Reviews

First published in 1993, this second edition contains over 600 illustrations, more than 150 new entries (for a total of over 500), and over 300 mostly updated profiles of women from the 1800s to the present, including writers, activists, entrepreneurs, educators, ambassadors, and many others, interspersed with the roles they played in Islam, the Left, librarianship, journalism, the labor movement, and more. There are some "firsts" here, too, like the first black woman judge in the United States (Jane Bolin), the first gospel singer to win a Grammy Award (Shirley Caesar), and the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (Shirley Chisholm). A new generation of women who have become successful in their chosen fields, like Venus and Serena Williams (sports), Condoleezza Rice (politics), and Ann Fudge (business), are also featured. Historian Hine (Michigan State Univ; coeditor, Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia) has gathered a distinguished group of independent scholars, professors, and journalists to contribute to this valuable resource. A comprehensive chronology dating from 1619 to 2004, an extensive bibliography, 70 index pages, and an outline of the entries by theme complete the work. Numerous sidebars reflecting the history and culture of black women enhance the rich text. Bottom Line Libraries will want to purchase this updated version, even if they own the first. Highly recommended.-Ann Burns, Library Journal Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.