A Raisin in the Sun - by Lorraine Hansberry (Paperback)
Number of Pages: 160Genre: DramaSub-Genre: AmericanFormat: PaperbackPublisher: VintageAge Range: AdultBook theme: African AmericanAuthor: Lorraine HansberryLanguage: English About the Book When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever".--The New York Times. Book Synopsis Never before, the entire history of the American theater, has so much of the truth of black people's lives been seen on the stage, observed James Baldwin shortly before A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959. Indeed Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning drama about the hopes and aspirations of a struggling, working-class family living on the South Side of Chicago connected profoundly with the psyche of black America--and changed American theater forever. The play's title comes from a line in Langston Hughes's poem Harlem, which warns that a dream deferred might dry up/like a raisin in the sun. The events of every passing year add resonance to A Raisin in the Sun, said The New York Times. It is as if history is conspiring to make the play a classic. This Modern Library edition presents the fully restored, uncut version of Hansberry's landmark work with an introduction by Robert Nemiroff. Review Quotes "A beautiful, lovable play. It is affectionately human, funny and touching. . . . A work of theatrical magic in which the usual barrier between audience and stage disappears."John Chapman, New York News "An honest, intelligible, and moving experience."Walter Kerr, New York Herald Tribune "Miss Hansberry has etched her characters with understanding, and told her story with dramatic impact. She has a keen sense of humor, an ear for accurate speech and compassion for people."Robert Coleman, New York Mirror "A Raisin in the Sun has vigor as well as veracity."Brooks Atkinson, New York Times"It is honest drama, catching up real people. . . . It will make you proud of human beings."Frank Aston, New York World-Telegram & Sun "A wonderfully emotional evening."John McClain, New York Journal American About the Author Lorraine Hansberry, at twenty-nine, became the youngest American, the fifth woman, and the first black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for the Best Play of the Year. Her A Raisin in the Sun has since been published and produced in some 30 countries, while her film adaptation was nominated by the New York critics for the Best Screenplay and received a Cannes Film Festival Award. At thirty-four, during the run of her second play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Lorraine Hansberry died of cancer. In the years since her death, her stature has continued to grow. To Be Young, Gifted and Black, a dramatic portrait of the playwright in her own words, was the longest-running Off-Broadway drama of 1969, and has been recorded, filmed, and published in expanded book form, and has toured an unprecedented forty states and two hundred colleges. In 1986, following the stage production of the 25th anniversary of A Raisin in the Sun by the Roundabout Theatre in New York City, the play was widely acclaimed as in the foremost ranks of American classics. In 1990, the PBS American Playhouse TV adaptation of the 25th-anniversary version had one of the highest viewing audiences in PBS history. Les Blancs, her last play--posthumously performed on Broadway and recently in prominent regional theaters--has been hailed by a number of critics as her best.
Hood Feminism - by Mikki Kendall (Hardcover)
Number of Pages: 288Genre: Social ScienceSub-Genre: Feminism & Feminist TheoryFormat: HardcoverPublisher: VikingAge Range: AdultAuthor: Mikki KendallLanguage: English About the Book "A collection of essays taking aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women"-- Book Synopsis A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "One of the most important books of the current moment."--Time "A rousing call to action... It should be required reading for everyone."--Gabrielle Union, author of We're Going to Need More Wine "A brutally candid and unobstructed portrait of mainstream white feminism." --Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in black feminism Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed. Review Quotes Named a Best Book of 2020 by Bustle, BBC, and Time A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 "In prose that is clean, crisp, and cutting, Kendall reveals how feminism has both failed to take into account populations too often excluded from the banner of feminism and failed to consider the breadth of issues affecting the daily lives of millions of women. . . . Throughout, Kendall thoughtfully and deliberately takes mainstream feminism to task . . . [but] if Hood Feminism is a searing indictment of mainstream feminism, it is also an invitation. For every case in which Kendall highlights problematic practices, she offers guidance for how we can all do better."--NPR"With poise and clarity, Kendall lays out the case for why feminists need to fight not just for career advancement but also for basic needs and issues that often plague women of color, including food security, educational access, a living wage and safety from gun violence. In expertly tying the racial justice and feminist movements together, Kendall's is one of the most important books of the current moment."--Time, "100 Must-Read Books of 2020" "Hood Feminism paints a brutally candid and unobstructed portrait of mainstream white feminism: a narrow movement that disregards the needs of the overwhelming majority of women. In the storied tradition of Black feminism stretching back to Maria Stewart, Kendall persuasively contends that women's basic needs are feminist issues. The fights against hunger, homelessness, poverty, health disparities, poor schools, homophobia, transphobia, and domestic violence are feminist fights. Kendall offers a feminism rooted in the livelihood of everyday women." --Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, in The Atlantic"Beautifully centers on the experience of women who face an actual battle on the front lines while mainstream feminists clamor for access to the officers' club."