Icons of Black America

Edited by Whitaker (director, Ctr. for the Study of Race & Democracy, Arizona State Univ.), this volume brings together 100 entries on, e.g., persons, colleges, military groups, Negro baseball leagues, Motown Records, and the Apollo Theater in the United States. Each of these signed entries includes further readings and, where available, a photograph of the subject. Forty-seven scholars provide detailed explorations of the lives and legacies of these icons, whether individuals or groups, organized alphabetically. Each volume includes a full table of contents, and the third volume features a lengthy index along with a selected bibliography culled from the individual chapters. Lacking in each chapter are subheadings to identify particular parts, although the writing styles encourage reading the chapters from start to finish. Averaging ten pages in length, each entry is sufficient to use as a starting point in high school and college and for middle school and upper-elementary students seeking biographical information on African Americans from the 19th century through today, including separate chapters on Barack and Michelle Obama. BOTTOM LINE Well-known names are included in this set, making it useful as a starting point or a one-stop location for ideas on a topic for a lengthier paper, but it does not provide information on lesser-known individuals, groups, or organizations—as the title indicates, the coverage is of icons, not a broader cross section.—Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Queensborough Community Coll. Lib., Bayside, NY