Official Review: African American History: The Untold Sto...

[sarahmarlowe]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "African American History: The Untold Stories" by yvette long.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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African American History: The Untold Stories by Yvette Long is a fresh approach to the multifaceted story of African Americans. The author dedicates the book to young African American men in hopes that learning about their people's past experiences will allow them to have "a more accurate perception of themselves and their potential." (Loc 69)

I enjoyed reading the stories of African American history I had never heard before. Among other things, the author details the events of the Tulsa race riots, the heroism of Peter Salem, and the writings of John Lea. The book is well-structured, first divided into major eras and then subdivided into chapters. The author discusses not just the political and legal facts of African American history but also incorporates important events in areas of resilience, heroism, art, literature, sports, and math and science. There are multiple-choice and true/false questions for review at the end of each chapter. And at the end of each era's division, the author includes references and sources for further study.

I like that each section begins with a scripted first-person narrative of a figure prominent in that era. The author uses influential characters such as Crispus Attucks and Abraham Lincoln to introduce periods, and they speak directly to the reader. I also like that the Kindle version includes hyperlinks to outside sources. For instance, in a passage about African Americans fighting in the Revolutionary War, there are external links to information about Lexington and Concord and the siege at Yorktown. My only suggestion is that the author might want to include more of these. I would have liked to see hyperlinks taking me to more information on things like the Tuskegee Institute and The Memphis Speech and Headlight.

As much as I liked the organization and stories included in this book, I was disappointed in the apparent lack of professional editing regarding formatting issues. Several pictures were left uncaptioned, and some images referred to in the text were left out entirely. I would have liked to see some examples (or even hyperlinks) to poems and pieces of art referred to in the literature and art sections. There were also many copy-editing errors. I found mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and even incorrect names and dates.

I mulled and mused over what rating to give African American History: The Untold Stories. I wanted to give three stars because I like the structure and the idea of the text. However, as much as I enjoyed the book, I don't think it is ready for distribution. As mentioned above, there were many errors concerning both grammar and formatting. I am taking one star for each of these items, one being the mundane issues of spelling and punctuation, and the other relating to checking facts, dates, names, and citations. Therefore, after much deliberation, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend it to dedicated people interested in a new look at African American history. However, if you are a reader expecting a seamless book, wait for another edition. I hope Long will put it through another round (or two) of editing. It is an excellent collection of facts and narratives, and it deserves to be read and enjoyed without the distraction of mistakes. As a textbook, it contains no profanity, sexual content, or gore.

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African American History: The Untold Stories
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[MsH2k]

Great review! I appreciate your explanation of how you arrived at the rating. Sometimes a 2 is worth diving on in.

[annadeniseneal]

I've added this to my bookshelves. I'm so fascinated with African-American history in the United States.
Thanks for the amazing review!
DN

[incendiotorus]

Thanks for the great review! Definitely need to bookmark it for future reading!

[sarahmarlowe]

Great review! I appreciate your explanation of how you arrived at the rating. Sometimes a 2 is worth diving on in.

Absolutely! Even with a 2, this book is worth the read. Thank you for your kind words!

[sarahmarlowe]

I've added this to my bookshelves. I'm so fascinated with African-American history in the United States.
Thanks for the amazing review!
DN

Thank you for stopping by and commenting! Yes, there is a lot to learn in this book!

[sarahmarlowe]

Thanks for the great review! Definitely need to bookmark it for future reading!

Thanks for taking the time to comment!