The Moynihan Report - The Negro Family and the Case for National Action

 

While the United States is celebrating Black History this February, this not only offers the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans, but is also a time to consider the problems facing the African American population, such as continued higher than average poverty. 

One of Cosimo's popular reports dealing with the history and background of black poverty is:

The Negro Family: The Case for National Action aka The Moynihan Report. This is an important 1965 report by then Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Lyndon B. Johnson, the liberal Daniel Moynihan, who addressed the problem of black poverty.

Different from the orthodox view at the time that economic conditions determine social conditions, this report concluded that the conditions under which black children were being raised, generally in single-mother households, were the leading cause of black poverty. In order to address this, Moynihan called for jobs programs and vocational training for blacks. In his words:

"The fundamental problem… is that of family structure. The evidence - not final but powerfully persuasive - is that the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling.”

While this report was believed to have influenced the creation of President Johnson's War on Poverty, its conclusions were criticized by many black and civil rights leaders. Whatever the various criticisms, this controversial report... 

February eBook of the Month: The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as our February eBook of the Month!

In this extraordinary and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists, anthropologists, historians and anyone interested in African American history and culture.


Purchase this eBook at any of the retailers below.

• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  

February Classic of the Month: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo is proud to present Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup as our February Classic of the Month.

This riveting and harrowing memoir, originally published in 1853, was a best-seller and groundbreaking work during its time. In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job within his hometown of Saratoga Springs, only to find that it was a trap---leading to him being beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery by his employers. He eventually ended up on a Louisiana plantation owned by Edwin Epps, where he became friends with Canadian carpenter Edward Bass, who was doing work for the plantation owner at the time. Bass secretly contacted Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840, to rescue Northup, that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853.

In 2013 Twelve Years a Slave, a movie based on an adaptation of this autobiography was produced and directed by Steve McQueen: it ended up winning three 2014 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress.

This incredible journey is a must-read for all, but may be of particular interest to historians, librarians, or anyone interested in African American History.

About the Author:
Solomon Northup (1808-c. 1875) was a free African American from New York who was deceived, drugged, and sold into slavery in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was transported to New Orleans and sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. For several years, he was passed around between slave owners before winding up with plantation owner Edwin Epps. There he met Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who helped him regain his freedom in 1853. Solomon spent the rest of his life as an abolitionist. He also assisted with the Underground Railroad in the early 1860s.

Cosimo is thrilled to offer Twelve Years a Slave in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover, and Nook) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle).

February eBook of the Month: African Unconscious

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as our February eBook of the Month!

In this extraordinary and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists, anthropologists, historians and anyone interested in

African American history and culture.

Purchase this eBook at any of the retailers below.

• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  

February Series of the Month: A Library of the World’s Best Literature

This month, Cosimo is highlighting a unique series of world literature, A Library of the World’s Best Literature edited by Charles Dudley Warner.

Mark Twain was a pallbearer at his funeral, yet Charles Dudley Warner is a name largely forgotten by the literary world. An editor, journalist, and essayist, Warner was a Renaissance man who also worked at times as a lawyer, a farmer, and critic. He wrote nine travel books, published numerous essays on social and literary reform, and most famously co-wrote The Gilded Age with Twain. The co-written novel satirized the greed and political corruption present in post-Civil War America.

Many years later, while his friend Twain was traveling around the world for a lecture tour, Warner published a series known as A Library of the World’s Best Literature. With the help of an “Advisory Council” comprised mainly of professors and Deans of U.S. Universities, Warner collected and edited this 45-volume set of Classic and Modern world literature. This series would later include a comprehensive “literary dictionary”—a reference that provided the names and descriptions of authors referenced in the series, as well as suggestions of other enriching authors not included but still “representative of literary history.” As Warner stated in the Preface to this series, the collection’s goal was: 

“to encourage, stimulate, and assist the general reader, not only in the acquisition of knowledge and the widening of his mental horizon, but in the rational enjoyment of life.”

A Library of the World's Best Literature includes poetry, short stories, letters, and novel excerpts, with essays about the author or the subject of the text. There are also sections that discuss a series of works grouped by subject matter, era, or nationality. The collection lives up to its ‘worldy’ description, including everything from the work of his friend, Mark Twain, to Chronologies that detail the great authors of Polish, Swedish, German, and Swiss literature, to name a few. It’s a truly comprehensive series of World literature, covering centuries of great writing, and a helpful introduction to the breadth of literature available to interested readers.

Charles Dudley Warner was a literary figure in his own right, and it's a shame that his contributions are eclipsed by those of his friend. Today Twain is often credited with the famous quote "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it," while it is argued that Warner himself coined the phrase. (For a compelling examination of the quote's origin, click here).

February being Black History Month, we also like to celebrate Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin (excerpts of which can be found in Vol.XXXV of this series). Arguably one of the most widely known and popularly read books about American slavery, it became the bestselling novel of the 19th century. With its first publication in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and with it, Stowe, helped to ignite the social flames that led to Civil War less than a decade later.

Cosimo offers Warner's impressive series by individual volume at various online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback. This is an unique and voluminous series, but could transform your reading room, living room or library into a den of knowledge: great for collectors, readers who like to expand their personal library or professional librarians. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The hardcover retail list price for the series is $1,609.54, but now: our price: $1,289.99  (you save $320 or a 20 percent discount)

The paperback retail list price: $899.55, but now: our price: $699.99 (you save $200 or a 22 percent discount)

Cosimo Honors Black History Month and Activist W. E. B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois was a leader of the black community in America and fought for equal rights. Du Bois was known for his great roles as a civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, as well as author and editor. In honor of Du Bois'  work against discrimination and racism, and Black History Month, Cosimo would like to highlight some of Du Bois' greatest works.



The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870 
Based on the Harvard thesis of DuBois-one of the great black intellectuals of American history-and incorporating analyses of national, state, and colonial statues, Congressional documents, personal narratives, and other foundational sources, this essential work of African-American history examines the prosecution of slavery laws in the early colonies in North America and explores the moral, political, and economical ramifications of the slave trade and its opposition. This study of the slave-trade laws remains a vital resource for students of early America.



The Souls of Black Folk
As an early work in the field of sociology, this book analyzes the interactions between the races and offers a solution for the strife and inequality that had come to characterize those interactions. DuBois believed that education was the route to a better life for all blacks, and his recommendation became the basis for the civil rights movement. Anyone interested in history, race relations, sociology, or the intellectual heritage of the United States will find this an essential read.





DARKWATER: Voices from Within the Veil
DuBois was the most influential black intellectual in American history, one whose voice and thoughts continue to enlighten and educate readers today, and this is a collection of his most inspired short-form writing. Collecting essays and poems from publications such as The Atlantic and The Journal of Race Development, this 1920 volume-provocative and aggressive and unflattering to the dominant white culture-raised the ire of many mainstream critics of the day, which continues to make it all the more valuable a read today.

The Negro
This is the classic history of the African peoples in Africa and the New World, a repudiation of the absurd belief, widely held in the post-Civil War period, that Africans had no civilization but the one foisted upon them by their slavetrading captors. Writing for a popular audience in 1915, DuBois lays out in easy-to-read, nonacademic prose the striking and illustrious story of the complex history and varied cultures of Africa, from the art and industry of the peoples of the continent to the dramatic impact the slave trade had both in Africa and on her descendents in the Western Hemisphere. Boldly proud and beautifully written, this essential work will delight readers of American and African history as well as students of great American literature.




About the Author
American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University. A cofounder of the NAACP, he was convinced that education was the means for African Americans to achieve equality.

See for other books by Du Bois our collection of Black History books.

February Classic of the Month: The Escape or, A Leap for Freedom

Cosimo is celebrating Black History Month this February by highlighting The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom by William Wells Brown as our Classic of the Month.

The first play published by an African-American, this comic 1858 melodrama about two slaves who secretly marry explores the racial tensions between North and South in the years just before the Civil War. 

With its mix of action, comedy, social commentary and an authenticity only a former slave could recreate, The Escape is essential reading for students of black history and literature. It is also a remarkable glimpse at characters and situations rarely seen from the contemporary black perspective. 

About the Author:

Born into slavery, American author William Wells Brown (1814 - 1884) escaped to the North where he became a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian. His other works include The Negro in the American Revolution, Clotelle, or A Tale of the Southern States, and The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements. 

