5 comments about Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.

1. I first really watched an Ali fight as a boy. Ali was fighting his second comeback fight against the Argentine brawler Oscar Bonavena. It was a gruelling 15 round fight. It was on ABC, and Howard Cosell made it sound much more dramatic than it actually was. It was competitive, but Ali was winning the fight when he dug deep, and dropped Bonavena three times in the final round for an automatic stoppage. This was not a feat to be taken lightly. Bonavena had fought Joe Frazier twice, Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, and a host of others without being taken off his feet.
   
   In any case, over the years, I had read so much about Ali, that when a friend passed this book to me, I was unexcited at the prospect of reading another Ali chronicle.
   
   I was unexpectedly delighted at Hauser's coverage of this legend. He brings out what a transcendant figure Ali was (and remains).
   
   He uses the same technique that made Terry Pluto's LOOSE BALLS a classic sports story, in that he lets people from Ali's past do the talking. Former opponents, wives, associates, friends, trainers all take their turns. Many are insightful.
   
   Hauser is not beyond showing us Ali's warts. We see him as an unfaithful husband, as a cruel tormentor at times, as a foolhardy spendthrift (chump), and for once, as a confused and angry young man, as he transitions into his Muslim persona.
   
   But he evolves as an incredibly special human being. As his skills begin to erode in the ring, his humane qualities flourish. He becomes a man of deep, contented faith. He performs acts for ordinary people that show him to be a worthy idol.
   
   As his career ends, he confronts his diminishing health and vitality by once again looking to his faith. He meets his fourth wife, and finds peace with himself.
   
   Some of what is in this book is hilarious. Ali in many ways is a true original. He is a first rate character, and leaves his ring opponents and his associates often shaking their heads. George Foreman tells a truly funny story about him, and later speaks in great reverence about Ali's greatness, and what an honor it was to share a ring with him.
   
   One thing the book points out is in the 1960's and 1970's, many of the fighters were thoughtful, intelligent and articulate men. Not so much anymore.
   
   The one disappointing item for me, was that the story ends in 1988. Ali's story has continued.
   
   Hauser is a worthy chronicler of this seminal icon. He has done a profound service for any fan, or any curious person who would like to know about one of last century's most famous and influential people.
   
   This is one of the greatest sports biographies I have ever read.



2. Excellent book with wonderful personal insight into a man who captivated the world and the sport of boxing. This is a must read for any Muhammad Ali fan.



3. The author has compiled a book that is exhaustive in its history on the great man. There seems to be nothing left out on him but it is so tiring to read page after page (500 plus) of glorification of Ali.
   
   I found that even a huge fan like myself was getting bored of the countless pages devoted to Ali's religion, health and finances.
   
   I think the book could have dropped at least 150 pages, possibly 200, and still have been a good read.



4. Mainly because it dares to take seriously a glimpse at his deep and abiding faith and his daily practice and study of his humble faith. For this reason alone, for its look into the soul of the man, please please do get this book. It also sees behind the glory and into the pain.
   
   THis book was authorized by the great man himself.
   
   THe one Ali book to get. THen get the Soul of a Butterfly, of course, on audio CD.



5. Thomas Hauser's definitive work on Ali uses a somewhat unconventional style in that he culls quotations from different interviews ranging from Ali's cook to Joe Frazier to paint quite a unique portrait of Ali unlike any other book.
   
   Though much research has been done through interviews of people each of which provide a unique perspective on Ali, it could have helped if Hauser could have interviewed more of Ali's detractors to provide a more well-rounded picture of the icon. The last part of the book pulls out all the stops and proceeds to venerate Ali to the detriment of painting a multi-dimensional picture of the 20th century's greatest athlete.
   
   An educational read but could have used a more unbiased treatment.

1 comments about The Spirit of a Man: A Vision of Transformation for Black Men and the Women Who Love Them.

1. I am a 21 year old black man, who for so long knew that there was more to life but could not figure out what it was. Months of searching lead me to realize that I had to become more spiritual. I went on to read numerous books on spirituality and self-improvement, but after learning these principles I had no way of applying them. This book showed me how to apply what i had learnt and also taught me a lot more things about life and my relationship with the Creator. This book is a must for every black man or woman who is at the entrance of the tunnel, sees the light at the end, but does not know how to walk through. Iyanla took my hand and I'm sure she'll take yours. After she has lead you to the light, you learn the ultimate lesson: you have been and will always be able to lead others through this tunnel.

