Spirit of Harlem: A Portrait of America's Most Exciting Neighborhood

SPIRIT OF HARLEM: A Portrait of America's Most Exciting Neighborhoodby Craig Marberry and Michael Cunningham is a beautiful book filled with two page pictorial accounts of famous and not so famous people and places that make up Harlem USA. Places such as the famed Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Harlem Hospital, to the Harlem YMCA, the Dance Theatre of Harlem to Hats by Bunn. It also serves as a historical account because the author and photographer delve into the heart and soul of Harlem's past that made it the elite capital it was for African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. SPIRIT OF HARLEM opens with a foreword by Gordon Parks, which sets the tone for this collection, and is followed by the author and photographer's insight into their first glance of Harlem. This collection of narrations also provides a sequencing of accounts by current and former residents of all ages and nationalities with candid black and white photographs of the subjects highlighted. Most photographs include a building, which serves as a backdrop or a tangible item that is featured in the story that follows. The first person accounts are encouraging, heartfelt and humorous as well as dismal and oppressive.SPIRIT OF HARLEM showcases traditional and non-traditional professions such as a former activist, an art dealer, artists, a bookstore owner, a chess player, Chief Executive Officers, a choreographer, a nun, an opera singer, a real estate broker and a social worker. Other professions include a fencer, funeral parlor owners, an Asian gospel singer, a Caucasian graphic designer, hair braiders, historians, a journalist, a literary agent, a law firm partner, medical doctors, ministers and church deacon, a photographer, a restaurant owner and spa owners, along with a myriad of other professions.One of my favorite narrations is by Isabel Powell, the first wife of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. The former Mrs. Powell tells a humorous short story of their meeting, her occupation, his father's rejection of her and finally, her feelings upon their divorce. Another is Kevin Taylor, a producer for Black Entertainment Television and his recollection of the Harlem Shake, a gyrating dance that took the teens of Harlem and the country by storm. Finally, Ron Clark, a Caucasian, southern, male teacher who moved from the South to teach in Harlem; his tactics for winning parental involvement and the buy-in from his students.Some people have a distorted perception of this island within an island but SPIRIT OF HARLEM validates the fact that historically and currently there is much to see, do and learn about Harlem. SPIRIT OF HARLEM is a treasured collectible that provides a journey into a rich past.Reviewed by Dawn R. Reevesof The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This book has fascinating stories of ordinary and extraodinary people. For each person interviewed, there is a picture or 2 and a story told by that individual. The writer did an excellent job at capturing these stories in first person...i felt like I was actually sitting in front of these people and listening to them tell me about a moving incident, their childhood, reflections on life... Some of these stories made me laugh and some made me cry. It was a neat experience to "meet" all these interesting people. The photography is beautiful

As a Native New Yorker, It does me proud to see fellow New Yorkers talk about Harlem, past,present and future. I have enjoyed this book as well as Crowns(I own them both),and it is such a treasure to see Harlem at its finest. This book is highly recommended.

Spirit of Harlem is a wonderful treasure of a book. Looking at the photographs and reading the interviews is like going on a journey. Your eyes take in every color and every shape; your ears take in every sound, every smell, and you can hear the people's voices, some ordinary, some famous, yet they all ring loud and rise from these pages. I've never read anything like this book, one that forces you to laugh and cry at the same time. One that opens up your eyes to a world that you didn't really existed. It's a flavor-filled coffee table book bursting with wondrous history. And it truly embodies the human spirit as the voices of people from different races and cultures all share their common bond of living and/or working in Harlem.The Spirit of Harlem is just that - a spirit of discovery that races through from the pages and causes you to learn things you've never heard before. Even if you've haven't been to Harlem, the book makes you proud and happy to know that such a place exists. This important and heartwarming book is highly recommended.