2 comments about The Barber of Natchez.

1. A fascinating story of one of the few free black men in Natchez, MS prior to the Civil War. Respected businessman, confidant to white businessmen, land owner, slave owner, the possibilities of the black people is shown here in a unique bit of our South's history.



2. In 1938 the 2,000 page diary of William Johnson of Natchez, Mississippi was discovered along with numerous other personal and legal documents. The widow of Johnson's grandson made possible the publication of the diary in 1951 which led to publication of The Barber of Natchez in 1954.

   This book is relevant to the history of the U.S. because of its detailed, up-close portrait of one city--Natchez, Mississippi--in the antebellum period. Further enhancing the books value is that the barber, William Johnson, was a free Negro. And while Johnson had enough education to create an extensive, if not acute, sixteen-year chronicle, he could not foresee the impending cataclysm of Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Johnson's diary, therefore, is important because of its unvarnished, unintellectualized objectivity.

   Johnson was scrupulously honest, but his integrity, while known by many, could not change the color of his skin. Neither would industry or imagination, both of which he possessed. He ultimately would dwell in a sort of nether-world between white society and slavery. And his disdain for the local white trash of Natchez reaffirmed his status as a man with no true place in the world. From birth he was banished.

   In antebellum Mississippi true freedom was contingent upon skin color, although a modicum of freedom would be acccorded to a mulatto who aspired to live as a white man. It was this limited acceptance that Johnson pursued relentlessly throughout his short life. And his murder in 1851 was committed with naked impunity, as if Johnson had never been free at all.

   Organized thematically by chapters covering every facet of Johnson's existence, The Barber of Natchez paints a vivid picture of everyday life in the Old South. While supplemented occaisonally with other primary sources, the book relies first and foremost on the diary of William Johnson, which is recreated with its imperfect grammar, spelling errors, and archiac slang. A daguerreotype of the diariest is reproduced and there are no maps or diagrams of any kind.

1 comments about Confronted by God: The Essential Verna Dozier.

1. Confronted By God: The Essential Verna Dozier by co-editors Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett is a carefully selected assembly of the writings of Verna Dozier, a Christian African-American woman dedicated to speaking out for the sake of the poor, dedicating herself to spreading the idea of equality as God's great dream. Confronted By God captures the essence of this proud, passionate, and pious woman, and invokes both compassion and contemplation at length in the reader. "Has anyone called you a fanatic lately? And if they did, was it because you were so set on establishing a morality for someone else, or because you were intent on a private piety, or because you were willing to risk every known security that someone else might have a richer life?"

No comments about Black Pioneers in a White Denomination.

2 comments about Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook (Casebooks in Contemporary Fiction).

1. I found the casebook to be most intriguing because it shapes the context of which Maya Angelou writes. The interview and the various essays published give a greater insight into the dynamics of Angelou in her art and her voice as an African American women.



2. This book certainly reveals certain aspects of the small town south; but as descriptive and true as it may be, it is not a quality book. The character does not really evolve toward any end; she changes, but almost randomly. There is no thread connecting from page to page to chapter. The end (or lack thereof) is the worst part. There is not tying of loose ends, no final conclusion, no looking back. The book just cuts off.It utilizes excellent language to tell a poor story, and in the end, while Maya might know, the reader has no idea why the caged bird sings.

   -s1desh0w

1 comments about Weren't No Good Times: Personal Accounts of Slavery in Alabama (Real Voices, Real History).

1. Compiled and edited by Horace Randall Williams, Weren't No Good Times is an anthology of 46 of the 125 interviews of former Alabama slaves, conducted from 1936 to 1938, presented with the express purpose of thoroughly documenting and creating a record of life during slavery in the southern state of Alabama. A powerful primary source, presenting individual voices with a loud and clear message of what slavery itself was truly like, Weren't No Good Times has the absolute highest recommendation and is a must for school and community libraries and American History and Black History reference collections and reading lists.

2 comments about After Jackie: Pride, Prejudice, and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes: An Oral History.

1. Being a fan of baseball & Black history, I loved it. It has interviews with living Negro League players, their widows & or children, other celeb
   rities who lived through that era and white ballplayers as well.
   It is full of insight from a lot of different viewpoints.



2. This nation's leaders in fields such as politics, sports and history do a great job with race. You see, they mostly race away from the real questions and answers surrounding slavery, prejudice and the lies from the past that are taught as fact today. Race fast enough and the truth may just get left far behind.
   
   That is what makes After Jackie: Pride, Prejudice, and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes - An Oral History, as important a book as you can read this year, or ever. It gives you a foundation to discuss with your children true American history from the voices of true heroes.
   
   Each person chronicled by author Cal Fussman - either in recent interviews or through past public statements - lived through the racial hatred that did not cease after Jackie Robinson donned the uniform of the Brooklyn Dodgers. That is because of the race away from the hard questions and tough answers.
   
   "The more I spoke with the men who came after Jackie, the more certain I became of one thing: The only way to unlearn is to learn," writes Fussman. "The surest way for us to move forward is to know where the old have been."
   
   And to put one issue in perspective - Major League Baseball's "Glory Road" - it really isn't "ancient" history. The first all-minority starting lineup - blacks and Latin players - was filled out by manager Danny Murtaugh on September 1, 1971, when his Pittsburgh Pirates played the Philadelphia Phillies. For the record, the Pirates won the World Series that season.
   