The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom is available on Amazon (hardcover and paperback), at Barnes & Noble (hardcover and paperback), and at your favorite bookstores.

February Book of the Month: The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents The African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as our celebrated Book of the Month.

In this extraordinary and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists, anthropologists,  historians and anyone interested in African American history and culture.

Praise for The African Unconscious:

"I read with awe this passionate, brilliant, epic work. It is one of the most exhaustive and revealing studies of Black and human origins I have ever seen." -Lee S. Sannella, M.D., author of The Kundalini Experience

"The African Unconscious is indeed a daring work, and a unique contribution to African diasporic studies. It is a must for all students of human psychology." -Rowland O. Abiodun, author of Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought

"The scope of the author's knowledge is simply awesome, and that, coupled with his engaging writing style, makes not for an 'easy' ready, but an adventuresome one.... For those who entertain notions of collective unconscious and deep structure racial messages, I cannot think of a better text that navigates such thinking." -William E. Cross, Jr., Ph.D., author of Shades of Black


About the Author:
Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., ABPP, is a psychologist, diplomat in clinical psychology, and director of the Behavioral Medicine & Anxieties Disorders clinic at the University of Massachusetts Health Services in Amherst. He is the author of five texts in psychology and three in poetry. Some of his other books include The Family Unconscious, The Roots of Transcendence, and Families and the Interpretation of Dreams.  His last volume of poetry, Chronicles of the Pig & Other Delusions, won the national 2010 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. Dr. Bynum received the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the American Psychological Association for “an outstanding and lasting contribution to the exploration of the farther reaches of the human spirit.” For more information about Bynum, his books, articles, and work, visit his website.

Cosimo is happy to offer The African Unconscious, in paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, Nook) and Amazon (paperback, Kindle).

Cosimo Honors Black History Month and Activist W. E. B. Du Bois

William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois was a leader of the black community in America and fought for equal rights. Du Bois was known for his great roles as a civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, as well as author and editor. In honor of Du Bois'  work against discrimination and racism, and Black History Month, Cosimo would like to highlight some of Du Bois' greatest works.



The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870 
Based on the Harvard thesis of DuBois-one of the great black intellectuals of American history-and incorporating analyses of national, state, and colonial statues, Congressional documents, personal narratives, and other foundational sources, this essential work of African-American history examines the prosecution of slavery laws in the early colonies in North America and explores the moral, political, and economical ramifications of the slave trade and its opposition. This study of the slave-trade laws remains a vital resource for students of early America.



The Souls of Black Folk
As an early work in the field of sociology, this book analyzes the interactions between the races and offers a solution for the strife and inequality that had come to characterize those interactions. DuBois believed that education was the route to a better life for all blacks, and his recommendation became the basis for the civil rights movement. Anyone interested in history, race relations, sociology, or the intellectual heritage of the United States will find this an essential read.





DARKWATER: Voices from Within the Veil
DuBois was the most influential black intellectual in American history, one whose voice and thoughts continue to enlighten and educate readers today, and this is a collection of his most inspired short-form writing. Collecting essays and poems from publications such as The Atlantic and The Journal of Race Development, this 1920 volume-provocative and aggressive and unflattering to the dominant white culture-raised the ire of many mainstream critics of the day, which continues to make it all the more valuable a read today.

The Negro
This is the classic history of the African peoples in Africa and the New World, a repudiation of the absurd belief, widely held in the post-Civil War period, that Africans had no civilization but the one foisted upon them by their slavetrading captors. Writing for a popular audience in 1915, DuBois lays out in easy-to-read, nonacademic prose the striking and illustrious story of the complex history and varied cultures of Africa, from the art and industry of the peoples of the continent to the dramatic impact the slave trade had both in Africa and on her descendents in the Western Hemisphere. Boldly proud and beautifully written, this essential work will delight readers of American and African history as well as students of great American literature.




About the Author
American writer, civil rights activist, and scholar William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University. A cofounder of the NAACP, he was convinced that education was the means for African Americans to achieve equality.

See for other books by Du Bois our collection of Black History books.

Classic of the Month: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo is proud to offer Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup as its Classic of the Month.

