Johnson, James Weldon

God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

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Historical Preservation - Community Backbone
God's Trombones: Poems That Galvanize the Soul
Unfamiliar Harmony
A Priceless Cultural Artifact
Extraordinary and moving. You've gotta read it.

God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140184031

Customer Reviews:

Historical Preservation - Community Backbone.......2007-06-10

The title says it all: "Trombones" represents the preservation of the history of the community backbone of prayer, persistence, and strength. The poetry gives some insight to the suffering of the elders, and speaks to the continuing fight for the full parity of the AfricanAmerican community in a country that was literally built upon the bleeding, sweaty backs of my ancestors.

Amazon is to be commended for participating in this historical preservation of a works that I would recommend as mandatory reading for generations to come - regardless of religion, gender, or color.

God's Trombones: Poems That Galvanize the Soul.......2007-04-25

My soul is galvanized everytime I hear or read James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones. I have directed student perfomances of this deeply moving African American text. "The Crucifixion," for example, tells the story of how Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior,my Friend, suffered death on an old cross so that I might have an opportunity to be more sensitive to the hurting. The "Prodigal Son" urges me to experience and, thus understand, that I must live with a redemptive consiousness. And, of course, I am compelled to understand, through the poem "Go Down Death" this reality: God does call His children home. Those who have suffered "long in the vineyard" are deserving of rest. For sure, God's Trombones is a poetic tribute to an experience that is Christian and African American. I thank James Welson Johnson for creating this poetic masterpiece. Let's continue to read it; let's perform it. Let's live within the context of the spirituality of the voice. Amen!

Unfamiliar Harmony.......2007-03-15

While James Weldon Johnson's theology is not always orthodox ("God thought and thought" - who could put a new thought in God's mind? unless it was God and, then, God would not be God - this insight compliments of E.V. Hill in his sermon "When Was God At His Best?"), JWJ's poetry and, especially, his Preface displays the harmonious beauty of a long tradition of African American preaching not generally known or appreciated outside of African American circles. If one really wants to become familiar with and, indeed, edified by the godly reaching of E.V. Hill (now deceased), Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Robert Smith and a host of unknowns who preach with substance and, sometimes, in the "whoop"ing style, then, Weldon's book is a must read. May Christianity never lose what God has brought forth in a substantial style which stirs heart, mind and soul.

A Priceless Cultural Artifact.......2007-02-28

When I was a youngster, we all knew of these poems. "The Creation" was, in fact, a standard part of the 10th-grade English curriculum and was one of the most often selected pieces for what was then called "dramatic recitation." (This was in Oklahoma, Alabama and South Carolina in the late 1950's and early 1960's.)

Now I cannot find anyone much under the age of 50 who has ever heard of them. This is but one of a great many tragic cultural losses of our time.

The poems evoke those trombone-like voices of Black preachers ringing with their simple themes, imaginative colorations, and powerful deliveries contrasting the pain of mortal life with the glory and joy of the eternal one. With their plaints and affirmations, their truths and contradictions, they embody a crucial aspect of the American heritage.

Moving? "Powerful" hardly expresses it. When I first acquired the book, I read to my wife the poem, "Go Down Death -- A Funeral Sermon." We were in the car on the way home from the bookstore. We had to stop at the mall for her to make a purchase, and she had to wait in the car while she dried her eyes before going in.

These poems cannot be allowed to be forgotten. They just cannot.

Extraordinary and moving. You've gotta read it........2006-12-12

I was 14 when I first read this and had no idea it was composed by a black man. It moved me deeply with its imagery of creation and words like God saying "I'm lonely. I'll make me a man!" It has stayed with me all these years. I have used it in speeches, teaching, and even therapy as a psychologist. Johnson and his brother wrote "Under the Bamboo Tree" sung by Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis. He helped found the NAACP, and went on to be ambassador to several countries. His autobiography is also very powerful. This book is worth anything you have to pay for it. Dr. Diane Holloway

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (American Century Series)

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Classic
Place on your list of books to read in this lifetime.
What is wrong with some of these reviewers?
NO
Grand finale...not

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (American Century Series)
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809000326

Book Description

James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction. The first fictional memoir ever written by a black, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has also given white readers a startling new perspective on their own culture, revealing to many the double standard of racial identity imposed on black Americans.
Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to "pass" for white, the novel describes a pilgrimage through America's color lines at the turn of the century--from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast. This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, "the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year."

