5 comments about Assata: An Autobiography (Lawrence Hill & Co.).

1. Even if you have never heard of Assata you should pick up this book. It's the autobiography of a woman who now lives in exile in Cuba, telling her story of how she was arrested in the U.S. and charged with murder. When you pick up this book you can easily read it cover to cover. You will love her style; the book reads as if she is speaking to you one on one and telling you what happened. Her story is something that will show readers a view of society and government that they may have not seen or heard of before - the other side of the Black Power movement in the 1960s-1970s. The book speaks out on the corruption of the justice system and the government. Follow up after the book with materials and resources on her website for more information. Assata's few published books are difficult to find but well worth the read. She is a strong figure that is still active in making change in our society today. As a person who had not know much about the Black Power movement I was absolutely blown away by Assata's book, her work, and her continued vigilance and courage.



2. This book is a must have for revolutionary minds of the next generation. Assata illustrates the life and times of the struggle. She also reveals what black women had to go through and endure. This book is worth the purchase. Young brothers and sisters need to feed their brains with this one.



3. This is by far the best autobiography I have read so far. It was an easy read and extremely expressive. In many ways it is disturbing if you think of what the character goes through. The explicit racism, abuse, pain that Assata had to endure is decribed really well. You get to in fact life in her era, in her life when you read this book. I literally could not put it down and read it in 2 days.
   
   It pretty much gives you and idea of how things were in the 70's, what black people went through especially women, what the black panther party was really all about, the dirty system we call law, explicit racial comments and treatment etc. If you like stuff like that, then you'll love this book.



4. Wow...When you read this book you feel in another era , in another world but the sad part is that is not, it is our world and what hapened to this woman was real.I recommended to everyone regarding your ethnic gropu, but specially to blacks and whites in this country.



5. The real history of the Black Power Movement will seemingly never be truthfully covered by mainstream historians.
   
   But that doesn't mean the misconceptions and dirty lies should be repeated time and again to those interested in the ongoing struggles by persons of color. You know the drill; when it's said a topic/person is not important or much too radical then it simply is a footnote to history.
   
   And Assata: An Autobiography is a great point to start that sojourn or to continue gaining knowledge from a person passionately involved in the revolution.
   
   Assata Shakur's message cannot be read as simply an historical piece that has no relevance today. By doing so, the reader will miss the bigger picture that Shakur presents. The times change, but the struggle continues.

5 comments about The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers.

1. This is a wonderful book, particularly for men and teen-age boys who have difficult relationships with their fathers. In their sequel to "The Pact," the three doctors -- Jenkins, Davis and Hunt -- give an open and honest account of how they learned to forgive and reconnect with their dads. In a unique twist, the fathers' stories also are told, revealing how a generational curse such as fatherlessness is hard to break. The women's guild of my church read "The Bond" for a recent book discussion. We had a great conversation with author Margaret Bernstein.



2. The Bond by the Three Doctors, as they are more affectionately called, is an extension of their first book, The Pact. In The Pact, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt tell how they became friends in high school and ultimately, how they promised to stick together and graduate from college to become doctors. The Bond goes even further into the friendship of these three young men.
   
   Davis, Jenkins and Hunt were able to become friends because of what is considered a growing epidemic in the African American community - children growing up in single family homes. Each doctor tells the reason why his father was not present in his home. They also give their fathers an opportunity to share their stories. They learn that their fathers either grew up in the same circumstances or they did not know themselves, the impact they were passing on through each generation. The doctors discuss how they struggled to learn about developing relationships with women, building confidence, and peer pressure and to learn a simple task such as how to fix a tie or picking out a suit without the guidance of male presence in their lives. They also discuss their devotions to their mothers, who sacrificed to keep their families together. Despite not having a male role model, the doctors basically learned from each other. The Bond tells of their need and desire to understand the reasons why their fathers were absent and what they have done to begin to build relationships with their fathers. Dr. Hunt stated "even though they missed out on a portion of their lives, parenthood last a lifetime".
   
   The story was very compelling and thought provoking. The Doctors also describe the ways that they have set out to mentor other children who are growing up in similar homes. This is a recommended book that can be read by both males and females who are living in single family homes and are struggling to come to terms with an absent parent.
   
   Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
   APOOO BookClub



3. In Newark, Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt met as fatherless children struggling to survive ghetto living without a male mentor or role model; they formed THE PACT in high school to help one another make it and they succeeded as each became a doctor.
   
   In THE BOND, the physicians look into the most prevalent disease destroying America's family: no father. The trio does this by seeking their dads, who never had a role in their lives. The threesome separately describe growing up fatherless and how difficult that is to overcome, but do not add any new insight than they already described in the PACT. However, their recommendations to youths suffering from this pandemic illness are solid especially to go out and find a role model to mentor you. However, the most poignant segments are the sections written by the absentee dads, who offer no rationalization as to why, but explain their failures in depth. Especially discerning is that each of them also grew up fatherless. THE BOND is a moving autobiography and though anecdotal should be must reading for everyone who wonders what has gone wrong with the American family unit as generational repetition is difficult to turn around.
   
