5 comments about BAD: The Autobiography of James Carr (NABAT).

1. to quote richard pryor"thank god we got penitentiaries"a very well writen and imformative book of the california prison system of the late 50s early 60s. a fairly accurate account of the start of the california prison system race war that raged into the 70s and is still felt today.
   this book fails in the same way that 99% of the other books about the black prison experience fail,no responsibility(see monster).it's always the same refrain,it`s not my fault. the system or whitey made me do it.thats bull.i had relatives in the same prisons at the same time as carr and i have never heard them blame anyone but themselves.
   at the end i did`nt buy the idea that carr turned his life around.people who turn their life around don`t usually get gunned down in their own driveway



2. Prison ain't a picnic now, but it was much worse in Carr's time. Much of Bad recounts his sadistic brutality (in and out of the joint) with transparent pride. Carr is the "wolf" archetype, thriving inside by taking advantage of anyone dumber or weaker. He's a unique, powerful storyteller - for better or worse, depending how hard your belly is. Before he starts to reflect (which he only does, in earnest, in the conclusion-cum-manifesto), he regails us on his murders and rapes, sparing nothing but any remorse he might feel. Only Jim Goad and Iceberg Slim paint prison life in starker colors, or glean deeper philosophical insight from the experience... but don't get offended by Bad and claim you weren't warned.



3. It's a fascinating book. Incredible actually when you discover that Carr began his preparing for his career as an inmate when he was 9 yrs old. Note: he committed robberies etc. inside and outside of jail, but he was not a professional criminal. He was a professional inmate; and as such, he was cunning, devious, and diabolical. He was also - although he'd deny it - assexual. The only sex he had outside of prison occurred during gang rapes or trains just as if he was in prison. Sex was mechanical; simply a way of displaying power. Be that as it was, it is even more incredible that he was studying and enjoying calculas. What a wasted life.



4. I read this book when it was first published and until recently had always wondered why Carr was killed. I always felt that it was a contract murder but didnt have a clue as to why the contract on carr was carried out. Mr carr was it seems a very bright, well versed man. It" interseting to note that despite all the violence and mayhem. of which Carr contributed was a very itelligent man who was never able to seperate his inate intelligence from his penchant for violence. Mr carr was a victim of his past deeds and very much a product of the era in which he lived. A good read, disturbing because conditions in California State Prisons remain for the most very much the same today as they did in Carr"s time.



5. The book is very well written and not at all dated. Best Prison book I've read. Extremely honest. Deals with race wars, sexual predators, murder...This guy doesn't make excuses, he just tells it how it is. He admits that he was a guy who didn't want to work so he did liquor store robberies. Every time he got out of prison, the first thing he did was get caught for something & sent back. He was in prision during the time that the Mexican Mafia was starting and has some interesting insight on that. Very involved in race wars and riots. It's interesting how he moves from institution to institution (San Quentin, Tracy, LA County, among others) and always runs into cons that he knows. This guy was so bad that he got moved from a juvenile facility to San Quentin at the age of 16. An all around bad guy. Great read.

4 comments about Satchel Paige's America (Alabama Fire Ant).

1. Lots of writers have praised William Price Fox's work: Walt Kelly (the creator of Pogo), John Updike, P.G. Wodehouse, Pauline Kael, and, yes, even Bruce Springsteen (Springsteen's song, "Darlington County", was based on Fox's book, Dixiana Moon), Richard Yates, Michael Murphy (Golf in the Kingdom), and then some.
   
   And now the Library Journal (the number one publication for Libraries in America) has ranked Satchel Paige's America as one of the top 25 books to read in 2005.
   
   Hopefully more and more people will take notice of his great work once again. For those who have never been introduced to Fox's work, I highly recommend reading his collection of Short Stories: SOUTHERN FRIED. (Shel Silverstein wrote the music for a play based on this work of fiction.)



