Atlas of African-American History (Facts on File Library of American History)
This attractive and informative title about African American history is more or less chronologically arranged. Beginning with a chapter on African history and ending with a chapter on “Black America Today” that is up to date through 2007, with Barack Obama a presidential candidate, it provides a “detailed overview of experiences and events surrounding Americans of African descent.” Among the topics and events that are discussed are the Amistad incident, racism following Hurricane Katrina, integration of the armed forces, and the rise of hip-hop. Of course, a work of this size can’t be comprehensive. The Tulsa violence of 1921 is described in a text box, but Rosewood and Fort Pillow aren’t mentioned.   Photos, maps, charts, and graphs are used liberally and usually illustrate the text well. An index and selected bibliography add to the book’s usefulness. Kudos to the author for readability and the careful way he posits theories about early civilizations. Writing is clear, and the book is certainly inviting. High-school and college libraries that don’t already own the first (2001) edition will want to purchase this for reference or circulating collections. --Susan Gooden--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.