{"product_id":"soul-city-oakland-u-s-a-hardcover","title":"Soul City: Oakland, U.S.A. - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKen Light\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eIshmael Reed\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eUncovered after 50 years, an absorbing and illuminating photographic archive of Black West Oakland in the 1970s.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"An invaluable window into urban Black America.\" --\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1974 Ken Light, a young underground press photographer recently arrived in California, was encouraged by residents of West Oakland to document daily life in the neighborhood. A white activist building relationships in an eminent Black community, Light was invited into homes and churches, flagged down on the street for impromptu portraits. The resulting images, taken over two years, ended up unpublished and nearly forgotten for half a century. Now made public for the first time in \u003ci\u003eSoul City\u003c\/i\u003e, they form a stunning and historically important archive of Black urban life in a major American city in the 1970s. These photographs reveal the deep pride running through West Oakland, despite the formidable attempts of local governments and agencies to tear the neighborhood apart. \u003ci\u003eSoul City \u003c\/i\u003epresents the everyday experiences and emotions of West Oaklanders: hard work, love, determination, resistance, humor, delight. Including over 120 images, and featuring a stirring foreword by celebrated author and longtime Oakland resident Ishmael Reed, \u003ci\u003eSoul City\u003c\/i\u003e is a deeply absorbing and enlightening contribution to Black history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKen Light\u003c\/b\u003e has worked as a documentary photographer and filmmaker for over fifty years, focusing on social issues facing America. His books include \u003ci\u003eCourse of the Empire, What's Going On? 1969-1974, Valley of Shadows and Dreams, Witness in Our Time\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003ePicturing Resistance\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has been presented in over 250 exhibitions worldwide, and he is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts photographers' fellowships, a National Endowment for the Arts survey grant, and the Dorothea Lange Fellowship. Light is the Reva and David Logan Professor of Photojournalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Visit his website at kenlight.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIshmael Reed\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of numerous books including \u003ci\u003eMumbo Jumbo, Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBlues City: A Walk in Oakland\u003c\/i\u003e. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship, he has lived in Oakland since 1979.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.7 x 10.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 22, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56555696849201,"sku":"9781597147316","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1004\/9532\/7537\/files\/1LaMxrQonH9781597147316.webp?v=1790765541","url":"https:\/\/mitchellofficial.com\/products\/soul-city-oakland-u-s-a-hardcover","provider":"MITCHELL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}