   Harriet Klausner



4. "The Bond" is a story about three African-American doctors who lived in Newark, New Jersy. Drs. Hunt, Davis and Jenkins all show what srtuggles of inner-city life can bring.
   
   The three doctors have taken their time to discuss what has become a big problem in the U.S. and the world -- absentee fathers. Their fathers didn't "measure up" to their idea of what a father should be. Whether it was as a result of the fathers not being at home, unmarried, alcoholism, drugs, jail or simply not knowing how to communicate, one thing is for sure, it's not okay to bring a child into this world solely to fend for themselves.



5. The Bond is an excellent read for anyone who has experienced the heartbreaks from having an absentee father. Dr. Davis, Dr. Hunt, and Dr. Jenkins really captured the emotions of this growing epidemic in the African American community. Two thumbs up.

5 comments about Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib.

1. I was excited to read this book, but was very dissapointed and personally feel it is way overrated. The language used is supposedly "poetic", but I just found it pretentious and esoteric. More importantly, however, I feel that the author basically took his own experience as an unhappy, isolated child and searching, hyper-sensitive adult (which seemed to me to be more a function of the author's innate personality than the fact that he was transracially adopted... or at least a combination of the two) and used it to negatively represent/unfairly characterize all trans-racial adoption. It seemed to me that this author's emotional difficulties and struggles growing up would have existed even if he had been raised in a same-race home (not that they weren't exacerbated by his racially-based experiences). The impression given by the author is that he speaks for all trans-racially adopted children, and I do not think this is fair or at all accurate. There are of course some things that will apply to others, but his experience, being an unusually intense, emotional child raised in an isolated all-white environment 30 years ago, is completely different from that of a child raised in a more diverse environment in 2008. It would be fine if he simply presented the book as a personal memoir of his own specific experiences in life and left it at that. But that is certainly not the impression the book leaves... and I think it is being presented in some adoption circles as a universal reflection of the experience of any trans-racially adopted child, much to the detriment of today's trans-racial families and waiting children. I hope potential trans-racial adopters will not be so frightened by this one person's experience that they allow themselves to be discouraged from this path. As long as you are prepared to be culturally sensitive to your child, honor his heritage, and commit to making sure there are plenty of same-race role models in his life, trans-racially adopted children can indeed grow up to be healthy and happy and fully attached to their adoptive family. If you are looking for a more balanced view, two much better choices are "The Color of Water" by James McBride or "In Their Own Voices, Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories" by Rita Simon and Rhonda Roorda.



2. Honestly, I only made it half way through the book before I could not stand it anymore. Although the author is a very eloquent writer, his pity party over his life was more then I could bare. He was raised by wonderful loving parents who did the best they could to raise him with all the opportunities, guidance, love and affection they could. He had extended family that loved him and treated him with respect (and by his own admittance, some overcame huge prejudicial upbringings to fully love and accept him as their kin). He had friends that accepted him, and loving siblings. He had a better life then I would say the majority of children growing up in America do. He had enough food on the table, family traditions, safe housing, wonderful memories, and most importantly loving family bonds. Although he was adopted by white parents (the author is black), he himself admits that they rescued him from a neglectful foster home. He came home to them so neglected that his head was flat and his muscles weak. His parents nursed him back to health. He waited 9 long months for a family, and because there were no black placements available, he was adopted by a white family. ANY family is better then living in a negectful foster home. FAMILY is the most important thing! Just ask the children that age out of the foster care sytem without one, 50% end up homeless and on drugs. Yet, this author does nothing but complain about how hard it was to be black in a white family. He gives no real evidence of this, no one treated him badly, he did not have major negative experiences within his family, he just was sensitive and felt insecure. Just think how insecure and unloved he would have felt if he were never adopted. Or stayed with his birthmother who was in no condition to raise another child? His parents moved away from their families to raise their black sons in an environment that was not prejudice. They did the best that they could. But all the author felt was sorry for himself. He was insecure and was always convinced that people did not truly love or accept him, despite their actions. He blamed things like having to share the back, cold room (a room his parents made several attempts to heat and make more comfortable) with his brother because he was black. Please, my husband who was the biological son of white parents slept out in the camper when his family got too big for their home, not because he was unfavored but because he was the eldest boy! I think the author needs to get a life! And realize the blessings that he was given. There is a huge orphan crisis in the world. Millions of children are going to bed hungry with no one to kiss them goodnight. Should we allow them to suffer or should we look beyond race or culture and bring them into good homes, in which they will be loved and valued? Which is the bigger sin, to love someone unconditionally who looks different from you or to allow someone to suffer alone because they are different. This author needs to get over his insecurities and look at all the good things that he had in his life, see how others have to live, and thank his lucky stars. I for one, do not feel sorry for him.



3. This is truly an inspirational book which gives a clear demonstration of how a young black boy grew into a mature black man in a positive manner despite the serious emotional and painful struggles that occured due to a lack of required sensitivity around race. Jaiya's message is important for all adults involved in making critical decisions about the future of children. It provides a hightened awareness for birth parents, foster and adoptive parents and social work professionals. Jaiya's ability to share his experiences is a true blessing for others.
   
