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List of contents
1. African American Writers.
Introduction to African American Writers.
Important Milestones.
Harriet Ann Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life.
Ralph Ellison, What Would America Be Like Without Blacks.
Maya Angelou, My Brother Bailey and Kay Francis.
Barbara Reynolds, Our Sons Under Siege.
Nikki Giovanni, Black Is the Noun.
Claude M. Steele, Race and the Schooling of Black Americans.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Two Nations of Black America.
Cornel West, Beyond Affirmative Action.
Marcus Mabry, When the Game Is Over.
Comparing Selections: African American Writers.
Selected Bibliography: African American Writers.
Selected Internet Resources: African American Writers.
2. Hispanic American Writers.
Introduction to Hispanic American Writers.
Important Milestones.
Jesus Colon Sketches From A Puerto Rican in New York.
Joseph Torres, The Language Crusade.
Richard Rodriguez, Illegal Immigrants: Prophets of a Borderless World.
Pablo Medina, Arrival: 1960.
Gustavo Perez-Firmat, Earth to Papi, Earth to Papi.
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman.
Gary Soto, Like Mexicans.
Sandra Cisneros, Un Poquito de Tu Amor.
Luis J. Rodriguez, Turning Youth Gangs Around.
Christine Granados, Young, Single. And a Mom.
Comparing Selections: Hispanic American Writers.
Selected Bibliography: Hispanic American Writers.
Selected Internet Resources: Hispanic American Writers.
3. Asian American Writers.
Introduction to Asian American Writers.
Important Milestones.
Frank Chin, Confessions of a Chinatown Cowboy.
Bharati Mukherjee, American Dreamer.
Shawn Wong, The Chinese Man Has My Ticket.
David Mura, Where the Body Meets Memory.
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue.
Helen Zia, Beyond Our Shadows: From Nothing a Consciousness.
Fae Myenne Ng, False Gold.
Chang-rae Lee, Coming Home Again.
Eric Liu, Song for My Father.
Le Thi Diem Thuy, The Gangster We Are All Looking For.
Comparing Selections: Asian American Writers.
Selected Bibliography: Asian American Writers.
Selected Internet Resources: Asian American Writers.
4. Native American Writers.
Introduction to Native American Writers.
Important Milestones.
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, America's Oldest Racism.
Vine Deloria, Jr., The Reservation Conditions.
N. Scott Momaday, The Names: A Memoir.
Gerald Vizenor, Measuring My Blood.
Simon J. Ortiz, The Language We Know.
Joseph Bruchac, Notes of a Translator's Son.
Linda Hogan, All My Relations.
Louis Owens, Water Witch.
Leslie Marmon Silko, Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian.
Perspective.
Inez Petersen, What Part Moon.
Comparing Selections: Native American Writers.
Selected Bibliography: Native American Writers.
Selected Internet Resources: Native American Writers.
Connecting Writers across Ethnic/Racial Groups.
Glossary.
Acknowledgements and Permissions.
Index of Authors and Titles.
Summary
This multicultural reader includes forty non-fiction selections by American minority writers on themes such as identity, family, assimilation, justice, and equality.
The selections have been chosen to appeal both to minority students as well as those from the majority culture. The readings are designed to be used as a basis for discussion, writing, and research.
Grouped by the four ethnic/racial categories used by the U.S. Census-African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Native American. All of the authors included are recognized widely as spokespersons for their ethnic/racial group and address the issues of importance to members of that group. It is the voice of the "insider" that the reader will hear. As students review the cultural adaptations made by others, they will have an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences in establishing identity.
