Suggested reading from Chicago Review Press
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Published May 2016
Revealing the warm and astonishing story of an influential jazz legend, this personal narrative tells the story of a man’s journey from a Southern upbringing to a career touring the world to play for adoring fans. It tells how James Brown first discovered the Parker brothers—Melvin, the drummer, and Maceo on sax—in a band at a small North Carolina nightclub in 1963. Brown hired them both, but it was Maceo’s signature style that helped define Brown’s brand of funk, and the phrase “Maceo, I want you to blow!” became part of the lexicon of black music. A riveting story of musical education with frank and revelatory insights about George Clinton and others, this definitive autobiography arrives just in time to celebrate the 70th birthday of the author—one of the funkiest musicians alive—and will be enjoyed by jazz and funk aficionados alike.
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Published Mar 2024
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Published Oct 2013
Comprising elements of the avant-garde, science fiction, cutting-edge hip-hop, black comix, and graphic novels, Afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture. With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, Afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and all social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves. This book introduces readers to the burgeoning artists creating Afrofuturist works, the history of innovators in the past, and the wide range of subjects they explore. From the sci-fi literature of Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, and NK Jemisin to the musical cosmos of Sun Ra, George Clinton, and the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, to the visual and multimedia artists inspired by African Dogon myths and Egyptian deities, topics range from the “alien” experience of blacks in America to the “wake up” cry that peppers sci-fi literature, sermons, and activism. Interviews with rappers, composers, musicians, singers, authors, comic illustrators, painters, and DJs, as well as Afrofuturist professors, provide a firsthand look at this fascinating movement.
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Published Oct 2022
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Published May 2018
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Published Oct 2023
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Published Jan 2010
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Published Nov 1999
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Published Feb 2020
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Published Oct 2016
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Published Mar 2022
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Published Mar 2023
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Published Mar 2024
Ebony Get Lit! March 2024 Pick
Whatever happened to the regular Black girl?
The one who works a nine-to-five or maybe owns her own business or is completing her master’s. Or how about the one figuring out how to be a good mom or wife or daughter? Or the one that’s doing all the above?
Hi, that’s a lot of us. Black women are doing it all, and it’s not just the Oprahs and Beyoncés. There’s an entire group of us that are just, well, regular. We’re handling things, like determining if we should speak up in that work meeting and risk becoming the “voice” for all Black women, or considering whether tonight is the night to introduce our silk hair bonnet in the relationship that is just getting serious. These decisions range from impactful to trivial, but they shape who we are.
So where is our place for this type of girl talk and unfiltered sharing? Gail Hamilton Azodo is your thirtysomething corporate ladder climber turned entrepreneur, mom, wife, and Black Girl IRL. In her dinners, happy hours, and group texts with Black women, they shared everything from motivational quotes to the latest in Black girl advice. Whether it’s how to cut ties with friends who no longer align with our purpose or how to talk about money and embrace Black women’s wealth, Gail is here to share these authentic stories of everyday Black women—with a fair number of frills.
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Published Nov 2023
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Published Jun 2019