--The Washington Post "A searing indictment of . . . the modern feminist movement's failure to support marginalized women and to integrate issues of race, class and sexual orientation."--USA Today "This book is an act of fierce love and advocacy, and it is urgently necessary." --Samantha Irby, author of Meaty and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life "Mikki's book is a rousing call to action for today's feminists. It should be required reading for everyone." --Gabrielle Union, author of We're Going to Need More Wine "Cutting, critical, and consequential, Hood Feminism is required reading for anyone who calls himself or herself a feminist, an urgent piece of feminist discourse. It's a tough read--especially if you've been giving yourself woke feminist gold stars--but that makes it all the more necessary."--Marie Claire "My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist (as I do) will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect. Mikki Kendall is calling out white feminists here--and it's long overdue that we drop our defenses, listen to her arguments carefully, and then change our entire way of thinking and behaving. As Kendall explains in eloquent and searing simplicity, any feminism that focuses on inequality between men and women without addressing the inequalities BETWEEN women is not only useless, but actually harmful. In the growing public conversation about race, class, status, privilege, and power, this text is essential reading."--Elizabeth Gilbert "Elicits action by effectively calling out privilege . . . This can be a tough read, even for the most woke and intersectional feminist, and that's exactly how it should be." --Bust"Hood Feminism is a critical feminist text that interrogates the failings of the mainstream feminist movement and gives us the necessary expertise of Black women. Kendall skillfully illuminates the many intersections of identity and shows us the beauty and power of anger." --Erika L. Sánchez, author of Lessons on Expulsion and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter "Kendall is a highly knowledgeable and inspiring guide, and she effectively builds on the work of black women who have, for ages, been working to better the lives of themselves and their communities. . . . A much-needed addition to feminist discourse." --Kirkus Reviews "In this forceful and eloquent series of essays, [Kendall] takes on the feminist myopia that ignores the daily existential struggles of women of color and encourages a broader support of society's most vulnerable citizens. If such support is forthcoming and awareness expanded, then not only will those outside the feminist establishment be empowered, those within the current movement will also be enlightened as to their cause's true universal potential."--Booklist "A frank account of who and what is still missing from mainstream feminism that will appeal to readers of women's and African American studies, and readers seeking a better grasp on history."--Library Journal "An energizing critique of the feminist movement's preference for white women."--BookPage "Mikki Kendall tells it like it is, and this is why she has long been a must-read writer for me: incisive, clear-eyed, and rightly willing to challenge readers when necessary. Her exploration of how feminists' fight for liberation has too often left poor people, Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color behind is critical reading for anyone who is or wants to be involved in work addressing complex and longstanding inequalities." --Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir "Mikki has been writing for years about protection, 'problem children, ' the limits and the usefulness of different kinds of anger, and the way sisterhood can be wielded as a demand. She's here for her community, and this book has everything to do with expanding access to it." --Daniel Mallory Ortberg, author of The Merry Spinster and Texts from Jane Eyre "Mikki Kendall has established herself as an important voice in current feminist discourse, and Hood Feminism cements that place. With a compelling, forceful piece, Kendall has written the missive that feminists--especially white feminists--need to remember the racist history of who we are as a movement and to move forward with an intersectional and deliberately anti-racist focus." --Dianna Anderson, author of Problematic "Every white lady should have this book assigned to them before they can talk about feminism in the same way that every human should have to work in the service industry for a year before they can talk about the economy. Ain't nothing but truth in these words." --Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America About the Author Mikki Kendall is a New York Times bestselling writer, speaker, and blogger whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, TIME, Salon, Ebony, Essence, and elsewhere. An accomplished public speaker, she has discussed race, feminism, violence in Chicago, tech, pop culture, and social media on The Daily Show, MSNBC, NPR, Al Jazeera's The Listening Post, BBC's Women's Hour, and Huffington Post Live, as well as at universities across the country. In 2017, she was awarded Best Food Essay from the Association of Food Journalists for her essay on hot sauce, Jim Crow, and Beyoncé. She is also the author of Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights and a co-editor of the Locus-nominated anthology Hidden Youth, as well as a part of the Hugo-nominated team of editors at Fireside Magazine. A veteran, she lives in Chicago with her family.