   Former Dodgers star, Lou Johnson - whose life is equally uplifting and chilling due to the prejudice of society - captures the powerful message of the book through a story of sharing:
   
   "The other day I was at my mother-in-law's funeral and there was a kid who was wearing a jersey with No. 42 on it. He had no idea what the 42 meant. In the heart of the hood, and this kid had no idea.
   
   "I put my arm around this kid and I showed him my world championship ring. I said, 'It was No. 42 who got me this ring.'
   
   "And then I told him about No. 42."
   
   It is not enough to simply remember the past. Without a true comprehension of history, a society is doomed to repeat the same mistakes - in various degrees - over and over again.
   
   And that will unfortunately make No. 42 just another number.
   

1 comments about Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde.

1. Alexis DeVeaux presents a comprehensive account of self-described feminist, lesbian, and poet warrior, Audre Lorde. The author pulls together a myriad of published documents, unpublished journal entries by Audre Lorde herself, and a host of interviews with personal friends and family members to create a well documented look at the poet's life. The book is divided into two major sections called "lives." The first life begins prior to Audre's birth, and highlights some aspects of her parent's early life, their eventual marriage and move from the Caribbean to the United States. This family background helps readers understand Audre's nearly lifelong quest to come to terms with her relationship with her often emotionally detached parents. This portion of the book also details information about Audre's childhood, educational background, and young adult life. We learn about Audre's marriage to a white, gay, man and their eventual divorce and follow her process of "coming out" regarding her own lesbianism. Her long-term relationship with a white woman, Frances Clayton, and the challenges associated with raising a bi-racial son and daughter in a lesbian household during an era of rampant, overt racism and sexism was also discussed. DeVeaux also takes time to highlight some of Audre Lorde's flaws, thus providing a somewhat more balanced view of the author. Her professional career as a poet develops slowly, and the evolution of her writing career parallels the evolution of her political views and personal growth.
   
   The second section of the book, "The Second Life," continues to explore her career development, chronicles her battles with cancer in more detail, and ends with her death. Audre Lorde supported freedom and equality for all, regardless of race, gender, class, or sexual orientation. However, because of her strong views and personal lifestyle, she often found herself on the fringes. Many white feminists were uncomfortable with her views on race, while those involved in the black power movement tended to be uncomfortable with her feminist ideology and her lesbianism. Yet she used her own struggles, particularly her battle with cancer, as a means to educate, motivate, and inspire.
   
   I enjoyed WARRIOR POET and was impressed by Alexis DeVeaux's attention to detail and the time she spent helping readers understand the social and political climate of the times. There were times when I felt she went a little too far "setting the stage" and wanted to read more about Audre and less about other poets, or politics. Audre seemed to use her identity to take on very public battles for women's rights, gay rights, and so forth. But I found myself wanting to know more about how her children handled their mother's public persona. I also wondered how her very conservative, Catholic mother and her other siblings responded to Audre's lifestyle, and this issue was surprisingly never addressed. In spite of its sometimes academic feel, this is a must read for anyone that wants to learn more about an important literary figure.
   
   Reviewed by Stacey Seay
   of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

No comments about King, Vol. 2.

2 comments about Black Society.

1. This book was filled with black history from the days since slavery into the first half of the twentieth century. Ms. Majors was immersed in African American upper class society and knew her subject well. I would recommend this book before Lawrence o. Graham's "Our Kind of People". There were some outdated attitudes in relation to that groups fixation on skin color but otherwise an insightful discourse.



2. "If nobody writes about you, you are thought not to exist. Through this work you will see that the black upper class is an acknowledged institution in cities all over the country. Great families that set the standards, style, and tone of Society are examined with great respect. An account of the origins and impeccable histories of some of the most prominent black families is told with such depth that it makes it hard to put this book down. If the black experience is going to be told it must be told from all aspects. Gerri Majors must be commended for sharing her life with us.

4 comments about Clyde Drexler: Clyde the Glide.

1. Clyde Drexler was always my favorite player not only for his on the court play but for his off the court demeanor. He was always friendly and a perfect gentlemen. This book just reenforces those attributes and shows a man who is content and proud of his career.



2. Clyde the Glide was One of My Favorites when I was a Kid. he was always on point from Phi slamma Jamma to His days with Portland to Houston. He was a champion a Winner on the Court&Off the Court. this Book is cool because it gives his takes on various stages of his career also it has former players,coaches,etc.. who speak on what they thought of his Great career. Clyde Drexler is One of the Greatest Players Ever.



3. This was a great book about one of the nicest, classiest players the NBA has produced. Very insiteful, lots of good comments from family, friends, former coaches and players. I also have always loved reading anything that Kerry Eggers writes -- one of Oregon's best sports writers of all time.
   
   The only one little thing that was missing for me -- being an absolute sports junky -- were the lack of season-by-season stats that any great biography has at the end of the book. There's nothing better than looking over regular season and playoff stats about the individual you're reading about like in so many other great sports books.
   
   The copy I purchased also had a DVD included with an interview of Clyde. I was hoping to pop it in and see some highlight material from his playing days, but all that you see is Clyde sitting in a chair the entire DVD saying basically the same things he said in the book. Kind of a downer also.
   
   All-in-all, I rate it a five for just a solid sports book (minus stats, mind you). This coming from a Blazer fan you loved the teams of the 80s and early 90s when Clyde, Porter, Kersey, Buck, Duck and Uncle Cliffy were lighting up the NBA!



4. Once again Clyde shows why he was one of the most classiest players and person in the NBA. He is one true Hall of Famer. I highly recommend this book for the true Sports fan!!!!!