   Selena M. Simons
   Coordinator of Foster Care - BERMUDA



4. Jaiya John shows immense courage as he gives the early details of his life's journey. His sensitivity and honesty triumph as he describes childhood illusion, confusion, and isolation. The way he tells his story, anyone can easily understand and relate to, regardless of background. The poetry throughout is brilliant. I read this book hoping to learn about the perspective of adopted children and children in foster care; I gained the perspective and insight I was seeking, but received much more in the reading of this memoir. I am grateful for the opportunity, and encourage others to experience this compelling story.



5. As the white mother of 2 black boys and a white biological son, I found this book to be extremely powerful and educational. I use it as a reference - I go back to it as they grow and change and I learn more about myself as a mother. I am called to be deeply honest about my own thoughts and feelings while trying to honor and respect the unique experiences of all my sons - from their perspectives. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering adoption - of any kind, but particularly transracial adoption.

5 comments about Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season.

1. A complex, nuanced portrait of Jackie Robinson, told with stunning detail and insight into the first black man to play major league baseball in the 20th century. As an historical account, this book goes beyond myth and revisionist morality to create what feels like a genuine account of a complicated man in a complicated place. As a baseball book, it is wonderfully expansive on an important era with lots of legendary players. As a literary work, it is a top-notch narrative told in an elegant, rhythmic cadence. It also gets high marks for journalistic technique and style. If all writers of sport possessed Jon's rare combination of gifts, the genre would be a lot richer.



2. This is the second book that I have read from author Jonathan Eig. The first, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, was such a great retelling of the life of the Iron Horse, that my expectations when picking up Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season were quite high.
   
   Opening Day is the story of Jackie Robinson's first year in the majors, and the challenges he faced when he became the first black American to play Major League Baseball. Any true fan of baseball knows the story of Jackie Robinson, his importance to the game and the lasting impact he has had on the United States. But, Eig manages to provide a fresh look at this historical year, focusing not only on the challenges and bigotry that haunted Robinson, but also on the lives that he touched in 1947 and for years to come.
   
   One of the more intriguing stories from the book was that of Jackie's teammate Dixie Walker. When Robinson's Dodger teammates were informed that he was coming up from the Montreal Royals to play with the team, Walker wrote the team's general manager, Branch Rickey, asking for a trade. There were also rumors that he led an effort by the Dodger players to get Jackie off the team. Dixie always denied the accusation, but nonetheless, he was basically a self-proclaimed bigot - worried about what his family and friends in Alabama would do if he played alongside a black man.
   
   Like authors before him, Eig could have easily cast Dixie as the villain of the story. But instead, he details how playing with Jackie helped Walker evolve into a better man. Within time, Walker started to respect Jackie for his toughness and determination. He started giving Jackie pointers on how to improve his game, and later in 1947, he stood up for him (along with all of Jackie's other teammates) when opposing teams would hurl racial epithets at Jackie. Robinson made Walker start to question his views on minorities and Walker came to realize what he learned about blacks while he was growing up was wrong. After that, Walker played with, coached and managed black players throughout the rest of his career, and later said Jackie was "as outstanding an athlete as I ever saw."
   
   This is just one example of the impact that Jackie had on the lives of others. Stories are sprinkled throughout the book about the significant impression he left on his teammates, other players in the league, broadcasters, league executives - and most importantly, the next generation of black Americans who would continue the struggle for equality in America.
   
   Opening Day, definitely lived up to my expectations and surpassed them, and I highly recommend it for any fan of baseball and/or American history - and to anyone who is interested in understanding the important role Jackie Robinson played in the evolution of the United States.



3. Eig's extensive research and thoughtful treatment of Jackie Robinson does not vary or question the general truth of his legend: Robinson played the game well under tremendous pressure with little or no support and demonstrated in the process the skill and courage that entitled blacks to equal opportunity. But Eig does add some new perspectives that make the legend far more interesting.
   
   First is the general unpleasantness of Robinson. He's like Pete Rose in his burning desire to win at all costs and would rub some people the wrong way regardless of his color.
   
   Second and perhaps most important is Eig's ability to introduce more subtlety into the story. Eig destroys the legend of Pee Wee Reese publicly encouraging Robinson on the field in the face of racial abuse. That did not happen, at least not in 1947. Robinson is utterly alone in 1947 and has to prove himself to his teammates. Branca is the only guy to make a point of shaking his hand when he first appears, which adds to Branca's own legend as a man of character, but even Branca essentially ignores him for much of the season. Some of this is racial, of course. But some of it is the culture of baseball: a rookie must prove himself.
   
   Robinson's ability to peform in these circumstances, under the most tremendous pressure possible, adds to his legend and makes his 1947 season perhaps the most admirable of all seasons. Eig is also good at introducing subtlety into the legends surrounding Robinson's oppressors. There is some rumbling on the team, but that quickly dissipates. Most interesting is the role of star player Dixie Walker. Walker felt compelled by his southern roots, and by his desire not to have his business punished in the south, to make a point of objecting and asking for a trade. But thereafter, he drops the protest. The problem for Robinson was not simply the obvious bigotry, but his freeze-out by the rest of his team until he could prove himself under the most trying of circumstances. Walker may have given Robinson a few batting tips and may have dropped his trade demands, but neither he nor anyone else took Robinson under his wing. Even in baseball's demanding culture of ritualized abuse of rookies, a rookie will eventually be taken under someone's wing. Robinson did not have that benefit.
   
