Colored Contradictions

Library Journal

Stanford drama professor Elam and prize-winning playwright Alexander present 12 contemporary plays in this unique collection. All published and produced in the 1990s, these thematically and stylistically diverse plays are by renowned African American dramatists Shay Youngblood, Cheryl L. West, Suzan Lori-Parks, and Robert Alexander himself, among others. The four plays per section are grouped under four themes: "Smashing Stereotypes," "Black Men at Risk," "Reconstructing Black Womanhood," and "The Black Family in Crisis." This dramatic canon represents a wide range of black experience and cultural expression. Except for Lori-Parks's acclaimed complex experimental play, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom (Sun & Moon, 1995) all are written mostly in conventional dramatic form, with many making use of contemporary black expression. Elam's introduction and Imani Abolos's biographical sketches of the playwrights provide added insights and reference points. A rich and original anthology, this landmark collection is highly recommended for both academic and large public libraries.Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ., Muncie, Ind.