5 comments about To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

1. This is a good compendium of the author's letters, essays and short prose that comments of reaction to her as a writer, her plays and the socio-political climate during the final years of her life.



2. There are a lot of lazy ignorant people in our society who believe that black people should be all accomodating and not be too complex, in other words, human. How sad for them. Hansberry was ofcourse a genius. Bless her short life and her work.



3. I remember reading this book thinking that I could relate to the author perfectly well. Though I am not a playright, I do understand a lot of what she is saying. There should and will never be a borderline or a glass ceiling or anything else to hold me down. You are who you are regardless of what is . . . There is no turning back only that which is to be gained and won.

   When I think of Lorraine Hansberry I think of a woman who achieved the impossible in an impossible time. She completed her plays with such intensity and flair . . . As if she lived and researched each every act.
   
   Nevertheless, I feel that Hansberry was stating that to be "Young, gifted, and black," is clearly to be aware of who and what you are . . . and to take this knowledge of who and what you are and to run with it. Taking a chance when given a chance, or rather taking a chance and creating an opportunity with merely a bit of the gift that you had.

   I will always remember what Thurgood Marshall, he basically stated that "He did the best with what he had." Is that being merely good or is that being the best. I believe that the concept of this book is not to be mistaken. I believe Hansberry is saying, "Hey sister, hold your head up high. It does not matter what this world thinks of you. It only merely matters about what you can do for yourself and your fellowman. Do you know your gifts? Hey write it down. You are worth perfecting."

   Lorraine Hansberry did wonders in her lifetime she did so much for her community and her fellowman. My question to myself and others is . . . What about your gifts? Hey write them down. They are worth perfecting.




4. I found this book in the library and fell in love with it instantly. The passages from Hansberry's plays and journal enteries were quite powerful- witty, yet moving. She truly had a gift for describing the human condition- AS IT IS, rather than how it "should be." However, I must admit to finding myself at a bit of a cultural disadvantage at times, as the author assumes that most readers will be familiar with African American lingo from the '50s. While some readers like myself may have difficulty understanding certain expressions, etc, the sharp overall messages and delightful writing style make this book both a learning experience and a pleasure to read. I hope others will gain as much from this book as I have.



5. Getting inside the head of such a great thinker is a wonderful opportunity. The only negative comment I could make about this book is that a few of the passages included from Hansberry's lesser-known plays were not as powerful as the passages from speeches, journals, and A Raisin in the Sun. It is tragic that the world lost a truly gifted and spirited writer at such a young age. If you enjoyed A Raisin in the Sun, you'll also find this a rewarding read.

4 comments about A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr..

1. This set of Dr. King's sermons/speeches is a dream come true. To hear his powerful words coming from his own mouth is so inspirational. I'm really glad I purchased these. Arthur Dunklin, Ph.D.



2. It's hard to believe Martin Luther King was 39 when he died. His eloquence can be heard in his famous speeches but the fullness of who he was, his spiritual depth, can only be heard in his sermons. These CDs are inspiring and profoundly moving. He is one of the greatest American preachers of all time and the greatest in the twentieth century.



3. I have had A Knock at Midnight in book and cassette tape form for many years, and at least twice a year I listen to them. The sermons are timeless, and make clear that we were in the presence of greatness when Dr. King was alive. Listening to this CD truly is inspirational. I have given them as gifts for years, and always receive heartfelt thanks.



4. The sermon series is awesome!!! Each sermon has an introduction that gives the listener valuable tidbits about the sermon. You can feel the effect of MLK's powerful oration abilities. All of the sermons are still relevant today and anyone who has a pulse can benefit from listening to the set.

No comments about The Helping Tradition in the Black Family and Community.

4 comments about Becoming Holyfield: A Fighter's Journey.

