Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America--An Anthology

By Herb Boyd

Book Overview

"[AN] OUTSTANDING COLLECTION... The powerful opening excerpt by Frederick Douglass evokes his boyhood as a slave, and the collection closes with an eloquent discussion of the race problem today by Cornel West. A distinguished addition to black studies." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) The purpose of this extraordinary anthology is made abundantly clear by the editors' stated intention: "to create a living mosaic of essays and stories in which Black men can view themselves, and be viewed without distortion." In this, they have succeeded brilliantly. Brotherman contains more than one hundred and fifty selections, some never before published--from slave narratives, memoirs, social histories, novels, poems, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, position papers, and essays. Brotherman books us passage to the world that Black men experience as adolescents, lovers, husbands, fathers, workers, warriors, and elders. On this journey they encounter pain, confusion, anger, and love while confronting the life-threatening issues of race, sex, and politics--often as strangers in a strange land. The first collection of its kind, Brotherman gathers together a multitude of voices that add a new, unforgettable chapter to American cultural identity. From the Trade Paperback edition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345376706
• ISBN13: 9780345376701
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: One World
• Length: 909 Pages
• Weight: 3.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Anthology

This is an excellent introduction to writings by Black men. A must-have for people of African descent. The writings consist of pictures, short stories, poems and novel excerpts; some writers included are Sterling Brown, Howard Thurman, Countee Cullen, Haki Madhubuti, Ishmael Reed, James Baldwin, Robert Hayden, Richard Wright, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and many others

A must for everyone

I first read this book as a required reading for my English class in college. I kept this book throughout the years as it reflected on the African-American man (and sometimes woman). The stories discuss history, our beginnings, love and heartache, the issue of race, death and life as we know it. I recommened this book to everyone who wants to understand themselves through the various stories, fiction and non fiction. The book is so simple to follow, you don't have to read the whole book, you can pick and chose stories to read.