“The Like of Which Is Found Nowhere Else in All the World”: Placing and Imagining an African American West

E s s a y R e v i e w “ T h e L i k e o f W h i c h Is F o u n d N o w h e r e E l s e i n A l l t h e W o r l d ” : P l a c i n g a n d Im a g i n i n g a n A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n W e s t M i c h a e l K. J o h n s o n W o r k s R e v i e w e d A llm e n d in g e r , B la k e . I m agin in g th e A f r ic an A m e r ic an W est. L in c o ln : U n iv e r sit y o f N e b r a sk a P r e ss, 2 0 0 5 . 1 6 1 p a g e s, $ 4 9 .9 5 . T y ler, T e x as B lac k Film C o lle ct io n . D V D , G . W illia m Jo n e s F ilm a n d V id e o C o ll e c t i o n / H a m o n A r t s Lib r ar y , So u t h e r n M e t h o d ist U n iv e r sit y , 2 0 0 4 . $ 2 5 0 .0 0 . W h it a k e r , M a t t h e w C . R ac e W o rk : T h e R ise o f C iv il R igh ts in th e U r b an W e st . L in c o ln : U n iv e r sit y o f N e b r a s k a P r e ss, 2 0 0 5 . 3 8 2 p a g e s, $ 3 5 .0 0 . M a t t h e w W h it a k e r w r it e s in R a c e W o r k t h a t “t h e A m e r i c a n W e st h a s lo n g b e e n n a r r o w ly la b e le d a s a r e g io n w it h fe w i f a n y A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s a n d v ir t u a ll y n o b la c k h ist o r y ,” a n a r e a n e g le c t e d b y sc h o la r s o f b o t h A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n a n d w e st e r n h ist o r y , in p a r t b e c a u se t h a t h ist o r y h a s e x i s t e d o u t sid e t h e d o m i n a n t p a r a d i g m s o f e a c h fi e ld ( 9 ) . A s W h i t a k e r o b se r v e s, “ t h e h ist o r y o f A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s in t h e W e st is a st o r y o f u r b a n life a n d ‘t h e st r u g g le fo r r a c i a l...