While the black experience in America has been told in many ways, it has seldom, if ever, been substantially addressed from the play, recreation, and leisure perspective. That is the primary intent of Black Recreation: A Historical Perspective. One might ask, why is the recreation and leisure paradigm a useful means of exploring the black experience? Leisure and recreation activities are an important measure of quality of life (among other factors such as happiness, wealth, and health). We can gain a significant understanding of the black experience through historical analysis of black involvement and participation in play, recreation, and leisure in America. Historical interpretation, accurately presented, can help give individuals a better sense of identity-of who they are and how far they have come. Both minority and majority readers will benefit from broad-based analysis of the recreational activities and effects they had on American culture as a whole.A Burnham Publishers book