1. A few days I ago I purchased a copy of Evander Holyfield's book Becoming Holyfield. I have always respected Holyfield despite what many critics have said about him in regards to fighting too long, his personal life, etc. This book gave a great insight from the man himself about his life growing up, the struggles he faced, his faith in God as well as his missteps in faith, his Mike Tyson days and many other things. I found this book to be very entertaining. There were a couple of run on sentences and misspellings but I enjoyed the book. As I read the book Evander talked about his family life growing up and how his mother and grandmother expected him to behave. The way he was taught how to act in times of good and bad made a lot of sense because you have never seen Holyfield really get mad or act a fool. When Tyson bit his ear, he jumped around in pain, but he did not try to get revenge or engage in the wild activity. That shows a lot about his character because most of us would have tried something. I found inspiration in the book as he talked about his struggles growing up in the south, his misfortunes in the amateur ranks as well as the Olympics. As he described how he felt and reacted to certain situations then to see how his positive attitude ended up working out for the best, it gave me a new respect for Evander. Sure he has plenty of kids, but when you read the book you understand why. You also see how even though he was always training and fighting, how he made sure his kids were disciplined properly and taken care of too. Like with most fighters, they have their issues with people in their camp not being truthful. Evander spoke of these things and also spoke of his forgiveness too. For instance how he forgave Tyson and a few other people in his past. This is a good book that I recommend. This book comes from the true source of the man himself and takes you behind the scenes to some situations you think you know about. You also get to understand the reason for his comeback and see how despite his many flaws how God has worked on this man. If you like to read or just like Evander Holyfield, I suggest you purchase this book.



2. This was a very interesting book. I really enjoyed it. I think when we look back several years from now we will really appreciate Evander Holyfield more than ever. It is rare in boxing or any sport for that matter, to find a champion who carried himself with such class and determination. Evander Holyfield is one of a kind. I would recommend this book, especially for anyone who needs a great role model.



3. I have a recently become interested in boxing for fitness and found this memoir of Evander Holyfield to be a solid, interesting look into Evander's perspective on his life, instead of how his story has been told through the media. I admire how he can keep his cool in unfair situations, and takes his wins and losses gracefully. The story is well told and it held my attention throughout. A fantastic life adventure.



4. This book makes exceedingly clear the benefit of reading an "AUTHORIZED" biography. Having Evander being quoted real-time in first person, rather than simply having an author present an accumulation of public knowledge information garnered from newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets, presents the reader with an intimate, insightful, personalized, tour through Holyfield's extremely interesting life. With Evander as your guide, he has the unique ability to lead you through his life in the sequence he feels is best suited to sharing and explaining the nuances of both his professional and personal life. As befits the only "FOUR-TIME-HEAVYWEIGHT-CHAMPION-OF-THE-WORLD" Evander pulls absolutely no punches. Whether regaling in pride about his victorious knockouts, his unbridled love and respect for his Mother, his earnings which broke boxing records that still exist today, or his boxing losses, his business missteps, and his mistakes with women, that led to multiple marriages and engagements, and how he now has a total of eleven children that he loves dearly.
   
   Evander was born to a poor, black, single Mother and was one of nine children, one of whom died of pneumonia shortly after childbirth. One of the first major turning points in young Evander's life is when he was allowed to go to a Boys Club in Atlanta. Until that time Evander had dreamed of playing football for the Atlanta Falcons. Most of the adult volunteers at the Boys Club were white, and that became a lifelong influence as far as Evander being "color-blind", even though the notorious Don King called him an "Uncle Tom" years down the road. Evander met a white man there named Carter Morgan who not only taught him to box, but became the most influential person in his life other than his mother. From that point on the reader is taken through his amateur boxing career all the way to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Evander was robbed of his chance for an almost certain Gold-Medal in a decision that to this day is probably the most ridiculed insufferable decision in Olympic boxing history. After an official protest Holyfield was given a bronze medal, but he had never been beaten by a fighter, he was "robbed" by a Yugoslavian judge. While there was a near riot in the stands, Evander just stood there without expression, because that's the way his Mother raised him. After the Olympics Evander leads you step by step through his professional career and victories and championships, his losses, and his reclaiming the titles. And more important he tells you about the people that surround him outside the ring as well as inside it. He is "UNFLINCHING" in narration of his accomplishments and his mistakes. I'm sure of great interest to most potential readers are the famous fights Evander had with Mike Tyson and it's all here, including: exacting detail of the excruciating pain Evander felt when Tyson bit both his ears, with one of the bites resulting in the top portion of one of his ear's actually coming off. After the fight an employee found it on the ground and brought it to Holyfield's handlers in the locker room in a plastic bag. But you know what? Holyfield said a prayer in the locker room and immediately forgave Tyson!
   