   The protests of other teams has also been exaggerated. It appears that there were some murmuring on the Cardinals to try to boycott Dodger games, but that fizzled before it started. The Phillies were grossly racist in their bench jockeying, but backed off early in the season. The Yankees in the 1947 World Series had a few nasty bench jockeys.
   
   What emerges from all this is the pain of the gross racism aggravated by the agonizing loneliness of Robinson as he has to endure everything and prove himself. Eig convincingly shows that by the end of 1947, Robinson succeeded in proving himself and was the MVP of this team. Only then was he accepted by Pee Wee Reese, the team's captain.
   
   All of which demonstrates Branch Rickey's wisdom in choosing Robinson as the man to break the color barrier. Robinson had mental toughness and competitive fire. The rap on black athletes was that they were not mentally tough, and Robinson was exactly the right guy to disprove that myth. Choosing a more passive personality would not have made the point, and choosing a less disciplined soul who would have got into physical fights in 1947 would not have worked either. But it is interesting to learn how Robinson sometimes crossed the line (such as spiking Rizzuto in the 1947 Series) and how close Robinson came to losing it.
   
   Robinson emerges as a complex and truly great man in this narrative. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.



4. I found Mr. Eig's book very well written and felt it was well researched, though not until I read the `Acknowledgments' section did I realize how much leg work he put into "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season." He interviewed Rachel Robinson three times and that background is readily apparent throughout the book. She tells how Jack felt about certain situations, which sometimes were in complete contrast to published reports that historians rely on when writing these types of books. (Interesting also that Mr. Eig's research uncovered the fact that Mr. Robinson did not like to go by the name `Jackie' but preferred `Jack.' And my recollection is that every time I've heard Rachel Robinson talk about her husband, she always referred to him as `Jack.') Mr. Eig also interviewed some of the principals written about in the book like Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, and Joe Garagiola, as well as the Robinson children and Branch Rickey III.
   
   The book did a fine job of painting a picture of the United States circa 1947 and with that perspective, made the reality of Jack Robinson's first major league season much more believable. I'm in my 40s and what I learned about Jack Robinson's first season - from watching baseball games first on Saturdays on NBC and then later on cable, was much more passive than what was presented in this book. However, as much as I would have wanted to stay comfortable with my pastel-colored memories, I do believe this presentation in part because of my own life experience, but also because of the copious research Mr. Eig invested in the writing.
   
   I would recommend this book for any baseball fan, as well as for people interested in the history of civil rights and the long, not-so-steady growth and improvement of equal rights for African Americans in the United States.



5. On April 15, 1947, a young Holocaust survivor who had arrived in New York just 14 weeks before, attended his first baseball game at Ebbets Field. That young man was my Dad. Just having arrived in the United States and unfamiliar with the country's social ferment, he was unaware at the time that he was present at an historic moment---Jackie Robinson's Major League debut.
   
   In OPENING DAY, Jonathan Eig presents us not only with an account of April 15, 1947, but of the months both preceding and following it. Eig wisely and honestly paints us a portrait of Jackie Robinson not as the infinitely patient hero of the film THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (in which he played himself), but as a mercurial and talented young man who restrained his natural impulses toward bellicosity in order to bring down the walls of the segregationist citadel of white America.
   
   In a world which had not yet experienced Brown v. Board of Ed., Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., CORE, Little Rock, or the Voting Rights Act, Robinson crossed the white sky like a dark comet. Promoted to the Majors by Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman, Robinson not only broke the color barrier, but excelled at his craft, leading the National League in hitting that year.
   
   Eig examines (but does not utterly explode) some of the urban legends surrounding Robinson, in particular his supposed Christlike passivity in the face of discrimination. Robinson was a warrior by nature, and if he couldn't fight back directly due to his circumstances, he fought back indirectly by being an aggressive and accomplished player on the field.
   
   An intelligent, articulate, gifted and deservedly angry young black man, Robinson had faced down a Court Martial while in the Army for arguing with a segregationist officer who called him "boy." To turn the other cheek was not in his character, and he did not suffer fools gladly, nor did he suffer in silence. Nonetheless, he kept his promise to Branch Rickey not to respond to the inevitable racial provocation that greeted his appearance on the field.
   
   For the first several months of that baseball season, Robinson was the only black player, not only on the Brooklyn Dodgers squad, but in Major League Baseball. As such, he was a magnet for abuse both from fans and many fellow players. Shouts of "N****r!," "Shoeshine!," "Sambo!," "Rastus!," "Watermelon!" and other such bon mots flowed freely; beanballs were a common occurrence. Hate mail was received by the bucketload. Petitions were circulated (even within the Dodger organization) to exclude Robinson from baseball. A general strike was threatened.
   
   Fortunately, Major League Baseball had more farseeing men than bigots at the helm. Diamond-in-the-rough Dodger Manager Leo Durocher uttered his immortal words about a zebra one day in the clubhouse, and stopped the griping. His successor, Burt Shotton, a quieter man, treated Robinson unexceptionally.
   
