Proverbs for the People: Contemporary African-American Stories

by Jewell Parker Rhodes, TaRessa Stovall, Edwardo Jackson

Featuring contributions from such noted writers as Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Timmothy McCann, and Earl Sewell, a dramatically rendered anthology of stories, drawn from African, African-American, and biblical proverbs, is filled with an abundance of wit, inspiration, and wisdom. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Reference

494 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jewell Parker Rhodes has always loved reading and writing stories. Born and raised in Manchester, a largely African-American neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh, she was a voracious reader as a child. She began college as a dance major, but when she discovered there were novels by African Americans, she knew she wanted to be an author. She wrote six novels for adults, two writing guides, and a memoir, but writing for children remained her dream.

Now she is the author of eleven books for youth including the New York Times bestsellers Will's Race for Home, Ghost Boys and Black Brother, Black Brother. Her other books include Soul Step, Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, Paradise on Fire, Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic. She has also published six adult novels, two writing guides, and a memoir.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Book Award, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, a Coretta Scott King Honor Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, and the Octavia E. Butler Award.

When she’s not writing, she’s visiting schools to talk about her books with the kids who read them, or teaching writing at Arizona State University, where she is the Piper Endowed Chair and Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.

Reviews

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not leaving a review because I'm biased due to being one of the authors featured in this book.

[K Riquena Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really and truly enjoyed this book as I learned so much from it and a lot of my favorite authors who I have read since I was younger are contributors to this anthology. I would recommend this book to any and everyone on a day that they need an extra word of encouragement, a voice that understands and a renewal in the good that still exists in this world.

[Shirley Conley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This title and cover synopsis do NOT identify the content. It is somewhat like an oral history of experiences of the African American people. Not a fair or balanced representation. Although these stories or vignettes do not reflect title or content many are poignant. Almost all are filled with curse words. This book is not recommended.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for A Difficult Lesson
By Tierra French

[Sharonbrown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories.