Spike Lee: Finding the Story and Forcing the Issue: Finding the Story and Forcing the Issue

Spike Lee's journey from guerrilla filmmaker to Hollywood insider is explored in light of his personal background, the cultural influence of his films, and the extensive scholarship his movies have inspired.

• Examines the full range of Lee's career, including the five film books he authored or coauthored, his feature films, his television projects, and his documentaries

• Offers a comprehensive, scholarly analysis of how, as both an American and African American filmmaker, Lee tells stories that might otherwise have remained untold on American movie screens

• Analyzes Lee's place in a rich tradition of African American filmmaking that includes Oscar Micheaux, Gordon Parks, Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, and John Singleton

• Discusses the influence directors such as Martin Scorsese and Melvin Van Peebles have had on Lee

• Reveals how Lee's films expose little-known aspects of American social issues, historical events, and public figures