AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COMES TO LIFEDiscover why young people all over the country are reading theBlack Stars biographies of African American heroes. Here is whatyou want to know about the lives of great black men and womenduring the fabulous Harlem Renaissance:louis "satchmo" armstrongeubie blakethomas andrew dorseyw. e. b. du boisduke ellingtonjames reese europejessie redmon fausetmarcus garveyw. c. handyfletcher hendersonlangston hugheszora neale hurstonhall johnsonhenry johnsonoscar micheauxphilip payton jr.gertrude "ma" raineypaul robesonaugusta savagenoble sisslebessie smithjames van der zeedorothy westcarter g. woodson"The books in the Black Stars series are the types of books thatwould have really captivated me as a kid."-Earl G. Graves, Black Enterprise magazine"Inspiring stories that demonstrate what can happen when ingenuityand tenacity are paired with courage and hard work."-Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children'sBooks"Haskins has chosen his subjects well . . . catching a sense of theenormous obstacles they had to overcome. . . . Some names arefamiliar, but most are little-known whom Haskins elevates to theirrightful place in history."-Booklist"The broad coverage makes this an unusual resource-a jumping-offpoint for deeper studies."-Horn Book

Acknowledgments vIntroduction 1W. E. B. Du Bois 5W. C. Handy 13Philip A. Payton Jr. 19Jessie Redmon Fauset 23Bubie Blake and Noble Sissle 28Oscar Micheaux 34Gertrude "Ma" Rainey 39James Van Der Zee 43Marcus Garvey 48Francis Hall Johnson 54Zora Neale Hurston 59Augusta Savage 65Bessie Smith 70Paul Robeson 73Duke Ellington 80Thomas Andrew Dorsey 86Louis Armstrong 91Langston Hughes 95Dorothy West 102Chronology 107Notes 109Bibliography 112Picture Credits 115Author Credits 116Index 117