With nearly 200 letters arranged chronologically under broad rubrics (e.g., Family, Courtship and Romance, Politics and Social Justice, Across the Diaspora), Newkirk (Within the Veil
) sets out to offer “a sweeping narrative history of the Black American experience.” That is too large a claim—only 16 letters precede the end of the Civil War; Newkirk's principle of selection is unclear; and the value of the collection is seriously diminished by the uneven source documentation, both for archival and published material. Public letters (Benjamin Banneker to Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley to George Washington, James Baldwin's letter to his nephew, Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter to white clergymen), while essential, call for more straightforward publication data; private letters call for more straightforward location data. Newkirk's bland section introductions do little to set a context for particular letters, though the head notes are generally useful. About half of the letters were written between 1900 and 1940, but the book is up-to-date on the Obama campaign with letters from Rev. Wright and Toni Morrison. This is an instructive, moving—even delightful—primer on the myriad facets of African-American private and public life. (Feb.)