5 comments about I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad.

1. Karolyn Smardz Frost's tale of the exodus of the Blackburns from America to Canada via the Underground Railroad is incredibly moving and brutal. Moving, because these people, and their mostly-unknown helpers and friends, risked everything for freedom. They found it in the Glory Land, Canada. But they didn't stop there. Thornton Blackburn actually returned to Hell to free his mother, and he and wife Lucy helped other refugee families settle in Toronto.
   
   It was no bed of roses for them in Canada, but it wasn't slavery. Any nostalgia for 'gone with the wind' depictions of antebellum Southern life is put to rest forever when you read of this brutal system that measured degrees of freedom (free blacks lived alongside slaves; slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for census purposes, giving the South more voting clout than it deserved since the '3/5 men' weren't allowed to vote; slaves could be 'hired out' to companies and taught a trade, but their wages were paid to their masters; women were raped by slavers before being sold down the river as concubines.)
   
   The book has its weaknesses. I could have done without the endless geneologies of inbred Southern planters and instead read quotes from the defense speech given by Blackburn's lawyer after the first Detroit Riot ("The Blackburn Riot") in 1833; surely that must have been printed somewhere? I'd have liked it if there were more direct quotes from the principals. And there is a bit too much of 'they might have' 'they must have' and other vagaries. True, the Blackburns could not read or write and many details of their story were not written down, but other people who traveled North could and did write about their experiences in their own words.
   
   The book will leave a bad taste in your mouth if you are from the USA. The 'peculiar institution' was a perversion in every sense of the word, and this book shows how courageous people escaped it and made their own lives in spite of all obstacles in their path.
   
   And their secrecy was so good, we don't really know the names of the people who helped the Blackburns and the others who made it to the Glory Land, these many long years later.



2. I couldn't put this book down. It's a fascinating window into the times and I came away with a much better understanding of it. Some of it was shocking, to be honest. I highly recommend this book.



3. One would have to read this book several times to completely absorb its multifarious layers, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
   
   First and foremost, it is the compelling life story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn. They escaped from slavery boldly using forged documents to travel by steamboat to Cincinnati (appropriately arriving on July 4) then settled in Detroit and were subsequently incarcerated under the Fugitive Slave Law. The community (white and black) rose up in their defense, sparking what history records as "The Blackburn Riots of 1833." After their hair raising escape to Canada and subsequent incarceration while appealing extradition under provisions of the Fugitive Offenders Act, they finally settled in Toronto, where Blackburn established the first cab company. The couple acquired affluence and influence - though they always lived modestly - and assisted many other refugees escaping slavery and intolerance before, during and after the Civil War.
   
   Equally fascinating is the process by which their life story was reconstructed. Both Thornton and Lucie remained illiterate, and no one recorded their memoirs. This book is the result of over 20 years of painstaking research and - as the author states in the introduction - no small amount of "historical coalescence." It perfectly illustrates the creative approach historians must take when attempting to break through what genealogists call "The Wall of Slavery." The author relies on everything from Bibles to court documents to glean information and put all the pieces together, and her extensive bibliography alone is worth the price of the book.
   
   While detailing the Blackburn's encounters with the legal system of the time, the author explores the evolution of jurisprudence in both countries: to maintain the Peculiar Institution in the states, and to guarantee civil liberties (and in no small part, autonomy from the U.S.) in Canada. Some slave owners doggedly expended inordinate amounts of time and money to retrieve their "property" and to punish anyone who might have aided their escape. Consequently, there are voluminous court documents related to the Blackburns as their owners pursued them here and abroad, and legal precedents were set which still have impact today. For example, people are often surprised to learn the Ohio River is actually part of Kentucky - that boundary was established to ensure this particular "highway to freedom" remained "slave territory" and this decision was relevant in the lawsuit filed against the steamboat captain and his company.
   
   For American readers, the fact that this book is written from a Canadian's perspective adds yet another interesting layer. (Oh, to see ourselves as others see us!) Yet while pointing out the obvious hypocrisy inherent in U.S. "freedom," Frost does not turn a blind eye to racism and hypocrisy among Canadians. She notes that while Toronto harbored fugitive slaves, it also welcomed slaveholders and Confederate soldiers seeking asylum during the Civil War. Doubly mind boggling is the fact that the Blackburns had personal connections with some of them...and a few of them probably rode in his cab.
   
