African Books

I agree, this book needs to be re-issued. The copy I keep belonged to my mother, and it was my favorite growing up. I think its an excellent book, it discusses delicate social issues while stil staying child-appropriate.

I first recieved this book as a gift when I was 10 or 11. The cover was beautiful; green with a red caravan on the front. It was then called Diddakoi. I have just finished rereading it myself and reading it to my children. This book should be considered a children's classic. It is a must read for my friend's children.

Like the other reviewer, The Diddakoi has been my favorite book well into adulthood. And, like other great children's literature can, it truly did help form my ideas of right and wrong, of who I wanted (and didn't want) to be, and gave me insight into the realities and the joys of human nature. Reprint it, somebody!

I first read the diddakoi as an adult and reccommend it highly to any reader who insists on good writing. The message is important NOW, especially with current emphasis on teaching tolerance to young people and learning to control feelings of anger, hate, and prejudice. It is such a charming story.

It is with great sadness that I see my favorite book of all time out of print. I wanted to give it as a gift to all my nieces as they enter school. This is a wonderful story of overcoming being different and how cruel and loving human spirit can be. The people who love the little gypsy girl all come together and make a family proving that family is not just blood, but love. The most heartwarming story of my reading. Again, please someone reprint this moving story

I first saw / read this book at my local public library. I knew than that I MUST have this book!
VERY interesting, well written, educational, excellent pictures!

Seeing the exhibit was the most wonderful day of my life. Getting the book was the next best day. I am not sure if another photographer so talented in all fields will ever appear again. Raad A Choice of Weapons also by Gordon Parks, it will help reinforce the Retrospective.

Buy this book and see the wonderful and varied career of Gordon Parks. See the world through this stunning photographer's eyes, and you will never see the world the same again. Then buy *A Choice of Weapons* and find out how this man came to create these masterworks. Everyone knows his genius as a photographer, filmmaker, and composer, but people may not know that he is a master memoirist as well. Put this book and *A Choice of Weapons* on your Christmas list!

mr. parks' book is autobiographical in photo and text. the book reveals his journey to becoming a documentor of turbulent times during his career. this is a must purchase.

Please note that the cover that you show on the internet is incorrect. I am the photgrapher and what you show is the photograph that was used for the dummy book shown at the book fair. The photograph shown is an unpublished photgraph. Please look at the book for the actual cover.

This book helped me as an African-American women see things from someone who could defintely understand me. I enjoyed reading through this guide. It enabled me to ask questions regarding my health that I may not have asked normally. I would say this is a wonderful book to have in your library as you go through your pregnancy.

Wow!!! This book is great for the African-American woman. Rarely can you find a book that meets our needs, but this met the mark. I find this to be an easy read, and will probably read it more than once throughout my pregnancy experience. It has eased my mind about some of the myths and requirements of having a healthy pregnancy. Way to go Dr. Hutcherson!!!!

This book is better than other books I've read marketed towards Black mothers-to-be. It is very well organized, and addresses questions that you didn't even know to ask. I wish I would have had this book the first time around' its definitely a great help with baby number two.

For first time mothers, this book gave me what I needed. You will find everything you need in this book. I really enjoyed reading every page, and it has been passed along to other sisters out there who are having a baby. ONCE AGAIN EXCELLENT.

This book was given to me by a good friend, and it is the best thing she could have given to me. I found the book to be very informative and answered ALL questions I could ever ask about being pregnant. I even found myself referring back to the book with my second child, pregnant again about a year and a half later. I am here today writing this review, because I want to email this page to my cousin who is now pregnant. I promised her I would find it online and told her to make sure she purchase and read this book....Excellent

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is currently my son's favorite song; he sings it nearly every day, so as soon as I saw this book, I had to buy it. I'm so glad I did.

The lyrics to this spiritual-turned-favorite-hymn provide all the text. Written music is also provided on the last page. The illustrations are what truly make this book exceptional. Award-winning artist Kadir Nelson chose San Francisco as his setting. The illustrations feature a multiethnic family living in and engaging the world from a child's perspective.

What I Like: Everything! The colors, the size, the diversity, the message of faith and community. The illustations are magnificent! The entire book is quite striking. I love it! Better yet my kids do too. :)

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

A wonderful addition to my Granddaughter's library. The pictures are bright and eye catching ~ the words are identical to the song. A fun book to read and sing together with a little one. A great addition to build your multi-cultural collection of books.

