Bigger and Blacker: The Black Vamp Literary Guide

by Rafiki Chemari

Bigger and Blacker is: Vibrant Africans Motivating Pride (aka VAMP!) which is a unique literary experience that combines African American short stories, urban poetry, and essays for the new millennium. And invites the reader to question the past, cherish the present, and truly think about the future! This book is just what the doctor ordered for the adult rappers, baby-boomers, and women who strive to be superheroes in their everyday lives. Just imagine if you were a starving black artist or homeless in outerspace? Or if you knew two lovely ladies named Caffeine and Nicotine who were life-long friends? Also is it really possible to get a P.h.D without attending college or graduate school? Why do they hate us and can we still save (mother) Africa? How about reparations for sickle cell anemia? And can you act black? Because if you can...knowledge is power! And the "black-truth" will eventually set us all free!

150 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2012

Reviews

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

In tales ranging from the humorous to poems that border on the tragic, Rafiki Chemari explores the uniquely African-American experience over the course of several decades in Bigger and Blacker: The Black Vamp Literary Guide. Chemari has a unique voice throughout the work that continues to tie her words back to that unique experience. Although the work is one that is uniquely tied to a specific culture and ethnicity, Chemari has a true talent as both prose writer and poet. In the opening piece, "The Return of Ghetto Woman", the author's talent for using satire shines through. The work features some truly funny moments, but also does not fail in making readers examine the larger issues at hand. In her free form poems ranging, Chemari shows a powerful voice that is unafraid of tackling sweeping social issues from the state of Africa to the endless cycle of creating new terrorists that the war on terrorism inevitably creates. While Chemari's work will surely make readers laugh and cry, most importantly it will make them think about issues that are largely swept out of sight, out of mind.