   In the standard American narrative, slaves escape to Canada and vanish from our story. While many - heartened by the promise of Reconstruction - returned to the United States to reunite with family after the war (only to migrate north again as Jim Crow and sharecropping reinstated the antebellum power structure) the Blackburns lived three-quarters of their highly productive lives as African-Canadians. This book and the work which went into creating it are welcome revelations. I hope they inspire further research into the lives of those who crossed over into Canaan Land.
   
   NB The book describes the role played by the Blackburns in the development of the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission, a colony for fugitive slaves south of Chatham. The modern village of North Buxton is still home to about 200 descendants. Several years ago I visited the Buxton Historic Site and Museum and highly recommend it...plan to spend several hours! BuxtonMuseum dot com



4. Canada's role relative to slavery in the United States - little-known by Americans - is excellently told through the life story of a couple born in slavery. The Blackburns' escape from slavery calls out for dramatization in a movie or at least on PBS' "American Experience." It would also make a fine children's book.



5. I cannot overstate the importance of this book. It is a moving, heart-wrenching story. Additionally the Kentucky material was of particular interest to me since my own ancestors were in Mason COunty, KY for a good portion of the story of Thornton Blackburn. I have not finished reading it as of this writing.

5 comments about E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.

1. This book offers nothing positive at all. DMX lived a negative life and he speaks negative rap. He robbed people (mostly women) as a youngster. He robbed other kids by using his dog. He stole cars. He stole for the thrill and because he wanted nice things without working for them. And he didn't care who he stole from. He stole a chain from his friend (TQ). He would offer his home made tapes for sell to people, take their money and not give them anything. He promotes violence. He spent most of his life victimizing people in and out of jail. At one point in the later chapters and in one of his raps, he implies raping men in jail. He summarizes quickly what his jail time was like, he avoids going into alot of detail about those years. He's showing you the slice of his life that he wants to show.
   
   He spends too much time on the earliest years of his life which are uninteresting. He doesn't really cover the parts of his life that most people are interested in. He doesn't talk much about the actual business of music. He doesn't talk about how his life changed with the music business success. He doesn't talk about how he grew as a person or what he learned from his incarcerations. Did he spend his time in jail doing anything positive? Or was his jail time just fighting people and rapping about it?
   
   I do appreciate his talent, but not his messages. There were alot of DMX songs that I used to listen to. After reading this book, I see him more vividly now. I see him as a horrible person who I would want nothing to do with. He isn't a person that should be celebrated, he should be ashamed for the life he has led.
   
   You shouldn't buy this book. You shouldn't even borrow it. It's a waste of time to read, there are much better, more positive things that you could be doing with your life.



2. I picked this book up in a used book store. Although I am not a huge fan of his music I picked the book thinking it may be interesting. I was actually surprised to find out how good this book was to read. DMX discloses so much of his personal life in this book. He is very candid and does an excellent job telling his life story from his passion for pitbulls to his problems with drugs.



3. There aren't many people who possess the energy and resilience that DMX has. He connects with his audience in ways beyond belief. I met him at a recent performance, was on stage with him the whole time, and was literally blown away. He is one of the greatest performers in the industry today and should be recognized as such. I appreciate his honesty in his book and in his life. What a great man!!



4. I just grabbed this book out of curiosity. I knew of DMX and his music but no fan. Wow, was I impressed. To be completely honest, I figured it wouldn't be so good because frankly, how good of a story can a ghetto playa bring to the table?
   Well, a very good one in fact. My favorite part of it was that he didn't restrain himself from sounding intimate. He would describe how he was living with nothing and then he had bought a little bouncy ball and that was the shiznit! lol I love that. He appreciated the small things. He still had a heart and needed love no matter how roughed up he was. I got mad respect for him and I feel his story was genuine. DMX did not try to make the projects seem cool or anything. I had a picture the entire time reading it. Dark, gloomy, dirty streets and bad vibes. I recommend this book. Seriously, just read it with an open mind. WOW.



5. Never could have imagined what a rough life DMX had. He has truly defied all odds!

2 comments about Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).