   Dodger Captain Pee Wee Reese, a Kentuckian born to segregation, and the most influential man on the team, refused to sign any petitions, and the revolt in the ranks collapsed as a result. Eig cannot find any 1947 documentation of Pee Wee's physical embrace of Robinson on the field in the face of a catcalling audience, an incident now immortalized in bronze at the Brooklyn Cyclones' Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, but more important than the arm over the shoulder was the popular Reese's treatment of Robinson as just "any other player," which encouraged his acceptance by teammates, fans, and other players.
   
   Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced that any team refusing to play with Robinson would be suspended en masse. Robinson did use his position as a bully pulpit by speaking honestly but not with hostility about his rightful place in the game. And Brooklyn---an inherently tolerant blue-collar hodgepodge palimpsest of races, nationalities, ethnicities, and languages---embraced Robinson unreservedly just as soon he demonstrated he could play the game. Fans of all colors in other cities supported Robinson, and his legitimate fan mail was enormous.
   
   Given the later volatility of opposition to the Civil Rights Movement, Robinson's acceptance as an everyday teammate seems remarkably free of incident. In fact, the relative calm of Robinson's admission to the ranks, and the quick signing of black players by several other teams as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers, probably did much to energize the nascent Civil Rights movement to take on Jim Crow everywhere. By so being, Jackie Robinson was the belleweather of a new age, an age whose Opening Day was April 15, 1947.

1 comments about Billy Williams: My Sweet-Swinging Lifetime With the Cubs.

1. It is an honor to be the first person to review this excellent book about the life of Billy Williams. In an age of baseball books called Vindicated and stories of steroids and other sordid aspects of the game it is refreshing to read this book about a player who exemplified class and a love for the game of baseball and a love for one woman his entire adult life.
   
   I am a lifelong Cubs fan and I began following the team in around 1965 when I was 7 years old. Everyone knew about Ernie Banks back in those days but Billy Williams was a very unsung hero of those teams. I once saw him get 5 hits in one game.
   
   In the book Billy is pretty outspoken about the racism he encountered as he moved up in the cubs organization. He came very close to quitting for good and what a shame that would have been if Buck O'Neill hadn't tracked Billy down and brought him to his senses.
   
   My favorite chapter was one where Billy goes down a long list of his cubs teammates giving us glimpses into what it was to be a baseball player before the years of free agency and exorbitant salaries.
   
   Billy also talks about his time with the Oakland A's just after they had won their three championships in a row.
   He discusses his desire to manage in the major leagues and his years of coaching for the A's and the Cubs and his experiences with Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season.
   The book concludes with the text of Billy's Hall of Fame speech.
   If you followed the Cubs during the 60's and 70's this book will be a nice trip down memory lane.

4 comments about April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America.

1. Dyson gives us a good work here, although not his best. He should have subtitled the work, "King's Death as a Theology." For he attempts to use King's allusions to death, predictions of his own death, rhetoric of death, and the death of King itself as paradigms for understanding the post-Civil Rights era race pathos in America: Through racial injustice we are killing American society in general, and African Americans in particular, both literally and metaphorically (i.e., killing opportunities for social equality). Throughout the book, Dyson compares King's death to the death of Biblical characters. He overstretches his paradigms in order to act as a social conscience for America's failure at the problem of race. The paradigms become excuses for Dyson to make personal social commentary. There is too much Dyson commentary and not enough analysis and synthesis of King's death and its significance. Most interesting to the book, however, is Dyson's 21st Century dialog with King, a "what would King say if alive today." This section may be the strength of the book as Dyson draws from King's non-violent, prophetic-justice philosophy to make criticism of contemporary social ills. I am not sure everyone will agree with Dyson's conclusions about King's views about civil rights with respect to homosexuals. (A better theology on this subject can be found in Where Are All the Brothers [Redmond.]) However, I would recommend the book as part of a dialog about how far we have come on race in the last 40 years. Dyson shows that we have not come very far. I would read this book in hand with DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk, West's Race Matters and Democracy Matters.
   
   Where Are All the Brothers?: Straight Answers to Men's Questions about the Church
   
   The Souls of Black Folk (Norton Critical Editions)
   
   Race Matters
   
   Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism



2. There is a great depth of hatred in our world. Michael Eric Dyson brings this out in his approach to the life of Dr. King. There is bitterness and hatred toward groups of people: blacks toward whites and whites toward blacks. In my algebra classes in high school I learned that X = 0 a principle we see at work in this author's thinking. If X = 0, then nothing is accomplished here except those hating each other go away continuing to hate each other. We are equally guilty. Am I mistaken to remember that Dr Martin Luther King received his motivation and passion, as a Christian and a minister, from the teachings of Jesus? I can't remember that his message came out of some kind of progressive/social agenda. Is it not an injustice to Dr King to slide over the fact that love for one another came from Jesus and on this theme he built his effective view? In the radio interview you could hardly recognize Dr. King as a Christian preaching love and nonviolence. Could I have missed that all of this time he carried deep hatred in his heart and from this he is remembered for his great accomplishments? Is Michael Eric Dyson saying that the memory we have of Martin Luther King has now been corrupted from incredible achievements through nonviolent love for others down to motivations arising from hatred?



