Best African American Fiction 2010

Gerald Early and Nikki Giovanni edited a wonderful book of short stories in African American fiction. BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN FICTION goes from Africa and being sold into slavery, to segregation in America, to a bit of gangbanging. It covers the lives of African Americans from the beginning until today. The first story, 'The Ariran's Last Life' by Maria Eliza Hamilton Abegunde, tells how one young girl was sold into slavery. It describes, in detail, the horrors of the trail to the big ships and the brutality of the slavers. My very favorite story was "Mary Jane' by Dorothy Sterling. It describes the feelings of a young girl who was one of the first to be integrated into the all white school system. She had a young man, Fred, who was also with her. She tells of feeling alone and having no friends at the new school. She also told of a girl who felt sorry for her and therefore, danced with her in gym class. She would have rather been left alone than pitied. Early and Giovanni did a wonderful job of gathering stories about life of former Africans in the new world. The numerous stories are frequently short but captivating. They not only describe the pain of being in America, but also how wonderful it is to have family to support you. It is definitely a book worth reading. I highly recommend it. Reviewed by Alice Holman of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers