5 comments about Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart.

1. I did something I rarely do: read a book in one sitting. I started around ten p.m. and ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning.
   
   I was curious to read a book written by the wife of Carlos Santana. I remembered reading in the news that Deborah Santana (born Deborah King in 1951) had filed for divorce last fall - after the book was published. My curiosity however was mostly sparked by the desire to read about the life of a woman that I confess I knew nothing about until I picked up this book.
   
   It's said that behind every great man is a great woman. After reading this book, it's clear that Carlos is one lucky man - Deborah is quite a woman. (Most likely his infidelities was the reason for the seperation and - last I heard - impending divorce.)
   
   I give the book four stars because for the most part it's a brave, eloquent tale of a woman's life. It doesn't matter that she was with two famous men (Sly Stone, then Carlos Santana) - I could easily identify with her feelings and her struggle as a woman who is still finding her way.
   
   At times her writing is lyrical and moving - other times it veers into New Age & Pop Phychology Land, but thankfully she gets back on track before losing the reader (this reader anyhow).
   
   I obviously would not have stayed up late with a book I didn't like and I highly recommend it. (She also writes about the subject of being a biracial child).
   
   In all fairness it would be interesting to read a bio by Carlos himself in which we hear about the same years shared, but from his POV. Not that the infidelities didn't happen - he has not denied them - but still, it would make for great reading to hear his side of the story. Alas, I doubt we're going to see that book anytime soon.
   
   Together since around 1972 and married since 1973 and with three children, one wishes they could have made it.
   
   NOTE: Deborah's parents, her black musician father Saunders King and her white (Irish-American) mother Jo Frances were married for many years (he lived to be 91) and had what sounds like a very happy marriage. The passages about her parents made me want to read a book solely about her their life and marriage. It is when she writes about her father that her prose is the strongest - very "Alice Walkeresque". Maybe that will be Deborah's next book?



2. I enjoyed this very candid memoir by Deborah Santana. I found myself experiencing her joys, pains and understanding her need for a spiritual connection. I cried during her disappointments and smiled as she experienced a re-birth or a self-discovery if you will. I related to her loyal and committed spirit to those she loved and her family values. I truly appreciate Deborah Santana as an accomplished writer. This is a very well written piece of work and a great read.



3. I was so impressed with the book I bought copies for all my sisters and mother. We all loved the book and my 81 year old mother reads reads regency romance novels exclusively. A miracle ocurred and she read this book and didn't want to put it down! We all loved it. The book gave us courage and opened our hearts. THANKS Deborah.
   Sincerely,
   Karen Gravina Hull, Massachusetts



4. Deborah Santana opens her heart and life in this book much the same way a musician such as her father or husband does on stage. Truly a great writer Deborah chronicles a period of Rock and Roll as an insider. We are lucky to have an account from this period of two famous bands to which she was connected. But Space Between the Stars isn't just about Rock and Roll. It is a story of a strong woman who has survived that era and come out stronger. The Music on The Cds is incredible. Her son Salvador is likely to be a force in the music world, admired and respected as were his father and grandfather.



5. This is an amazing book full of truth and wisdom. "You house the truth of God's essence inside yourselves, to be heard in the wisper of silence". "Really, all brokenness is a lack of oneness with one's own spirit and light". For those unfamiliar with Carlos's wealth of music and message, we learn; "every note is chosen with the hope that in the listener it will sing a story, spark a journey to goodness and mercy". I laughed, I cried, I loved it! I am a middle aged white guy who honestly thinks Carlos Santana is a Prophet, chosen and inspired by God. Just listen to his music (all of it!). Deborah Santana is a gifted writer, who tells her story in a magical and compelling narative. The message is truley inspirational. Thank you.

4 comments about In Search Of Buddy Bolden: First Man Of Jazz.

1. I'm astonished and heartened that this extraordinary book has been re-published. I would suppose that everyone who has heard Oliver, Armstrong, Bechet, Morton et al. has heard of Buddy Bolden, "the most powerful cornet player that ever was hoid, or ever was known" (Morton in his Library of Congress recordings). Unfortunately, he never was recorded, except, maybe, some say, for a paper disc, back around 1902 or 1905, right before they put him in the insane asylum. The big bang of jazz.
   What makes this book remarkable, though, aside from its subject, is how painstakingly the author has documented his search. And, I rush to add, entertainingly. I don't know of another book in which we hear every detail of archival and courthouse searching and enjoy every paragraph, as we do here. It all adds, in fact, to the fascination and pathos associated with this first figure of jazz music, and indeed with the passage of time and the loss of most things and most of us in it.



2. Donald M. Marquis not only brings us the real Buddy Bolden, the first "Jazzman", but also turn of the century New Orleans, a hotbed of musical innovation. Marquis' succesfully describes all the different cultural influences that all of the sudden converged into what we now call jazz. How New Orleans' multicultural make up made it possible for jazz to come of age, and finally how Buddy Bolden unknowingly began jazz, the first true american music. As a person living in New Orleans, and working just a few blocks from where Buddy Bolden was born and lived, it was specially refreshing to get acquainted with his story. I have been able to corroborate first hand with marquis' descriptions, as I frequently walk through First Street and in front of Buddy's home. This is a must read book for all those interested in early jazz.



3. When the first jazz writers in the late 1930s started asking older musicians about the origins of the music, the name "Buddy Bolden" kept comming up. Bolden was a New Orleans trumpeter and bandleader active in the 1890s and first decade of the 1900s who some contemporary and later musicians credit as having started jazz.

   Bolden became a figure of legend, with 4th hand stories about him being passed around, and his name has been used for fictional characters (most notably in writer Michael Ondaatje's well written but historically inaccurate novel "Coming Through Slaughter").

   Legends aside, Buddy Bolden was a real person. Writer and researcher Don Marquis find the real story of Bolden. This book is the result of long research, both in archives and interviewing and cross-checking accounts of surviving people who had know Bolden first hand. The book may be a bit dry in parts compared to a novel, but here you get the truth about Bolden, his life, his associates, and his music. Unlike his fictional counterpart, the real Bolden wasn't a barber and never heard the music he was helping form called "jazz" during his active life, but he did play an original loud and driving style of cornet that made New Orleans take notice, until he was hauled away to an insane asylum in 1907.

   If anyone wants to find out about Buddy Bolden, this is THE book.

   -- DCM "Froggy"




4. I'M TRYING TO LOCATE MY COUSIN BUDDY BOLDEN THE JAZZ MUSICIAN, THE BLUE MUSICIAN, ETC. AND HIS FAMILY. PLEASE E:MAIL ME AT SHERRY_A._BOLDEN@HUD.GOV. OR CALL ME ON 202-708-0614 EXT. 3336 OR MY HOME NUMBER AT 703-837-8282. I AM ONE OF THE YOUNGEST BOLDEN'S. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

5 comments about The Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black and White.

1. This author tells the story of her own family, spanning many generations. She did this mostly for her mother Margaret Morris Taylor who had suffered the sting of abandonment from her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was four. This story is no doubt the story of many families. Many light skinned black people crossed over or gingerly walked the colour line. WHO CAN BLAME THEM? Considering the indignities, lack of opportunities etc.. forced on black people. I learned that some theatres and concert halls went to the trouble to hire "Negro spotters" to point out racial imposters - humiliating many a coloured socialite in the process. Interesting!
   I was happy that Margaret eventually connected with her sister Grace after seventy-six years. The author concludes that her "white" relatives have missed the tangled richness of being black in America - sorry but her life may have been more priviledged than most black people's - but she acknowledges that they have also escaped that special pain and anger that most black Americans feel. She wonders though,what personal demons they may have created.
   A great read!



2. The Sweeter the Juice clearly demonstrates that racism is equally prevelent on both sides of the color line. While Haizlip's book is well written, the author is no less guilty of racism towards white people than the WASPs she condemns. Her comments about whites and "poor white trash" in particular are uncalled for (i.e. "my mother said there is nothing worse than poor white trash" and "a nice white person is nothing more than that. A nice white person"). As the descendant of working class Southern whites I was personally offended by her assumptions about my ancestors. In fact, my father rose out of Southern poverty and all of the associated racial biases of his family.
   
   When a white person does something gracious for Haizlip, she overlooks it and portrays it as a negative event. For instance, when Martin Luther King is shot and Haizlip's white neighbor comes by to make her tea and offer her sympathies, the author says "she said that assuming she knew how I felt." While Haizlip's ambivalence towards whites is understandable given some of her experiences, she makes just as many stereotypes about whites as they do of her. She claims to be an integrationist, but part of the reason American society is not socially integated today, is the self segregation of blacks and mixed race people like Haizlip.
   
   Haizlip is contradictory at times. As a New Negro like her mother, she is "eager to please" and be accepted by white culture, but at the same time, she resents her caucasian heritage and is active in African American social circles. This book seems to be more about the author's insecurities about her racial identity than about bringing familes together.
   
   After meeting her white relatives, Haizlip creates a "white corner" to keep their photographs separate from the rest of her family. She says she wonders if they would have ever bothered to find her. This seems a bit ridiculous since it is the grandson of her aunt Grace who takes the initiative to locate Haizlip and unite the families along with her. Again, Haizlip cannot accept as legitimate any positive actions on the part of whites. Haizlip tells her daughter that she keeps the white family's photos separate from the others because it wouldn't be honest to do otherwise. Haizlip explains that she will never be able to connect with her white relatives because their lives are too different from hers- they passed for white and she didn't. So does this mean that Haizlip cannot have anything in common/be friends with any white person? And she's the one who worked so hard to locate her mother's sister to begin with. Without meaning to, Haizlip is passing down her own anger towards white people to her daughters, potentially preventing them from forming bi-racial friendships with whites who are color blind would not reject them the way Haizlip's mother's relatives rejected her.
   
   The saddest part of this book is that towards the end, Haizlip does not accept her new-found white relatives the same way they accept her. She keeps their pictures and their lives as separate, but equal (to quote a Jim Crow phrase) as possible.
   
   In order to make herself feel part of "Us" instead of "Them," Haizlip turns poor whites into the "Them." This is not how we will solve today's racial problems. Racism will only be solved if everyone becomes part of "Us."



3. I am not an Oprah fan but one day with nothing to do I actually spent a rare session in front of television flipping channels. And I found myself stopping at her channel at her show's beginning wondering What is it This time?
   
   The author of this book and her mother were there to discuss this book and her family saga as well as the Issue of 'Passing'.
   
   I found their discussion so facinating that next day I went straight to the book store and ordered this book. Later I would buy other books on the subject.
   
   Not wishing to be 'controversial' I must confess that the book was quite fasinating and I did enjoy reading it.



4. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Sure, some of it was confusing, like some said, but what part of genealogy isn't confusing? My own genealogy confuses ME! :o) This book was wonderful! I think the author did a wonderful job in addressing this little spoken of topic. I was recommended this book after I found out that my family had African American roots, & so this book hit home with me. It aided me through an emotional journey...answering many of the questions such as: "Why so many secrets?" It also helped me to understand that some of my family members will never in their lifetimes will willing to openly talk about this subject, but the book confirmed my feelings that it's their loss. Thanks & kudos to the author!!!



5. I just read this book. It was very moving and insightful. It was so sad that Margaret Taylor, Shirlee's mother, was abandoned by her father,sister and brothers, and endured such a difficult childhood. It took over 70 years for Margaret to find her sister!

   I think that Grace Cramer's life was more tragic, perhaps, because she blocked out so many memories and isolated herself. I would think she could have at least written her sister, once in 70 years! even if she was nervous about revealing her heritage to other people. It was wonderful to hear that Grace's grandchildren had a happy meeting with Shirlee.
   The photos are great and the stories about the Taylors, Morrisses etc. are inspiring. It was fascinating to read about African American life in New England and the South. I look forward to reading the book about the Haizlip marriage.

5 comments about On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance.

1. First things first: This book provides a very interesting and seemingly thorough review of the forms of art to emerge from Harlem. It is worth reading for that reason alone. I would merely caution readers that Kareem is not hesitant to express a resentment against white America. Harlem is a very, very dangerous place, and has been for a long time, but reading this book you would never think that. You would think any acts of violence done there were brought on by caucasian mistreatment, that the Harlem Renaissance was an effort by blacks to overcome all the harm they had been done - and are still done - by whites. Someone of Kareem's influence could have gone about that differently. He could have described the art and literature as he did, mention the influence of black hardship in creating that culture, then at some point mention how black America has the role models it needs to excel. He could have pointed out that while making a living as a writer or a trumpet player is great, carrying and using a handgun with the same intentions is not. I always wished Carlos Santana would make more of a contribution to his culture's growth through his music. Maybe Kareem's next book will make a similar effort.



2. I have only scanned the book, however I am historically familiar with a
   lot of the content which motivated me to buy the book as a collectors
   item. I also order the book for my grandson and a friend's son.
   
   Doug Murray



3. Here is a man who should be an inspiration to a whole generation. This book is more proof that he is more than just an athlete. This book is recommended reading for all teenagers



4. On the Shoulders of Giants speaks of a bygone, sometimes forgotten piece of America and its culture that nevertheless has great, reaching tentacles into our present, and that will continue to shake and embrace us well into our future. Beautifully written, with a title that says it all, this book is just as evocative and fascinating for non-sports, non-jazz fans as it will undoubtedly be for those entrenched in both subjects.
   
