In praise of Deborah Lacks

Deborah Lacks with an image of her mother's cells

Henrietta Lacks continues to fascinate scientists, sociologists, and ordinary people of all backgrounds. Yet it was her daughter Deborah who held my attention as I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This young woman, who lost her mother as a baby, managed to survive an abusive stepmother, lecherous cousins, teen pregnancy, and two failed marriages. Her formal education was limited, her health and family problems numerous. Yet through it all she persevered, and managed to channel her anger and terror over losing her mother and sister into determination to do better for herself and her family. Her slowly growing friendship with author Rebecca Skloot was for me the emotional heart of the book.

To learn more about Deborah,  the Lacks family, and Skloot's foundation to provide financial assistance to needy individuals who have made important contributions to scientific research without personally benefiting from those contributions,  visit The Immortal Life website. There are interviews with Skloot, discussion questions, and updates on HeLa cell research. You can even submit your own video to share your thoughts about the book!

And of course, don't forget to join us at EPL on Tuesday March 13th for our discussion! 7:00 pm, Small Meeting Room, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston. We have copies available for book group participants: just call us at 847-448-8620 to get one.

25 Novels to Honor During Black History Month

Like a lot of us, I'm ambivalent about Black History Month. On the one hand, it's great to see so many performances, tv programs and cultural events highlighting African American achievement every February. On the other hand, why are we invisible on the cultural stage during the other 11 months? That's why I'm delighted to be able to read and promote African American writers and issues year round on this blog and in our discussion group.

That said, kudos to Accredited Colleges Online for providing a list of 25 Novels to Honor During Black History Month.This is a terrific list, including classics like Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Native Son alongside newer works like The Known World and The Intuitionist and novels for younger readers, like Monster and Roll of Thunder. This is more accurately an African diaspora list, since it  features several African and Caribbean works: Things Fall Apart, The Farming of Bones, and Segu, as well as the Afro British  White Teeth.

The literature of the African diaspora is incredibly diverse: on this list you will find love stories, humor, time travel, and politics; stories set in England, Haiti, Nigeria, and Harlem; and novels addressing gay issues, crime, ethnic cleansing, slavery, religion and interracial romance. Enjoy, and who knows...perhaps there are some future AAL Discussion books lurking in these pages!

An African American Themed Valentine's Day

Hello again, AAL fans! Remember next Tuesday, Valentine's Day, is our discussion of Condoleeza Rice's memoir Extraordinary Ordinary People.  (Remember, you can also download the ebook version if you don't feel like dragging around the book.)
I know not everyone on this list is a big fan of Condi, but it should be interesting to compare her account of growing up in Jim Crow Birmingham to the recollections in Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns. Very interesting!

Valentine's Day is coming up, and the Evanston Public Library is proud to welcome Northwestern's Dr. Harvey Young Jr, an award-winning author and an internationally recognized authority on African American culture and performing arts. Dr Young will be giving a public lecture: "A Racist Love Note: Stereotypes and Caricatures on Early 20th Century Valentine’s Day Cards". here at EPL on Thursday February 16th, 7 pm. He'll discuss the imagery of African Americans in early greeting cards and what this says about the larger society's fears and prejudices. A great way to celebrate Valentine's Day in the context of African American history.

So, hope to see everyone twice next week: Tuesday night for Condoleeza and Thursday to hear Dr Young!

In Appreciation: Beverly Jenkins

Black History month is coming, so we'll be sure to see the usual oh-so-worthy tome of black uplift. Which is why I like to spend my chilly February nights curled up with some Beverly Jenkins, a woman who not only knows her black history, but knows how to make it steamy and, well...fun!

Ms Jenkins will broaden your notion of African American history; her stories may be in set the American Revolution, the wild west, or aboard a  British privateer; her characters include black Seminoles in Oklahoma's Indian country, ex marines, bounty hunters, and rap producers.They may be as mild and wholesome as her faith-tinged, Blessings series, or wild and wicked romantic fantasies.

Best of all, (from a librarian's point of view), all of Jenkins books are thoroughly researched, and she usually has an afterword explaining the story's historical context and listing resources for further reading.