This riveting and harrowing memoir, originally published in 1853, was a best-seller and groundbreaking work during its time. In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job within his hometown of Saratoga Springs, only to find that it was a trap---leading to him being beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery by his employers. He eventually ended up on a Louisiana plantation owned by Edwin Epps, where he became friends with Canadian carpenter Edward Bass, who was doing work for the plantation owner at the time. Bass secretly contacted Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840, to rescue Northup, that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853.

In 2013 Twelve Years a Slave, a movie based on an adaptation of this autobiography was produced and directed by Steve McQueen: it ended up winning three 2014 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay,and Best Supporting Actress.

This incredible journey is a must-read for all, but may be of particular interest to historians, librarians, or anyone interested in African American History.

About the Author:
SOLOMON NORTHUP (1808-c. 1875) was a free African American from New York who was deceived, drugged, and sold into slavery in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was transported to New Orleans and sold to a plantation owner in Louisiana. For several years, he was passed around between slave owners before winding up with plantation owner Edwin Epps. There he met Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who helped him regain his freedom in 1853. Solomon spent the rest of his life as an abolitionist. He also assisted with the Underground Railroad in the early 1860s.

Cosimo is thrilled to offer Twelve Years a Slave in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover, and Nook) and Amazon (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle).

February Book of the Month: African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum

In  honor of Black History Month, Cosimo presents African Unconscious by Edward Bruce Bynum, with an introduction by Linda James Myers, as its celebrated Book of the Month.

In this controversial and captivating work, Edward Bruce Bynum offers his viewpoint on the roots of human existence. He believes that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. In effect, we possess a shared identity and collective unconscious. This magnificent work is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life. Looking at phenotypes and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings, this book is ideal for psychologists and those interested in African American art and culture.

About the Author:

Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., ABPP, is a psychologist, diplomat in clinical psychology, and director of the Behavioral Medicine & Anxieties Disorders clinic at the University of Massachusetts Health Services in Amherst. He is the author of five texts in psychology and three in poetry. Some of his other books include The Family Unconscious, The Roots of Transcendence, and Families and the Interpretation of Dreams.  His last volume of poetry, Chronicles of the Pig & Other Delusions, won the national 2010 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. Dr. Bynum received the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the American Psychological Association for “an outstanding and lasting contribution to the exploration of the farther reaches of the human spirit.”

Cosimo is happy to offer The African Unconscious, in paperback, and eBook formats at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, Nook) and Amazon (paperback, Kindle).

Series of the Month: A Library of the World's Best Literature

This month we like to highlight a unique series of world literature, A Library of the World’s Best Literature edited by Charles Dudley Warner.

Mark Twain was a pallbearer at his funeral, yet Charles Dudley Warner is a name largely forgotten by the literary world. An editor, journalist, and essayist, Warner was a Renaissance man who also worked at times as a lawyer, a farmer, and critic. He wrote nine travel books, published numerous essays on social and literary reform, and most famously co-wrote The Gilded Age with Twain. The co-written novel satirized the greed and political corruption present in post-Civil War America.

Many years later, while his friend Twain was traveling around the world for a lecture tour, Warner published a series known as A Library of the World’s Best Literature. With the help of an “Advisory Council” comprised mainly of professors and Deans of U.S. Universities, Warner collected and edited this 45-volume set of Classic and Modern world literature. This series would later include a comprehensive “literary dictionary”—a reference that provided the names and descriptions of authors referenced in the series, as well as suggestions of other enriching authors not included but still “representative of literary history.” As Warner stated in the Preface to this series, the collection’s goal was: 

“to encourage, stimulate, and assist the general reader, not only in the acquisition of knowledge and the widening of his mental horizon, but in the rational enjoyment of life.”

A Library of the World's Best Literature includes poetry, short stories, letters, and novel excerpts, with essays about the author or the subject of the text. There are also sections that discuss a series of works grouped by subject matter, era, or nationality. The collection lives up to its ‘worldy’ description, including everything from the work of his friend, Mark Twain, to Chronologies that detail the great authors of Polish, Swedish, German, and Swiss literature, to name a few. It’s a truly comprehensive series of World literature, covering centuries of great writing, and a helpful introduction to the breadth of literature available to interested readers.

Charles Dudley Warner was a literary figure in his own right, and it's a shame that his contributions are eclipsed by those of his friend. Today Twain is often credited with the famous quote "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it," while it is argued that Warner himself coined the phrase. (For a compelling examination of the quote's origin, click here).

February being Black History Month, we also like to celebrate Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin (excerpts of which can be found in Vol.XXXV of this series). Arguably one of the most widely known and popularly read books about American slavery, it became the bestselling novel of the 19th century. With its first publication in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and with it, Stowe, helped to ignite the social flames that led to Civil War less than a decade later.

Cosimo offers Warner's impressive series by individual volume at various online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback, especially of interest to collectors, readers who like to expand their personal library or professional librarians. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The hardcover retail list price for the series is $1,609.54, but now:
our price: $1,289.99  (you save $320 or a 20 percent discount)

The paperback retail list price: $899.55, but now:
our price: $699.99 (you save $200 or a 22 percent discount)

Cosimo also offers Warner's In the Wilderness, Baddeck and That Sort of Thing, and On Horseback: A Tour in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

W.E.B. Du Bois and the Fight for Black Equality at the New York Historical Society

This February is a busy month with the Winter Olympics, world events continuing, President's Day and of course also celebrating Black History Month. If you happen to be in New York City tomorrow Wednesday, February 19, then join the conversation between two leading historians at New York Historical Society about the scholar and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois and his fight for black equality.

From  New York Historical Society's website:


"An accomplished scholar and outspoken activist, W.E.B. Du Bois fought racism and discrimination from local institutions to the highest levels of government. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Levering Lewis, in conversation with Khalil Gibran Muhammad, discusses the life and work of one of the most prominent civil rights activists of the early 20th century, from his role as a founding member of the NAACP to his vehement protests against the 1915 release of The Birth of a Nation, a film supported by President Woodrow Wilson that glorified the Ku Klux Klan."

The event starts at 6:30pm, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street 212-485-9268212-485-9268.

Click here for Cosimo's editions of W.E.B. Du Bois, including the following and also
the two Pulitzer winning biographies of W.E.B. Du Bois by David Levering Lewis:

Call

Send SMS

Add to Skype

You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

Classic of the Month:Twelve Years a Slave

In honor of Black History Month, we are featuring an unique and influential work about slavery that has recently achieved renewed recognition because of the release of  major feature movie of the same name:Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup.

In 1841, free-born African American Solomon Northup was offered a job in his hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York. He followed his employers to the job site at Washington, D.C., where he was beaten, drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery, eventually ending up on a plantation in Louisiana owned by Edwin Epps. While there, in 1852, Northup befriended Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who was at the time doing work for Epps. Secretly, Bass was able to contact Northup's family, who informed New York governor Washington Hunt of his kidnapping. The state was able to use a law passed in 1840 that allowed the recovery of free black men who were sold into slavery to rescue Northup. Solomon was finally made free again on January 4, 1853. One of few slaves of his era ever to regain freedom, he devoted his time and energy to lecturing and educating others about abolitionism. Northup is without a doubt, a person worth celebrating.


Twelve Years a Slave was a bestseller in its time and remains one today. Northrup's work sold approximately 30,000 copies copies when it was first released, and has made the Top Ten of the New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller list for 2013. A recent film adaptation by Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Brad Pitt, has also earned the story the Golden Globe for Best Drama and nine Academy Award nominations including best picture, best actor in a leading and supporting role, best actress in a supporting role, and best director.

Cosimo is proud to have released both an affordable paperback and beautiful hardcover edition of Twelve Years a Slave at Barnes & Noble, as well as on Amazon (paperback and hardcover).

Book of the Month: The African Unconscious

In honor of Black History Month, we are featuring an unique and influential work on the origins of humanity and especially its African roots:The African Unconscious, Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology by Edward Bruce Bynum.

The African Unconscious, originally published at the turn of the 20th century, is an Afro-centric look at human history based on archaeology, genetics, and the biospiritual roots of religion and science. Author Edward Bruce Bynum offers a captivating and controversial viewpoint on the roots of our human existence, positing that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template, creating a shared identity and collective unconscious in all.





Praise for The African Unconscious:


"I read with awe this passionate, brilliant, epic work. It is one of the most exhaustive and revealing studies of Black and human origins I have ever seen." -Lee S. Sannella, M.D., author of The Kundalini Experience

"The African Unconscious is indeed a daring work, and a unique contribution to African diasporic studies. It is a must for all students of human psychology." -Rowland O. Abiodun, author of Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought

"The scope of the author's knowledge is simply awesome, and that, coupled with his engaging writing style, makes not for an 'easy' ready, but an adventuresome one.... For those who entertain notions of collective unconscious and deep structure racial messages, I cannot think of a better text that navigates such thinking." -William E. Cross, Jr., Ph.D., author of Shades of Black

For more information about Bynum, his books, articles, and work, visit his website. 

To watch talks and lectures he has given at the University of Massachusetts (where he is a clinical psychologist and the director of behavioral medicine) and around the U.S., visit YouTube.



The African Unconscious is available in paperback online at  Barnes & Noble, Amazon and leading online bookstores around the world. To purchase our eBook at a discounted rate, please visit reKiosk.

Bynum's The African Unconscious: Captivating Narrative of Human History

In honor of Black History Month, Cosimo has named The African Unconscious: Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology our February Book of the Month. It was written by award-winning psychologist Edward Bruce Bynum and was originally published over a decade ago. The information and ideas discussed in this book are just as relevant now as they were when the book was first published. 

The African Unconscious offers an exciting and captivating narrative about human history based on archaeology, genetics, and the bio-spiritual roots of religion and science. More importantly, Dr. Bynum posits that humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. This bold, humanistic view offers a radical new vision of our collective unconscious in its daily and historical operations. Dr. Bynum goes beyond traditional “Eastern” and “Western” perspectives and presents a powerful, unifying and healing vision of our deeper shared consciousness and identity as a human species from our earliest days in Africa on to contemporary times.

Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, Director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Health Services, a Senior Fellow in the Society for Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (BICA), and a Diplomat (ABPP) in the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Bynum is the author of numerous books and articles, including five texts in psychology and three poetry books. He has won numerous awards, including the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the APA, and is a student and practitioner of Kundalini Yoga. He is married with two sons and lives with his family in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Cosimo's Book of the Month, African Unconscious, Relevant for Black History

The African Unconscious: Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology by award-winning psychologist Edward Bruce Bynum was originally published over a decade ago. The information and ideas discussed in this book are just as relevant now as they were when the book was first published. Now Cosimo is bringing this monumental book back to the public with a fresh cover.

The African Unconscious offers an exciting and captivating narrative about human history based on archaeology, genetics, and the bio-spiritual roots of religion and science. More importantly, Dr. Bynum posits that humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template. This bold, humanistic view offers a radical new vision of our collective unconscious in its daily and historical operations. Dr. Bynum goes beyond traditional “Eastern’ and “Western” perspectives and presents a powerful, unifying and healing vision of our deeper shared consciousness and identity as a human species from our earliest days in Africa on to contemporary times.


Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, Director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Health Services, a Senior Fellow in the Society for Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (BICA), and a Diplomat (ABPP) in the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Bynum is the author of numerous books and articles, including five texts in psychology and three poetry books. He has won numerous awards, including the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the APA, and is a student and practitioner of Kundalini Yoga. He is married with two sons and lives with his family in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Cosimo Chooses a Relevant Historical Read for February’s Classic of the Month

 

February is black history month. It’s a time to reflect on the rich history of African American’s in the United States. No doubt the history involves some exceedingly dark times, but it’s the entire historical picture that creates the true narrative struggle. 

The Souls of Black Folk a collection of groundbreaking essays on race and race relations written by W.E.B. Dubois and originally published in 1903 is a must read, especially in this relevant month. The analytical essays in this book look at the interactions between whites and blacks, offering a solution for the obvious inequality. A strong supporter of education, Dubois believed that being properly educated was the surest way for African Americans to better their life. Anyone interested in history, race relations, sociology, or the intellectual heritage of the United States will find this an essential read.

W.E.B. DUBOIS (1868-1963) was a free-born African American in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was the first black man to receive a PhD from Harvard University and was convinced that education was the means for African Americans to achieve equality. He wrote a number of important books, including The Philadelphia Negro (1899), Black Folk, Then and Now (1899), and The Negro (1915).