Great African Americans in Literature

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

This series of books provides 3- and 6-page biographies of approximately
80 African Americans who have made significant contributions to American
and world culture in the fields of literature, music, entertainment,
business, civil rights, and sports. Each long profile includes basic
personal data on the person profiled (birth date, education, marriages,
children, career), lists of accomplishments, and several pages of text
under the subheadings of “Growing Up,” “Developing Skills,” and
“Overcoming Obstacles.” Short profiles contain the same information
in condensed form. Those profiled range from the extremely famous (Bill
Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King, Jr., Toni Morrison) to the
lesser known (hair-care-products entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker,
civil-rights activist Audley Moore).

The series is entertaining and interesting. Those profiled include many
of my personal heroes, including Malcolm X, writers Maya Angelou and
Alice Walker, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. There is a
nice balance of women and men in each book. But there are also some
serious problems. For starters, the series title, “Outstanding African
Americans,” is a bit of a misnomer; it would be better titled “Rich
and Famous African Americans,” as some of those profiled would seem to
have nothing much to offer beyond those attributes, while many truly
outstanding African Americans have been overlooked. The books also lack
historical and cultural perspective. With a very few exceptions, those
profiled seem to have been chosen because they are currently in the eye
of popular culture. Where are Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Booker
T. Washington, and George Washington Carver? Why are three extremely
recent NBA stars featured when Satchel Paige, the best pitcher and
perhaps the best baseball player of all time, and Hank Aaron, who still
holds the home-run record, are not? Are young readers to understand that
Janet Jackson, Hammer, and Whitney Houston have all made greater
contributions to music than Louis Armstrong, Jessye Norman, James Brown,
or Scott Joplin? And finally, where is the book on African-American
scientists?

The text, while smooth and full of fascinating stories and facts, is so
one-sided that it verges on hagiography. Does none of these people have
any flaws? Has none of them ever done anything wrong? To have presented
those profiled as complete persons would have allowed the reader to see
these people as human beings rather than cultural icons or saints.

In the light of the above comments, the titles devoted to African
Americans in business, civil-rights activism, and literature are
recommended with reservations; those on sports, entertainment, and music
personalities are not first-choice purchases.