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

by Smith, Taigi; Chapman, Audrey B.

• ISBN13: 9781580050968
• ISBN10: 1580050964
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-24
• Publisher: Seal Press

Summary

Today’s women expect it all: a successful career, an understanding and equally successful mate, and children--all wrapped up in a white picket fence. But recent studies show that while black women have ascended to form a new middle class and have attained success in the business sector, black men haven’t followed suit. Perhaps as a result, with other sociological and economic factors at play, many successful sistahs are having trouble finding a partner to call their own. This groundbreaking anthology explores the many reasons why--analyzing materialism and financial expectations, single motherhood, bling bling culture, media representations of African-American gender roles, missing fathers, incarcerated partners, and more--and offers hope from women who have beaten the odds. Writers including Kevin Powell and Victor LaValle weigh in on the men’s side in a "Talking Back" section, while female contributors include Kiini Ibura Asalaam, Shawn E. Rhea, Shani O’Neal, and Asha Bandele.

Author Biography

Taigi Smith is a network news producer and writer whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Newsday. and Honey magazine. She lives in Brooklyn

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xvii
Interview	p. ix
A Tangled Web We've Weaved: Exploring the Complexities of African-American Relationships	p. 1
When Conception Equals Confusion: The Battle Between Mothers and Would-Be Fathers	p. 3
The Edge: Topography of a First Date in Prison	p. 11
Dance Like Nobody's Watching	p. 17
Marriage: The Unfulfilled Prophecy	p. 25
Retracing Our Steps: An Examination of the Personal Histories that Shape Us	p. 33
The Trial	p. 35
Black, White, and Seeing Red All Over	p. 49
Different Ways of Saying I Love You	p. 59
Las Cartas del Alma de Pedro Valentin Carol Almeraz	p. 65
The Bride Price	p. 79
Bass	p. 87
I'll Sing You a Song from My Soul: The Love Stories	p. 97
The Gift of Breath	p. 99
Baggage Claim	p. 107
Pack Light	p. 119
Love Down Under	p. 131
What One Dance Can Do	p. 137
For Better or Worse: African-American Marriages Under the Microscope	p. 149
Me and My Marine: Holding Fast in Love and Faith	p. 151
Don't Judge a Brother by His Cover	p. 167
Co-Parenting: Stay-at-Home Dads and Other Family Constructs	p. 173
Notes on My First Year of Marriage	p. 181
Talking Back: Black Men Speak	p. 191
Love Letters	p. 193
Big Time	p. 201
Wilderness 101	p. 207
I Don't Need No Man: Does a New Kind of "Bling-Bling" Feminism Create a False Sense of Emotional Empowerment?	p. 215
The World of Yes	p. 221
Acknowledgments	p. 233
About the Contributors	p. 237
About the Editor	p. 247
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