Home > Books > Three Black Generations At The Crossroads
African American History - Social Aspects, United States History - Social Aspects, United States Studies - General & Miscellaneous, National Characteristics - North America
The 20th century, marked by dramatic socioeconomic, cultural, and technological changes, greatly altered the value systems of many Americans. Three Black Generations at the Crossroads: Community, Culture, and Consciousness looks at how these values shifted within the black community and asks the question: Can African Americans successfully confront the challenges of the continuing color line in the 21st century? Exploring generational differences in the black community, this second edition contains new chapters on politicians and artists, two groups that are symbolic of the new occupations that have emerged since the post-civil rights era. Benjamin also addresses the necessity for resiliency and survival within the black community to endure continuing transformations as we move into the 21st century.
Synopsis
Three Generations at the Crossroads weaves a collective tapestry, linking personal biographies of individuals in different generations to the larger social forces acting on them. This second edition contains new chapters on politicians and artists, two groups that are symbolic of the new occupations that have emerged since the post-civil rights era. Benjamin also addresses the necessity for resiliency and survival within the black community to endure continuing transformations as we move into the 21st century.
About the Author, Lois Benjamin
Lois Benjamin is professor of Sociology at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, and the author of The Black Elite, Second Edition.
Benjamin has provided a neat structure to understand 20th-century US cultural values through the window of the African American community. . . . The book's strength is in the autobiographical tales recounted . . . from the interviews of historical figures whose lives embody the categories Benjamin is offering. The categorization may aid education, but the storytelling is what evokes empathy and identification. The stories teach all ages; the analysis teaches high school students and above. Recommended for a variety of readers and students of the 20th century.