3. I remember, as a child, visiting my great-aunt and uncle in their mansion (they were millionaires) and seeing a magaizine whose cover depicted a watercolor of a burning city. Asking what was the reason for this, I was told that people had rioted after the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr.
   
   Fifteen years after this, I remember asking my great-aunt why there were no blacks who were members of her country club. "They can't afford it, honey," was her well-meaning but incredibly myopic response.
   
   It is hard enough as a white person to really, genuinely, empathize with the experience of African Americans. We can imagine, yes; but the act of imagining is itself a kind of comfortable exercise that can lead us to conclude that we "understand."
   
   In truth, we don't. And maybe we never will. Maybe all we can do is just shut up once in a while and listen. This book can help.
   
   In the room that looks out onto the balcony where Dr. King was murdered, my favorite gospel hymn plays softly; it was Dr. King's last request that the musician for the April 4th's evening service play "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." The haunting pathos and sense of security that this hymn gives is enough to make this atheist hope that, somehow, Dr. King died knowing that his death would be the final, crowning act of this great American story.
   
   If we look at life and history through the prism of King's life, and the pasing of years to the present day, we gain a greater appreciation of just what is at stake in American life today. Moreover, we sense the tremendous barriers that still remain, despite all the platitudinous protestations of the neo-conservatives and right wingers to the contrary.
   
   The value of a book like this is it makes us stop and listen. Another reviewer has gently attacked the artifice of an interview with Dr. King from today's perspective; frankly I think that, after studying King as much as he has, Mr. Dyson has every right to channel a conversation with the man himself. but I do not think that anyone can argue with Dr. King's last, albeit imaginary, statement.
   
   I love Oprah too.



4. Michael Eric Dyson is best-known for his words. An incredibly well-spoken man, this book presents a delicious word smorgasbord that - and even though I say this as an English major, unfortunately, even had me running for a dictionary several times. And head's up for any of you who also cringe at grammatical error - there are a few typo's in the book.
   
   In any case, Dyson offers an interesting take on Martin Luther King's death and the impact that it had on America, both its positive and negative elements. Dyson comments on King's character, powerful oratory, a brief family history as well as the numerous causes he stood behind. He event hints at a possible government conspiracy as the cause of King's death stating several incidents where the president of the time refused to protect him or even warn King of impending danger at death threats being called in for him. In addition, Dyson concentrates on statistics - both from the late 60's when King was assassinated as well as today - to represent the changes that America has produced since King's death.
   
   I was blown away at the chapter on Jesse Jackson, however, though confused on Dyson's standpoint in regards to it. Dyson informs the reader that directly following King's murder, he instructed others not to speak to the media. After telling all of them that he wasn't feeling well, Abernathy (one of King's right-hand men) spotted Jackson speaking with the media himself, in his desperate attempt to fill King's shoes, claiming that he was the very last person that King ever spoke to - a blatant lie, as Abernathy knew that King had spoken to another associate before taking his last breath. Dyson also draws attention to the blood on Jackson's shirt and that he was never on the balcony during the actual shooting, but rather directly after. Dyson suggests Jackson having dipped his hands in King's blood and wiping them on his shirt in a sort of biblical fashion as Christian's are to drink Christ's blood during communion in honor and remembrance. I was intrigued with all of this new information - and curious as to the authors thoughts, but he remains fluctuant on the subject and I felt ultimately unsatisfied with the chapter.
   
   In keeping with the times, not only does Dyson reference Jackson, King's initial predecessor, he also has a chapter dedicated to Barack Obama, of whom he calls the "Black Kennedy." Not only does he mention the great feat the country has reached in having a black man for nominee, but he also focuses on the changes that Obama is promoting for his current political campaign and how he shares many of King's visions.
   
   Finally, Dyson finishes up with an incredibly odd mock-interview with himself posing as Martin Luther King and answering questions regarding America today. While we, as a people, can certainly wonder what King would think of both our progress and backsliding over the years since he was alive, I have a hard time with thinking this "interview" to be anything but strange.
   
   With all of the additional information and people who appear in this book, there were several times I had to remind myself that the focus of this book was on the death of Martin Luther King and the changes that it brought about. The reader can become easily lost in the extra's as Dyson ignites several tangents, straying from the main point of the book.
   
   In retrospect, kind of scattered layout, but a pretty interesting read.

5 comments about Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras.

1. This was a wonderful, quick read. I appreciated the honesty for the lure of the lifestyle that Chef Henderson describes in the book. I respect his recounts of his respect for his mentors, willingness to learn and work hard at his passion. I wish that there were more ways to exploit the passions of our young girls and boys BEFORE they end up in jail, though that's where he was saved. But how many of us are given the keys to success and don't work as hard as Chef Jeff? This book inspired me to work harder at my passions.



2. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. In real life we learn as we grow. This book shows that growth in a way that seems nearly super human. A person who once saw only a tiny piece of the world and no positive ways to display his genius, found a big world and a path for genius. I wish this were mandatory reading in the 9th grade.(there is bad language, but what 9th grader hasn't heard it all before) This is a man to admire. when's the movie coming out???



