Books published by publisher George Brazillier

The classic tale of a Nigerian woman who overcomes strict tribal domination only to encounter the hardships of immigration. Available again.In the late 1960’s, Adah, a spirited and resourceful woman manages to move her family to London. Seeking an independent life for herself and her children she encounters racism and hard truths about being a new citizen. “Second Class Citizen pales a lot of academic feminist writing into insignificance.” –The Guardian“Emecheta’s prose has a shimmer of originality, of English being reinvented....Issues of survival lie inherent in her material and give her tales weight.” --John Updike

First published in 1976, this great literary classic follows a young Nigerian woman who rejects the patriarchal traditions of her culture to find love and happiness in the western world. With pure honesty and subtle protest, Buchi Emecheta chronicles the unfair pressure and ultimate demise that women often suffer in Nigerian lore.The Bride Price is the poignant love story of Aku-nna, a young Igbo woman, and her teacher, Chike, the son of a prosperous former slave. As their tribe begins to welcome western education and culture, these two are drawn together despite the traditions that forbid them to marry. Aku-nna flees an unwanted and forced marriage to join Chike, only to have her uncle refuse the required bride price from her lover's family. Frustrated and abandoned by their people, Aku-naa and Chike escape to a modern world unlike any they've ever experienced. Despite their joy, Aku-nna is plagued by the fear the she will die in childbirth--the fate, according to tribal lore, awaiting every young mother whose bride price is left unpaid.This second edition includes a new introduction by Dr. Marie Linton Umeh, author of Emerging Perspectives on Buchi Emecheta (Africa World Press).

"Once there was a boy. And once there was a girl." So begins this story of metamorphoses, of life, and of possibility. The young protagonists of the opening lines take turns embodying facets of the world around them, undergoing transformations of quiet but mythical proportions. She becomes the moon, a tribe, an island. He becomes a bull, the sky, a kite. Bright, imaginative images of raw beauty illustrate each transformation.Changing, Changing is a joyful celebration of many things. Of the world the children take into themselves as they are reincarnated again and again. Of the imagination, which knows no bounds as they experience the universe from the new perspective of each transformation. As children of African descent, their story is also a celebration of Blackness. Their tumble through the universe is a journey through life, a discovery of the world, themselves, and each other―making Changing, Changing a celebration of love and of friendship as well. Adults will see the deeper philosophical message of change as a defining and driving force in life, while children (and adults, too) will delight in this playful romp through the everyday wonders that surround us. Color illustrations throughout

With art and wit, Langston Hughes defined the place of Black Americans in all of the forms of American literary expression. Available again is the classic anthology from the leader of the Harlem Renaissance. First published in 1958, this compilation of the writings of Langston Hughes is drawn from every category of his prodigious literary achievement. It combines highlights of the novels, stories, plays, poems, songs, and essays that have established his commanding position in world literature. Among the selections are the complete libretto of his popular musical comedy Simply Heavenly; the text of his pageant Glory of Negro History; his one-act play, Soul Gone Home; generous portions of his autobiographies, The Big Sea and I Wonder as I Wander; and of the incomparable Simple trilogy: Simple Takes a Wife, Simple Speaks his Mind, and Simple Stakes a Claim.

First published in 1976, this great literary classic follows a young Nigerian woman who rejects the patriarchal traditions of her culture to find love and happiness in the western world. With pure honesty and subtle protest, Buchi Emecheta chronicles the unfair pressure and ultimate demise that women often suffer in Nigerian lore.The Bride Price is the poignant love story of Aku-nna, a young Igbo woman, and her teacher, Chike, the son of a prosperous former slave. As their tribe begins to welcome western education and culture, these two are drawn together despite the traditions that forbid them to marry. Aku-nna flees an unwanted and forced marriage to join Chike, only to have her uncle refuse the required bride price from her lover's family. Frustrated and abandoned by their people, Aku-naa and Chike escape to a modern world unlike any they've ever experienced. Despite their joy, Aku-nna is plagued by the fear the she will die in childbirth--the fate, according to tribal lore, awaiting every young mother whose bride price is left unpaid.This second edition includes a new introduction by Dr. Marie Linton Umeh, author of Emerging Perspectives on Buchi Emecheta (Africa World Press).

One of Japan's best-loved children's stories brought to life by the extraordinary imagery of an early nineteenth-century handscroll. The amazing adventures of Momotaro, a boy found inside a peach and raised by an elderly couple, is one of Japan's most popular folktales. An exquisite handscroll painted by Kano Naganobu (1775-1828) contains one of the finest illustrated versions of the tale known today. The illustrations are reproduced in their entirety as the story follows Momotaro's journey to the terrifying Island of Ogres. After befriending a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, Momotaro crosses the sea with his new companions and lays siege to the demons' fearsome mountain fortress. The battle is a fierce one, but Momotaro and his friends prevail; they recover the demon's ill-gotten treasure and restore it to its rightful owners. One of the first Japanese folktales to have been translated into English, the story of Momotaro is a delightful and lively voyage of the imagination that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. A lengthy postscript to the tale looks at the tradition of illustrated folk stories in Japan, with examples of Momotaro pictures and related imagery in various forms of art, including painting and woodblock printing. The career of the artist, Kano Naganobu, and the artistic climate in which he worked are also reviewed.