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A Statement of Purpose

Sheba's Journal as a website will contain reviews of 20th Century African-American literature, with an emphasis on the contemporary African-American novel. The website will ultimately contain reviews of older African American fiction and non-fiction, but right now it's concentrating on recent publications.

The first reviews, focusing on books with 1998 publication dates that recently arrived at my local bookstores and public libraries, are beginning to appear at the bottom of this main page. More will be added until the end of July, at which point I will give all the July reviews their own page, and put more current reviews at the bottom of this main page. As each month passes, I'll create a page for that month, and so on.

If you have comments about Sheba's Journal , would like to submit reviews of current book-length works of fiction and non-fiction written by African-Americans, or know of any other web-pages that might be of interest to fans of African-American literature, please email me at: [email protected]. In addition, you can post comments or reviews to a discussion board that I've set up (more information about that further down the page).

Sheba's Journal is being produced because I feel that the writings of black Americans, and in particularly the African-American novel, have reached an important point in their relationship with American literature as a whole. In the last few years, the efforts of authors like Terry McMillan, Bebe Moore Campbell, John Edgar Wideman, Toni Morrison, and Gloria Naylor have helped make the African American novel not just simply an artistic success, but acommercial one as well. The publishing community has finally discovered what film studios, television networks, and the music industry have already understood--if somewhat eratically--for decades: African-Americans in the United States are interested in media that involves the work of their own people; or if the work involves whites in some capacity, that is still an authentic and sincere portrayal of the African-American experience and perspective.

While this may seem "all good", I have an inate fear that an otherwise positive situation "ain't no crystal stair": for while part of me is thrilled with the idea of more African-American authors being published, I was afraid that the whole phenomenon was going to be a "flash in the pan", much like the so-called "blaxploitation" film phenomenon in the early 1970's: that within a few years, the white-controlled publishing industry would declare the "fad" of black literature "over". A friend who has followed the publishing industry closely for the last two decades claims that I have nothing to fear on this point: if anything, African-American fiction was poised for a major transformation: from literature, published by the mainstream white media for the prestige it brings rather than the income that it generates, to a distinct genre that would generate an audience large and loyal enough to sustain it for a long time, much as science fiction or mystery do today. If African Americans continue to buy books with the same enthusiasm that they consumed other forms of media--films, videos, television programs, compact discs and audio tapes--then their literature will become as much a fixture in the larger popular culture as "urban" music.

I am not as sanguine about such a prospect for success, fearful that what describes the history and character of a people will instead become a sea of soap operas and glorified "true romance" chronicles better suited to Bronze Thrills or Essence. Thus, Sheba's Journal will try to sift through the growing number of new works of book-length fiction being published each month, in an attempt to distinguish between what is essentially entertainment and what is trying to be something more, and to critique each at it's respective level of aspiration.

The reviews in Sheba's Journal will usually focus on two things:

• An analysis of the author's technical ability as a writer, in such areas as dialogue, characterization, plotting, and general storytelling. If nothing is really mentioned on these points, that means that the author's technical abilities as a writer are good enough not to distract the reader.
  
• A critique of the themes, messages, and values being expressed in the novel, with the recognition that these are the subjective judgements of the reviewer, and may not be shared by all readers.

I have set up a a discussion "bulletin board" where everyone can discuss African-American literature, both fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, as well as offer reviews of their own of books "officially" reviewed here at the site. I do have editorial control over the board, in that I can delete messages at will: but I will only exercise that to get rid of "spam", racist and sexist posts, and other "off-topic" messages. Helping in this area is the fact that you will be required to give your email address in order to make a post.

The first batch of reviews can be viewed by clicking here.