Adrienne Kennedy Reader
It is a pleasure to have so much of Kennedy's output in a single  volume, the first major collection of her work. Kennedy won Obie  awards for her plays Funnyhouse of a Negro, June and Jean in  Concert (both included here), and Sleep Deprivation Chamber  (written with her son Adam). Her texts are often fragmentary,  nonlinear, and experimental; they are also highly feminist and  often deal with the painful topic of racism from the viewpoint  of an African American woman who came of age in the 1950s and  1960s. Kennedy was inspired by many things: visits to family in  Georgia, Giotto's frescoes, fairy tales, extensive travel to  Europe and Africa, and Hollywood films. During a long stay in  Africa and Europe, she wrote an experimental short story,  "Because of the King of France," published under a pen name in  the journal Black Orpheus and reprinted in this volume. Werner  Sollors's (Beyond Ethnicity) introduction helpfully puts  Kennedy's work into an autobiographical and theatrical context,  but the plays, short stories, and other writings are the most  valuable aspect of this volume. Of particular importance is a  group of previously unpublished prose pieces. Recommended to  academic libraries and libraries with theater collections. Susan  L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, GalvestonCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.