   A wonderful discovery.



5. Especially interesting are the musicians and music that originated or passed through Harlem during this time.

No comments about A Colored Woman In A White World (Classics in Black Studies).

1 comments about She Would Not Be Moved: How We Tell the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King are no longer real people in the popular imagination; they are cartoon characters. In this important book, Herbert Kohl summarizes the various ways we teach our children about Mrs. Parks, and contrasts them with the truth.
   
   It is quite shameful, really, what we teach our children these days. We can't teach the truth - that Rosa Parks was a trained civil rights leader, a respected member of the community, and a middle-class mother and wife, who risked her life to confront racism - because we're afraid of racial tension in the classroom.
   
   We can't teach about the civil rights movement if we can't talk about white racism. This book provides some constructive models for how to do that.

5 comments about All God's Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw.

1. This is a timeless classic, and not just among memoirs, because the subject was a great American---a man who "had no get-back in him." Nate Shaw (real name Ned Cobb) had an amazing memory, and also an acute understanding of the post-Civil War rural South. The rhythm of the seasons, work routines, knowledge of livestock, nature and people too, combine for a profound view of a vanished America. (If you want to really know about mules, Ned's the man.) But Ned didn't just observe, he worked with the Alabama Sharecroppers' Union and defended powerless friends, serving 12 years in prison for his pains. This activism sets him apart from Kas Maine, a South African sharecropper to whom he's been compared in recent years. The earthy dialect wears out some readers, but otherwise "All God's Dangers" is compelling from start to end. Writers from Wendell Berry to Pete Daniel praise both man and book, while John Beecher's "In Egypt Land" is a moving poetic rendition of Ned's story. R. Kelley, "Hammer & Hoe" vividly recreates 1930s Alabama; on Kas Maine, see C. Van Onselen, "The Seed Is Mine." But Ned tells about his world far better than the others. In living, then narrating, a life of great struggle lived with great dignity, Ned Cobb performed a signal service---for all of us. We are in your debt!



2. In the middle of Rosengarten's book, truly a masterpiece of oral history memoir making, Nate Shaw says "all God's dangers ain't a white man." This would seem truly a remarkable thing for a black man who spent over a decade in an Alabama prison to say, but as a farmer growing cotton in Alabama during the first half of the twentieth century it quickly makes sense once he explains it. Shaw's story of his chaffing under his good for nothing father's roof; his growing prosperity as share cropper and than as a yeoman farmer; his hucksterism when dealing with violent and hostile whites attempting to cheat him; the defense of fellow small farmers that got him thrown in jail during the Great Depression; and his takes on the science of farming, race relations, the American class system and his own life experiences show Shaw to be a master story teller and Rosengarten and master interviewer. The combination of these two was absolute dynamite.



3. Nate Shaw was the father of my Uncle Oscar Turner's best friend. His real name was Nate Cobb and the family of the son, Lorraine, is prominent in the Middletown, Ohio ghetto.

   The author has done a masterful job of illustrating how greatness was thrust upon him. Nate never set out to become a hero, only to protect his own dignity and provide for his children.

   I do not believe that there is a better book for teaching about the lies of 20th century sharecroppers. Theirs is an overlooked legacy.




4. I am hoping that by entering a review here, I can see other reviews that I can use to write a book review on this title. Its due tomorrow! Yikes!



5. Ted Rosengarten is a masterful writer. All God's Dangers is an amazing undertaking that brings Nate Shaw's story to life. After a few pages, it's almost as if you can hear Nate talking. A must read for anyone interested in history and anyone who wants to learn how a book should be written. And Rosengarten's Tombee, if it can be found, is another must read.

5 comments about The Brothers: An Autobiography.

1. The Brothers is a extraordinary look at how music and culture nurture us and redeem us. The power of this book lies in the unashamed honesty of the Neville Brothers and the wisdom and confidence of the author to allow the brothers to tell their own story. Unencumbered by analysis or author's comments, the brothers simply present their stories while the author ties the threads together to show how the Neville brothers as individuals worked through their personal problems and came together as a family and a musical group. There is no other book that means more to me than The Brothers. Their story has helped me to make sense of my own journey as an American journalist and music critic living and working on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies.



2. David Ritz has helped many rhythm and blues musicians write their autobiographies, including Ray Charles, B. B. King, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin. The characteristics that these books share is the sense that the subject is writing directly to you as you read, and that the bad times as well as the good times are revealed. If you are a fan of the musician, you feel like you have a better understanding of them once you've read the book Ritz helped them write.

