This bibliographic guide is actually two guides in one volume, both of them quite useful to the student of Afro-American writing. Black writers have often published their work themselves or in limited editions through small and relatively unknown presses

Gray, James L.

English

VCU Scholars Compass

[Review of] William P. French, Michel J. Febre, Amritjit Singh, and Geneviève E. Fabre (Eds). Afro-American Poetry and Drama, 1760-1975: A Guide to Information Sources

52 Explopations in Ethnic Studies c i v i l r i gh t s  l eaders  and i deo l og i ca l l y  comm i t ted r e I  i g i ous  l eaders . The ro l e  of env i ronmen t ,  p rena ta l fac tors  and the poo r d i et that  a ffec ts the i n te l l i gence of the ch i l d ren , a re not  d i scus sed suf­f i c i ent l y  to ba l ance h i s  a rgumen t s  and , the reby , suppo r t  h i s  hy­pothes i s .  The s t rength  of th i s  book I i es i n  the autho r ' s  comprehen s i ve coverage of t he ma i n  s t ud i es i n  the f i e l d  of m i no r i ty educa t i on ,  espec i a l l y  tha t  of the b l ac k  Ame r i cans . The o r i g i na l  i ty ,  d i ve r ­s i ty ,  and r i c hness o f  deta i l s  of each of the top i cs d i scussed i n  th i s  book ref l ec t  t he a u t ho r ' s  supe rb know l edge and resea rch back­g round . S tuden ts  as  we l l as  i n s t ructors , po l i cy ma ke rs as  wel l a s  soc i a l  wo rkers , a n d  others  i n te res t ed i n  m i nor i ty educa t i on w i l l  f i nd th i s  book usefu l , i n fo rma t i ve ,  p rovoca t i ve , c ha l l eng i ng and en l i ghten i n g .  - - v . Thomas Samu e l  Sociology and AnthPopology Gpambling State Univepsity W I L L I A M P .  F R E N C H , M I C H E L  J .  F A B R E , A M R I T J I T  S I N G H , A N D  G E N E V I E V E  E .  F A B R E  ( E D S ) . A FRO -AMERICA N POETRY A ND DRA MA , 1 7 60 - 1 9 7 5 : A GUIDE TO INFORMA TION SOURCES . D e t r o i t :  G a l e  R e s e a r c h  C o m p a n y , 1 9 7 9 . 4 9 3  p p .  $ 2 2 . 0 0 Th i s  b i b l  i o g ra ph i c  gu i de i s  actua l l y  two gu i des i n  one vo l ume , bo th  of t hem qu i te  u sefu l to the s t uden t of Af ro-Ame r i can  wr i t i ng .  B l ack wr i ters  have often pub l i s hed the i r  work  t hems e l ves o r  i n  l i m i ted ed i t i ons  t h rough sma l l and re l a t i ve l y  unknown p resses . The comp i l e rs of the b i b l  i og ra ph i c  gu i des be i ng cons i de red here have a t tempted to ma ke such vo l umes ava i l ab l e  to the s t uden t of Af ro-Ame r i can wr i t i ng .  The gu i de t o  Af ro-Ame r i can  poet ry f rom 1 760- 1 97 5 , p repa r ed by vl i l l i am P .  F rench , M i che l  J .  Fa b re ,  and Amr i tj i t  S i n gh , may be whe re the s tuden t of Af ro-Ame r i can  poe t ry shou l d  beg i n  h i s  re­sea rch . Empha s i z i n g  " I  i te ra ry" rather  t han  "fo l k" o r  "ora l "  poe t ry ,  the comp i l e rs  i nd i ca te i n  the i r  i n t roduc t i on that  they "have t r i ed to i nc l ude a l  I books and pamph l e ts  of poet ry by b l ac k  a u t hors  bo rn i n  the Un i ted Sta tes , "  as we l l as  wo rks by "fore i gn-born  a u t hors  who have l i ved and pu b l i s hed he re . "  The mos t  va l ua b l e  sec t i on of the gu i de i s  t ha t  l i s t i n g of works by i nd i v i d ua l au thors ; fo r .  used ca refu l l y , i t  can he l p pre­ven t the st udent ' s  ove r l ook i n g s i gn i f i ca n t  wo rk wh i c h  he shou l d  cons i de r .  Fo r maj o r  wr i t e rs secondary c r i t i c i sm i s  a l so i nc l uded , but  i s  l ess  va l ua b l e .  