Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture

by Maulana Karenga

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0943412218
• ISBN13: 9780943412214
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: University of Sankore Press
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 1.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.7" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on kwanzaa by the inventor of kwanzaa

This book was excellent at describing the origin of Kwanzaa and how it should be celebrated. My family and I have celebrated Kwanzaa for 10 years and found this to be the best book I have read on the subject. The seven principles of Kwanzaa is great to teach chidren of any age. These principles inspired me and my husband to start our own business (...) Enjoy the book and enjoy celebrating the Kwanzaa celebration.

Finally! The most definitive text on the holiday!

If you're searching for the most definitive text on the African American holiday of Kwanzaa, look no further! Dr. Maulana Karenga, the creator of this beautiful holiday, has written a very readable text for children and wonderful resource for parents, educators and all of us that want to celebrate the holiday correctly. Dr. Karenga covers the essentials of Kwanzaa which includes the holiday's origins, the fundamental activities, its symbols, the essential values, greetings, Swahili pronounciations, decorating tips and much, much more. What I personally appreciate about Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture is its stress on values and the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles. These are the essential pillars of the holiday. Those principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith). We're taught to celebrate a different principle every day from December 26 to January 1. I suggest a copy of the book for your library and one for a very special friend. Be a part of the world African community that celebrates this beautiful, cultural holiday! Thirty million Africans worldwide can't be wrong! Malaika Tawasufi

The definitive book on Kwanzaa... period.

Karenga is at his best in distilling his rationale for establishing the holiday and in laying out the genesis of the logic for Kwanzaa's symbols and rituals. This is truly both a spiritually moving and intellectually stimulating book. My family and I have practiced the holiday in our home and with friends for 22 years, and we re-read Karenga's book every year and take something new into our annual celebrations. For the novice, the book does not offer much to teach you how to be more creative with your celebration of the holiday, but I would start with Karenga to understand the soul of Kwanzaa, and then try one of the other Kwanzaa titles to further explore how best to evolve and enhance your own celebration. Another Karenga title I would recommend is, "Selections from the Husia".

'THE' KWANZAA BOOK !!!

This is THE Kwanzaa Book. Every Black family should have a copy of this book in thier library.