   The Neville Brothers' story must have been complicated to organize because there are 4 Neville Brothers, Art, Charles, Aaron and Cyrille. They tell their stories simultaneously, a paragraph or two by one brother and then a paragraph or two by another and so on. The story they tell is fascinating and often horrific! Violence, drug abuse, crazy characters, prison terms and danger fill virtually every page. These are fascinating lives to read about, but I wouldn't want to live them! Aaron and Charles seem to be the most forthcoming and the most sympathetic of the brothers. If you love Neville Brothers' music, you'll want to own this book!




3. THe Neville Brothers are a very solid unit.Great talents.this book takes them not only as a Group but also as People with feelings&outlooks.David Ritz does a Great job of doing books.always Interesting reads.this is a very complete book.long overdue on these greats.but better late than never.



4. The Brothers is a coherent and compelling series of autobiographical narratives, alternating among Art, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril. These perspectives are a valuable record of collective memory, as well as moving individual journeys. American culture from the late 1930s to the close of century informs and drives these voices: here is camaraderie and racism, love and alienation, spirituality and hedonism, cruelty and tenderness, peace and rage, cocky determination and chilling fear, triumph and despair--all related with a palpable frankness. Those of us born in the 30s and 40s will find parts of ourselves here; those born later will see how true it is that "past is present." Lovers of jazz, blues, early rock'roll, funk and r&b, and New Orleans rhythms will revel in the stories of contacts with the "greats." The street language may put off some readers. With all respect to those readers, I suggest their tolerance. It is no small thing that those who struggle with personal demons may find a light to their paths between the covers of this book. Over 300 pages, family photos, discographies, and an index.



5. This autobiography is actually a quartet of autobiographies as the essence of each of the four Neville brothers come alive in this book. The non-fiction focuses on the individual personalities, their personal take on music including their solo careers and group performances and recordings. It also Includes their evaluation of the last four decades of music especially in New Orleans and their personal trials and tribulations.

   All this marks this non-fiction, as several cuts above the typical wave of rock and roll biographies that seem like perfect flavors of the month. Instead this tome provides a "Tell It Like It Is" feel that fans of the New Orleans sound will enjoy. Anyone who reads THE BROTHERS NEVILLE will seek other works by master music biographer David Ritz (see his works on Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin, etc.) as this reviewer plans to do.

   Harriet Klausner

5 comments about Dreaming Me.

1. I've always had the impression that Western/American Buddhism was overwhelmingly white, upper-middle-class and academic - an impression and perhaps a prejudice (or a hang-up); in spite of having read and been influenced by the philosophy and practice through much of my adult life, I've always held any personal endorsement or affiliation at arm's length because of this - I'm not white, upper-middle-class, or an academic, and the (perceived) insularity of that particular world doesn't often seem to be very inviting.
   
   This is why this was such a valuable read for me - Willis belongs to a very, very small demographic - African-American Buddhists, and in DREAMING ME she traces a path from a Baptist upbringing in the segregated (and oft-violent) South to her present life as an academic and Buddhist scholar. Willis' recountings of her childhood were - to me - the most successful part of the book, with the grimness of Jim Crow-era Alabama rendered in cinematic detail. Willis also - with great success - draws parallels between the faith she grew up with and the philosophies she grew to accept as an adult. Beautifully written, she makes it almost seem effortless.
   
   Not a very well-known book, unfortunately - and I fear this may slide into obscurity. I would encourage checking it out.
   
   -David Alston



2. There is something intriguing about a story which chronicles a former Baptist's alteration towards adhering to the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Jan Willis is an African-American Tibetan scholar and translator, a professor of religion at Wesleyan University and teacher of Buddhism for more than 25 years. She starts the book recording her life prior to finding the Buddha's teachings, a life spent as a devout Southern Baptist in a segregation ridden south. The KKK was active in her area of Alabama, and at a very early age they had burned a cross in her parent's front lawn. Later she would go on to march in Martin Luther King's civil rights movement, adhering to the values she so strongly believed in. In 1965, with 7 other African-Americans, she enrolled in Cornell University where during her junior year she sailed off on a trip to India which greatly impacted her life. For a brief period she returned to the states to continue her studies at Cornell, but eventually she felt drawn back unto the East again. She left this time for Nepal and underwent intense study with the Tibetan master Lama Yeshe. She studied with him for more than 15 years, where she faced a problem most predominant in all our practices: sense of self, ego.

