Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 31, 1993 TAG: 9310310206
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by LENI ASHMORE SORENSEN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Move over Bartlett's, make room on the shelf, there is a new woman in town!
Dorothy Winbush Riley's book is a wonderful new resource for writers and students who wish to explore the words of African Americans and Africans on a wide range of subjects. More than 7,000 entries - gleaned from the world's literature, the press, the electronic media and historical documents - are sorted into over 450 subjects from "Ability" to "Youth," about which Buchi Emecheta shares a universal truth of parenthood, "All young people were the same: they never imagined they would get old."
On color, Colin Powell said in 1990; "What my color is, is somebody else's problem not mine. People will say, `You're a terrific black general.' I'm trying to be the best general I can be." In 1950 John Coltrane said the following about jazz, "Forget the rules. You have to play all twelve notes of your solo anyway." Or, on that same subject listen to the pithy truth of Billie Holiday, circa 1952, "Jazz is making due with taters and grits, standing up each time."
Useful, racy, angry, considered, and inspirational, the quotes fill the pages, and I bet you can't put it down in less than half an hour. This collection is the result of eight years of dedication and energy plus a span of years teaching and being a mother. Riley was so dedicated to her project that initially she had it self-published in a 1,000 volume edition.
We are all the richer for the fact that those who saw this book sang its praises in various publications, leading to a review in The Washington Post, which led to a contract with HarperCollins.
In addition to her gift of an ear for meanings in words, Riley brings to her effort the skills of a librarian and a researcher. She has included a large bibliography and two indexes; one by speaker, one by subject. This is a very user- friendly book. In future editions Riley will be including a wider range of quotations selected from South American, Native American, and Middle Eastern sources.
Let Riley's own words end this review, "This task is unfinished and will remain so until the thoughts and ideas of people of color from all nations are looked upon with respect and value." \
Leni Ashmore Sorensen is a graduate student at the College of William and Mary.
by CNB