Customer Reviews:

Classic.......2007-02-07

For anybody that is interested in this book, keep in mind that it was written in the 1920's. People talked, wrote, and thought very differently, and it was groundbreaking subject matter that paved the way for many other great works. This is the legacy of this book, despite it's flaws. It can be melodramatic at times, and at it's core it is a love story about a man finding racial acceptance from a source he never dreamed of. Most of the book is about a man stuck in the middle of two worlds, struggling with his own personal identity, both as a person as well as a 'person of color'. The writing is not perfect, but it is a well crafted story with fairly interesting characters, and if you are of mixed ancestry, parts of the book will speak to you in profound and comforting ways. Ways that make you realize that those of us who are mixed are not, and have not been, alone. Sorry to say, but the average review for this book tells me how little the average white person in this country really understands about racial issues. The fact that the word "mulatto" is used in the official description of this book, as well as in a consumer review furthers that. 'Mulatto' is as outdated a term as 'negro', and should not be used in 2007 America.

Place on your list of books to read in this lifetime........2006-09-06

I found this book on the bottom shelf in my college bookcase. From the first chapter, I found myself on an old, winding, rollercoaster. James Weldon lived a life in early to mid-twentieth century more filled with extraordinary adventures than many men today. The matter that he did so 'passing' as Caucasian isn't just a coincidence. Character is what matters. . .as a reader should derive from his story; however, the matter of race devoured Weldon's every chance at completing each sweet piece of life-pie.

I cannot say more to those who never understood a Black man than to read...this...book!! You will be enlightened further than you can now imagine.

What is wrong with some of these reviewers?.......2006-08-18

This book is excellent. I read it for a class in college years and years ago... and I still think about it.

NO.......2005-04-07

sorry, i just thought the book was boring and worst of all, its a good story with alot of food for thought, but it was just written so poorly that it was ruined.

Grand finale...not.......2004-08-10

I think the ending of this book ruined it for me. I enjoyed the middle a lot and didn't want to put it down, but I feel the ending just contradicted everything in the worst way.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

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worth the read
Johnson's Classic Novel of "Passing"
Wonderfully woven plot that holds your interest
Fantastic!
Spellbinding and relevant

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
James Weldon Johnson , and William L. Andrews
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140184023

Book Description

This remarkable novel documents the life of an American of mixed ethnicity who moves freely in society — from the rural South to the urban North and eventually, Europe. A revolutionary work which not only probes the psychological aspects of "passing for white" but also examines the American caste and class system.

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As soon as we landed, four of us went directly to a lodging-house in 27th Street, just west of Sixth Avenue. The house was run by a short, stout mulatto man, who was exceedingly talkative and inquisitive. In fifteen minutes he not only knew the history of the past life of each one of us, but had a clearer idea of what we intended to do in the future than we ourselves.

Customer Reviews:

worth the read.......2007-01-17

I am taking a class on Harlem renaissance literature and this was the first book assigned. It is easy to read and an enlightening story, the background information provided was interesting as well.

Johnson's Classic Novel of "Passing".......2005-04-12

Many novels of the African-American experience in the United States use the theme of "passing". These novels generally involve a light-complexioned African-American who can "pass" for white. Among other things, novels based on a theme of "passing" allow the character and the author to comment upon black-white relationships in the United States from both sides -- from the black experience and from the white experience.

Both white and black authors have made extensive use of the theme of "passing". The earliest novel involving "passing" of which I am aware is by William Dean Howells in his short 1891 book, "An Imperative Duty" which dealt with an inter-racial marriage. The African-American novelist Nella Larsen wrote a novel titled "Passing" set in the Harlem Renaissance. More recently, Philip Roth's novel "The Human Stain" involves the story of Professor Coleman Silk, a distinguished academic and student of the classics who passes for many years as white.

Coleman Silk is the successor to the protagonist of James Weldon Johnson's only novel, "The Autobiography of an ex-colored Man" written in 1912. The unnamed protagonist of the book is an individual, like Roth's character Coleman Silk, with great intellectual and artistic gifts who is torn between the opportunities open to him as an, apparently, white person and his strong sense of black identity. Like Coleman Silk and the characters in most novels involving the theme of "passing", Johnson's protagonist marries a white woman and lives a life plagued with guilt regarding his abandonment of his heritage as an African-American. Johnson's short novel is, to my mind, the best written on the theme of "passing", and it is a fine novel indeed. The book initially was published anonymously. The writing is so powerful and believable that many readers took the book for a true autobiography until Johnson acknowledged his authorship in 1914. Many years later, Johnson wrote his own autobiography, titled "Along This Way" in part to show that the story of his own life was not the story of the protagonist in the "Autobiography".

