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Rating: 
Summary: A fine volume gathering a diverse range of tales
Review: 400 years of Afro-American folklore are represented in From My People, a fine volume gathering a diverse range of tales, from Brer Rabbit and African motifs to proverbs, recipes, and folk songs. It's the range of writings which sets From My People apart from competing collections on Afro-American oral traditions, making for a comprehensive and important title.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing collection!
Review: For most people, the term "folklore" probably conjures the image of songs and stories, but as Daryl Cumber Dance illustrates, it's much more than that. It's about quilts and the history they embody. It's about hair styles, dress, food, traditions of marching bands, sermons, speeches...even internet rumors and graffiti. As one chapter is headed, it's about "The Style of Soul." Start at any topic that piques your interest, and I promise, you'll find it impossible to put this book down. There are surprises around every corner...for example, I was delighted to find a low fat recipe for greens! This vast, rich book belongs in every library.
Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com
Rating:
Summary: An amazing collection!
Review: For most people, the term "folklore" probably conjures the image of songs and stories, but as Daryl Cumber Dance illustrates, it's much more than that. It's about quilts and the history they embody. It's about hair styles, dress, food, traditions of marching bands, sermons, speeches...even internet rumors and graffiti. As one chapter is headed, it's about "The Style of Soul." Start at any topic that piques your interest, and I promise, you'll find it impossible to put this book down. There are surprises around every corner...for example, I was delighted to find a low fat recipe for greens! This vast, rich book belongs in every library.
Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com
Rating:
Summary: Capturing Culture
Review: How often have we sat at the feet of our elders and heard stories imparted to us regarding the days gone by? Handed down through the generations, these tales were not only meant for entertainment purposes, they impart wisdom and provide a living lesson. In 400 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE, author Daryl Cumber Dance has created a compilation of folktales, folk music - including spirituals and freedom songs - as well as blues and ballads, folk arts and crafts, proverbs and many other pearls of wisdom that breed familiarity in the Black community. The African slave trade tore our early ancestors from their native lands, stripping them of their individual identities and beliefs, yet our strong forefathers were able to maintain some of their culture and the stories that were once told to them.
Ms. Dance does a wonderful job in capturing the vernacular used in some of the stories as well as providing some historical background to set a frame of reference for her readers. Each story and every entry into this collection caught my attention. I was compelled through the pages by my curiosity and to be reminded of days gone by. Each was very well put together, yet I found my favorite folk tale to be "De Ways of De Wimmens" which is a humorous short tale revolving around Adam and Eve's first days together and the establishment of gender roles. This story literally had me laughing out loud because even today, I can relate to the basic truth found in this tale.
400 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE is not just a collection of folk tales. Don't get me wrong, Ms. Dance does rightful justice in providing glimpses into our dynamic society. She reaches back into the early days, guides us through the civil rights era by including powerful sermons by Reverend C.L. Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and many more. She even addresses some of today's disconcerting issues, such as urban gentrification and gang violence.
In summary, the selections included in this book run the gamut throughout the reaches of time. It provides glimpses into the strong traditions held by the Black community and imparts some wisdom as to how these traditions may have taken root. In writing 400 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLORE, Ms. Dance stated, "My goal throughout my career and in this anthology has been to collect, transcribe, preserve and respect the integrity of the folk text." In my humble opinion, she did just that. Ms. Dance should be lauded for her efforts.
Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: a must for your library
Review: This huge anthology covers black folklore going back to slavery and up to the latest classic email story. Poems, spirituals, great speeches and famous sermons are included. There is a chapter on little written about black crafts and art and culural activities such as step shows and rent parties. It could be argued that the book is too big. Bibles and dictionaries weigh less than it does but From My People is a reference book. It gives a quick overview of 400 years of folklore. This should be in school libraries across the land. Kimberley Lindsay Wilson, author of Work It! The Black Woman's Guide to Success at Work.
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