Discovering Black America

Gr 6 Up–While not intended as “an exhaustive review of African American history,” this attractive volume is an epic work. Starting with the first Africans to come to the New World, Tarrant-Reid follows the history up to the election of Barack Obama. Highlights include profiles of early black explorers, a look at the roots of slavery, a fascinating account of the philosophical differences between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, and the little-known correspondences between Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. Absolutely gorgeous in design, with a harmonious marriage of text and colorful archival images, this is the kind of book that invites browsing, and its extensive reach will make this a go-to title for report writers. The author stays remarkably unbiased throughout; in fact, it is this apparent strength that, at times, becomes an issue. Great nonfiction creates a relationship between young readers and subjects; a title that mines similar territory, Kadir Nelson’s award-winning Heart and Soul (HarperCollins, 2011), brings African American history to life through the colorful narrative of a grandmotherlike Everywoman. Tarrant-Reid’s impartial tone, on the other hand, at times gives way to long sections of relatively lifeless prose. The author is an authority on African American culture, having previously written several books on the subject, but this particular title, while strong in several areas, is not without its flaws.–Sam Bloom, Groesbeck Branch Library, Cincinnati, OH