1 comments about American Saturday.

1. Clark Howard's true crime writings are written in a way that makes you feel you are right there. I first read Clark Howard's ZEBRA about the killings that took place in San Francisco and could not put the book down, in fact I stayed up to three AM and still didn't want to put the book down.
   
   Shortly after reading ZEBRA I became a correctional officer at San Quentin Prison. I saw and got to know two of the convicted people mentioned, Larry Green and J.C. Simon. In fact, Clark Howard described them so well that I recognized Larry Green coming back from a visit to North Block without knowing who he was. I was able to talk to these two and could not get over how accurately they were portrayed in the book. He had their description, manner and personality nailed down.
   
   I read AMERICAN SATURDAY while working at San Quentin. I worked for a time in the AC or Adjustment Center that is the center of this books story. Again, Clark Howard's description was so accurate to the detail of how the AC is. I talked to a few of the "Old Timer Correctional Officers" and they gave the very same account and details of the book. It was chilling to actually be there knowing what had happened, including the bullet holes still left in the wall after the CO's took back the AC.
   
   Clark Howard is a master true crime writer who does exact research and has a captivating style in his writing. AMERICAN SATURDAY is another one of his books that you just can't put down.
   
   I highly recommend this book.

3 comments about Black and Free.

1. This book was revolutionary in aiding me in my Christian growth and is a must read! Tom Skinner's life declares the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he describes first hand how Christ changed him from a gang leader to Evangelist. As a contemporary of Billy Graham, his ministry reached Black urban America with an astounding impact. This book has been out of print for a while, so if you can find one available, purchase it.

   Tom has gone to be with the Lord, but his work and the lives he touched is still evident. Words can not say enough about this man and most of all the Lord he served!




2. I read this book and loved it. It not only tells about the oppression suffered by black males, but it gives hope and shows a path free from despair.

   This was a great book!




3. I did not read this book, but I read an excerpt from this classic 1968 autobiography in the January/February 1999 issue of New Man magazine by Strang Communications. Mr. Skinner grew up in Harlem, as a leader of a street gang, but when he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, he went on to become an urban evangelist. His wisdom shown in this little excerpt convicted me. He knew who he was. He did not need all of society to accept him. He knew where his relationship with Jesus Christ placed him - as an heir to God! He is now with the Lord, and I bet he's getting more respect now than any man ever had during his/her life on Earth.

3 comments about Profiles of Black Success: Thirteen Creative Geniuses Who Changed the World.

1. This is another in a series of "Profiles of...." volumes in each of which Landrum focuses on exceptional men and women who have achieved great success after having overcome all manner of barriers, obstacles, and adversities. In this book, he provides a rigorous and eloquent discussion of "thirteen creative geniuses who changed the world." Twelve of the thirteen could serve as positive role models for all youth regardless of their "color." During the seven years since this book was first published, Michael Jackson's personal behavior in recent years has (in my opinion) disqualified himself from their distinguished company but no one can deny his "creative genius" nor the nature and extent of his success as an entertainer. Regrettably, he seems to have "killed" his career. Others may challenge the inclusion of Paul Robeson but I do not. They are urged to read Chapter 17 in which Landrum brilliantly discusses Robeson's life and career. He was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and All American football player at Rutgers University (later inducted into the NCAA Football Hall of Fame), attorney, internationally renowned actor and singer, and a social (not political) activist whose initiatives and eloquence helped to achieve human rights for Afro-Americans, notably the Supreme Court decision in 1954 which declared school segregation unconstitutional. He overcame so many adversities himself while leveraging his celebrity to make it so much easier for others to overcome theirs.
   
   The most famous subjects in this book are Bill Cosby, Jackson, Michael Jordan, Colin Powell, and Oprah Winfrey but I was most interested in what Landrum reveals about John Johnson, Reginald Lewis, and Thurgood Marshall who continue to be neglected and underappreciated in terms of their importance, not only to the United States but to other countries throughout the world and for reasons which Landrum notes in the separate chapters devoted to them.
   
   A sufficient number of copies of this book should be readily available in every school and public library. Of greater importance, Profiles of Black Success should be a primary source in every U.S. history course.
   
   Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Landrum's Profiles of Genius, Profiles of Power & Success, Profiles of Female Genius, and Entrepreneurial Genius as well as Howard Gardner's Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership and Creating Minds: An Anatomy of Creativity Seen Through the Lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi.



2. Are there differences in achievement when it comes to race? This is the predominant question which the author attempts to answer through his study of thirteen African-American super achievers. From the start of his work the author makes very clear that greatness is greatness and is not predetermined by genetic influences and the inane concept of race.

   I found this book to be very inspiring in pointing out the various personality traits that enables one to become successful. The author's use of various personality type theories (Myers-Briggs, Farley's Personality Types,etc) to explain what makes these individuals "tick" was very helpful. His survey of each individuals' imprint for success and summary for them gives an excellent snap shot on what success entailed for these individuals.

   Although the work is intriguing many questions abound. For example of the thirteen profiled (Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Berry Gordy, etc.) the vast majority are in the field of entertainment/sports.Why? Is it because the society only opened opportunities for Blacks in those areas? His dominant traits for these subjects success are not anything new. Many other Blacks have possessed them but never made it to "the top". Why? Our author fails to point out what is it in Black culture that nurtured these people to success inspite of the obstacles.

   Profiles of Black Success is a good starting point in studying how African Americans survive against the odds. I would hope that other African-American writers specialized in behavior theory could present us with a more incompassing and complete work on how Black culture plays its part in success. Until then this book will do.




3. Despite a few errors on the personalities( e.g. Michael Jordan did not play for the NCSU Wolfpack), the book provides a somewhat interesting analysis into the traits and experiences which made the following subjects achievers in their own right. Even though the author is prone to bouts of exaggeration in describing the qualities which made these people successful in their fields, I would still recommend the book to youngsters, who in this day and age, need to understand what are the foundations for attaining whatever they wish to achieve.

No comments about The Chicago NAACP and the Rise of Black Professional Leadership, 1910-1966 (Blacks in the Diaspora).

1 comments about Scenes of Instruction: A Memoir.

1. Michael Awkward's memoir is instructive--in numerous ways: it contains insights on how to write memoirs, especially if one is a scholar/critical theorist; it instructs us on the intersection of race and gender (Awkward is a self-described black male feminist--raised in Philadelphia); and it shows us how we might bring postmodern forms of analysis to the stories we have lived. The central "other" in Awkward's book is his mother. With great insight, he shares the pain of her life, and his related pain, with the reader. This book is a powerful gift; I have learned much from it.

1 comments about Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement.

1. In a movement that unfortunately has been defined in the public perception by one charismatic black leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the commitment and plain hard work performed by women, black and white, has long been overlooked. Schultz's fine book adds a new chapter to the emerging fuller story of this freedom movement. Her skillful weaving of personal stories with the larger social context of the movement, and her analysis of the influence of Jewish notions of morality and social justice, make this an important addition of civil rights scholarship. Moreover, because it is so smoothly written and filled with fascinating stories, it accomplishes something rare in historical scholarship--it's fun to read!

No comments about Martin Luther King, Jr.: To the Mountaintop.

5 comments about Why Did Cambridge University Law Faculty Push Me Out Of Their Library? Reflections On Color, Justice, And Due Process.

1. There is institutional discrimination against Koreans. This is not only at Cambridge University but Methodist seminaries across the United States of America and among white Methodist ministers. It is well-documented and the understanding is far and wide among Korean Methodists all over the world. Institutional discrimination by the United Methodist Church (UMC) against Korean Methodist ministers is well-documented, for instance, in academic books. In Andrew Sung Park's book, RACIAL CONFLICT & HEALING, he recounts the racist practice of the United Methodist Church (UMC) against Korean Methodist pastors. Professor Park writes: "Still, racial discrimination within the church is serious. A visible example is the sharing of church buildings. Along with other Korean-American churches, a number of Korean United Methodist churches have a hard time finding United Methodist churches that are willing to share their facilities with their fellow ethnic Methodist churches. Although Korean-American and Euro-American pastors are appointed by the same bishop of a conference, many Korean-American pastors who start new congregations have to beg fellow Euro-American pastors to rent their buildings to their congregations. They are treated as second-class pastors" (p. 21). Since this book was published in 1996, there has been recording of many instances of racist discrimination against Koreans by the United Methodist Church (UMC). Even those who reluctantly rent to Korean-Americans treat them with disdain and try to impose their white culture on Korean-Americans. Examples of instances recorded in Korean and spread through oral tradition is vast. White UMC pastors are known to treat white Jews better even though Jews are of different religion just because Jews are racially white, whereas Korean UMC pastors are racially colored. For instance, Methodist seminaries like Duke Divinity School aggressively hire religious Jews and refuse to hire Korean Methodists with Ph.D.s from Methodist universities as well as Ivy League universities. United Methodist seminaries like Duke University, Drew University, Boston University, and Northwestern Universities have consistently shown favoritism to white Jews because Jews are racially white and discriminated against Korean Methodists because Koreans are colored people. Currently, there are dozens of Koreans finishing Ph.D.s in Methodist universities who are chucked out by United Methodist seminaries for the sake of white Jews who do not share religion with Methodist seminaries. It is plain and simple. United Methodist Church is racist and prefers white Jews over colored Methodist Christians. Their pro-white Jewish policies reflect their racist bias against Christians of color.



