This reference for general readers and students collects 24 in-depth yet accessible entries on 12 major figures and 12 major themes, works, genres, and literary movements of African American literature. Entries are written in chapter format and vary in length from 5,000 to 10,000 words, and each entry opens with a b&w photo. In addition to the bibliographies and lists of further reading in all entries, many entries also offer lists of films, videos, and audio recordings. Authors profiled include Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Langston Hughes. Works examined include Invisible Man, Native Son, and A Raisin in the Sun. Other entry topics are the jazz aesthetic, the slave narrative, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black Arts Movement. Page teaches English at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)