Investigates the cultural bonds between African and African-American women as illustrated in the writings of contemporary authors of the United States and West Africa

"Wilentz...makes convincing arguments for the connections between African and Afro-American women's culture." -Nellie McKay "Wilentz's jargon-free, intelligent discussion...will appeal to students in African, African American, and women's literature courses, as well as general readers interested in the emerging field." -Choice "Through these works, Wilentz demonstrates the powerful transformation possible through understanding-and embracing-the past, even if that past includes oppression and brutalization." -Belles Lettres Binding Cultures investigates the cultural bonds between African and African-American women writers such as Nigerian Flora Nwapa and Ghanaians Efua Sutherland and Ama Ata Aidoo, writers who focus on the role of women in passing on cultural values to future generations, and African-American writers Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Paule Marshall, who self-consciously evoke African culture to help create a more integrated African-American community.