2. Yesterday, a Taiwanese business man was arrested for spying for China. It seems like the latest "Chinese" spies arrested in the USA for spying for China are Taiwanese. This may show our community a lot of important things that we are only beginning to realize. One thing that this trend is encouraging me to think about is the concept of official coercion. What happened to Christian Kim is an act of official coercion. It was immoral official coercion which violated due process. What Taiwanese Americans should be concerned about is precisely this. How do institutions use official coercion and not respect due process. Critical thinking on this issue can save the Taiwanese American community. This book by Christian Kim is great in helping us and our community started on thinking about this important issue.



3. Asians do not know what "coercion" is because they do not know western philosophy -- they are not part of the western history. On the other hand, whites and blacks who have lived in America for hundreds of years know instinctively because it is a part of their culture. Property rights, individual rights, these are western values not Asian values. Thus, it is understandable why some Asians are completely ignorant when it comes to the dangers of official coersion and its abuses. My friend's mom works in the United States Postal Service (USPS) and she is a first generation Chinese immigrant. She works there and is happy at the job security and the pay, but she doesn't know how position vis-a-vis western history. USPS is a US government agency and she can be brought up on spy charges (spying for China) and sent to jail for years and years without trial, just because she is Asian (Koreans and Chinese are particularly susceptible because of China and North Korea in the eyes of the Pentagon). Official coersion can be wrongfully applied to her because she is a part of the postal service. She doesn't understand this. And unfortunately, neither her daughter who is attending one of the University of California campuses. This is because Asians don't understand the concept of coercion, private rights, and the abuses of this against the people of color in the past. This book is a culturally valuable book for all Asian Americans in uderstanding oppression against Asians in western societies.



4. For the Irish people, English people are known for their misrule. It's not that they don't know how to rule -- they do, but all too well for evil reasons. English people have oppressed the Irish for centuries -- depriving us of land and place in society. So, Irish people know the extent to which English institutions can abuse their power to disenfranchise the Irish socially, politically, and economically. What happened to Christian seems like the English pattern repeating again. Let us not forget history. In the colonialist times, the English manipulated foreign powers and used foreigners to put the majority of foreign people down. What the English did to the Irish is a pattern -- a pattern which Christian unfortunately came to experience.



5. To make the society a better place, leaders need to be brave.
   
   They need to be brave to do the right thing.
   
   And not to follow injustice just because it pays better.
   
   Leaders must be above bribes of any kind and any influenced propelled injustice.
   
   This incident against Christian Kim seems to be seasoned by prejudice against the less fortunate in society who have historically suffered on the basis of skin color.
   
   Of course, it is easy to trample on the weak and the oppressed.
   
   Cambridge University seems to have taken this mistaken road.
   
   It is very unfortunate.
   
   It is a tragedy of history that will be remembered.
   
   I hope that Cambridge University will be able to find a way to make things up to Christian Kim.
   
   Karma demands it.

No comments about Mackman! Forced Into The Game.

1 comments about A Clashing of the Soul: John Hope and the Dilemma of African American Leadership and Black Higher Education in the Early Twentieth Century.

1. Leroy Davis is a briliant scholar and an excellent teacher. His depth of knowledge on John Hope is amazing, and the real man comes through in this great book.

   -Adam Rothwell