clearly-written account of a chaotic time, it will answer some of the questions I know my students will have, such as: what was it like to be a Civil Rights worker? what was it like to be arrested and thrown in a Mississippi jail? what were the day to day activities of people working in the Movement? how were the workers received by the black and white communities? or how do you decide go enter Mississippi after you've just learned that three summer project workers have disappeared and are presumed dead?

What makes "The Gathering Storm 1787-1829" so compelling is that it is about the period in American history where slavery was not in the forefront of American politics. I was thinking about what I thought I knew about this period, and it was basically that after the Federal Constitution institutionalized slavery several generations went by before the Missouri Compromise and the Nat Turner rebellion made slavery the national issue. Of course, this was a naive reduction of American history on my part, which is corrected by Mary Sisson's informative fifth volume in the Milestones in Black American History series. "The Gathering Storm" covers the period from the framing of the Constitution in 1787 to David Walker's "Appeal" of 1829, which urged slaves to revolt and kill their masters. This division allows the next volume in the series to cover the period from the Nat Turner revolt to the Fugitive Slave Law.

"The Gathering Storm" provides unforgettable details about what slavery was like during these four decades when the number of slaves in the United States tripled. Sisson fills this volume with fascinating details about this period: in 1790 New Jersey and Pennsylvania each had more slaves than Tennessee, while in 1829 Cincinnati, Ohio began enforcing an 1804 statue requiring free blacks to post a $500 bond before settling in the city. There are other examples of laws clearly intended to preserve the institution of slavery, such as those forbidding Quakers from buying slaves that they obviously intended to free. But Sisson is also able to put these facts into context by focusing on two significant developments that had immense ramifications. First, the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney spurred the growth of slave-worked plantations that expanded slavery further west in the South. Second, the successful slave result that resulted in the formation of the independent nation of Haiti. Because of the fear of a slave uprising in the United States, abolitionists were able to get a federal ban on the importation of slaves, which had huge consequences for how slaves were treated and valued in the South.

Sisson also presents a series of compelling historical figures, such as Richard Allen, founder of the Free African Society and of the first independent black church in America; merchant-seaman Paul Cuffe and editor John Russwurm, two of the chief proponents of the colonization movement which sought to resettle free American blacks in West Africa; mathematician Benjamin Banneker who surveyed the land for the District of Columbia and produced a series of almanacs; Gabriel Prosser and Denmark Vesey, who planned slave uprisings that unsettled the South; Vincent Oge and Francois-Dominique Toussaint-Louverture, leaders of the slave revolt that created Haiti; and David Walker, the firebrand who advocated violent revolt or predicated the nation would face a bloody civil war. When the volume ends with the Missouri Compromise and Walker's inflammatory "Appeal," it is clear the Civil War is inevitable.

Young students will have an excellent understanding of both the practice and politics of slavery after reading "The Gathering Storm, 1787-1829." I have not been working through the 16 volumes of the Milestones in Black American History series in order, but this is one of the best volumes in this excellent series, which covers the black experience from Ancient Egypt to the present. Although slavery would continue in the United States until the end of the Civil War, it underwent some significant changes through this period. Sisson does a superb job of organizing this material and making this case.

In a brilliant book unparalleled in quality, Professor Robert F. Durden provides the reader invaluable insight into the Confederate struggle over whether to free, and arm, their slaves.

This reviewer has read many history books and is a researcher by trade. The book is among--if not the--finest history book he has ever come across. Professor Durden acts as a genial host who introduces the individuals and context, and then steps back into the shadows to permit speeches, letters, and newspaper editorials describe, debate, and unfold. Professor Durden's selection of sources, incredibly well organized, clearly shows the debate over the question of the day: should the South arm the slaves, or should the slave states maintain their Southern "institutions" and perish?