1. Peace,
   
   I bought this book because one upon a time, I lived in Florida and met an elderly (older than me) black Cuban man whom I became good friends with named Santos. Santos had told me about many of his first experiences that he had when he came to the U.S., which seem to coincide with the experience of the author (Evelio Grillo).
   
   One of the most memorable stories that Santos told me was how while waiting in the "refuge" camps some men wearing robes and on horses had come in carrying torches. At first glance, he told me that they thought that they thought it was a parade or something. It wasn't until one of the men on horseback hit one of the Cuban men that they realized that these men meant to do them harm. These men were the KKK and it was because of this experience, Santos told me that he got a glipmse of what African Americans had to undergo in order to live.
   
   So, this book reminds me of my old friend and the stories that he use to tell me, which made me appreciate the contributions made by early African Americans and other people of color, in order to make the U.S. a great country.



2. Black Cuban, Black American is the informative and engaging memoir of Evelio Grillo's life growing up in Ybor City (now part of Tampa, Florida). Evelio experienced the complexities and difficulties of life in a horse-and-buggy society demarcated by both racial and linguistic lines. Evelio goes on to reveal how he was absorbed into the African-American community as he grew to adulthood during the Great Depression. He then relates his experiences as a solider in an all-black unit serving in the China-Burma-India theater of operations during World War II. This lively, informative, superbly written and presented autobiography is enhanced with an eight-page photo insert.

5 comments about Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf.

1. Regardless of the fact that I just love Howlin' Wolf and his music, this is one of the most well written and interesting biographies I have ever read. What I like most about it is that in addition to getting the story of his life, you also get a lot of the history of what was going on at that point in time and around Howlin' Wolf and the Chicago blues scene. It is very well researched. This is more than a biography, it is a major history of the blues. It's "must reading" for any serious blues fan or musicologist.



2. Seeing this book was one of the reasons I set about the task of writing Revelation Blind Willie Johnson The Biography in an attempt to emulate this great tribute to a great man, this is surely the definitive work on the life of Howlin' Wolf, a must read to anyone interested in the man and his music!
   Revelation Blind Willie Johnson The Biography.



3. This book is without doubt, an excellent, well-researched and detailed account of the life of Howlin' Wolf. The life of the blues pioneer was one of hardship, sadness, and overcoming adversity, and the authors do a good job of conveying what the Wolf dealt with.
   
   From his hardscrabble upbringing, an abusive and hypocritical father, and mother lost in psychological and religious madness, and just obstacle after obstacle, the Wolf endured, but sometimes I feel never achieved the full happiness he wanted. There's no doubt he loved his family, cared for his bandmates and did his best, but you could tell the sadness that the blues often heals might not have been enough.
   
   There's a good examination here of Wolf's music, his influences and how he managed a signature sound as well as a performance style that blew nearly all the others away. All the same, Wolf was very protective of that sound, demanding of his mates and making sure they did it the way he wanted it done. Sometimes he was overbearing and arrogant, as witnessed by the defection of Hubert Sumlin to the Muddy Waters band. But Hubert later did return, and many would come in and out over the years.
   
   The rift between Waters and Wolf is noted here; was there ever really one, beyond the professional rivalry? It does appear that Wolf saw Waters as a company man, in terms of his relationship with the Chess brothers. Wolf was very careful about his money, making sure the brothers paid him what he was due, while Waters was content to allow the brothers to get him a new car or a home now and then, perhaps a bit too trustful.
   
   But in the end, it does seem they cared about each other and made up any differences near the end of their lives.
   
   I do think there's a certain God-worship by the authors of Wolf. Too much in some places I think, where a writer makes the subject the greatest thing ever, and all others are chaff. Just the same, this is a sometimes funny, often sad look at a great musician, writer and performer, who influenced those who followed, such as the Rolling Stones.
   
   When I hear "Smokestack Lightning" now, I don't hear it quite the way I once did. It has a more sorrowful quality now than ever. RIP, Wolf...you deserve it.



4. Interesting. Provides an insight into the character of Chester Burnett, especially enjoyable since less seems to be known about him than other bluesmen.



