Mike, The book Yo' Mama' DisFUNKtional! by Robin Kelley is a great book. It still deals with the academic conversation, but it's a fun read, and I think freshmen would enjoy it. The volcabulary's not too technical, but Kelley does a great job exploring black culture in terms of its hybridity and intertextuality to the rest of American culture. --Melissa Williams ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu