About the Author

Edward Mapp is professor emeritus of Speech and Communications, City University of New York. He is the author of Blacks in American Films: Today and Yesterday (Scarecrow, 1972) and Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts (Scarecrow, 1990), and co-author of A Separate Cinema, Fifty Years of Black-Cast Posters. His vast collection of original Black-cast film posters was presented in 1996 to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its Margaret Herrick Library.

Reviews

Edward Mapp's African Americans and the Oscars illuminates the history of African American presence in Hollywood. Offering both plot synopses and biographical sketches, readers have at hand a useful reference book revealing the who, what, when, where, and why of each nomination . . . The book is a valuable addition to any film library. It informs, entertains, and will satisfy any film buff's love of trivia. Being able to smoothly assemble this much information is evidence of the breadth of Mapp'sresearch and the longevity of his work in film history as an educator, archivist, and major collector of African American film posters . . . Mapp's well-chosen anecdotes reveal the motivations of the talents that have challenged and changed our cultural identity. His portraits align many artists with cornerstones of African American values: family, church, education, social uplift, and the continuing struggle for equal rights. For those who have received multiple nominations, Mapp is able to draw a fullerpicture of the many forces that shape an actor's character and career . . . The vignettes of African Americans and the Oscars project a larger picture of African American involvement in shaping our social consciousness. The artists represented ar
*Black Camera: An International Film Journal, Fall 2009*

Edward Mapp's African Americans and the Oscars illuminates the history of African American presence in Hollywood. Offering both plot synopses and biographical sketches, readers have at hand a useful reference book revealing the who, what, when, where, and why of each nomination . . . The book is a valuable addition to any film library. It informs, entertains, and will satisfy any film buff's love of trivia. Being able to smoothly assemble this much information is evidence of the breadth of Mapp's research and the longevity of his work in film history as an educator, archivist, and major collector of African American film posters . . . Mapp's well-chosen anecdotes reveal the motivations of the talents that have challenged and changed our cultural identity. His portraits align many artists with cornerstones of African American values: family, church, education, social uplift, and the continuing struggle for equal rights. For those who have received multiple nominations, Mapp is able to draw a fuller picture of the many forces that shape an actor's character and career . . . The vignettes of African Americans and the Oscars project a larger picture of African American involvement in shaping our social consciousness. The artists represented are a mix of tragic icons, durable figures, revolutionaries, one-hit-wonders, and obscure talents. This book celebrates their common integrity, courage and creativity.
*Black Camera: An International Film Journal, Fall 2009*