2. This rather unflattering portrait of a self-indulgent and motor-mouthed Satchel Paige adds little new to either the Paige legend or the history of the baseball era he represented. It also raises some serious questions about the author's journalistic approach. Why does Paige--so lucid in memory on all other matters--boast of facing Mickey Mantle during the 1948 pennant race (Mantle was a rookie in 1951), clinching the tight pennant race by defeating the Yankees (Cleveland won in a playoff with Boston), or facing manager Casey Stengel that year (when Stengel didn't arrive on the Yankee bench until 1949)? If Paige is simply forgetful or chooses to purposely distort historical facts, was doesn't the author/interviewer point this out in a footnote, or perhaps in his postscript? And how could Paige's several days of detailed and colorful ramblings be here reported in such word-for-word detail and in Paige's supposed own words if the author/interviewer made no tape recordings (something Fox claims in the postscript)? One leaves this book wondering how much in its pages is actually Satchel and how much is a fictional character dreamed up by Bill Fox?
   
   The treatment of this supposed 1970 in-depth interview with Paige is also quite repetitious in spots (much of the Postscript is a reprise of Chapter 1) and thus the treatment seemingly lends itself far more to the original intended magazine piece and not to a full-length book. There is also little here (despite the book's misleading title) that captures the flavor of America during the 1930s and 40s eras in which Paige played.
   
   There are far better portraits available of Satchel Paige, especially those written by Negro leagues historian John Holway.



3. Theb book was interesting and informative. I enjoyed it very much.
   The price was reasonable and the service was timely and satisfactory.



4. As already noted, this work is the results of a seven day or so interview of the great Satchel Paige by the author in 1970. It is far more than simply a book of "baseball war stories." The interview clearly illuminates the personality of one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived (beyond a doubt the best pitcher). There was much more here, to this man than just a great arm. The author captures Paige's somewhat erratic personality. The man, Paige, was certainly a character and much more that a simple "jock." On the other hand, reading between the lines, there is a whimsical sadness ever present. As you read, you cannot help but wonder what might have been had the times been different. You get the feeling that Paige knew, ergo, the sadness. Recommend this one for any baseball fan or those simply interested in or countries history, warts and all.

2 comments about Paul Robeson Speaks: Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration.

1. If you can't believe the websites of Rutgers and Princeton Univiersities, and just have to read it for yourself, this is the book for you. Just being able to read Mr. Robeson's beautiful ode to one of last century's most influential world leaders, Joe Stalin, is worth the price of the book! I'm tickled pink (or should I say "red") that the United States Postal Service has done their homework and honored Mr. Robeson with his own postage stamp!!



2. What can I say? Paul Robeson put his money where his mouth is. He gave up millions for what he believed in and stood his ground. He fought for Black freedom and also took up the cause for poor whites and workers. Whether you agree with him or not, this man is one of America's greatest heroes! It is amazing how his life and contributions are overlooked. Buy this book and read about a great American hero.

5 comments about Parallel Time: Growing Up in Black and White.

1. New York Times editorial writer Brent Staples tells the incredible stories of living life as a young black man in America in his memoir, Parallel Time. Staples uses incredible detail of both physical surroundings and human emotion as he paints a clear and relatable image of his youth. His honest description of his own naiveté and foolishness leads the reader to trust and care for his character as he struggles with the issues of family, romance, and independence.
   Growing up with a drunken father, several moves from house to house, grocery store debt, and a drug dealing brother, Staples has no shortage of material to write about. He chooses his scenes carefully, developing each major change in life through a series of smaller events that make his feelings more apparent. Instead of simply discussing the feelings of shame he had from leaving store after store with a mountain of debt from products purchased on credit, he tells a story of his most shameful moment to provide a more interesting and real emotion to his character. After accidentally entering the wrong store, Staples was forced to make small talk with shop owner. As he was leaving the shop owner asked him to return and pay his debts, Staples recalls, "My face was hot with shame" (109). Having an alcoholic father left Staples with a yearning for a father figure. He transformed men in his life into heroes, and recalls how foolish he was to mimic them. Staples often described his older cousins as perfect individuals, whose "coolness" he would imitate. It is this type of honesty that helps develop the readers' trust.



2. "Parallel Time" was an interesting book. It told a story about Brent's life and his struggle to be a writer. The message I got out of this book was that you are your own person and that you have total control over your life. I was able to read and visualize how Brent grew up as a black child, and how hard it was. By reading this story I have a better picture of how difficult being black in America was.



