Jim Haskins JOKES FROM BLACK FOLKS 1973 1stEd HC/DJ

UP FOR SALE

| Shipping Info | Payment Info | Auction Policy | Our eBay Store |

Jim Haskins:

JOKES FROM BLACK FOLKS

Published in 1973 by Doubleday & Company, NY. Stated First Edition. A Near Fine Hardcover in a Very Good+ Dust Jacket. The jacket has some light rubbing, and minor wear to spine ends. A very nice clean used book with no names or markings. Hinges are snug. 5.75 x 8.50 inches. 116 pages.

Haskins was a prolific writer with many interests, his books focus on the African-American experience. He told CBB that his books have "focused on the undeservedly obscure, who should be better known." One of the significant strengths of Haskins's books, consistently noted by reviewers, is that they expose African-American children to positives message about their own history. In books such as The Creoles of Color of New Orleans and The Scottsboro Boys, Haskins tried to illuminate less well-known topics in an effort to probe deeper into American black history. For instance, few children—black or white—may know that there were black explorers, and Against All Opposition: Black Explorers in America offers stories that might otherwise never be known. His I Am Rosa Parks, written with that important civil rights pioneer, helped to correct many of the misconceptions about her role in the civil rights movement. Some of his books present social commentary on some of today's problems, such as Street Gangs: Yesterday and Today, which examines the history and possible causes of street violence. Professor Irma McClaurin told the Los Angeles Times that "Jim Haskins created a canon of literature, particularly for children, that is a resource for anyone studying black history. He wanted to document the triumphs and tribulations of African Americans in books that are readable and accessible for the young, but not only for them."

Haskin's books for adults have also had an impact. The Cotton Club, which explored the vibrant black nightclub scene in Harlem during the 1920s, was the basis for the 1984 movie of the same name. The Cotton Club was the first major feature film based on the work of an African-American author, according to a memorial tribute written by McClaurin. Other of Haskin's books for adults include biographies of Richard Pryor, Scott Joplin, Lionel Hampton, and Winnie Mandela.

Though Haskins is best-known as a writer, he also had a long and distinguished career as a teacher. He was a visiting lecturer at the New School for Social Research in New York City from 1970 to 1972 and an associate professor at Staten Island Community College of the City College of New York from 1970 to 1977. During this same period, Haskins was a visiting lecturer at the State University of New York at New Paltz and a visiting lecturer at Purdue University in Indianapolis. In 1977 Haskins accepted a position as professor of English at the University of Florida at Gainesville, where he taught until his death from emphysema on July 6, 2005. Read full article here.

An Excellent Book!