5. Two years ago, I reviewed Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box in this very hallowed cyberspace, wonderin' aloud (as Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull would have it) when in the world would someone please write the definitive bio of Wolf and his massive (reportedly 6' 3" and 300 pounds) persona? Well, folks, wonder no longer. Within the past year, James Segrest and Mark Hoffman have written said biography. In fact, I first purchased and eagerly devoured this tome a year ago; it was only upon rereading it that I decided it was time for review. Sam Phillips once reportedly said that Wolf was the greatest talent he had ever discovered. (For perspective, remember that Mr Phillips helped discover such "nobodies" as Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley. To say that Wolf was his greatest discovery was quite a statement, doncher know.) We see the early Wolf, cast out by his own mother because his music was "too sinful", and beaten repeatedly by his father, drive a plow on a Mississippi plantatation, until one day, (reads like a fairy tale, don't it?) first Charlie Patton, then Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) come along to teach Chester Arthur Burnett the rudiments of guitar and harp, respectively. We see Wolf through the glory years of Chess, making his classic records, and giving his incredible performances (including reportedly sliding down the length of a fire curtain when he was 57 YEARS OLD, no less!), through the good and bad times with his multitalented bandmates (including a VERY young James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin, his nonpareli guitarist), through the unbelievable records (some of which were originals; others, such as "Sittin' On Top of the World", "Pony Blues" and "Built for Comfort", he received from artists like Charlie Patton and Willie Dixon); and finally, through the later, sick years (when he recorded London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, six years before his death, he was reportedly so ill, he could only complete one song per day). Hoffman and Segrest's excellent prose leaves you spellbound and wishing you could rush right out and purchase some of his music. TA DAAA!!!! The wait is over. When you are done reading this review, why not just do another search and pull up Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box and send yourself 71 of the Howlin'est, Wolfingest tunes as an early Christmas present???? WHY NOT????? So don't delay, order both Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf and Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box today, even as we speak. Trust me it's the kind of music (and writing) that will put hair on your chest and make you want to howl all night long!!!!!

5 comments about Grace Will Lead Me Home.

1. Robin's book was more than I expected. It was very detailed and it held my interest throughout the whole book. You felt as if you could actually feel her pain, disappointment, anger, frustration and joy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would not hesitate to purchase another book of hers.



2. This book was okay. It started out very slowly, and took me awhile to get into it. I felt as though this book was very long, but it was a very good portrayal of how she fell for Tyson and all that entailed. I also liked the fact that she talked about her own projects, and what she was trying to accomplish in her life although it was so chaotic.



3. I'm not a fan of Ms. Givens and I don't know why I picked this book from the library shelf other than because I had heard about it and it was there. Ms. Givens covers a great deal of background in this book - from her grandmother, Grace, to her mother, Ruth - and then she weighs us down with the sordid details of her tumultuous life with Iron Mike Tyson. As much as I wanted to feel for Ms. Givens, the book did not make me sympathetic, nor did it really provide me with enough of Ms. Givens' story. She spent a great part of the book on her parentage and the drama with Mike, but never really detailed her life "after Mike." Sure, she gives us a brief paragraph or two about Brad Pitt, but what about her other relationships after Mike - how did her marriage and divorce affect how she dealt with her new relationships - and wasn't she married for a hot minute?
   
   She could have talked more about her career, more about her children - but I guess that wasn't the reason behind writing this book. I imagine this was cathartic for her and if that helps her put the past behind her, so be it. I don't know if I really expected this to be a tell-all as much as I hoped it would give more insight into her life and give me a reason to like her public persona. As a reader, I just didn't "feel" it. Worth a read and purchase, particularly if you're a fan; otherwise, get it from the library.



4. interesting, i got the feeling that all was not said in this book about what really went on but somethings are left unsaid, but what i truly believe is that this was a lesson robin givens learned and as a mom of 6 boys i believe this will make her a strong black mother for her kids you go girl and i am glad that mr tyson and camp are a thing of your past amen!!! p.s grace led you in the right place and keep the faith.



5. This an excellent book. I have a totally different view of Robin Givens. She truly loved Mike Tyson and was emotionally as well as physically battered in this relationship. Many women are in relationships with men who, because of their own pain cannot properly love a woman. This book shows that you can truimph over the heartache and live again.

5 comments about Somebody's Someone.

1. I've read plenty of biographies but this one did not do it for me..don't get me wrong I'm sorry that happen to her but I was not all pleased especially with the ending It took me awhile to finish this book..wish she would have talked more about her life as a adult not so much of her childhood I felt I was reading the same chapter over and over..



