African American Firsts: Famous, Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks In America

Gr 5 Up—The 4th edition has had 45 pages added since the 2009 previous work and is still the place to go for quick information about who did what first. The material is subdivided into 15 chapters covering groundbreakers in fields such as business, education, government, fine arts, and sports so that users can see other firsts in the same area of endeavor. Entries, which are headed by a question, such as "Who was the first African American billionaire?" range from a few paragraphs to one-and-a-half pages in length, and have few wasted words. Black-and-white illustrations are included with some of the entries. While not offering enough material for reports, this work will help users get off to a good start or find a quick answer to a question. The 26-page index lists people, places, and subjects, with main entries indicated in bold. A short selected bibliography lists mostly books and six websites. Freedom Facts and Firsts (Visible Ink, 2009) has similar coverage to this with some longer entries but not as many people, and African American Almanac (11th ed., Gale, 2011) has three times the pages and includes more detailed information but is less up to date. Collections that need a source that allows the student to quickly answer a first question or that serve those who like to browse through books on African American history will find this a helpful addition.—Ann West LaPrise, Huron School Dist., New Boston, MI