Black Mothers: Songs of Praise & Celebration.

Black Mothers: Songs of Praise & Celebration by Kristin Clark Taylor Doubleday, May 2000, $24.95 ISBN 0-385-49579-X

Take a look on the shelves of your local bookstore and notice a proliferation of books in praise of black mothers. This is among the finest. Taylor truly celebrates motherhood and lets it be known at the beginning of every chapter that that this is directly related to her mother, a woman who earned her master's degree in the fifties while running the household and raising seven children.

Songs of Praise wants us to know that the roles of the black mother, as evident in the titles of each chapter, are vast and diverse. Each subject begins with a beautiful heartfelt essay (or better yet, tribute) from Taylor. Following her words are quotes and writings from her mother-in-law (another remarkable woman who raised eleven children on her own and then adopted three more when all of her children were grown), Taylor's two children, husband and friends. She also has relevant quotes praising black mothers from other recognizable names including Michael Jordan, Johnnie Cochran, Shaquille O'Neal and Oprah Winfrey, who also relate some great stories about their mothers.

The words are so uplifting and inspirational that the "Ode to Black Mothers," dedicated to those who have lost their mothers, at first seems quite solemn; however, it is actually a perfect ending celebrating the lives of remarkable women. The words are healing and quite therapeutic, showing that even in death there is a joy that could only come from having been loved and molded by these mothers.

Though this book is a treasure, don't try reading it all at once. The quotes can get a bit monotonous. Grab it every once in a while when you need to give your spirit a lift.

And, do not relegate it to the land of the Mother's Day! This is a book to be given to mothers at any time of the year.

Latefaah Fleming is a writer and filmmaker in New York City who just celebrated the birth of her first child.