3. In 'Cooked,' Jeff Henderson recounts his unlikely rise from a crack dealer in San Diego to a well-respected chef in a prestigious Las Vegas restaurant. His ambitions and inspiration came to him while serving a drug-related sentence in federal prison, and upon his release he put 100% of his efforts into educating himself, gaining experience, and convincing influential people in the restaurant business to take a chance on him.
   
   Jeff's gritty memoir was fascinating to me, someone to whom most of his life experiences are completely foreign, and I had a difficult time putting it down between sittings. One can't help but admire his strength and resolve in making his dreams come true despite a past he wasn't proud of.



4. This book has it all: the druggie street scene, cash and sex, prison from the inside, redemption of a drug dealer, and the highest echelons of haute cuisine. It's very well written and thoughtful, too. The reader really feels a part of every vividly described scene. This book also makes you think about how people end up dealing drugs and that with the right motivation and influences drug dealers -- and perhaps other accused criminals -- can turn their lives around. But not all incarcerated felons have the insight, guts, leadership, strength and intelligence to pull themselves up and out. More attention should be paid to helping along inmates with potential to do good for themselves and for the world.



5. I really enjoyed this book. Its written simply and honestly. A read i would definately recommend not only to those who are going through a similar experience but to anyone who has lost their way a little.

5 comments about White Teacher (with a New Preface).

1. Vivian Paley's groundbreaking work, White Teacher, ushers one through an array of intimate experiences with and reflections about the challenges she faced as a white teacher, working to develop a pedagogy free of the marginalization and neglect that disproportionately affect the educational experiences of many non-white children. Paley's evolving understanding of the complexities of teaching white and black students together in the racialized America of the 1970's emerges from the frozen frames of the United States' educational past as uniquely relevant for teachers in the twenty-first century. Within the first four lines of the forward of her 2000 reprinting of White Teacher, Paley is praised by James P. Comer, M.D. and Alvin Poussaint, M.D. for, among other things, her ability to "remain objective" in the midst of her "deep personal involvement." Considering the essentiality of critical thinking to the pedagogy of effective and influential teachers, I find these practitioners' reference to objectivity not only inappropriate and harmful for all teachers, but also offensive, especially to the generations of teachers, whose voices and contributions have been habitually and historically excluded from major conversations in education because they have been deemed too subjective.
   
   Whether it be intentional or not, applying the label of objectivity to Paley's writing, evokes associations with scientific inquiry and thus to the notion of "an objective truth," which unjustifiably elevate the status of White Teacher and in effect, belittle the opinions of educators perceived by outsiders as unable to estrange themselves from their students - most often in terms of a shared racial or gender identification. I believe Paley understood and meant for White Teacher to document her personal recollections of and working conclusions about how to promote equity as a white teacher in a classroom in which black and white children learn together. Paradoxically, Comer and Poussaint's attempt to validate Paley's words silence the individuals about whom she was writing, unveiling the common and potentially detrimental conclusion many teachers have reached after reading White Teacher. For educators to denote Paley's depictions as objective implies or necessitates the existence of a subjective and therefore inferior "other." The understanding that underlies and maintains this reciprocal relationship has no place in teacher education because it hinders the ability of teachers to question and think critically. Furthermore, assertions about the objectivity of Paley's work subtly undermine and invalidate the knowledge, experiences, and opinions of the marginalized children and educators to whom Paley sought to give a voice through her impassioned writing.



2. This book helped me overcome my color blindness. As a teacher of 17 years, I always thought the best way to address differences was to just igore them and embrace similarities. White teacher taught me that we need to also celebrate each others differences.



3. I have only gotten half way through this book, but so far it is really good. I am studying to be in the education field and this book is an insight to how different children are and how you have to appeal to each one of them. Paley is a wonderful author and is good at describing her situations. I would recommend this book to anyone intereted in teaching children and anyone who wants an insight to how children behave and why. Definately a good book.



4. Used this for a college class! Great book! Paley was very ahead of her time in dealing with multi-cultural issues in early childhood education settings.



5. This book will really bring to light exactly how children learn to identify themselves. This book will reinforce the truth that prejudice is learned and that adults play a huge role in the value systems that children adopt. You'll also find a few things in here that make you giggle...after all the book is about a kindergarten class.

5 comments about Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America.

1. This book is a must read!!! I recommend this book...inspiring. as well as sad when Francis and many others have to suffer...I honestly did not know that slavery still exist in sudan and many other countries



2. The first portion of the text is hard to put down, an eye-opening first person account of a life torn from his home community. The later narrative of his work with the NGO, testifying, lecturing and the like is a bit stilted and boring, and some of the culture conflicts upon arrival in the USA seem exaggerated for attention or effect. Still, a worthy subject matter and interesting author.



