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I Will Take to the Water

An Anthology of African Americans and the Sea
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Brief Description
A landmark survey of African American literature about Black experiences of the maritime environment. The ocean is foundational to the story of Africans in America, beginning with the searing Middle Passage. Initially evoking terror, pain, and death, the ocean also became associated with escape, empowerment, freedom,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5299
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Releases 3rd March 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "I Will Take to the Water" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A landmark survey of African American literature about Black experiences of the maritime environment.

The ocean is foundational to the story of Africans in America, beginning with the searing Middle Passage. Initially evoking terror, pain, and death, the ocean also became associated with escape, empowerment, freedom, and home. Over time, African Americans in seaport towns found work, built communities, and gained knowledge from travellers.

David R. Anderson shows in this groundbreaking collection of memoir, fiction, poetry, and more, that African American maritime literature summons many of the traditional themes—survival in the face of overwhelming natural force, sublimity, demonstration of skill and merit, and self-discovery—but often with an eye on legacies of imperialism, slavery, discrimination, and cultural erasure.

Divided thematically across ten sections that address peril, labour, recreation, and more, I Will Take to the Water gathers work by influential writers and intellectuals from the eighteenth century to the present, including: Lucille Clifton, Edwidge Danticat, Frederick Douglass, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, W. E. B. DuBois, Camille T. Dungy, Marcus Garvey, Robert Hayden, Zora Neale Hurston, Major Jackson, Harriet Jacobs, John S. Jacobs, Nella Larsen, Claude McKay, Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, Natasha Trethewey, Phillis Wheatley, Colson Whitehead, and Kevin Young.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226847962

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 January 2027

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Illustration: 12 halftones

Contributors:

  • Edited by David R. Anderson
  • Foreword by Charles R. Johnson

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 432

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Education & Reference History & Archaeology History & Military Military History Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

David R. Anderson is associate professor of English at the University of Louisville.

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