The Paradox of Blackness in African American Vampire Fiction

<div>One of the first books to examine representations of black vampires exclusively <i>The Paradox of Blackness in African American Vampire Fiction </i>not only refutes the tacit assumption that there is a lack of quality African American vampire fiction worthy of study or reading but also proposes that the black vampires help to answer an important question: Is there more to being <i>black</i> than having a <i>black</i> body? As symbols of immortality the black vampires in Jewelle Gomez's <i>The Gilda Stories</i> Tananarive Due's <i>My Soul to Keep</i> Brandon Massey's <i>Dark Corner</i> Octavia Butler's <i>Fledgling</i><i></i>and K. Murry Johnson's <i>Image of Emeralds and Chocolate</i> help to identify not only the notions of blackness that should be kept alive or resurrected in the African American community for the twenty-first century but also the notions of blackness that should die or remain dead. </div>