   There is so much more in this all encompassing biography, including Evander signing for the rematch with Tyson and getting a package "of about $34 MILLION IN CASH PLUS $1 MILLION WORTH OF OTHER STUFF." Research was done that said "IT WAS THE LARGEST AMOUNT EVER PAID FOR A SINGLE PERFORMANCE OF ANYTHING IN ANY FIELD ANYWHERE ON EARTH!" Evander also tries to explain the mystery that is the WBA, WBC, AND IBF boxing organizations on multiple occasions, and due to the nature of the beast, it is still "clear as mud"! I also give Evander credit for openly responding to critics of his faith, including Lennox Lewis regarding Evander's having kids out of wedlock. As befitting a true champion, Holyfield takes punches as well as delivers them. An excellent performance!

No comments about Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery (Penguin Classics).

5 comments about African Silences.

1. _African Silences_ by Peter Matthiessen is a well-written account of three different trips to the continent by the author.
   
   The first essay detailed a trip he made in 1978 to West Africa, accompanying primatologist Gilbert Boese on a wildlife survey of Senegal, Gambia, and Ivory Coast. When the journey began Matthiessen was hopeful, as it was a region he had not previously visited and included such varied terrains as long-grass savanna, forest, and the Sahel, an arid country that stretches all the way east to Sudan, a land of "parched thornbrush of baobab and scrub acacia, red termite hills, starlings and hornbills."
   
   Matthiessen did see some wildlife. In Niokolo Koba, the last stronghold of large animals in Senegal, he spied baboons, several monkey species, several antelope species (such as duiker and waterbucks), hippos, forest buffalo, warthogs and parakeets. Along the Senegalese coast, in a mangrove swamp, he spotted the unusual palm-nut vulture, a striking white bird that lives mainly on the nut of the oil palm.
   
   Largely though the author saw remarkably little wildlife. He noted that some researchers felt that some mammals - such as the black rhino, wildebeest, and zebra - if they ever occurred in West Africa, vanished long ago. Others believed that the poor soil of the region could not support much in the way of large game animals, though Matthiessen pointed out its similarities with the soil of the famous East African game plains. No, West Africa lacks wildlife simply because it is more populous than East Africa and has been inhabited a great deal longer, with people present raising crops of pearl millet and sorghum, burning woodland, and hunting for at least the last 2000 years, competing for the same land favored by the megafauna. In addition, there isn't much impetus to preserve wildlife for the tourist trade as there is in East Africa and also the populous nations of this region are filled with poor, protein-starved desperate people, viewing wildlife as a much needed part of their diet. Indeed in several languages in West Africa the word for "animal" is the same word for "meat." As a result, most of the region has virtually "unobstructed poaching" and in some nations, such as Nigeria, it is unusual to see any live wild animal outside of its one game reserve (the black rhino, giant eland, and all but 9 of its 32 hoofed mammal species have gone extinct in Nigeria).
   
   His second essay takes place in the same year but in Zaire, where the author journeyed to look for the very rarely seen Congo peacock (according to one source at the time only one non-African had ever seen one live in the wild) and the gorilla. After a delay in the broken-down, littered, depressing city of Kinshasa, the author journeyed deep into the forested interior (Zaire is huge, comparable in size to Europe). While Matthiessen got some good observations of gorillas and delighted in some of the animals unique to the highlands, such as the red-faced woodland warbler, regal sunbird, and the L'Hoesti monkey, the peafowl eluded him.
   