3. "Parallel Time" was an interesting book. It told a story about Brent's life and his struggle to be a writer. The message I got out of this book was that you are your own person and that you have total control over your life. If you want to be someone important in your life, you must never give up on your dream. Also, I was able to read and visualize how Brent grew up as black child, and how hard it was. By reading this story I have a better picture of how difficult being black in America was.



4. Parallel Time was a very interesting book. I learned a lot about what he went through growing up. He had to deal with his father being an abusive alcoholic, and the obsitcals of growing up black and white. He went into good detail when he talked about each event that happend when he was young. he also talks about his brother being a drug dealer. He gives support of why his brother was already dead to him in his mind. He list all the things that were important to him. He was responsible in taking the role of his father. I feel that this is a good book to read if you are interested in seeing what it was like to grow up black in the 1960's.



5. Parallel Time is a intresting book about blacks and whites. This book is about a black kid growing up in a black and white community. Brent Staples is good at expressing his feelings and thoughts. An example of this is he talks about his brother and also takes the role of his father. He also has a good way of showing the reader what is exactly going on. He shows detail in every chapter. This would be a great book to read if you are intrested in racism.

No comments about The Journals of Charles W. Chesnutt.

3 comments about Lay My Burden Down: A Folk History of Slavery.

1. Editor and compiler B. A. Botkin wrote the first of its kind comiliaton of the over 3000 interviews of ex-enslaved African Americans done by the WPA in the 1930s. As the subtitle suggests, he provides "A Folk History of Slavery." Read excerpts from first hand accounts of the horrors of slavery and of the remarkable resilience of the enslaved. For a more detailed compilation (those contained here are brief snippets) consider Blassingame's "Slave Testimony").
   
   Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."



2. I read "Lay My Burden Down" by B.A. Botkin, almost forty years ago. Botkin's collection of these narrative is indeed a national resource. It's a great book for researches of American History. People of every ethnicity should read this book. These narratives so confirmed the slave stories passed down from my great grandparents when I was a child, that I was overwhelmed for a while. The ex-slaves spoke freely about what freedom meant to them. Moreover, they spoke about how the lack of freedom made thier lives a living hell. The first portion of narratives illustrate that nothing, not even slavery can blot out humor or the opportunity to find joy in some aspect of life. One felt like rejoicing when slaves excaped thier horrific exsistence. Then, there was lasting sorrow tinged with hope for the ones who were not freed until the end of slavery in 1965 or a few years after.



3. A friend of mine once described slave narratives as the equivalent of the library of a foreign culture. Reading one is embarrassingly simplistic. Consider Botkin's book a whirlwind tour. Although I believe every American should be exposed to these narratives (above and beyond the historical representations from textbooks), the stories in Lay My Burden Down are so powerful, so full of intensity, I gave the book 4 stars because it is almost brutal in its power. The humor of the first sections soon fades, and the grim truths of slavery become more and more difficult to face. Proceed, but with caution.

5 comments about All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery.

1. Bad
   
   A. The narrative pace is just awful. I don't know what it is about this book I almost didn't make it past the first 40 pages because the begining moves so slowly.
   B. The idiotic "conspiracy theory" idea regarding the Texas Revolution. Someday right minded people everywhere will be able to laugh conspiracy nuts right off the street.
   Good
   
   The book has a great deal of information regarding the beginnings of an organized abolitionist movement in this country. Garrison was the focal point for this when the movement started to move beyond isolated groups of idealists and Quakers and started to be taken seriously as a genuine force for social change.
   
   Overall-Once you get into the book it is amazing, but you have to be in the right mood to do so.



2. Now a book that shows two sides of slavery that all white people were not all for slavery .Like Dr.martin luther king was saying that slavery was not about black against white ,but justice againt injustice.Because if all men and women are not free then we are all in chains.Books like this one has giving us a balance look at one of america darkest sides. But men like Garrison showed us that their were men and women that were a light of hope that all men are created equal . And being a black man I must say thank you to all the blackmen and women and white men and women of the past for fighting a fight that many of us still fight for today .And that is for an opportunity to live as we were when God created us in the beginnig as, a human being thank you.



