The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood

By James Robert Parish

Alphabetically arranged biographical and topical entries cover the treatment and progress of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, and Native Americans in motion... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816046042
• ISBN13: 9780816046041
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Facts on File
• Length: 640 Pages
• Weight: 4.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 1.5" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

It's All in the Details

This is a wonderfully concise, detailed, and helpful general reference source for anyone researching ethnicity in the major films, television shows and performers of the past century. The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood is easy to read, gives only the important highlights of each title and personality, and is well-indexed. The photographs in the book are nostalgic and illustrative. It's all in here -- the breakthroughs, the award winners, the important firsts, as well as other contributions that make Hollywood history and today's Hollywood unique.

authoritative and fascinating!

Jim Parish has outdone himself with this voluminous, impeccably researched work which is a concept long overdue in the publishing world. With the fine work of Allan Taylor, he has created a wonderful tome and a reference book which will be quite useful as well as enjoyable to read. Well worth the money! Cough up! You'll be happy you did.

Here is an "ABOUT TIME!" book

The movies have always help guide and shape moviegoers into an an understanding of who they are, where they're from, and where they're going. But much of the vast American public has been virtually invisible on the screen -- which is why this book is so valuable. Our overlooked ethnic groups -- African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, and Native Americans -- now have a wonderful reference source to help them understand who they are, where they're from, where they're going. This encyclopedia may be a bit pricey for average bookbuyers (where's the cheaper paperback edition?), but it will be criminal if every library in the country doesn't make it readily available.

Two Thumbs Up

By Hollywood, I expected the author to concentrate his efforts on films, which would have been fine in and of itself. But I was surprised (pleasantly) to see the detail into which he looks at the presentation of ethnic groups on television as well. This is the book that should be required reference material on every course in pop culture and in film studies as well. But don't let that scare you away from reading it. The book is written in a style that everyone can enjoy. It's one of those books once you pick up and start flipping through, you spend hours going through.

Great source of information

This is a highly informative encyclopedia, with detailed entries on films, TV series, performers, and themes related to five ethnic, national and religious groups in American films and television. As is always the case with James Robert Parish's books, the writing is accessible, interesting, and highly informative. Some of the biographical information is quite detailed, and certainly much superior to the information available in other film encyclopedias. A must for those interested in films, American culture,and solid prose.