   The longest and most enjoyable essay in the book was that describing his 1986 sojourn through Central Africa to determine the status of the small forest elephant of the Congo Basin. Since the savanna or bush elephant (_Loxodonta africana africana_) had at the time been imperiled by rampant ivory poaching, conservationists feared that poachers would turn to the smaller forest race (_L. a. cyclotis_). Ivory trade proponents argued that large numbers of the forest race were hidden in the dense jungle and could continue to support the ivory trade while ecologists feared that in fact the forested interior was inhospitable habitat and forest elephant numbers had always been low. In addition to the importance this would have on getting international support to curtail or stop the ivory trade, researchers wanted to know if there really was a third race, perhaps even a separate species, of elephant, the pygmy elephant (_L. pumilio_). Did it exist at all? Were they merely smaller members of the more common forest race?
   
   Matthiessen and those he traveled with found many surprises, such as the presence of "bush" elephants deep in the forest. Were they refugees from the ivory trade, wandering individuals who had simply journeyed deep into the jungle, or did they always exist there, perhaps genetic evidence that the now nearly continuous forest was once broken up into a number of refugia, separated by savanna and grassland? They also found many individuals showed characteristics of both bush and forest races, indicating a very wide zone of hybridization and speculated that the "pygmy elephant" was merely a juvenile forest elephant, which as a race had offspring independent at an earlier age.
   
   The entire expedition made for great reading. It was a long one, covering 7000 miles, beginning in Kenya and ending in Libreville, on Gabon's Atlantic coast, largely concentrating on the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Zaire. Made in a light plane, it was a perilous journey, the pilot and the author at the mercy of the titanic thunderstorms of the region, continually having to risk arrest by landing in unauthorized areas to refuel, dealing with corrupt officials, and almost never able to put down thanks to the "awesome inhospitality of the equatorial forest," as any light plane landing in the jungle would "disappear into this greenness like a stone dropped from the air into the sea." The immense forest, "undulating in all directions to the green horizon," a "dark green sea," was, while dangerous to fly over, nevertheless magnificent, containing all the greens in the world - "[f]orest green and gray-green, jade, emerald, and turquoise, pond green, pea green," a land of hard to find but nevertheless remarkable wildlife, including gorillas, chimpanzees, okapi, bongos, buffalo, and such primates as the vervet or green monkey, a carrier for the dangerous "green monkey disease," said to be related to the AIDS virus. Matthiessen also spent some time with a group of pygmies, the Mbuti.



2. This book had me laughing out loud on the beaches of Zanzibar. Matthiessen turned the landscape into a fascinating wealth of experience, and simultaneously managed to describe the most frightening experiences with wit and humour. He is a travel writer of great skill, and certainly inspired me not only to travel through Africa, but also to the thrills of light aircraft flights. Meanwhile, in more mundane settings, such as taking a shower, his encounter with the mongoose left me in hysterics. Sat as we were, in a resort that had run out of Coca Cola, much to the horror of the assembled guests, Matthiessen most light-heartedly led me through more daring scrapes and moments of sublime comedy than I could ever experience at a beach resort. What a fantastic counter-balance to the average holiday travails.



3. I have tremendously enjoyed reading this book. This book takes a reader on a perilous journey in Senegal, Gambia, and the Ivory Coast as well as Gabon and Zaire. Author's prose, as always, is powerful and lyrical, shows the grim reality of people and wildlife in the area. Despite the previous reviewer's opinion, I am giving this book the best rating possible. The author's intention was to document the reality. This book is not work of fiction. In my opinion the book is excellent.



4. I have tremendously enjoyed reading this book. This book takes a reader on a perilous journey in Senegal, Gambia, and the Ivory Coast as well as Gabon and Zaire. Author's prose, as always, is powerful and lyrical, shows the grim reality of people and wildlife in the area. Despite the previous reviewer's opinion, I am giving this book the best rating possible. The author's intention was to document the reality. This book is not work of fiction. In my opinion the book is excellent.



