Mel Watkins, Author . Pantheon $26.95 (338p) ISBN 978-0-375-42382-6
The name Stepin Fetchit evokes images of an African-American caricature, a lazy, cowering fixture in early films. Watkins, a former New York Times Book Review
editor, details the story behind the stereotype, examining the life and career of actor...
READ FULL REVIEW
Mel Watkins, Author Simon & Schuster $27 (0p) ISBN 978-0-671-68982-7
Declaring that African American humor ``shadows, satirizes and humanizes America's main body,'' Watkins delivers a rich and ambitious history of such humor both in the mainstream media and in the black community. A former editor at the New York...
READ FULL REVIEW
Mel Watkins, Author Simon & Schuster $24 (320p) ISBN 978-0-684-80864-2
Watkins, a former editor at the New York Times Book Review and author of The Real Side, a capacious history of African-American humor, confines himself here to his childhood and youth. Unfortunately, his story lacks sufficient drama or style to...
READ FULL REVIEW
