From Publishers Weekly The author of Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats (a collaboration with photographer Michael Cunningham) shifts his focus from hats to hair with this celebration of the black barber shop， "one of the nation's earliest black businesses [and]... as much a think tank as it is a comedy showcase." Over the course of 18 months， Marberry traveled around the country to document that particular "barber shop atmosphere." In Detroit， a policeman waxes poetic about a good "Razor Line" haircut; in Nashville， Oprah Winfrey's barber father， Vernon， jokes: "Somebody asked me if Oprah is my only child. I said， 'The only one so far.' " Along with the cutting quips and clipping tips， each barber and patron offers a little slice of life; topics include black history， celebrity clients， raids on unlicensed barbers， robberies， murders and the attitudes of female barbers: "It's tough for a woman in a barber shop. They say it's the black man's country club." Sixty b&w photos show the faces behind the commentary， but only some locations are identified; shop names aren't supplied， and curiously， shop exteriors aren't shown. And though Marberry is a fine writer， he gives only four pages of his own words. (May 10) Copyright © Reed Business Information， a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Marberry， author of Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats 2000)， explores another black cultural phenomenon--the barbershop. The shops are an institution of fellowship in which black men commune， where there are unwritten social rules of tradition， where conversations can entertain and enlighten. World issues are interwoven with more localized and mundane concerns， including job woes and troubled relationships. Marberry visited black barbershops across the U.S and observed numerous exchanges between barbers and their customers that reflect a forum for teaching in an informal context. Marberry reflects on some of the traditions of black barbers， the fact that black barbers used to cut white men's hair but could not do so in the same shops where they cut black men's hair. The black barbershop， like the church， was--and is--a central outlet for news and connections. Marberry touches on black barbers' involvement in the civil rights movement， as businessmen operating central news stations in the black community. Vernon FordCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved See all Editorial Reviews