5. I grabbed this book because it is so hard to find books about West Africa, and because it appeared to be so well reviewed. But I hated it! The wildlife aspects didn't captivate me; but the writer's whole attitude to the people he met alternately shocked and dismayed me. He talks of people's villages "littering" the landscape; refers to languages as "dialects" without seeming ever to recognise the incredible complexity of the culture in Senegambia; patronises the people he meets; never bothers to learn the correct names for things ("tom-toms" is not really a term used for African drummers) ... refers to how he likes his African musicians "wild" and gets dismayed when they instead start wearing "modish trousers" in Paris ... His driver buys a charm to hang from his window but discards it, jealous of his compatriot's "shiny" souvenirs ... He treats people like children and the descriptions of wildlife fail to grip. A very very great disappointment.

5 comments about God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia.

1. Being a life-long resident of the South Carolina Lowcountry, many of the things Bailey described in her book hit home. A fear of the otherworldly, grave respect for elders and ancestors, and contentment with life in its natural simplicity are telling traits that Bailey has really invested herself in the life she describes. The book shifts in interests as Bailey describes her experiences of reaching maturity in the natural, social, and spiritual senses, but her worldview remains consistent with the old traditions.
   
   For those who are interested in the actual speech patterns of Geechee (or Gullah) people, this is not really the book for you. There are sparse renditions of the Lowcountry/Island way of talking, but one gets the sense that Bailey was a good code-switcher; indeed, any Geechee with solid home-training would try to avoid speaking with one's home accent in public. Nevertheless, the culture that came up with the language is presented panchronologically; the very distant past is treated with the same sense of importance as the events that took place during Bailey's lifetime, and just as much gravity is given to as much as she can foresee of the unknown future.
   
   I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a sense of culture and was an excellent reference concerning the culture of the greater African-American culture overall. It is filled with lively stories, unforgetable anecdotes, thoughtful philosophizing, and hope.



2. This is a great book to learn about the culture, history and traditions of a Geechee community on Sapelo Island, GA. Compared to other books I have read about this area, Ms. Bailey really focuses on the folklore and superstitions that shaped life on this isolated island during the second half of the 20th century. Although some of these traditions continue, many are fading away as this unique community shrinks in size. Ms. Bailey considers it her duty to be a storyteller, to pass these stories down to whoever will listen, and to keep the traditions alive. Ms. Bailey succeeds by telling her story with a vibrant narrative - a very fast and rewarding read.



3. The Golden Isles of Georgia are mysterious and fascinating. The Spanish moss, tabby walls, the "shout" of the Sea Island Singers, and cloudy past reach out to visitors today. The author of this book, a salt-water Geechee, grew up on Sapelo. Her story is wonderfully interesting. The beliefs of the slaves' descendants were so little changed for so many years. Traditions born in western Africa are still hanging on to life even today on Sapelo. I hope the government, even in the name of saving the environment, never succeeds in taking the land away from the Geechee families who lived such true lives there. Their life deserves to continue as long as their faith lives.



4. Part memoir, part cultural history, part plea on behalf of a fragile culture, God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man is as affecting as the best magic realism. You do not simply read it, you savor it and absorb it into your very soul.

   In the book, Cornelia Bailey, resident griot of Sapelo Island off the Georgia coast, spins the story of her growing up in that place and in a time when lives were governed equally by religion, magic, and chance. She admits us deep into the culture of her proud people and introduces us to folkways strong enough to have survived the Middle Passage and the centuries since. So it is with infinite sadness we learn that the forces of progress are rendering these same folkways as fragile as a paper-thin fig shell that washes onto the beach.

   It goes without saying that God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man will appeal to cultural historians, anthropologists, naturalists, and environmentalists. The book's strongest appeal, however, will be to lovers of lyrical prose -- and to anyone who delights in the sheer magic of the way words fall on the ear and follow one another on a page.

   This is a special book, one that should find a home on every reader's short shelf of well-thumbed volumes that are read and referenced time and again.




5. God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man transports the reader to the Georgia sea islands. You swear you can smell the marsh, hear the sea birds cry and taste the sweet potatoes. The writing is so pure and the people so true that you come away afraid of Mama Lizzie, furious at Bukra and proud of Grandma when she faces down the deacons. The issues the book tackles are important - ownership of the land, the insidious effects of slavery, the origins of sea island culture in Africa - but it is also a book that captures your heart. A must for anyone who is interested in people. Highly recommended.

