Erlene Wilson could give any guidance counselor a run for his or her money. What she does in the revised and updated edition of The 100 Best Colleges for African American Students is provide an invaluable resource for any student of color who is even considering pursuing postsecondary education.

With a forward by poet and professor Nikki Giovanni, this guide is equal parts information and inspiration.

The ever eloquent Giovanni, now a professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, delivers sermonesque revelations in her preamble, comparing African American college students to the first pioneering Black explorers to reach the shores of America.

"Walk together, Children ... and don't you get weary," she advises, urging that African American students will have to find a way to overcome.

Which leads directly to the essence of Wilson's guide. She has clearly submerged herself evenly in the worlds of the Black student and the college administrator -- precisely what makes the guide a treasure. It's evident that Wilson understands fully the plight of Black college students as well as what it will take for them to overcome the obstacles and succeed in what she calls our "schizophrenic higher education system."

Her compilation encompasses everything a student should know to overcome the obstacles, from scholarship and financial aid information to a well-organized, quick reference to the 100 colleges she selected.

Preceding the quick-reference section, which is the bulk of the 361-page text, she presents suggestions that all pre-college students of color should consider. She offers insights on the type of student who can handle a traditionally White institution, as opposed to the student who might best be nurtured at a historically Black school; warns about the difficulties of being a college athlete; and offers community colleges as a good option for African American students with marginal grades and limited financial resources.