"An indelible portrait of growing up black from the 18th to the 21st century. Sweeping, deeply researched, and powerfully written, this volume captures African American children's responses to the slave trade, the traumas of slavery, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement. It offers fascinating insights into the evolution of African American childrens' play; the interactions of black, white, and Indian children; racial iconography in fiction and marketing; and the differences between African American girlhood and boyhood." - Steven Mintz, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History, University of Houston, and author of Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood

African American Childhoods seeks to fill a vacuum in the study of African American children. Recovering the voices or experiences of these children, we observe nuances in their lives based on their legal status, class standing, and social development.