3. Two days ago I began to read "Escape from Slavery". I have hardly wanted to set it down since I picked it up. I have been saddened but incredibly inspired. I am forcefully reminded that freedom is a miracle too easily taken for granted. Until this week, I admit I was completely ignorant of Sudan, let alone the plight of it's people. In fact, I only knew Sudan was another big country "somewhere in Africa". This book is not a history of Sudan, but it does put it on the map for you. It does not try to expound on all of the political issues, but it paints a very human picture of how the government affects the people. This is one young man's compelling account of his early life and journey as a slave in Sudan. It is told in a simple, clear and honest voice. For me, Sudan is now the birthplace of Piol Bol Buk - known today as "Francis Bok". It is the place where Piol laughed and played with his family. He made clay cows with his friends, and dreamed of being like his father. It is the place where Piol was entrusted one day to take his mother's produce to sell at the market...and would never return. Here was a little boy forced to witness unspeakable violence, and who had everything taken away from him. However, no one could take his indomitable spirit. Sudan is a place where innocent lives are crushed every day, and yet it is also the place where Francis Bok was created. Francis humbly and painstakingly details his escape, the agonizing immigration process, and the miraculous turn of events that ensued. Francis has begun to fulfill his father's prophesy that someday he would do "great and important things" and would have the strength of "twelve men". This is a story about slavery, but it is really a story about hope, faith, will-power and determination. It is a miraculous story. Who could have imagined that this young boy with no hope of survival would make such a huge impact for his country already? Truly inspirational! This is a testament that the human spirit can survive unspeakable things - and then can rise from the ashes. When you find a story like this, you just can't wait to share it with the world! Francis Bok lived through such horrific pain, and yet now we have the chance to listen to his story, and to make a difference in the world just like he has. I hope that you will choose to read this story. I know that you will be so grateful!



4. This is a powerful book. It is written in a clear and engaging style. It is important that people know about the human rights abuses going on in Sudan. Mr. Bok's story does this in a meaningful and moving way.



5. I read this book for one of classes and I must say that while I tend not to be a fan of non-fiction I was completed enamored by this book. Bok wrote a very engaging story about his life and his involvement in making a difference in what is occurring in Sudan. I liked so many things about this book. It was a personal story. Someone really overcoming the odds placed against him. A true underdog story. The story was heart-wrenching in parts, especially when confronted with the truth about slavery in Southern Africa. I couldn't have more respect for Bok, he overcame horrific hardships and continues speaking out. I really reccomend this book!

5 comments about Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary.

1. I think this book a "must read" for anyone who wants to know the truth about "back in the days" and "Jim Crow" days and such. Thurgood Marshall was the most inportant African-American man of the 20th century and probably of all time! The things he did have never nor will they ever be equaled. I only wish I'd had the pleasure and blessing of meeting this great man and shaking his hand. I recommend this book to everyone.



2. As a review on the back cover states, this book truly "reads like fiction." It gives a fascinating perspective of his life, and although I've read other technical biographies and his opinions, lectures and decisions, I would recommend this as a "first read" for anyone studying Thurgood. You feel as if you know Thurgood after reading this, and knowing his personal background helps you understand his professional background. His role in black freedom is no less than that of Martin Luther King's. (And quite frankly I think he should be revered as such.) The realities of black history nauseate me, and I can't comprehend how people historically treated blacks -- but Thurgood fought, and he fought legally and intelligently. Our children need to learn more about Thurgood and his overcoming adversity and changing the history of our country.



3. As a white man from the deep south, it boggles my mind how a totally free republic could twist the best Constitution ever written to deny a class of people their freedom. Civil right, the Vietnam war, the 1960's in general fascinate me.
   
   Mr. Williams book is particularly good at setting up how Justice Marshall came to his way of thinking. He learned early on how to play the game in the other man's (whites) territory. If you want to know how hard it was to operate during these times, with the threats and bigotry, I suggest this book. I think it is paramount for the younger people in today's society to understand the severity of the risk and opposition that people like Justice Marshall had to deal with. I think it would make them realize that even though progress still needs to be made, these individuals put their lives on the line to advance society to where it is today.



4. Juan Williams' biography of Thurgood Marshall is a worthwhile read. Williams has a great sense of the dramatic story in this man's life and he firmly sets him in the historical context of a nation in turmoil. I went away from this book with a better understanding of Marshall's life, personality and importance in American History. Williams also does a very good job with contrasting Marshall's social and political opinions with those of civil rights leaders in the 60s and 70s, with whom he occasionally butted heads. Williams paints him as the feisty individual that he was but he also does not sugar coat his flaws and mistakes. For me, the most interesting aspects of the autobiography were the accounts of Marshall's trials and travels with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and his inexhaustible energy to confront the laws of the times. If you have any interest in learning about this man and his place both in history and in the Civil Rights Movement, defintely pick up this worthwhile book.



5. Maybe its unfair that I read this book after reading the spectacular autobiography of John Lewis, Walking in the Wind. However, I found that this book was too detached from the man. I did not come away from this book with a better understanding of this man than I did before hand. Thurgood Marshall is one of the most important people of 20th century America but you don't see why in this book.

   The major problem with this book is its writing style which makes reading this book tedious. I found myself bored by page 200. Also, I believe the Brown decision is given 20 pages and his solcitor general appointment is given more.

   If you want to learn more about this guy, study the cases of the era. Sweatt v. painter, Brown of course, etc. Marshall's personal life really is irrelevant towards understanding this man's accomplishments. I would not recommend this book.