VIVID by Jenkins, Beverly - 1995

New York: Avon Books, 1995. Very good plus. First printing, paperback original, of this landmark Black historical romance, in which the heroine is a San Francisco-born pool-playing savant who moves to Michigan to become a small town's doctor. Jenkins is part of what Rita Dandridge labels the "second wave" of African American romance, beginning around 1989 with the publication of EMILY, THE YELLOW ROSE by Anita Richmond Bunkley, and including others like Francine Craft. Jenkins wanted to tell stories that she had been learning from her research of African American history while working at Michigan State University's library, but which were not widely known. But historical romances with Black characters also had a hard time getting traction from publishers. (Even today, some white readers raise a brow when they see a Black Western, despite the fact that Black cowboys made up as much as one quarter of those driving cattle in the 19th century.) Jenkins saw her works to publication through a combination of sharply honed vision, extensive research, a gift for banter, and tenacity in the face of both individual and systemic obstacles. Her work remains one of the best contemporary models for authors who write about individuals carving out lives of happiness, but do so without drifting into a fantasy where racism and oppression do not exist. A recent NEW YORK TIMES profile by Carole V. Bell summarizes her books as "richly grounded in history and yet bristling with joy." This is her second novel: all of Jenkins's '90s publications are scarce and highly sought, but especially the first few titles. 6.75'' x 4.25''. Original color pictorial wrappers. [6], 391, [3] pages. A couple small spots of rubbing to spine, very light edgewear.