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Bernard-Hollins, S. (2003). Here I Stand: A Musical History of African Americans in Battle Creek, Michigan. Kalamazoo, MI: Fortitude Graphic Design & Printing Press: 90p. $17.00. [ISBN 0-9741611-0-1]

Here I Stand, by Sonya Bernard-Hollins, is a musical history of African Americans in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo areas. This well-organized book begins with an enticing introduction that pulls the reader into the areas' world of music, culture and history. This self-published monograph is visually pleasing to the eye with outstanding pictures, illustrations and ghosted pages where many photographs are faded behind the printed text.

Bernard-Hollins, a Battle Creek reporter, has done an excellent job of incorporating her investigative skills to culminate into a well-researched and documented overview of the area's past. History buffs in particular will be pleased with how she sets the stage of depicting Kalamazoo and Battle Creek's history during the African American migration to Michigan. She also gives the history of African Americans in the state along with the American music scene. The author's interdisciplinary approach to these subjects begins with identifying some of the pioneering families who migrated to the area as far back as 1825. Their stories are accompanied with visuals, along with the area histories of the Quakers and the Underground Railroad.

Bernard-Hollins begins Here I Stand with the build-up of the black population in western Michigan, and discusses Battle Creek's first Emancipation Day in 1853. The area's past lends itself to a bit of Canadian history, as well as the history of area churches, businesses and politics. Of course, one can't talk about Battle Creek without mention of the Kelloggs whose post-Civil War cereal invention helped raise the area's economic status by its bootstraps. Storyteller Bernard-Hollins then provides a peek into the inside world of the music and personalities, and also of their families and support groups. The book reads well with many interview quotes. Blatantly missing, however, are visuals of females who were part of the music scene.

Bernard-Hollins's book leaves the reader wishing she followed the current trend of including an audio CD-ROM with her monograph so they can hear the music she discusses, such as jam sessions at the Cummings studio. This would help readers hear for themselves why these musicians were great in their heyday and why their contributions to American music are important.

This book serves well in junior high and high school libraries, and in public or academic institutions with abundant amounts of information for history buffs. This book would attract readers interested in graphic design, layout and self-publishing. The drawback of self-published materials, however, is the lack of a professional editor to catch the typos that aren't caught by spell check features.

Reviewed by Deborah J. Tucker, Community Outreach Librarian, David Adamany Undergraduate Library, Wayne State University, deborah.tucker@wayne.edu.

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