So You Want to Talk about Race - by Ijeoma Oluo (Hardcover)
Number of Pages: 256Genre: Social ScienceSub-Genre: Minority StudiesFormat: HardcoverPublisher: Seal Press (CA)Age Range: AdultAuthor: Ijeoma OluoLanguage: English About the Book "[The author] explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement--offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide"--Amazon.com. Book Synopsis In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy -- from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans -- has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair -- and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to model minorities in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. -- National Book Review Generous and empathetic, yet usefully blunt . . . it's for anyone who wants to be smarter and more empathetic about matters of race and engage in more productive anti-racist action. -- Salon (Required Reading) Review Quotes So You Want to Talk About Race is a phenomenal read and it's helping me articulate conversations I want and need to have.--Adib Khorram, Morris Award--winning author of Darius the Great Is Not OkaySo You Want to Talk About Race is warm and foundational enough for people beginning their journey to understanding racism in America, and thought-provoking and challenging enough for people who believe themselves to be well-versed on the subject. In short, it's for everyone. Ijeoma's voice cuts through all the noise and stays with you.--Emily V. Gordon, co-writer of The Big Sick and author of Super You: Release Your Inner SuperheroSo You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life. --Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV's Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated QuicklySo You Want To Talk About Race is a landmark book for our times. Oluo does more than deliver tough, blunt truths about the realities of racism, power and oppression. She also, in bracing fashion, offers a vision of hope; a message that through dialogue and struggle, we can emancipate ourselves from what she calls 'the nation's oldest pyramid scheme: white supremacy.' That is why I don't think this is merely one of the most important books of the last decade. It is also one of the most optimistic. To write such a book in these difficult times is in and of itself, a daring and beautiful act.--Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation and author of What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United StatesA must-read primer on the politics of American racism.--BustleFascinating, real, and necessary, a superb compendium reckoning with race, gender, and identity in white America.--The RootI am in awe of Ijeoma. She is the smartest, most courageous and electrifying young writer on race relations today-the voice of our times. Let her be your guidepost. She will make you think and she will make you feel. Follow Ijeoma Oluo and thrill to the challenge, beginning right here with So You Want To Talk About Race.--Robin DiAngelo, author of White FragilityI don't think I've ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo's intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects.--Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of ShrillIjeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power... [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start. --BitchIjeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love.--Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-ActiveIjeoma Oluo-writing on any subject-is compassionate brilliance personified, and I am so grateful for her work and her voice. She is the first writer I name when anyone asks who they should read to help them think about and navigate issues of race and identity, help them understand what solidarity means and what it requires of all of us. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book for everyone, but especially for people of color who need to feel seen and heard.--Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever KnowIjeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race is a welcome gift to us all -- a critical offering during a moment when the hard work of social transformation is hampered by the inability of anyone who benefits from systemic racism to reckon with its costs. Oluo's mandate is clear and powerful: change will not come unless we are brave enough to name and remove the many forces at work strangling freedom. Racial supremacy is but one of those forces. --Darnell L. Moore, author of No Ashes in the FireIjeoma Oluo's work is where candor meets wisdom, where intelligence meets action, where prose meets power. With her indelible combination of lived experience and research, she is one of the most important people writing about this current moment for our country and our world. So You Want to Talk About Race is a book that I have recommended to countless people-and that I will continue to recommend for years to come.--Rakesh Satyal, author of Blue Boy and No One Can Pronounce My NameImpassioned and unflinching --Vogue.comOluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States. --Matt McGorry, actorOluo's approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate.--800-CEO-Reads Staff PicksOne of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape...the goal isn't to call out the 'bad' white people and console the 'good' ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice. --The StrangerRead it, then recommend it to everyone you know.--Harper's Bazaar, "One of 10 Books to Read in 2018"Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told. Her ability to write so smartly and honestly with strokes of humor about race in America is heaven sent and demonstrates just how desperately we all need to be talking about race, and perhaps, more importantly, this insightful book shows those in power or privilege how they need to listen.--Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair and Everything's Trash, But It's OkayStraight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism.... A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation. --Kirkus ReviewsWhat Ijeoma Oluo has done, and continues to do, is nothing short of revolutionary -- she has created a conversational guide and laid out a movement-building blueprint for people of all races who are invested in self-assessment, open to being challenged, and committed to collective progress. One of the most important voices of our time, Oluo encourages us to be the conversation starters in our own lives and to keep talking -- someone who needs to hear us is listening.--Feminista Jones, author of Reclaiming Our SpaceWhen you need a super team to help you make sense of today's complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma's thinking is always essential reading. --Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed ComedyWhite readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured.--The Denver VOICEWith this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us -- both white people and people of color -- that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases. --National Book ReviewYou are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo's fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen. --Andy Richter, writer and actor About the Author Ijeoma Oluo is the author of the New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race. Her work on race has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post. She has twice been named to the Root 100, and she received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
