african american men

Offers insight into the lives of ten influential African American men from different times in the history of the United States.

"Damon Young chronicles his efforts to survive the neuroses his country has given him. This humorous and honest debut is both a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and distinctions of blackness and a critique of white supremacy and how we define masculinity"--OCLC.

In this retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's infamous story "The Horror at Red Hook," Charles Thomas Tester is a con artist who disguises himself as a street musician to hustle money on the streets of 1924 Harlem in order to provide for himself and his father. Desperate for money, he takes a job at the home of Robert Suydam, a wealthy man from Red Hook, only to become involved in the opening of a portal to another dimension and the summoning of an evil force.

"Police brutality and misconduct have been under the microscope for the last several years, Loretta Prater confronts the far-reaching consequences of police brutality through the personal case of her son"--OCLC.

Explores the life of Alton Carter, who as a boy walked away from a drug-riddled and violent home, made it through the tribulations of the foster care system, and at age eighteen became the first in his family to graduate from high school, and also earned a college scholarship. He believed the worst of life was behind him, but he was wrong, and this is the story of how Alton managed his young adult life.

" ... [A collection of poetry that] addresses race, class, sexuality, faith, social justice, mortality, and the challenges of living HIV positive at the intersection of black and queer identity ..."--OCLC.

A young, mentally-handicapped, African-American man in 1940s Louisiana, awaiting a death sentence after being wrongfully convicted of murder, receives jail cell visits from the local teacher, who attempts to impart some wisdom and pride to the condemned man before his death.

In a small Louisiana town troubled by Jim Crow, reporter Louis Guerin witnesses Brady Sims shoot a young black man convicted of robbery and murder in the courthouse. Guerin heads to the local barbershop to get a human interest story on Sims. Sims is known around the town for disciplining wayward young black residents to keep them out of Angola, the state penitentiary. The barbers and customers reflect on Sims' sad life story and on a poor black community struggling to survive.

Tells the story of a young African-American man sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit, and a teacher who tries to impart to him his learning and pride before the execution.

Author and activist Kevin Powell vividly recounts the horrific poverty of his youth and his struggles to overcome a legacy of anger.