THE BLACK LIST

What does it mean to be an accomplished, well-known African-American at the time of the first U.S. black president? Award-winning journalist and critic Elvis Mitchell seeks out the best and the brightest in the hope of turning a negative term from the last century—“black list"—into a positive phrase for the new century. In this companion piece to the print book and HBO documentary, Mitchell sets up each interview with a brief history and then delves right into the insightful and inspiring struggles of people like former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Reverend Al Sharpton, comedian Chris Rock, and others. He gently prods his subjects to reveal a variety of wisdom and experiences, including making it in the diamond-hard world of rock music with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. R.O. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]