Reviews:
-With substantial bibliographies for every entry and especially strong entries on minor figures and major controversies, it is already an indispensable addition to my library.
—Year's Work in English Studies
-Gwendolyn Bennett was a poet and writer of short stories, and although she never published a book of either she kept the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance alive. Anne Spencer worked on her poetry 16 years before she was discovered and published, but it took almost no time before actor and writer Paul Robeson was discovered to be a socialist and reviled. In hundreds of objective and accessible entries, high school students, undergraduates and general readers can get the basics on the issues, events and people of African American literature. Contributors describe how writers, filmmakers and commentators reacted to social and political events, a unique approach that helps to define contexts. Writers, journalists, and editors are joined by others generally ignored in the literary world, including publishers, writers' collectives, niche journals, advocacy groups and marketeers. Entries include impressive lists of resources.
—Reference & Research Book News
-US institutions catering for African American cultural studies would find this a marvellous resource.
—Reference Reviews
-Junior high school students through high school students could use this set. The most obvious use is by literature classes, but American history classes could find uses too, especially in discussions of the historical and social issues. The articles provide good background materials for beginning research. Recommended.
—Library Media Connection