   This book is a fascinating look at a very small minority in the world of Buddhism, the role African-Americans have played in it's growth and the teaching of the Dharma. In the west, in my lineage of Zen, African-American's are probably the least represented group of all. While we have male and female teachers, and practitioners of several racial and cultural backgrounds, for some reason or another there is a very small pocket of African-Americans present. This is not due to any sort of discrimination but rather, to be frank, oftentimes the African-American individual can at times have a problem with breaking down ego. Something which has it's roots in the horrendous treatment this group underwent at the hands of a predominantly white America. This work is a fascinating look at practicing the Buddha Dharma in modern times with a voice of honesty, clarity, and incisive wisdom on each and every page. Enjoy this treasure.




3. Books like "Dreaming Me" are gifts or treasures that we rarely have the good fortune to discover. Ms Willis' journey is at times painful yet ultimately joyful. She shares this pain and joy in a compelling writing style that is filled with anecdotes and drama. No matter what your life experiences may be you are quickly drawn into the universal themes that every human being shares. As a white male living in the Northeast during the sixties I was on the other side of the world from a person like Ms Willis. Yet she made her experiences part of me. And like two parts of a greater experience I felt whole after reading this book. I highly recommend it. Thank you Ms Willis for putting your experiences into such a beautifully written book.



4. This book was read in one marathon session that flew by all too quickly. It spoke to the very core of my being. Having this story told in such a personal way deftly teaches the reader at every level. It's well written and one could easily be fooled that they are simply being entertained with a good read. There were many moments where I felt stunned with deep recognition of a life experience that mirrors a good portion of my own. I connected with this book deeply at the heart level. Most touching were the moments with her teacher, Lama Yeshe. His extraordinary heart helped her heal deep societal and personal pains which have traveled across generations influencing and shaping our culture in difficult ways. Thank goodness Dr. Willis chose to develop the good heart, rather than fight the good fight. One does not need to be in a culturally specific group or religion to recognize and feel Dr. Willis' experience. She reached into the depths of spirit and wrote in a way that touches universally. This lady has a heart that totally outsizes her brilliant, immeasurable intellect and her story will benefit countless numbers. I'm one unabashedly grateful reader.



5. Since I have met Jan Willis a few times through my own work at Naropa University, I emailed her after I finished reading Dreaming Me. Here's part of what I wrote to her: "I just wanted to let you know how engrossing I found your book. It was like talking to you, hanging out with you, to read it. I had put it at the bottom of my pile of "books I want to read" but somehow it jumped right up to the top, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Please take that as a resounding compliment! Thanks so much for writing it, and for revealing so much of your big heart.

5 comments about Street Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue Posse.

1. If you have any interest in Hip Hop then this is an essential read for you. I do not agree with reviewers who found it condescending or parasitical. The author is a Jewish guy from Canada but that does not exclude him from writing such a book; he never hides who he is, he was the one who spent five years researching and writing it, and got it published, so more power to him. If you read it it appears that he did not decide to write such a book and then set out to use people to do so, rather that the book wrote itself through him having had interesting experiences through his involvement in Hip Hop, that he rightly put down on paper to share with others. It is a true life gripping account of the runnings of a Brooklyn street crew called The Franklin Avenue Posse, loosley associated with rap group Black Moon. It is full of great anecdotes and is well written. It will be of interest to readers of such magazines as Felon, Feds and Don Diva. It ranks up with William Shaw's "Westsiders", a similar excellent book about real life musicians on the fringes of the LA Hip Hop scene.



2. The previous reviewer who said this book is condescending hits it right on the head. Century thinks that by hanging around these guys, and having a black girlfriend, he is now one of them. He even comments on how when he is out with the crew, people would get out of his way, like he was now suddenly a tough guy. His girlfriend said it best (I don't have the exact quote but can remember it pretty good) "You can go to all the reggae parties and hip-hop clubs you want, you'll still be a white Jewish guy from Canada!"



3. this book came across as very condescending of the main character by the author. century came across to me as a parasitical tick waiting for his mealticket to die or go to jail, in order to profit off him. other than that it was easy reading and i'll read his other books.



4. I ran across this book at the local library. Very interesting read. I wish he'd write a follow up to let us know what happened to all of these people. Life on the streets that isn't a reality to most of us and a scary reality to those who it is real to. 5 stars.



5. This was a great read! It's packed with details and stories about the ruffneck guys who populate the Boro of Brooklyn. Awesome!