I purchased this book for my son before his arrival. I love the song, and I was absolutely captivated by the beautiful illustration of the child on the front cover. I've subsequently given it as a gift several times! The illustrations are magnificent, and of course, the song is a classic. My son, now 20 months, loves books I can sing, and I pulled this out for him last week. He now finds it himself and brings it to me repeatedly. He is as captivated by the gorgeous illustrations as I am. The choice of subject-matter is simple and deeply moving. We send out a big "Thank you!" to Kadir Nelson for creating this warm and touching work of art! I am sure it will remain one of my favorite books to give as a gift!

This book is sweet and to the point, and we loved that it has an Malawian/African-looking boy on the cover, and featured inside, because my wife and I are adopting from Ethiopia. We're very glad for the purchase.
Loyal Frisbie & Julie Knudsen
Orlando, FL

Kadir Nelson's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. That is to be expected of this talented and unique artist. Although I've heard the song a hundred times through my life, hearing them in the middle of the night recently was life-changing. After a c-section birth I was feeling that warm but worrisome, awed but aware, content but concerned high emotion stress that most new Moms feel. In the middle of the night I awakened to hear the words of this story being read to my one week old daughter by her Daddy, my husband. Although he was reading to HER, it was a lullaby to me and it restored my usual assuredness and happiness. It was a wonderful reminder that "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." I look forward to sharing this story as my girl grows and hope she learns to trust the sentiment as well as appreciate the beautiful things in life, like Kadir Nelson's lovely pictures.

I think this book is very informative and I recommend this to anyone. I'm still reading it, when I'm done, I'll be passing it along to relatives.

This is a very excellent book. I found it very informative and inspiring. I enjoyed the fact that it covered not only physical issues but emotional and spiritual issues as well. It made for a very good read because I felt the author really knew her subjects and what things might be underlying causes for ill health. I would recommend this book to all women who are on a quest to feel better physically and emotionally.

This was a refreshing look into not only how to achieve and maintain a healthy heart but also the interesting facts that surround the history of black women and their cultural differences. However I would recommend this book to all women, not just black women, as there is a lot of beneficial information for all of us here.

Dr. Yates has a wonderful gift of not only talking in laymen's terms so that a larger audience can make use of this important information, but she also breaks down the facts that lie around the issues of heart health in a way that allows you to retain the facts.

The chapter on Estrogen Replacement Therapy was particularly helpful. With a sea of information on this issue, most of which is either scientific garble to me or that of pharmaceutical representation skewed toward profit margins, I was relieved to get clear information here that any reader will be able to make sense of. I walked away understanding much more about my own body and the natural resources that lie within me. Thus allowing me to make better decisions about how I will proceed when I am at the age of menopause.

I commend Dr. Yates on a job well done and I look forward to more information on other topics by her in the future.

Finally there's an author who speaks my language! I happy to say reading this book has helped me turn some things around for myself. I realize no one's going to take care of me but me, and this author speaks to me in a way that's inspiring. And she knows what I'm dealing with. Sisters, this one is worth your $.

My name is Aliou Ayaba a physician from Benin in West-Africa.I have practiced in rural hospital in Benin for almost ten years now.I met Dr Yates by chance because she was willing to donnate medical equipments and supplies to rural hospitals in Benin after an ad I placed in a local newspaper. If I saw her book on stack in a library I would not have paid attention to it because like all today modern physicians alternative/traditional/ natural medicine is secondary, imprecise and sometimes not important. It is sad because everytime we want to make a prescription about High blood pressure, diabete, sickle-cell anemia, depression etc, we start with :" hygienic and dietetic counseling" even though we do not have time to explain all this section to the patient..But this is rather a big issue about the place of alternative medicine today. The book written by Dr.Yates impress me a lot for it reveals in a very simple language the hidden part of our health.It has more effect on me probably because I practice in a rural hospital in Benin where I cross every day in the hospital traditional healers giving secret care to their hospitalized patients just because unlike we modern physicians busy with "mathmatical medicine" they take time to listen to patients, their recipes are natural, cheaper easy to use and with less side effects...they care not only for the body but also the mind and the patient's environment as well. Cardiovascular diseases CVD are the first killer worlwide and as Dr.Yates indicates there is a single chance: they are preventable, their prevention is cheaper or only costs a little change in our lifestyle.For everyone and particularly black women all over the world I recommend this book because if today we cannot change our socioeconomic status which put us at higher risk of dying for CVD at least we can modifies slightly our lifestyle by following the simple receipes of Dr.Yates in order to enjoy this life that never rewind...

This book is a great resource for teachers of American art or culture. Each chapter provides an interesting biography of the artist along with descriptions of his or her work. Students respond to the art more fully by knowing something of the struggles and daily realities faced by each artist. A great resource for teachers or for the school library.