3. William Lloyd Garrison was a man ahead of his time. Not by years or even decades, but centuries. In the 1830s he was an outspoken proponent of not just the abolition of slavery (many advocated various ways to deal with the South's "peculiar institution"), but called for the immediate abolition of slavery with complete and full civil rights for African-Americans. He dreamed of a time when a black woman might succeed a black man as Secretary of State a decade before the Supreme Court ruled that blacks were something less than human in the infamous Dredd Scott decision. He was also an early advocate of women's rights, labor reform, temperance and civil disobedience, as well as an outspoken critic of organized religion (Garrison was what we might today call a fundamentalist "born again Christian" who recognized no formal church other than Christ's teachings).
   
   Given Garrison's role as founding father of the abolitionist movement, his passion for the cause, longevity in leadership and terminal impact on the greatest political issue of the nineteenth century it is puzzling that he has left such an obscure historical legacy. As author Herbert Mayer notes, Martin Luther King Jr. cited Gandhi, Thoreau and the Gospel as his inspiration and motivation in the Civil Rights movement with no reference to the man whose peaceful agitation did more to eradicate bondage than any other -- and who in turn may very well have been Thoreau's inspiration in writing "Civil Disobedience."
   
   So why the obscurity? Mayer's biography does little to address this paradox. In fact, his book makes Garrison's general absence from the mainstream of American history all the more tenebrous. The man that emerges from the pages of "All on Fire" is a moral giant, a crusader in the purest and best sense of the word, who risked -- indeed, welcomed -- verbal and physical abuse, a life of indigence and scorn, all in pursuit of a truly noble cause. Garrison grew up in New England and never traveled further south than Baltimore until after the Civil War, yet he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery with an intensity and zeal that surpassed dissident southern whites (such as the Grimke sisters) and even some blacks that had escaped from bondage themselves. Because of his central role in establishing and leading the cause, "All on Fire" is, as the full title suggests, as much a history of the entire abolitionist movement as it is a biography of its leading agitator.
   
   However, a close reading of "All on Fire" also reveals a hidden side of William Lloyd Garrison that Mayer, unfortunately, never fully explores: a man of extreme ambition, vanity, and conceit. Garrison fought tenaciously to keep himself at the front-and-center of the moral movement he came to regard as his own. One senses that the fame and notoriety he gained by his agitation came to mean quite a lot to him. In this sense, Garrison reminds one of a contemporary political gadfly increasingly enamored of his high-profile image: Michael Moore. Perhaps Garrison's attraction to celebrity never fully outweighed his commitment to the ultimate prize of freeing three million humans from bondage, but it certainly meant more than the pious Christian in him would have liked to admit -- and certainly more than biographer Mayer is willing to concede. Again and again throughout the narrative Garrison experiences a painful and personal falling out with some of his closest friends and coadjutors: Frederick Douglas, Wendell Phillips, the Tappan brothers, etc. And time after time Mayer attributes the rift to simple misunderstandings or the result of the stress and pressure of the times. That Garrison might have been something less than the Galahad on ante-bellum America is left unexplored.
   
   Nevertheless, for anyone with a desire to know more about America and especially to learn about a man that was once one of the most controversial and well-known figures of his century, only to sink to near anonymity, this National Book Award finalist can be highly recommended.



4. Let's just get the obvious criticisms out of they way. First, the author pretty much flat out states that The Civil War was fought only because of slavery--and in the preface! Yawn. Will I ever be able to find a Northerner who can write a book that examines both sides of the conflict? I mean southern writers do it all the time. The second problem is the assertion that the Texas Revolution was some kind of government conspiracy--from Pres. Jackson on down to Sam Houston--to perpetuate slavery and continue manifest destiny. While I'm sure some men fought for those reasons, this moronic conspiracy theory about secret government shenanigans has no basis whatsoever. In fact, I would recommend the wonderful biography, Sam Houston, by James Haley. It expertly destroys that awful line of thinking that has somehow survived all these years.
   
   But, being from Texas, I tend to be sensitive to such things. For most people it won't matter.
   
