This book deals with a period in the history of Harlem (to those who do not live in the United States or are otherwise unfamiliar with it, Harlem is a neighborhood in the Manhattan borough of New York City) known as the "Harlem Renaissance." It occurred in the 1900's.
If you are like me, you were exposed in the mass media to negative portrayals of Harlem by such things as the so-called "Blaxploitation" movies of the 1970's. We didn't know that there was a period of time in the history of Harlem that was much different! I must admit that, even now, my knowledge of this period of time is very weak.
I've run across only a few books (well, actually, none!) on the Harlem Renaissance. It is nice to come across this big one (544 pages), especially with it having a large markdown.
Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance. By Carla Kaplan. Rated 4 1/2 stars, from 69 reviews at the present moment. Print list price $16.99; digital price $11.21; Kindle price now
$3.79. HarperCollins Publishers, publisher. 544 pages.
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Anne-Harl...k+Renaissance#.
Book Description
Celebrated scholar Carla Kaplan’s cultural biography, Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance
, focuses on white women, collectively called “Miss Anne,” who became Harlem Renaissance insiders.
The 1920s in New York City was a time of freedom, experimentation, and passion—with Harlem at the epicenter. White men could go uptown to see jazz and modern dance, but women who embraced black culture too enthusiastically could be ostracized.
Miss Anne in Harlem
focuses on six of the unconventional, free-thinking women, some from Manhattan high society, many Jewish, who crossed race lines and defied social conventions to become a part of the culture and heartbeat of Harlem.
Ethnic and gender studies professor Carla Kaplan brings the interracial history of the Harlem Renaissance to life with vivid prose, extensive research, and period photographs.