This outstanding potrait of little-known, but great and wonderful African American Artists should be required reading for all fine arts programs... The depth of research is evident and this work, a work of Art itself, is to be treasured and placed within the archives of the world's great libraries and the homes of all of us who love and appreciate great art and "Great Books"!..Sylvia Rosario, President,Black Satin Collectibles - email: bmc@blacksatincollectibles.com

This book shows that white males have systematically excluded the voices of African American artists. Let's finally do away with white male hegemony and cowardice in the face of dissenting voices. This brave and courageous book explores white male racism, and we must be grateful. However, I would like to have seen an equal number of African American Women artists presented. I guess some of the old hegemonies remain.

This is quite simply one of the best books I've ever read. As an avid reader, I do not make that claim lightly. What makes this book so remarkable is how Bearden and Henderson both bring the artists to life and give you a deep appreciation for their work.

No other book I've read on the arts has left me similarly breathless. While many of them have been quite competent at explaining things like "Impressionism," "The Renaissance," or "The Harlem Renaissance," none have so beautifully balanced an explanation of the artist and of the artist's work. By bringing the people to life, Bearden and Henderson have brought the art to life. They have made a priceless contribution to our understanding of African-American artists, their work and the challenges they had to overcome to pursue their passion.

This book is a must-have. It will deepen your appreciation of art and of the contributions that African-Americans have made to it.

Katrina M. Walker

i had a class in college that used this book as a text book. ienjoyed it then, but it wasn't until later that i really had a chanceto sit down and enjoy it. information is good and the pictures are plentiful. this is a very nice book for anyone interested in african american art and culture. another book that i would like to recommend is called souls grown deep: african american vernacular art of the south, volume one. i bought it at an art fair in new york in late january. i'm not sure that it has been released nationally. i've contacted amazon in an attempt to get more info. i have it so i know it is out. this type of book (souls and the history...) are too few and far between.

I bought this book for an African Art class that i was taking. This book is overly informative and captivating. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about African Art!

The item is in good condition. Arrival took a little longer than anticipated.

I simply wish that I had this book and/or Dr. Poynor's courses in West African and Central African Art prior to living in Central Africa. Now that I had these courses, I find that this book is less a formal text and more a comprehensive guide to understanding the art forms created in the various regions of Africa by the peoples and cultures. This book is a must for anyone who has a true interest in following this facinating subject. I especially recommend this book to anyone planning to visit or live anywhere in Africa, particularly the Sub-saharan regions.

It brings to all, the reality of such a facinating and prevously skimmed subject, without interjecting personal belief or opinion. All facts in the book are well researched and presented.

The good thing about this collection is that it includes art and architecture from not only all regions of the continent, but also of the African diaspora from the 16th Century onward.

The other good thing is that it includes architectural works, such as those of Great Zimbabwe, Lalibela, and Djenne.

The bad point of this book is that the selections are limited. For example, the art of the Nok (the oldest African art outside of the Nile Valley)includes only a few pieces.

The worst thing about this collection is that nearly all of the photos are in black and white. It's difficult to appreciate art of such a vibrant nature (with the exception of photography) without colour.

I took an african arts class with Poynor and he used this book and the slide images. This was a wonderful tool. I usually HATE reading art books but this one read like a recreational book. GREAT illustrations! If u would like to learn more about the culture this is definately the book to get.

My daughter will be teaching 'Home of the Brave' to her 4th and 5th grade class this year. She recommended this book after she took a class on teaching this book. When I first looked at the reviews on Amazon, I was put off by the subject matter. Don't be. It is like a written tone poem. Katherine Applegate's use of language is delightful.

My favorite part of the book is: "You can have your dogs and cat,
your gerbils and hamsters
and sleek sparkling fish.
But you will have lived
just half a life
if you never love a cow."

WOW! This is what I said when I reached the end of HOME OF THE BRAVE; full of emotion and admiration for Katherine Applegate's amazing writing talent.

This verse novel is a gentle, wise page-turner. It's an insightful window into the experience of an immigrant and a subtle lesson on appreciation for being an American. It's also a story of family, friendship, honor and bravery. All told in lyrical language.

WOW. I now know what book I'm rooting for as a Newbery choice in 2009.

Beautifully written, fast-paced, and moving, this book is a winner. Applegate has created a strong, admirable character in Kek, a recent Sudan immigrant to Minnesota, who bravely faces his new and often strange life. An ideal book for class discussions, both young people and adults will also enjoy it as a memorable story. Like many of the best books, it widens my understanding of others while also providing a good story. I'm not surprised it was recommended to me by several friends; I'll be recommending it to many others.