Johnson's story shows how his protagonist goes back and forth, both internally and in the outward events of life, about whether to make his way in the white or in the black world. He ultimately finds himself successful but unhappy. In addition to the story line of the book, Johnson uses the "passing" theme to allow many reflective passages by characters in the book on racial relationships in the United States early in the 20th Century. The most famous such scene occurs as the protagonist travels in a "smoking car" for whites on a train in the segregated South. He participates in a discussion among several white men of varied backgrounds on the "race question" as it was viewed at the time. There is also a chilling scene in the book involving a lynching, the burning alive of a black person. Johnson worked fervently in the latter years of his life to secure the passage of anti-lynching legislation in Congress.

But Johnson's novel includes a great deal more than a consideration of race issues. The book offers an outstanding picture of life in early twentieth Century America -- in the South and in Johnson's beloved New York City. The book is filled with pictures of dives and gambling dens and of the trade of cigar making in both South and North. It is filled with the love of the piano and of classical music. Most strikingly, the book has the spirit and feel of ragtime, which reached the height of its popularity during the years in which the book appeared. Johnson shows great appreciation for this product of American culture.

The book also illustrates some universal themes. The protagonist is troubled, specifically, by the conflict between his identity as an African-American and his wish to succeed as a white person. But the broader themes of the book are the consequences of lack of self-knowledge, the role of chance in human life, and the consequences of a certain sense of purposelessness and frustration, which plague many individuals separately from any consideration of race. Johnson develops these themes eloquently and ties them in well with his theme of "passing".

Johnson's novel is an important work of American fiction which deserves to be read.

Wonderfully woven plot that holds your interest.......2004-03-12

I absolutely loved reading this book, and would eagerly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn of Johnson's America through the eyes of a man caught between two worlds. The sometimes humorous passages and vivid details held my interest and fueled my imagination. I have countless sections of the book underlined in red.

Though written years ago, it is highly relevant to life in America today, and the self-effacing nature ('invisibility') of the narrator makes it even more intriguing as you follow what goes on in the class and race-defined society through his eyes.

A short but captivating (one of my favorite autobios) 'must-read'.

Fantastic!.......2001-10-01

James Weldon creates a story line of unimaginable magnitude! This complex book makes the reader almost sympathetic for a character who may not deserve it!

Spellbinding and relevant.......2001-07-19

For a book which was first published in 1912, this is an amazingly relevant work for today. Johnson's novel (hidden in the form of an autobiography) graphically looks at relations between the races in American. The nameless main character is born in the South to an African-American mother and a white Southern aristocrat. He and his mother move to Connecticut when he is very young, allowing Johnson to show us the benevolent face of pervasive racism of the United States. Johnson avoids the easy "good" vs. "evil" view of the oppressed vs. the oppressors. Instead, the narrator becomes a permanent outcast, returning to the South upon the death of his mother and then to the ragtime era New York City. The style of the novel is clear and extremely readable--and very current. The end of the novel dives deep into the issue of racism, causing both black and white readers to question their long-held assumptions about who they are and who they appear to be to others.

The Books of the American Negro Spirituals

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if you are a singer, and admire sprituals this is your source
The Best
The Books of American Negro Spirituals
Outstanding transcriptions of traditional music

The Books of the American Negro Spirituals
James Weldon Johnson , and J. Rosamond Johnson
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306812029

Book Description

In two elegant and masterly prefaces, James Weldon Johnson discusses the origin and history of more than 120 of the most significant spirituals known. Favorites like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," and "Go Down, Moses" are arranged for voice and piano by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and considered within their African tradition.

Customer Reviews:

if you are a singer, and admire sprituals this is your source.......2007-01-13

i love spirituals and especially for a bass/baritone, the spiritual is a form that allows the low voice to shine. i purchased this work and have begun to enjoy working from sheet music with songs that previously, i only had the words, and maybe a recording to learn from.

not much else to say. if you want to see how spiritual looked when they were first transcribed for musicians, this is a one stop source.

The Best.......2006-01-03

This is perhaps the best compilation of African American Spirituals. Both of editor James Weldon Johnson's volumes are included as are his excellent introductions. The introductions alone are worth the price of the book and more. Johnson's brother provides the arrangement, as close as possible to the most likely way(s) in which they were originally sung. The words themselves are also as close as possible to the original wording. "The Book of the American Negro Spirituals" provides a first-hand accounting of the lyrical majesty and the creative genius of the enslaved African Americans as they integrated Christian truth into their daily suffering.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."

