In his contribution to this edited collection of essays and an interview celebrating the contributions of African American female playwrights to American theatre, David Krasner suggests that “African American theatre history” can be partially summarized by the statement of a 1950s black theatre-goer: “something's going on down here that concerns me” (9). This book successfully demonstrates the ways in which African American women use drama to represent and confront issues affecting African American women's lives. For example, Philip Kolin examines the way in which Adrienne Kennedy uses “nightmare” sequences to tackle issues like sexual violence, lynching, violent white resistance and police brutality. James Fisher, Soyica Diggs and Beth Turner's contributions on Ntozake Shange, Alice Childress and Pearl Cleage, respectively, examine gender issues and female characters who transgress conventional gender and racial roles. Jacqueline Wood discusses militant Black Nationalism in her essay on Sonja Sanchez, who has also confronted the “fierce disrespect” of black women by male militants in plays including The Bronx is Next and Uh Huh, But How Does It Free Us? (51).

African American female dramatists are demonstrated to have a strong understanding of black history. Freda Scott Giles recognizes the ways in which Glenda Scott Dickerson draws upon folk culture, while Sandra Shannon explains that “one of the most important themes in Nottage's drama” is her tendency to retrieve “lost or suppressed history, particularly that of African American women” (187). Brandi Wilkins Cantanese, moreover, highlights Aishah Rahman's depictions of African American historical figures, including jazz musicians Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker. Meanwhile, Debby Thompson argues that Suzan-Lori Parks's works can be seen as “history plays” because they demonstrate “how history is created and how it functions in the present” (168). The collection also covers artistic techniques which black female playwrights employ. Fisher explains that Ntozake Shange invented a new form, the “choreopoem,” which combined “character, poetry, song and dance” (83) and Cantanese explains that Rahman uses a jazz aesthetic and draws upon black iconography.

The book is ordered chronologically, beginning with the influence of Harlem Renaissance writers on Lorraine Hansberry, then covering dramatists embedded in civil rights and Black Power movements, and concluding with three playwrights active in post-9/11 America. With the exception of Krasner's article, the contributions focus on individual playwrights and there is limited attention paid either in the editor's introduction or in the contributions to themes across African American women's theatre. However, the collection's stated aim is to recognize black women's place in American, not merely African American, theatre. Most of the essays rely extensively or exclusively on textual analysis and, with the notable exceptions of Krasner, Wilkins, Giles and Thompson's contributions, do not contextualize writers or their work with social history or extensive literary criticism. Nevertheless, this volume affords a comprehensive understanding of black female playwrights, readings of their works, and an appreciation of their contributions to American drama.