   I still highley recommend All On Fire, though. It is very well written and researched. But most of all, it is the only real biography on Garrison worth reading. And say what you want about the author's biases, he can't muddle the fact that Garrison was one of this country's great patriots, willing to stand up to anyone to free his fellow man. He dedicated his entire life to this noble cause--and except for a few references in some Civil War books--is largely forgotten. What a shame.



5. This is the last and probably the best book completed by the late Henry Mayer.

   Mayer admired Garrison, the most important leader of the abolitionist movement. In this book, he succeeds in renovating the reputation of a great reformer and activist who has often been neglected or written off as a crank.

   Garrison and the abolitionists were originally hardly more popular in the North than in the South. They were seen as disrupting the Union and were regarded with suspicion for their pro-black beliefs - public opinion in the North was only marginally less racist than in Dixie. Garrison's courage and consistent refusal to trim his convictions for popular acceptance led to a career with an outsized share of controversy, oppobrium, and in several cases physical danger.

   Some reviewers have felt the book is too long, and it is hefty. But the length is necessary for Mayer to give a full portrait, which shows not only the man, but also the era he lived in. In particular, Mayer writes extensively about abolitionism as a movement. Abolitionists, and Garrison himself, struggled with many problems - whether to compromise by supporting politicians whose platforms called for less than full abolition, evolving from a paternalist movement of mostly privileged whites to a movement in which free blacks and escaped slaves could play a meaningful role, and reconciling the pacifist leanings of many to their role in a war against slaveholders - that will be of interest to contemporary political activists. Mayer also shows how, after abolition was accomplished, former abolitionists seeking new causes worked for other advances, including the first stirrings of the women's suffrage movement.

5 comments about Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority.

1. Basically John McWhorter is suggesting that we a African Americans must re-examine our "sacred cows" and move to the next step of individual and cultural evolution. The United States is not a perfect nation regading its original "sin" of racism. Yet progress has been made and we must focus on that progress (not forget past injustices) and capitalize on it. We ignore this message at our peril. There is no litmus test on "Blackness" and we as a people are not a monolith.



2. Once again John raised issues nobody wants to hear back into why Black Americans seem to hurt ourselves and not help one another.



3. 
   McWhorter considers himself a moderate black man. He is an academian in linguistics, but his second career is in writing and speaking about black issues. He has written a series of essays about the current problems facing blacks in America, many of which have been previously published. In this book, he expands on these essays, giving us a profound overview of the victimization attitude which contributes to the resistance to deracialization of blacks here in the USA.
   
   I have a black friend who likes to play the race card at the drop of a hat. This leaves me with nothing to say, unless we both are willing to have a lengthy private conversation, which may or may not be productive. McWhorter has covered in this book topics I would like to discuss with my friend - has said it much better than I could - and has done it from a personal, studied, and comprehensive vantage point. Below are short excerpts from the chapters of this excellent book, mostly in his words.
   
   Chapter I - Many blacks are careful to portray a pessimistic public outlook in order to "keep whitey on the hook." Privately, their silent mainly middle class majority wish they could have just one generation that didn't absorb this complex cultural victimization attitude. One generation would do it.
   
   Chapter II - Racial profiling is a fact. Other than inconvenient examples of thoughtless inconsideration - which are just as easily overlooked - this remains the last bastion of overt racism. Yet a young black male usually did it, a problem that began with the war on drugs. A powerful and thoughtful analysis, advocating that a cultural bias (within the black community) against real achievement and education works against blacks.
   
   Chapter III - The reparations movement - re: Randall Robinson's book, "The Debt." With the advantages legislated in by Johnson, blacks have been given all the boost they can expect. "Most blacks about fifty or younger tend to tacitly process affirmative action...as a 'reparation,' although they would not put it just that way...The fact that Robinson and the reparation crowd cannot see the alternative views as even worthy of addressing indicates their true interest - assuaging the sense of inferiority to whites that gnaws at the black American soul."
   