The Books of American Negro Spirituals.......2003-02-02

This is one of the best reference books available on the history of Negro Spirituals as well as a vast collection of songs - many of which have not been heard during our time. The preface begins with an awe inspiring poem " O Black and Unknown Bards". This is a must read for musicians, especially singers of Spirituals. Composers and arrangers would appreciate it's content as well.

Outstanding transcriptions of traditional music.......1999-04-11

This book stays true to aural tradition and offers outstanding, non-Westernized arrangements of the aural traditional music of African American spirituals.

The choice of using phonetic spellings for the lyrics means that the lyrics are heavy in the use of words like "dese", "dose", "Heab'n", etc. However, given the original publication being in the 1920's, and the author's comments in the introduction, it is apparent that the spellings are not the result of gross cultural insensitivity.

The respect for, and love of this fine music comes through in the author's comments. And the transcriptions retain the strong harmonic features that are often "arranged out" of collections of aural traditional music.

Amazon.com

This illustrated edition of Johnson's 1919 poem, which won the 1995 Coretta Scott King Award, brings the story of Creation down to earth and into the grasp of young children. Alternating with the poetry are richly expressive double-page spreads and attractive border elements that feature animal motifs and scenes from The Beginning--light, earth, water, plants, animals and lastly, a ruddy, clay-colored human rising out of a field of flowers. An illustrated sub-plot of an animated storyteller relating the Creation story before a group of enthralled children relieves the poem its relative predictability and offers a friendly stand-in for the role of God. It also hints at the importance of human participation, itself sacred and timeless.

Customer Reviews:

A JOYFUL RENDITION OF JOHNSON'S POEM.......2005-08-04

As many know, James Weldon Johnson's splendid word poem based on the creation became the throbbing, joyful musical "God's Trombones."

As illustrated by James E. Ransome, this book is a grateful rendering of that verse brilliantly brought to life by oil paintings that reflect the spirit of the text.

Capturing the imagery and rhythm of southern black sermons in the mid 1800's the words ring with the regional cadences of folk stories. Seldom have words and illustrations complemented each other more.

Wonderful Sunday School dramatization.......2004-10-06

I teach PreK/K Sunday School. I found this book at the library and what a find it was!! It provided a wonderful visual inspiration as a stimulus for the introduction of our Creation unit. We combined classes and set up a campfire setting and began in the dark, just as the book does. As I read with great intonnations, the other teacher reenacted each scene with props and materials. We also gave the children the opportunity to use the materials to reenact this beautiful, lyrical, and inspirational story. We completed our lesson with snacks based on the story. It is truly a spiritually moving book that creates its own majestry, in the beauty of the illustrations and the strength of the text!!! It is a must have for a home and church library!!!

A "Must Have" For A Family Library.......2000-08-28

When I was in the eighth grade, my counselor suggested "The Creation" as a selection for me to read in the UIL Oral Reading competition. I didn't win the competition, but I fell in love with the poetry of James Weldon Johnson. I was delighted to see a quality picture-book version of this colorful, winning account of the creation story. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about Johnson's approach is that he makes God appear "personal" rather than "human". His poetry seems to share God's heart, and captivates the reader and listener alike. The story-telling nature of his poems remind me of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories", which I also treasure. I highly recommend this book.

Complete Poems (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

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Complete Poems (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
James Weldon Johnson , and Sondra Kathryn Wilson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Dover Thrift Editions)
The Book of American Negro Poetry: Revised Edition

ASIN: 0141185457
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Book Description

This year marks the centenary of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," James Weldon Johnson's most famous lyric, which is now embraced as the Negro National Anthem. In celebration, this Penguin original collects all the poems from Johnson's published works--Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917), God's Trombones (1927), and Saint Peter Relates an Incident of the Resurrection Day (1935)--along with a number of previously unpublished poems.

Sondra Kathryn Wilson, the foremost authority on Johnson and his work, provides an introduction that sheds light on Johnson's many achievements and his pioneering contributions to recording and celebrating the African American experience.

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Lift Ev'Ry Voice and Sing
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439351065

Book Description

Written by civil rights leader and poet James Weldon Johnson in 1899, ³Lift Ev¹ry Voice and Sing² is sung in schools and churches throughout America. The popular, timeless song is recognized as a testimonial to the struggle and achievements of African-American people past, present, and future.

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The Book of American Negro Poetry
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Chosen and Edited With an Essay on the Negro’s Creative Genius

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The Book of American Negro Spirituals
J. Rosamund Johnson , and Lawrence Brown
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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