Death Before Sentencing
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Posted on September 13, 2021 in Review of the Week
ed. by Isiah Lavender III and Lisa Yaszek Ohio State, 2020
264p index, 9780814255964 $34.95, 9780814278154
Afrofuturism has exploded visibly onto the cultural scene in recent years (though it has been around for much longer), and it stands to reason that scholarly assessments of this field would follow. This collection stands out for its respected editors, who are both top-notch scholars in the field, and for its breadth of focus. Lavender (Univ. of Georgia) and Yaszek (Georgia Tech) have compiled an impressive list of contributors in developing this important conversation about literary Afrofuturism, and they open the book with a roundtable discussion of genre by such top practitioners in the field such as N. K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, and Minister Faust. The essays discuss contemporary Afrofuturist texts ranging across the Black Atlantic, thus encompassing the genre’s diasporic vision. The contributors challenge a present-time ideal of Afrofuturism by revealing the genre’s long history, which dates back to Phillis Wheatley and forward to Janelle Monáe and Black Panther; by recovering authors such as John M. Faucette and Amos Tutuola; and by articulating the connections between Black speculative literature and African diasporic culture across time. This book is an important addition to the conversations on Afrofuturism and its necessary place in literary studies and African American studies.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
Reviewer: D. E. Magill, Longwood University
Interdisciplinary Subjects: African and African American Studies, Racial Justice
Subject: Humanities – Language & Literature – English & American
Choice Issue: Jun 2021
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month, this week's review analyzes the community-building and activist practices Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants employed in 20th-century Michigan.
Posted on in Review of the Week
This week's review offers a roadmap for teaching contemporary US history, providing instructors with tips to tackle recent divisive topics and engage students with primary sources.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Researching the experiences of day laborers in Denver, Colorado, this week's review examines wage theft and nefarious labor practices that reflect broader systemic labor issues in the US.
Posted on in Review of the Week