2. The story of such an intelligent, creative, insightful, imaginative girl and the obstacles she was dealt in life alone makes for a great book. Add one of the most unique writing styles imaginable and it becomes a masterpiece. I can't say enough about this book. Get it immediately.



3. I wish I could have gotten the same understanding from this book that some others got. It is to me a hard story to follow. It has no continuity. The book was not as good as I thought it would be. I don't expect anyone to to agree or disagree with me on this review. I'm just expressing my thoughts about the book Somebody's Someone: A Memoir.



4. It wasnt at all what I thought. I really didn't like the writing- the ending wasnt great and I thought it could've had more details on foster care. As a FC worke I've seen things 1000x worse then the book. It really didn't capture how horrible the system can be.



5. This book is not to be missed, a must read for everyone. It transends all races, ages and genders It is the true story of hope and finding one's way through a hard unforgiving life.

2 comments about Flat-Footed Truths: Telling Black Women's Lives.

1. Telling the truth can be a painful exercise. Telling the truth can open unhealed wounds with poisonous pus erupting. Once told the silence is broken. Only then can truth be liberating and true healing can take place.

   African-american women get the truth told about their lives in this diverse collection of essays, poetry, interviews and photography. Through these various mediums we engage Black women in discussing the difficulties in telling about their lives, healings which took place, relationships that have been broken and reclaimed and the challenges of resisting marginalization.

   For years many gifted Black women have been relegated into the obscurity of silence by the culture at large and sadly by their own people. Travel with Alice Walker as she rescues Zora Neale Hurston from the pit of obscurity. Walker shares with us the adventure of one Black woman writer searching to honor another Black woman writer who was placed in obscurity. Zora was independent and shows what happens to a woman with a mind of her own.

   Kate Rushin questions us about suicide. Are Black women crazy enough to consider it? We're too busy going through life changes to worry about it. Or do we? Consider Rushin's poetry. Overall this volume presents Black women as they are. They are not the superwomensapphiresbitchesmammies and other stereotypes that are placed upon them but are reflective, intelligent women whose lives have enriched their culture. A brief glimpse of their works enables us to appreciate them for whom and what they are. Through the telling of the truth then we can appreciate ourselves and those women in our communities who have given so much. By all means put this book in your own personal library. I have.




2. I bought this book this weekend after hearing Drs. Bell Scott and Johnson-Bailey read from it on campus. I did not expect to be so moved, to experience the power of these stories. Once I did, though, I had to buy the book to read the rest of it. I was amazed by my own emotional reaction to stories so far removed from my life as a young, white, yankee girl.

5 comments about Angel on My Shoulder: An Autobiography.

1. I am not (at least I wasn't until recently) a big Natalie Cole fan. Never seen an interview or a concert, only owned one album. But a few months ago I listened to her Love Songs CD at the book store and was so moved by those old songs that I bought it and then strangely, I found I couldn't take it off my cd player in the car. I listened to it over and over, just magnetized by the sweet girlish vulnerability under the power of her voice. There is a mysterious quality about her singing----it's happy, and upbeat, but underneath it, there is a.... longing, and it's not in the melody, or the words, it's in her essence. I've been going through a hard time (in love) and I decided to google her and see if she had written a book that might give me some clues as to the strong sense of connection I was getting from this CD; this book came up and I ordered it. I can't say it's the absolute most stellar literary endeavor I have ever set my eyes upon but I can say this: I found a life-long friend in the pages of that book. I found an allie. A kindred soul who had the guts to reach out and say, I hope you can understand me and my words touch you in some way so you don't feel as alone as I have. (my analysis) I found someone who's willingness to strip down bare-naked and tell her story, including her lonliness that went all the way back to childhood, not ever feeling mothered or loved the way she needed to be, of never feeling that she really mattered or that anyone saw her or had time for her, of losing the most profound relationships of her life before she was 35, of sitting in the car in her garage weeping from a deep desire to belong to someone and have someone belong to her. I was brought to tears over and over. I can so relate. And you know what? Natalie if you're reading this, you are NOT alone. There are so many powerful, smart, educated, talented, spiritual women who have "made it" AND who still, and will always long for the love we never got and so badly needed at the most tender stage of life----and yet, brave on day in and day out anyway, often wondering "What does God even want me down here for?" Don't EVER think you're alone in that.
   
