Choice Review

Several historians, particularly Darlene Clark Hine (editor, Black Women in America, CH, Nov'05, 43-1312), have previously enlightened readers about the complexity of African American women's social and political activities. Gill (Univ. of Texas at Austin), however, not only specifically focuses on an industry considered an integral part of black women's lives since the late 19th century--the beauty business--but also seeks to connect economic empowerment with political agency. Her book largely fulfills these goals. She impressively demonstrates how beauticians became an important part of the black economic urban infrastructure, particularly after the Great Migration, and how they became an important part of various social movements, particularly the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century, when Martin Luther King Jr. sought the support of the National Beauty Culturists' League. The last chapter in particular offers a fresh perspective on how the beauty industry contributed in the late 20th century to the rising awareness among African Americans of health issues such as HIV/AIDS. A few minor errors, such as stating that 1936 could be "considered the height of the Great Depression," do not detract from the book's overall excellence. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Researchers/faculty, graduate students, and upper-division undergraduates. J. T. McGuire Tompkins Cortland Community College