Africa: A Look Back

The 'Drama of African-American History' series, edited by James Haskins, presents five fine new 70-page books are top picks for advanced elementary readers studying Afro-American history. They deserve ongoing mention and recommendation as solid 'foundation pieces' even years after their initial publication. THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA covers the move from slavery to free labor, THE SLAVE TRADE AND MIDDLE PASSAGE surveys the process by which slavery came to be a popular trade item in the new world, AFRICA: A LOOK BACK provides an excellent basis of African history upon which to base the next volumes covering African-American transitions, SLAVERY AND RESISTANCE surveys slavery in colonial America and plantation life, and THE CIVIL WAR charts events of the war tied to the breaking of slavery and the evolution of civil rights in America. All are powerful, recommended picks.