   I am so grateful that she wrote this book because listeneing to her music, I always assumed she was one of the lucky ones in love, singing all about how she found the greatest love and it's going to last forever and all that... that music just tears your heart right out of your chest cavity when you don't got nobody---especially when you feel like you don't NEVER got nobody and you suspect you never will. When the right person never seems to show up, year after year and you fall in love with the wrong ones who never stay anyway. There is an advertisement for E-Harmony, a popular dating site that runs their commercial 4 times a damn hour with "everlasting love" in the background and although it's one of my favorite songs, it about killed me everytime that commercial aired because it seemed like that was the anthem for all the straight, happy people in the world who had found everlasting love---a private club that I will never belong to. But after reading this book, I LOVE that commerical because now I know it's just B.S. We ALL hurt that way. If SHE can feel alone and sing THAT song the way she she sings that song---hell we ALL feel alone. Now I listen to all her songs and I understand the attraction I have to her voice---this is not a woman celebrating the abundance or romantic love in her life. This is the story of a woman who sings about what she wants the world to be. A place of fulfillemnt and forgivness and gentleness and hope and being home in another's arms----for all of us. Tell ya the truth, I read her book in 4 days and it was like being with someone, who "got" me. I looked forward to opening those pages and just being with her. May sound weird but I think we've all had the experience of falling in love with a character in a book, and I fell a little bit in love with the girl and woman in those pages. Only problem is, I miss her in my life now.



2. I saw the TV movie of Ms. Cole's life a few years ago and found it interesting. I was looking for something to read and came across this book on Amazon. It is GREAT, even better than the movie! I love the writing style, it seems like she's sitting across from you telling you her life story. At the end, I felt that I knew and liked her. She has been through alot, but did not try to place the blame on anyone else. The story is very candid and I found myself laughing like all hell on the train while reading this book. I would say its probably one of the most even handed non-fiction books I've ever read (and thats saying alot because its an autobiography).



3. What can I say. This book is one of those that you can't put down. Very frank and honest account from the daughter of one of the greatest singing legends. Natalie, (I call her by her Christian name because having read this book, I feel I know her well, which I find important when reading someones autobiography) has had some difficult times and gone from riches to rags, and back to riches, with some life altering experiences along the way. The 'Unforgettable with love' album is also amazing. I'm off to buy 'Ask a woman who knows' concert. READ THIS BOOK!



4. Natalie shares with astounding truth, humbleness, and shows us all how much she has been through, and how she - with the Divine help in her life - has triumphed from the darkest days. This book is an astounding beacon of hope for anyone who has been through both the highs and lows of life, and wants to genuinely rise from within.
   Natalie shares much about her childhood, her relationship with her relatives, and so much about her own life, and how many times she thought it was all over for her, only to see that she can rise again - no matter what she has been through.

   On a personal note, in 1995 I had dinner with Natalie, her candor and honesty took me back so much that I wrote about her with deep respect in my own book, `Individual Power'. She is a true soul, and I have the utmost respect for her, the courage she has shown, and how she is a beacon of hope for others.

   If you want to read a book about one incredible woman, who humbly and candidly shows how no matter what you go through, you CAN triumph, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is a gift that will touch you because of its authenticity.

   Thank you Natalie for being a beacon of Light and Hope for so many. Keep Going Girl - You are One Awesome Gem!




5. Natalie shares with astounding truth, humbleness, and shows us all how much she has been through, and how she - with the Divine help in her life - has triumphed from the darkest days. This book is an astounding beacon of hope for anyone who has been through both the highs and lows of life, and wants to genuinely rise from within.
   Natalie shares much about her childhood, her relationship with her relatives, and so much about her own life, and how many times she thought it was all over for her, only to see that she can rise again - no matter what she has been through.

   On a personal note, in 1995 I had dinner with Natalie, her candor and honesty took me back so much that I wrote about her with deep respect in my own book, `Individual Power'. She is a true soul, and I have the utmost respect for her, the courage she has shown, and how she is a beacon of hope for others.

   If you want to read a book about one incredible woman, who humbly and candidly shows how no matter what you go through, you CAN triumph, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is a gift that will touch you because of its authenticity.

   Thank you Natalie for being a beacon of Light and Hope for so many. Keep Going Girl - You are One Awesome Gem!