   Chapter IV - Review of Bogle's "Primitive Blues," or playing the "can you find the stereotype" game. Bogle blames the TV industry since all shows are not like his preferential type (Cosby), criticizing all actors involved no matter how they perform their role. McWhorter gives the optimistic view, reflecting how the TV industry is well on its way toward an integrated and "deracialized" future.
   
   Chapter V - Diversity - "There comes a point where a people can only achieve at the same level as the ruling group if the safety net is withdrawn."
   
   Chapter VI - McWhorter analyses the "N" word from all vantage points: "Once we have done the right thing for ourselves - which is what interests me - the word will no longer seem so interesting." A fascinating chapter.
   
   Chapter VII - African History - "Black Americans would benefit more from a conception of history focusing not on Africa but on the US: blacks in America speaking english, worshipping a Christian God, living with whites, in a post-industrial society." This chapter then gives a brief essay of McWhorter's idea of what black history should be.
   
   Chapter VIII - Black academics and doing the right thing.
   
   Chapter IX - A seething indictment of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton; then a thoughtful presentation of new black leaders who are quietly doing the right things.
   
   This is a superb book that builds interest gradually until it can barely be put down. If you're not black, there is probably much that has escaped your notice. Having read "Authentically Black," I now possess a vastly better understanding of the situation and recommend this book be promoted to the top of your list.



4. John H. McWhorter, 37-year-old Afro-American and linguistics Professor, criticizes the image identification of his brothers and sisters with a certain maliciousness, an image as on the one hand constructed by liberal left-wing politics, on the other hand advanced by pop culture . The politics is tightly still too much attached to the no longer quite realistic, melodramatic idea, that the blacks are still the victims (Al Sharpton) in a territory, where still racism subliminally exists. McWhorter denies this. He slaughters a sacred cow, of which many blacks think, though, one still needs her for milking. However John McWhorter thinks that all non-whites, whether Asians, Latinos or Afro-Americans have fair chances at school or at professional areas in the USA at present. Perhaps he overflows (to the joy of some Republicans eternal of yesterday) with such an assertion to the store of the opponents. Perhaps he formulates something which has been already recognized by psychologists as important: take a look at the book of Martin Seligman, "Learned Optimism". A passive victim mentality is dysfunctional, only self consciousness seems saving - and if it is only an individual bridge, at first one makes progress alone (without the populace, following later). McWhorter preaches, that restrictingly is a self-produced whininess, is to bury oneself with gestures of a subculture behavior: Hip Hop is not important and also not important is to wear the cap turned round differently. Of such irrelevant nonsense, please one shall come loose. Black identity may not be equated to the dead end of "reparations payments" (Randall Robinson) or with hip swing acrobatics. One should copy the joy of achieving great things like the Asians practice -- instead of equating himself with the failed eternally. One by the way does not fail. One has gigantic success: Britney Spears or Mariah Carey are pieces of evidence for the imitation rage of the white individuals, which wanted to learn something from the blacks. It would therefore be counterproductive to show itself eternal in the dress of the failed beggar. It would be the reality already, that the most influential Americans would have a black skin color. McWhorter does not think only of Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell (the system critics Howard Zinn despicably counts them as members of the "staff for the rich and powerful"), but he thinks of the Hip Hop music Mogul Russell Simmons (a little illogically). However, nowadays, it therefore would be absurd that (in Hip-Hop-song-lyrics) artists would talk about the discrimination against the blacks. McWorther, who likes to mention, that black men could marry white women nowadays, wishes all his brothers and sisters to have a self-confident basic ego and a little of that self consciousness, which the Latino disparagingly lets speak of the "Gringo"...



5. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book was brilliant. John bravely deals with touchy issues in/and facing Black America.I'm personally surprised his amazon rating is as high as it is; Since boooks like this tend to make people defensive and slinging "Uncle Tom" after 2 paragraphs. Anyway If you have an open mind about the concepts widely accepted about Black America, give this book a try. It won't be a cormfortable read, but the points brought up in the booking are worth consideration and discussion. His thoughts about Afro-centrisim are priceless, sure to shock and anger many.Theres no going back from this book, my world view hasn't been changed this drasticly since reading "The Color Complex".

1 comments about Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon.

