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(More customer reviews)Julian Bond and Sondra K. Wilson have blazed a trail in editing this book. Mostly well-known Americans, but also some hidden gems, share with the reader what the Johnson brothers' song means to them.
And it means a lot to a cross section of Americans. One friend noted that if you read the book in one setting, as she did, you get a clear sense of how African American families taught their children to be revolutionaries. These children were taught about their history, and they were given the tools to dream and do something about their future. They had no choice; they had to march on until victory was won! And they did, from shacks in Mississippi, middle-class homes in Chicago and upper-class environments in Hollywood (where they often still could not get a decent meal in a restaurant), they were taught to fight for their freedom. They marched on--on buses, at "white only" lunch counters, over bridges with dogs and police daring them to cross,down lonely country roads with the KKK looking on--and though hundreds of marches, they fulfilled the dreams of their ancestors.
One of the real treasures of the book, besides the wonderful essays, is that one gets the sense, through exquisite historical photos, of how broad the African American experience is and continues to be. There are poor black women chopping cotton, and black men being killed. But there are also photograpshs of young black women on horseback in the 1950s, muslim women at a mosque, photographs of Muhammad Ali, James Weldon Johnson and his wife looking lovingly at each other, proud black women on their way to church and young children all dressed up to perform in some special show for their parents. These photos give you a sense that despite the hardship, we might be making some progress--that the race is okay and might survive.
I would like to thank Bond and Wilson for sharing with us the best of our culture. As one NY Amsterdam News' reviewer noted, "If you breathe, you should buy this book." It is a perfect gift for any occasion.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Lift Every Voice and Sing: A Celebration of the Negro National Anthem; 100 Years, 100 Voices
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