"The Interrupters" and "New Jim Crow" next week; Condoleeza Rice next month

Many thanks to all of you who engaged in a raucous, riotous dissection of Eugene Robinson's Disintegration last night. The discussion didn't completely end until almost 9:00... a new record! I was delighted and impressed with the range of opinions, and the thoughtful, passionate way they were articulated.

Just wanted to put in another plug for The Interrupters, which we'll be showing next Wednesday January 25th here at EPL, at 6:30, in conjunction with ReelTime and the Evanston Community Foundation. Also, the week of January 29th-February 1st, we're focusing on Michelle Alexander's sobering study, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness. Dr Alexander is speaking at Garrett Theological Seminary on February 1st at 5:00 pm, and the EPL Teen Loft is hosting a teens-only discussion of the book on Sunday January 29th at 1:00 pm. Please help spread the word!

Meanwhile, back in AAL book land, registration is open for our February 14th discussion: Extraordinary, Ordinary People, Condoleeza Rice's memoir of her childhood in Birmingham Alabama, and her gradual rise to Secretary of State under President George Bush. Condi may not be a favorite with all of us, but her remarkable story is certainly worth re-visiting, especially in light of our conversation about the "Transcendent" and whether or not they are maintaining their connection with the rest of Black America. Call 847-448-8620 to register and book your copy.

The Interrupters

Hope everyone is enjoying Disintegration! I'm looking forward to another thought-provoking discussion this coming Tuesday at 7 at EPL.

Although Robinson's book doesn't spend much time on urban violence, it's an issue many in the African American community struggle with.  The amazing Chicago organization Ceasefire has successfully reduced shootings in dangerous neighborhoods by mediating and intervening in crisis situations.Ceasefire's efforts have earned praise from the Department of Justice, and they are the subject of an outstanding documentary The Interrupters, which you can see for free at 2 Evanston locations this month.

Sunday January 15th 3:00 pm
Family Focus, 2010 Dewey Ave. Evanston
Followed by a Community Conversation with representatives from the Evanston Police Department, Restorative Justice Evanston, Evanston  Township High School, and CeaseFire. Screening co-sponsored by Peaceable Cities Evanston,  Family Focus, MOMs Saving Our Sons, and the Evanston YWCA.

 Wednesday January 25th, 6:30 pm
Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston

The post-screening discussion will include Ameena Matthews, one of the CeaseFire violence interrupters featured in the film, along with Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and community representatives to explore the issues of violence, conflict resolution and restorative justice in our own community.   Co-presented  by Reeltime's Percolator Films and the Evanston Community Foundation. 

African American Books for Kids

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.


I was looking at the many, many children's books my daughter and nieces and nephews were given this year and I got to thinking: why are so many "classic" books for African American children so depressing? You know the ones I'm talking about. Sounder. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. A Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich. All well written books, but the impression you get from them is that there's nothing to African American life and history but slavery, lynchings, and urban despair. Is that what we want our kids to think? Aren't there any books that show African American life as, well...fun?

If you want to find some wonderful, upbeat, and yet true to life stories for your children, a great place to start is Brown Baby Reads, a web community, book club and database for African American children's literature. Every month you'll find recommended titles for toddlers through teens, and you can search the database for special interests like historical fiction or sports themed fiction.

There has been increased attention to the lack of diversity in children's publishing these days, and the wonderful organization We Need Diverse Books was formed in response.  A collaboration between  teachers, publishers and librarians, WNB provides resource lists on books with African American, Latino, GLTBQ, Muslim and disabled characters, as well as awards, summer reading themes, and suggestions for multicultural gift books.

Another great resource is the Black Books Galore! series by Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker.  The Evanston Public Library owns all 3 editions, published between 1998 and 2001. It's a pity it hasn't been updated since, but you'll still find hundreds of great titles.

Finally, I invite you to try my personal list: Non Depressing African American Children's Books. (also on GoodReads.) I found a lot of them in Rand and Parker's collection, and they were all books that my daughter and I actually enjoyed. Most are contemporary kid's fiction, but there are a couple of terrific historicals, like Bud not Buddy, and Ellington Was Not  a Street that convey the richness of African American cultural history without dwelling on the horrors.

Let me know if you have suggestions!