5 comments about It's No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal--a Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All.

1. If I could this book would have recieved 1/2 a star that is only because there were some interesting photos in the middle of the book, otherwise this was a poor excuse for a tell all. First of all, I don't believe much of what was written should have been written, is Carmen completely unaware of the fact that her daughter will have to live with this for the rest of her life. What child do you know wants their mother's sexual escapades splashed in a book for the world to read. Secondly so many of her words toward the end of the book tended to be cheap shots at the women who won the hearts of the men who just used her. It seemed like alot of sour grapes. I mean does anyone really believe that she kept Jay Z at arms length? All in all, this was a pathetic attempt.



2. I did not get a good impression of this young woman and wondered what those two high profile hip hop stars saw in her. She thinks nothing of her promiscuity, and seems to enjoy describing her sexcapades with all these different men. And anybody who allows her apartment to be turned into a crack lab can't be too bright, especially the glib, matter-of-fact way she describes this in her book. She makes the same mistakes over and over again, which becomes really annoying, but then again, this woman is not the sharpest pencil in the box.
   
   The only reason she was able to get published is because of her affiliation with two high-profile hip hop stars. I feel sorry for her daughter Destiny, because this woman is not a good role model for her little girl.



3. I bought this book because I was tired & bored of reading "serious" literature. It took 6 months for me to finally pick it up and read it and all I can tell you is that it's a waste of time. If you have graduated from high school or have even obtained a GED - don't read it. Its an insult even to a mentally challenged persons intelligence. This chick is nothing but a bird. Three quarters of the book made me angry at her. One that she is a woman and two she is black. She is no Helen of Troy - she's not even a Flavor of Love chick.



4. Waste of time. It's like re-reading a book by Karin Steffans B.K.A "superhead". This isn't no hip-hop Helen of Troy as the title states. She got her 15 minutes of fame. Now it's time to get a real life and move on.



5. The book was good enough to read and pretty much get an insight of how her relationships with Nas and Jay Z really went . I enjoyed the book not the best book i have ever read but it will do if you are a die hard Jay Z or hip hop fan like me. It was a look inside their personal lives that you very rarely get to seeas far as african american celebrities lives go.

3 comments about Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions).

1. Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions)
   
   "Randolph, Paschal Beverly (8 Oct. 1825 - 29 July 1875), physician, philosopher, and author, was born in New York City , the son of William Beverly Randolph, a plantation owner, and Flora Beverly, a barmaid. At the age of five or seven Randolph lost his mother to smallpox, and with her the only love he had known. Randolph later stated, 'I was born in love, of a loving mother, and what she felt, that I lived.' His father's devotion is questionable. In 1873 Randolph hinted at his own illegitimacy, stating that his parents 'did not stop to pay fees to the justice or to the priest.'"
   
   "Randolph 's mother possessed a strong temperament, unusual physical beauty, and intense passions, characteristics that Randolph inherited. Later many, especially his enemies, perceived Randolph as being of 'Negro descent,' which he denied. Sent to live with his half-sister, Randolph was ignored, unloved, and abused and eventually turned to begging on the streets". Such began the life of Paschal Beverly Randolph.
   
   Although I never had the pleasure of meeting John Patrick Deveney, I did correspond with him in great length while he was writing the aforementioned work. It was about the same time that I was cataloging and indexing the works of Randolph.
   
   I found the book to be an exceptional piece of historical research and an in-depth analysis of a brilliant, self-educated and tortured individual. Although historical in nature, the work by Deveney also presents a psychological and sociological view of a very complicated and controversial African-American.
   
   I, like John, had the extreme pleasure of reading most of Randolph's original works (most in universities and private esoteric collections). It was through these writings that Randolph was able to present the various aspects of his occult, sex magic, free love, abolitionary, civil rights and Rosicrucian beliefs.
   