Author Katherine Applegate's novel HOME OF THE BRAVE is memorable and haunting. In spare verse filled with detailed imagery, she introduces us to Kek, an African refugee struggling to come to terms with the loss of his immediate family and his new life in America. On his trip from the airport to the Minneapolis home of his aunt, he spots a tired old cow on a tiny farm. He names the cow, Gol, and she becomes both his link to the past and his hope for the future.

Kek stays in the home of his aunt and his older cousin, Ganwar, who has lost a hand in the fighting in the Sudan. Kek makes new friends: young Hannah (a foster child), an older woman named Lou who owns the cow Gol, and his new ESL teacher, Ms. Hernandez. He refuses to stop hoping that his missing mother will be found, even though his immigration supervisors tell him she is most likely dead.

There are so many things to love about this story. It's very readable and the action moves quickly, so even reluctant readers will find themselves caught in the story. We see America through the heart and mind of a young immigrant. Kek comes alive for us, and soon we are seeing the world through his eyes. He faces both small and large challenges, but he takes action by finding a job on Lou's farm and urging his older, embittered cousin to join him. He helps his friend Hannah reconnect with her lost mother, and ultimately finds a new home for the cow, Gol, when Lou decides to sell her farm.

There are no wasted words in this story. Every page moves the story forward, and every word paints a vivid picture of Kek's world. By the end of the novel, I felt I'd gained a renewed respect for the idea of America as the "home of the brave."

I recommend this story to readers at all levels. Teachers will find many cross-curricular uses for the novel in the classroom. Young readers will enjoy the story on their own as well. The character Ganwar will catch the attention of high school readers, and adults will find this story a rich and meaninful experience. At a time when immigrant issues are much-debated, this novel provides a personal and heart-rending viewpoint that is sure to provoke a thoughtful response.

An outstanding novel, sure to become a classic.

Katherine Applegate's HOME OF THE BRAVE is another novel in verse that will appeal to boys as well as girls. It may help that plenty of middle grade readers already know Applegate from the ANIMORPHS series, but this book has a completely different feel to it.

HOME OF THE BRAVE is about Kek, a Sudanese immigrant who recently arrived in America after witnessing the death of his father and brother. He left his mother behind and wonders every day if she is alive. The poems that explore Kek's emotional state are poignant and accessible to young readers, and the more traumatic scenes are set alongside lighter stories of Kek adapting to life in America and experiencing new things, from snow to washing machines.

This is a kid-friendly story (those who love animals will have an additional connection) that explores a dramatic issue in current events in a manner that is personal, sensitive, and hopeful.

Very good collection of African American writting. I enjoyed it.

This book has been the "Hit" of several recent book parties in The San Francisco East Bay and South Bay Areas. Dr. Dance's book evokes memories of Black humor we rarely are exposed to anymore. These anthologies are the best I have read in years. We can still laugh at ourselves and love the humor in the antidotes.

This books is off the charts! Ive been reading for a long time, and this book just encompasses so much for the African American experience. My favorite parts of each chapter are the anecdotes and sayings found at the end of each respectively. Purchase this book and pass it on other everyone you know who needs a laugh!

This is by far the greatest anthology that I have ever laid eyes on. It was very well put together!

This is an enormously funny, if often slightly risque, anthology. I took it to the office, and my African American fellow workers can't put it down. Ever since I brought it in, periodically there are howls of laughter from around the building. And several of them have told me that they have heard some of these stories and sayings from their own relatives and friends. Highly recommended!

Stumbled into *Honey, I Love* after a sister-in-law talked about the Harriet Tubman poem. Now I have fallen in love with the book also. Can't wait to read the poems to my son.

This book is a must for any child's bookcase, particularly if one wants to rear a child who is sensitive, racially tolerant and in tune with the beauty of language.

These poems are of pure emotion: love, joy, loss, bravery, silliness. The voice is childlike but amazingly profound as the poems cover a squeaky school piano, a Southern cousin whose every word "just kind off slides out of his mouth" and the complete abandon one feels when dancing deep in the music of Earth, Wind and Fire.

My favorite two poems are a bit more serious. In "Keepsake," Greenfield uses just nine simple lines to convey loss, and the impact adults can have on children. This is not a maudlin poem that is too heavy or upsetting. Although it deals with death, it's respectful and loving. And the poem "Harriet Tubman" is amazing, deftly describing the woman's heroics and bravery in a satisfying and strong verse.

Honey, I Love is a thought-provoking work that stands the test of time. It's a book that adults and children can, and should, enjoy together.

Honey, I Love is a fantastic book for young black girls and great for confidence building. The art work wonderfully represents the poems.

A must read for children of all ages. The Poetry is simply fantasic. The is a feel good book.

This books is a favorite of mine and memorable since childhood. The poems are sweet and the drawings are beautiful and made with love. A feel good book for adults and children that is simple and to the heart.