1. This was the best Bio I have read on Billie. Previous Bios never were clear on how many times she was married. Actually she was only married twice. There was also quite a bit of detail on her growing up in Baltimore. I always thought that Billie was from the Pennsylvania Ave. section of West Baltimore. But she actually grew up near Fells Point. LATER she moved near to the Royale Theatre in West Baltimore. Also there is clarification of the relationship between her Mother and Father.
   HOWEVER there was too much description of her later drug use. (If you have read one Junkies life (as in John Belushi) you don't need to read about the drug use in another Junkie.) BUT there was also clarification that her addiction didn't start because of a white Band Member (which was shown in the movie).
   Of the 4 books that I have read on Billie this was the best.

2 comments about Jimi Hendrix, Voices From Home.

1. For anyone who wants a little better understanding of what made Jimi Hendrix who he was, then this book is a must. This is one of my favorite Hendrix books because it is full of stories about Jimi by those that knew him best, the people that grew up with him. It is not the cheapest book but it is worth every penny. No Hendrix library is complete without this book.



2. This book was written by Mary Willix and published in 1995 by Creative Forces (San Diego). I picked it up a long time ago and had big problems reading it. It is so rich in emotion that I had problems keeping with it. I finally got through it after months of picking it up and setting it back down, but my reading was so discontinuous that the sum effect of the book was compromised. So I got back to it this winter and made the committment to read it without interruption. The bottom line summary is that I consider Voices From Home to reside in the extreme upper end of the Jimi Hendrix literature - a must-have for anyone that really wants to understand what made Jimi tick.

   Mary Willix was a childhood friend of Jimi's. She wrote this book in her words: "to settle the gut-wrenching feeling I had about his death". In the process of writing the book, she concluded: "The story of what really happened to Jimmy
   Hendrix was more devastating than I had ever expected. The more I found out, the more I wanted to unravel the tangled bits of misinformation. Part of me wanted to climb the highest mountain and shout 'INJUSTICE!'".

   Mary assembled comments from Jimi's friends and family. The opening chapters were from two of Jimi's best friends as a young kid growing up in Seattle: Terry Johnson and Jimmy Williams. These three met in grade school, grew up together
   and learned to play music together in high school. When you read the words of Mary, Terry and Jimmy, you feel their bond of friendship and love for Jimi. This isn't some faked Andy Worhol 15 minute fame gig. What I see in their words
   is consistency with respect to the forces that defined Jimi's soul. Jimi was a strongly spiritual individual and as a kid he had a huge need for love, probably due to his troubled home life. His friends knew a sensitive, intensely creative
   young Jimi and they truly valued their time with him.

   People have always talked about their interpretations of Jimi's song lyrics. In fact, I've often felt like some people went too far in their interpretations. The comments in Voices From Home have only solidified my opinions. Jimi's best friends repeatedly stress how Jimi loved to joke, tease and find excuses to laugh. For example, Jimmy Williams pointed out: "He could do things with a very tongue-in-cheek attitude. Of all the people I know, Jimmy was probably one of the most fun-loving, humanitarian people I've ever met. It all came from his attitude. He liked to play, he loved to give people nicknames, he always saw positive things in people."

   At the same time, they admit that Jimi was fond of symbolism, but was so private about his feelings that even they couldn't speculate about the meaning of all his words. Jimmy Williams wrote: "Contrary to what some fans think, Jimmy's most significant song is not 'Purple Haze'. To know Jimmy, you have to look at songs like 'Straight Ahead." Mary pointed out how Jimi wrote of freedom, unity and love and qouted a lyric that was especially meaningful to her: "The best love to have is the love of life."

   Hopefully, the above has put you into the ballpark on this book. Rather than continue to pluck out what I see as key quotes, I'll leave that to the reader to investigate. This book is an absolute gem. Essential stuff for those wanting
   to get the most out of Jimi's music. If you want to understand why Jimi integrated blues, rock and jazz into his own Voodoo Child creation, I think you'd be better off to look here rather than any other source. The "how" is probably covered better in other sources, such as Keith Shadwick's Musician, but the why is much more of a roots approach to understanding the man. This book is as real as the dirt under your feet.