   Regarding citations and research notation, I would compare the author's feat to that of Montague Summer and Arthur Edward Waite. This is a must for any historian of free love, occult or African-American studies.
   
   Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
   Professor of Military History



2. [....]readers should known or probably infer from the esteemed SUNY press W.E.T. series that Deveney cites ALL sources, resultant of some 150 pages of extensive notes which are a worthy and entertaining/informative read in themselves! Also, P.B.R.'s Occult philosophy and practical systems/methodologies are explored in a highly scholarly yet equally accessible manner, and as an appendix are given in their entirety two of PBR's most essential Sexual Magic works, for which I have appropriated the title of this review. Though a scholarly work, as well as an historical one, it is throughout biographically focused on an 19th century Exemplary Mage's Life and Work!



3. Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825-1875)was one of the first well-known Afro-American Novelists (if not THE FIRST), of whom Frederick Douglas was an admirer, and one of the most famous as well as sincere mediums of the Spiritualist movement, famous for his speeches of whom President Johnson was a fan, and a KEY figure in bridging the gap between that nec-romantic movement flowering dangerously into the European/American Occult Revival of the mid-late 19th century. He grew up an orphan in a murderous section of NYC; had almost no schooling, (yet became a recognized genius by sheer will/determination and self-discipline) who lived in the "(spiritually) Burnt-out" district of upstate NY where he added the abbr. "DR." to his title and sold his Glyphae Battah (Magic Mirrors)and Hashish, love & healing philtres:'snake-oil' basically, and married a part Native-American Indian Woman and tried to raise a family in dire poverty. And this is just the beginning to his life! He was very influential in getting Black soldiers into the US military in the last years of the Civil War(& getting them paid like any good-willing American!)...also, Blavatsky gleaned much from him, I think her writings concerning Randolph evidences, if only his living example of an highly artistic and Original one-man Occult campaign via Randolph's numerous Rosicrucian brotherhoods which The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor would later appropriate nearly ALL of Randolphs ideas to immense practical benefit (see Godwins and Deveneys co-efforts in releasing many key documents in relation to this group), while the Theosophists waged war against that very practicality deeming it black magic basically...later the Surrealists' devoured Randolph's magical works which were circulated widely through the Russian-born Parisian Surrealist Maria de Naglowska efforts...How does a man like this, who entertained at the court of Napoleon and who counted President Lincoln as an acquaintance as well as knew most every influential Occultist/Abolitionist/reformer/Free Love Politician / Spiritualist of his day (Bulwer-Lytton, Hargrave Jennings, Laurence Oliphaunt, Andrew Jackson Davis,et al. ad infinitum)how does such a figure disappear from history? as if suspiciously erased? The question is as tragic as Randolph's life, for it is a pained life full of much suffering, bore throughout with nobility if despairingness at his predicament. He is a beautiful writer--one must allow him that at least---whose sexual magic works serve as a poignant appendix to Deveney's excellent and thorough 600-plus page biography of a life that serves as an intimate magnifying-glass to probe into the goings-ons of an era filled to overflowing with myriad colorful characters and the energy and excitement of endless rounds of ingenious scientific discoveries and religious aspirations/explorations which as the Poet Osip Mandelstam said "if ever there was a golden age surely it was the 19th century!" Wherever you may be John Patrick Deveney, I thank you a thousand times over while reading this and thank you still for giving us this touching biography which served as a means to truly know what it must have been like to have lived in Randolph's day, during an age of 'Romanticism' and later,'Symbolism' in Art, while an Occult revival raged, made up of a noble search for self-knowledge and universal Uptopianist solutions to universal ills, and art finally becoming a RELIGION itself!...Western Esoteric studies should take as an example Deveney's biographical tome, and know the history of the world is in the lives of men and women more than anyplace else, as Jules Michelet pointed out a hundred years ago...I would suggest to anyone interested in gaining a first hand insight into an era & a subject finally lent proper credence to be studied seriously as it should be respected even if despised by "religious realists"...to read this book full of a life lived with such style & grace. Randolph's motto was: "T-R-Y !"...which is what I would say to others here interested in reading a rare work of an even rarer life that hopefully will become part of the American Artistic and Cultural iconography and more widely known literary canon because of Deveney's immense efforts and achievements herein! Bravo Deveney!
   ---readers should known or probably infer from the esteemed SUNY press W.E.T. series that Deveney cites ALL sources, resultant of some 150 pages of extensive notes which are a worthy and entertaining/informative read in themselves! Also, P.B.R.'s Occult philosophy and practical systems;/methodologies are explored in a highly scholarly yet equally accessible manner; though a scholarly work, as well as an historical one, it is throughout focused on an 19th century Exemplary Mage's Life and Work!