Such c r i t i c i sm mu s t  be se l ec t i ve ,  but th i s  rev i ewe r has been una b l e  to determ i ne t he bas i s  for se l ect i on . The s tuden t wou l d  not be we l l -adv i sed to depend heav i l y  upon i t .  Book Reviews 53 A l so va l ua b l e  i s  a fo r ty- e i g h t  pa ge sec t i o n  of genera l s tud i es , wh i ch l i s t s b i b l i og raph i e s , c r i t i ca l  wo rks , and a n t ho l og i es ( i n ­c l ud i ng antho l og i es of  "fo l k" and "o ra l "  poet ry ) , often w i t h  q u i te he l pfu l annota t i on s .  The comp i l e r s  have c l ea r l y  l ooked q u i te c l ose l y  a t  the ma te r i a l  t hey have used . One does wonder  some t i mes why such c r i t i ca l  ma t e r i a l s  as Robert  Bone ' s  The Negro Novel in America and such a n t ho l og i es a s  Da rw i n  Turne r ' s  B lack Drama in America a re i nc l uded . Such cav i l s ,  howeve r ,  do not nega te t he usefu l ness of  th i s  sect i on ,  and the a nnota t i ons f requen t l y  gu i d e the reader to t he mo s t  usefu l ma t e r i a l . Genev i�ve E .  Fa b re ' s  con t r i bu t i on ,  Afro-American Drama, 1 850-1 9 75, beg i n s w i t h a compe t en t ,  b r i e f ,  h i s to r i ca l  i n t roduc t i on .  Then i n  succe s s i on Fabre I i s t s  I i b ra r i es w i th ma j o r  ho l d i n gs , pe­r i od i ca l s ,  b i b l  i ograph i es , an tho l og i es ,  and c r i t i ca l  s tud i es .  Bo th the beg i nn i n g s t uden t and the prac t i c i n g scho l a r  w i l I f i nd th i s  sect i on i nd i s pensa b l e .  One can ha rd l y  i mag i ne the s tudy of  B l ack d rama s ta r t i ng anywhere other  than  w i t h  these ma t e r i a l s ,  espec i a l l y  the seconda ry c r� t i c i sm .  Fo r the p l aywr i gh t s  t hemse l ves , Fa b re ha s anno t a t ed pu b l  i s hed p l ays , l i s ted unpu b l  i shed p l ay s , and p rov i ded seconda ry c r i t i c i sm .  The annota t i ons a re b r i e f ,  accu ra te a n d  usefu l . Comb i ned w i t h t he cr i t i c i sm ,  t hey offer  an  oppo r tun i ty not on l y  to exam i ne t hemes i n  spec i f i c  wr i ters , but  a l so to compa re and con t ra s t  w r i t e r s  a s  t hey deve l op s i m i l a r  t hemes . Peop l e  who teach B l ack  d rama w i l I use  th i s  sec t i on of Fa b re ' s  gu i d e s tead i l y . Th ree i ndexes ( a u t ho r ,  t i t l e ,  and s u bj ec t )  comp r i s e t he f i na l seven ty- f i ve pages of  the vo l ume . Such i ndexes a re f requen t l y  the key to the usefu l ness  of  a b i b l i og ra phy . My exam i na t i on i nd i ca tes tha t  readers  w i l l  f i nd them mo re t han adequa te . B i b l  i og ra ph i c  gu i d es a re f requen t l y  d u l l ,  but  usefu l books . The qua l i ty of  t he annota t i on s  mea ns  tha t  th i s  one i s  l es s  du l I than mos t ,  and t he i n fo rma t i o n  p rov i ded makes i t  mo re usefu l than  mos t .  A l though the p r i ce may mean tha t  not  eve ry i n d i v i d ua l w i l I wan t  i t  fo r h i s  pe rsona l I i b ra ry , any teacher o r  s t uden t of  Af ro­Amer i can poe t ry and d rama w i l l  wan t  to have i t ,  and no pu b l i c  o r  un i ve rs i ty I i b ra ry can a f fo rd t o  be w i t ho u t  i t .  - -James L .  Gray English Department Indiana Univ . of Pennsy lvania 

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1084&amp;context=ees

[Review of] William P. French, Michel J. Febre, Amritjit Singh, and Geneviève E. Fabre (Eds). Afro-American Poetry and Drama, 1760-1975: A Guide to Information Sources

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