This book is a critical resource for individuals interested in "Afro-Confederates" mentioned in other books, and trotted out at the drop of a confederate symbol. The book clearly indicates that the South depended upon its slave system both economically and politically, and many a southerner simply could not imagine Negroes as either Confederate citizens or armed troops. The leadership in much of the Confederacy could never tolerate the concept of Negro soldiers, and would not agree to free even those slaves who might volunteer. Yet by late 1864 many a white soldier in the ranks (including Lee) were apparently willing to accept reinforcements no matter the color. But Negroes in Virginia were not even permitted to carry arms until 1865, at the very sunset of the Rebellion. Those few souls organized at the end of the war never saw combat.

Without doubt the finest Civil War book read by this reviewer, there are no criticisms to levy. The "Gray and the Black" is impressively researched, with an excellent historiography and valuable index. The analysis, organization, thoughtfulness and dedication that went into this book are humbling. Those that purchase this book will be thrilled and enlightened.

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in understanding the contribution of African-American in U.S. wars. I am a former Army officer and an African-American. Until I read this book I never knew the extent that African-American's heroism despite being oppressed by their fellow soldiers and civilians. I appreciate Mr. Edgerton's efforts in researching facts that where previously forgotten or otherwise went untold for many year.

Honoring Sergeant Carter uncovers an important yet esoteric chapter in American WWII history and gives balance to The Greatest Generation. You may only come across a book as fine as this once or twice in a lifetime. If your budget allows only one book - this is the one. It is "intellectually honest," informative, passionate, and if you don't have ice water running through your veins, you will feel it!

While reading I reminisced of my late father who served in very close proximity with Sergeant Carter during and after WWII. They never knew each other. My father saw Sergeant Carter after the war - how could he miss him - the sharp and deadly soldier that Carter was described to be and one of the very few African Americans holding the Distinguished Service Cross. My father understood all too well what happened to many good men during this era. I look back on living in Germany as a youngster during the Cold War with my avid interest in WWII. I explored bunkers and shopped flea markets searching for relics. Most had the dreaded swastika on it. My father observed my hobby and explained to me in great detail how it was dangerous and in bad taste, but I could keep the collection. He then told me in no uncertain terms: "If you come across anything with a Communist marking on it ......etc, etc, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME SON!!!" I shook my head yes - I was speechless. Honoring Sergeant Carter provided clearer understanding of why I couldn't speak that day.

Sergeant First Class Edward A. Carter, Jr., affectionately known as Eddie, was one of the seven African American soldiers honored at the White House with the Medal of Honor. This long overdue tribute (over 50 years) took place on January 13, 1997. When you read Eddie's story - that is backed with strong research and solid documentation - you will see how fact (in this situation) is stranger than fiction.

A must read for WWII historians and buffs who are sincerely interested in balancing their understanding of WWII. Honoring Sergeant Carter is a great companion book that will complement Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.

The author, a black freeman and a prominent figure in Boston Abolitionist politics, published this remarkable work in 1827 not only as a handbook for servants but as a guide for proper behavior by masters toward their employees.
The recipes given are practical and detailed, and the editor believes "still useful today", but some ingredients may prove inconvenient, (bullock's gall) or downright dangerous (mercury) and adding live eels to a master's libations to discourage intoxication seems more a prescription for brief employment than a useful intervention.
Quibbles aside, Robert's work stands as a readable and useful view into an era little known to most Americans today.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

Many readers know Carolina de Jesus's memior "Child of the Dark" but few knew that she wrote a second book about her bitter journey from her favela shack to the brick house of her dreams. There, she was treated just as badly as she had been when she was a scavenger for garbage in the favela. As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil (too many years ago!!) I loved this book. It is riveting, unexpected, and filled with insights about how Carolina de Jesus saw the world. The editor's background description and analysis is excellent, too.

This was the only book I could find about the slave who went to the Pacific with Lewis & Clark. It was published by Colorado Associated University Press in 1985. Exellent foundation for further research on York. very readable with good illustrations & footnotes.