5 comments about Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made.

1. This book not only offers the most incisive portrait of Jordan, the Bulls championship years, and the NBA of that era, but is also wonderful Halberstam, who tells the story with an epic sweep. Simply a beautiful work from cover to cover.



2. Nike turned Michael Jordan into a dream. Nike funneled in 1984 all of Nike's advertising resources in one player instead of in several teams. Nike made Michal Jordan a cultural icon and featured him as a star amidst other entertainment stars. And in the beginning Jordan didn't even like Nike sneakers. He preferred Adidas. Ultimately Nike paid Jordan in roughly 1 million dollars a year for five years. In 1984 no one realized that Nike was getting one of the great bargains of the time. Nike was a shoe company in great trouble. Michael Jordan saved Nike by his appeal to the youth. In the mean time basketball benefited from satellite reception that was just opening the world of cable television. Satellite reception facilitated cheap broadcasting. Bill Rasmussen obtained channel space on a communications satellite. His ESPN opened new broadcasting opportunities for basketball. In Playing for Keeps David Halberstam tells the tale of Michael Jordan in the broader cultural context. In this book Halberstam displays his usual journalistic skills. But somehow I missed the emotional involvement of his other books. The Summer of 49 and The Breaks of the Game learned me more about the relevance of sports.
   
   Luuk Oost



3. As someone very familiar with Michael Jordan's career I was startled by all the new bits of information crammed in this book. Its clear Halbertstam did his homework. He employed an exhaustive interview process that yields so many new anecdotes and perspectives of Michael Jordans career. I particulary enjoyed all the stories of Jordan showing flashes of greatness early on while being recruited by North Carolina. The book makes it clear that even at those early stages while no one could predict what was to come, those around Michael had never seen anything like him.
   
   Halbertstam also reveals the background story for many of those surrounding Jordan during his run with the Bulls. Namely Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Krause, Jerry Reinsdorf, and others. He delves into their lives, paints a picture of their character, and allows you to understand what motivated all these contrasting personalities along the way.
   
   It must be noted that the writing of David Halbertstam is just incredible. If you're a fan of Michael Jordan or just basketball this book is a must read. The subject could not be approached by a more accomplished author.



4. 
   I'm not a big Halberstam fan, and this book didn't change that opinion.
   
   The subtitular "world that he [Jordan] made" is never really explored in any depth, and this is a surface-skimming bio of Jordan with the addition of some mini-bios on major figures in his life (David Falk, Dean Smith, Phil Jackson, etc.).
   
   The research is limited and insight is scant as Halberstam leans heavily on material already published, pulling entire sections of the book (e.g., his thumbnail bio of Jackson) from the subject's own earlier book. He returns to quote the same two or three sports writers time and again (Sam Smith - Chicago Trib and Jordan biographer - OK, but Bob Ryan - Boston Globe - a dozen quotes???).
   
   "Playing for Keeps" is a fast-reading Jordan sketch, a 400 page magazine article, during which Halberstam defers to Jordan too frequently: no real examination of the gambling, glossed over recount of James Jordan's murder, no meaningful exploration of Jordan the global commercial icon.
   
   For my taste, this book is another disppointment from Halberstam.



5. Halberstam does it again. With a keen eye and a knack for pulling the reader in, David Halberstam is one of our great modern writers. Just when you thought you knew Jordan, "Playing for Keeps" shades new light (not all of it flattering) on our greatest modern basketball player.
   
   Well worth it.