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.