Sometimes Rhythm, Sometimes Blues: Young African Americans on Love, Relationships, Sex, and the Search for Mr. Right

When Smith learned that black women are less likely to marry and more likely to get divorced than any other ethnic group, she rounded up 24 writers to try to explain this phenomenon. The result is an inspiring collection of first-person essays. Kiini Ibura Salaam muses on DNA testing and the protection society offers to potential fathers; Tracy LaRae Ruffin shares a humorous take on dating; and Shawn E. Rhea tackles the debate on interracial dating, likening the trend of black men embracing white women to a Trojan Horse threatening to""gleefully and irreparably destroy the very binds of our nation."" To keep the book from devolving into a male-bashing rant, Smith includes a Talking Back section featuring five essays from black men. Particularly touching is Kevin Powell's""Love Letters,"" in which he reveals, through letters to his friend Nina, what runs through the heads and hearts of black men. Although the anthology mixes fresh takes on relationships with other, unoriginal topics, it opens the door to intelligent, heartfelt discourse about black love.