Afro-American women writers, 1746-1933 : an anthology and critical guide /

A welcome addition to the burgeoning list of anthologies and critical studies of black American women writers, this anthology will be a valuable resource for researchers and teachers of Afro-American literature. Shockley's training as a librarian combines with her talent as a creative writer (she has two novels and several short stories to her credit) in producing an informative and readable discussion of the many long-forgotten and overlooked black women writers who lived and wrote between 1746 and 1933. The four sections cover: the Colonial period to the Civil War, 1746-1862; Reconstruction to the end of the century, 1868-1899; pre-WW I to the New Negro Movement, 1900-1923; and the New Negro Movement (Harlem Renaissance), 1924-1933. It is a compact, portable overview of the historical, political, and social context of each writer's life and an analysis of the distinguishing traits of her writings. Following each biographical entry is a representative selection from the writer's work. Genres represented include autobiography, poetry, essays, diaries, journals, novels, and short stories. In a few instances it is not always clear from which publication the writer's work was selected. For example: is the piece by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, "The Case Stated," taken from one of her three pamphlets, her numerous newspaper editorials, or her autobiography Crusade for Justice? Shockley's anthology is useful and recommended for all libraries. -A. Deck, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

An anthology of poetry, short stories, essays, and excerpts from novels, memoirs, and journals, by exemplary black women writers spanning the many decades from colonial slavery to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. The book is divided into four chronological sections, with each introduced by background information on the history, society, politics, economics, and race relations of the times. Entries in the anthology are prefaced by biographical sketches of the writers, which include those whose names are established as well as others who are being brought out from the shadows of popular and critical neglect. A sensitive gathering of powerful works, for students of black literature or any serious reader. Sources appended; no index. BH.