Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Black Studies FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * "A Fire You Can't Put Out," by Andrew M. Manis * "Africa Since 1935," by Ali A. Mazrui * "Ramesses II: Greatest of the Pharaohs," by Bernadette Menu * "A Long Way From Home," by Connie Briscoe * "Graveyard Dust," by Barbara Hambly "A Fire You Can't Put Out" by Andrew M. Manis http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0817309683/entertainmentsit Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are the most well-known figures of the Civil Rights movement that emerged in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1950s, but in Andrew M. Manis's well-documented book, the contributions of the fiery Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, founder of the Alabama Movement for Human Rights, finally come to light. Manis paints a portrait of a God-fearing (but otherwise fearless) preacher cut in the mold of rebel slave leader Nat Turner, whose lawsuits, sit-ins of train and bus stations, and defiant pulpit orations helped tear down segregation in the South. But the reverend always had a firm sense of community: "Shuttlesworth conducted his civil rights activities with his hands still tightly grasping the pastoral reins of his local church," Manis writes. "His concern for social justice was central to his 'care of souls' and prophetic proclamation." Manis also shows the reader the professional and personal costs of Shuttlesworth's activities, from the 1956 bombing of his home to the constant tension with more conservative religious leaders in a community that considered his activism dangerous. In the end, however, Shuttlesworth's deeds earned him the praise of Birmingham's citizens, the beneficiaries of his courageous campaigns for equality. "A Fire You Can't Put Out" is a blazing blueprint for future generations of activists who continue the struggle. "Africa Since 1935" by Ali A. Mazrui http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520067037/entertainmentsit This massive reference work is the eighth installment in UNESCO's groundbreaking General History of Africa, arguably the most factual and comprehensive source of information about the continent ever published. Edited by noted Kenyan scholar Ali A. Mazrui, this chronicle covers the years from the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia to today's violent conflicts. Over 30 scholars contribute to show how a complex syncretization of Islam, Western language, Christianity, capitalism, socialism, and Soviet Communism ultimately forged a continent-wide response to European dominance that "Africanized Africa." Nation builders--including Tanzania's Julius Nyerere, Senegal's Leopold Senghor, Egypt's Gamal Nasser, and South Africa's Nelson Mandela--as well as despots (Uganda's Idi Amin, the former Zaire's Mobuto Sese Seko, and Ethiopia's Haile Mengistu) are equally represented. The scholars also examine the wars in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Angola--violent chaos brought on by AIDS, famine, political mismanagement, economic corruption, and ethnic hatred. They also note the positive contributions of Pan-Africanism and the artistic, scientific, and moral rebirth of the continent. "[B]y fighting for their own dignity," Mazrui writes, "Africans have also shocked the rest of the world into a new appreciation of global human history. That is the story of this volume." "Ramesses II: Greatest of the Pharaohs" by Bernadette Menu http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810928701/entertainmentsit Thanks to films like "The Ten Commandments" and "The Prince of Egypt," Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II (1301-1235 B.C.) is forever seen by the Western world as a heartless, bloodthirsty tyrant who lorded over Hebrew slaves until he was bested by Moses. French scholar Bernadette Menu's small but detailed book sets the record straight about this much-maligned leader, who reigned for an astonishing 66 years as the absolute ruler of a domain stretching from the present-day Sudan to Syria and built great statues bearing his likeness, which continue to inspire awe. "He was blessed with exceptional longevity, was spouse and lover of the most beautiful women of his time, husband to four or five of his own daughters, and father to some 100 children," Menu writes. "He was a pious ruler and bold general... [and] an enthusiastic patron of art and architecture." Through artwork, masonry, and texts by Greek historians and Egyptian scribes who recorded his exploits--and through the research of modern Egyptologists--we discover Ramesses's early successes in foreign policy and diplomacy. There's also the marvel of his massive funeral temple, the Ramesseum, and his eternal resting place in the Valley of the Kings. Ms. Menu's exhaustive work and the numerous accompanying photographs illuminate the true character of a misunderstood giant of the ancient world. "A Long Way From Home" by Connie Briscoe http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060172789/entertainmentsit In Connie Briscoe's third novel, the connotations of home are anything but heartwarming. For an enslaved mother, daughter, and grandmother, Montpelier plantation in Virginia is a living hell--and the proprietor, at least initially, is none other than President James Madison. "A Long Way from Home" opens during Madison's lifetime, when Susie and her daughter Clara serve the First Couple as house slaves. Yet even this regime seems civilized compared to the havoc unleashed by Madison's brutal stepson. It is Susie's granddaughter and namesake, Susan, who first leaves Montpelier--not, of course, voluntarily: she is sold to a family living in Richmond. But as the Civil War erupts, Susan ponders the possibility of a more joyous liberation. "Graveyard Dust" by Barbara Hambly http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553102591/entertainmentsit Benjamin January's life is such a mixture of exotic elements and influences that Barbara Hambly's historical mysteries about him often seem to be in danger of exploding. There's his very black skin in a society that equates lightness with class; his shaky status as a free man in 1830s slave-owning New Orleans; the music that he loves but now has to play at parties to make a living because he can't practice as a doctor in America. "Graveyard Dust," the third in Hambly's fine series, adds the murky religion of voodoo to the mixture. Ben's older sister, Olympe, practices that ancient art and winds up being charged with murder by a frightened and suspicious police force. Then there's the yellow fever epidemic that has broken out, threatening not only public health but the financial future of several powerful citizens. What keeps the book on track across all this colorful terrain is Hambly's uncanny ability to constantly show us the connections to our own place and time. Few mysteries have as much humanity and history in their lists of ingredients. If you've missed the first novels in the Benjamin January series, "A Free Man of Color" and "Fever Season," there's no better time to catch up. "A Free Man of Color" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553575260/entertainmentsit "Fever Season" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553575279/entertainmentsit ****** You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Nonfiction section at Nonfiction
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