Originally published in 1945 as They Seek a City, this classic was revised and expanded in 1966 to include chapters on Marcus Garvey, the Black Muslims, Malcolm X, and the racial disturbances in Detroit, Chicago, and Watts. Filled with stories about real men and women who sought a new life in the North, Anyplace But Here depicts the theme of hope, undercut by disappointment, and hope renewed as it details the African American's search for a home.

"Bontemps and Conroy crossed the borders of race, culture and class to join as coauthors when such crossings carried great risks, as they inevitably do for those who venture first. . . . Bontemps and Conroy's combined strength lay in illuminating the struggle of blacks by making it personal and humane."--Douglas Wixson

"One of the remedies we Americans need to take as part of the treatment for a malady of heart and soul and mind which is a great danger for our nation."--Dorothy Canfield

"As human and enlightening a panorama of the main trends and motives of Negro group life as has yet been given."--Alain Locke

"An eloquent explanation of the processes of migration."--Horace Cayton

"The cityward trend of African Americans in recent years has been fantastic, and the city has provided the setting for the current struggle for equality. . . . Bontemps and Conroy have given us an excellent account, rich in drama as well as detail, of one of the really great migrations of all times."--John Hope Franklin

About the Authors

Arna Bontemps, editor of American Negro Poetry and author of numerous other works, was a novelist, poet, essayist, editor, librarian, and public relations director.