5 comments about An American Story.

1. This autobiography was interesting and also at some points had me laughing out loud with her observations of class, race and gender in American society, and what it all means.
   
   
   Some parts of this book stayed with me and it's been years since I read it. Dickerson's description of a young woman she sees cleaning tables in a restaurant is particularly moving. She asks 'When does the light go out of that girl's eyes? She is young, enthusiastic and energetic as she cleans restaurant tables owned by someone else, but what happens when she realizes that this is all there is in life?' I found her comments to be especially thought provoking.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



2. Excellent book autobiography of Ms. Dickerson, well written gripping story of her life experiences and her realization of her own self worth.



3. how is it that you can write a book about racial unfairness and then make proclaimations about someone else's 'blackness'? how are you any less of a racist than those people who unfairly judged you?



4. I am 62 years old and found Debra's story to be my story. Her historical journey allowed me to revisit what was going on in my life and how I got this far and as fate or God would have it came at a time when I am making big changes again like Debra.
   
   Because of the historical and psychological journey I feel this book is a most read for African American and women of all ages to see what we share in common. In the current political and economic era we are in, its important that women pull themselves up by their bootstraps as the covers have been certainly been pulled off in wake of Katrina and Rita.
   
   An American Way, I feel is a recipe with many variations on how to get to get from point A to point B.
   
   Although Debra mentions being a student of the Bible in her early years, it is not mentioned or maybe my oversight that she doesn't mention praying to God for answers.
   
   I am recommending this book to all of my friends and a must read for my son. For women I feel this is the equivalent to "Think and Grow Rich-A Black Choice by Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill.
   
   I'm looking forward to reading The End of Blackness.



5. Typical whining Harvard Law School brainwashed product, nothing to say and says it poorly. (I know, I graduated from HLS). Avoid

3 comments about George Washington Carver: In His Own Words.

1. Having read other books on George Washington Carver's life I was very impressed with his faith in God, humility and refusal to accept promotion and monetary gain. Not to mention his incredible scientific contributions to all races. I bought this book thinking it would include a collections of his own writings (which it does) to get a more personal view of the man. Instead it seemed to be a book about George Washington Carver in the author's words. The letters are obviously edited and I found myself at variance with the author on his interpretations of them. Carvers human traits are magnified until he is often portrayed as a egomaniac who continually sought the praise of others and was unsure of his accomplishments. Tuskagee is even portrayed as a plantation! (Chapter 4 is entitled "The Tuskagee Plantation"). The other books I have read certainly did not hide his flaws (which all of us as humans share) but I came away with a desire to read more about a man who I came to admire and desire to emulate in many ways. His humility and sense of God's purpose in his life have been an inspiration to myself and my family. My opinion of Carver remains the same. This book will not remain in our library.



2. A good introduction to Carver, who was a man of charm and impracticality, intensity and feminine tenderness, humility and immense ego, and who was simultaneously devoted to Christian orthodoxy and an ideosyncratic strain of nature mysticism. Kremer's introduction is nicely written and strikes a proper balance between hero-worship and debunking. Despite the black scientist's unusual combination of personality traits, his virtues and faults remained largely constant throughout his career, so some of Kremer's examples seem repetitious. That's no problem. In books like this one, you can skip and skim in good conscience.



3. George Washington Carver is a pioneer.his accomplishments are the foundations of this Country.a must read for all people who want to know about people that have made contributions to Society&the World at large.

5 comments about Go Long!: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame.

1. A quick read. Nothing too heavy. I'm a huge Niners fan and it was good to hear Rice talk about his career. The drive he had while playing and training is inspiring.



2. I enjoyed the book, but do not expect great writing or insights. This is one of those obligatory autobios that sports figures feel they have to write for their fans. I'd have liked to read more about Rice's growing up in MS. His coments on various fellow sprts stars was fun to reqd. ( He doesn't believe Barry Bonds either ). Quick read. Solid three stars.



3. this was a great book, i rarly read but when i found out Jerry wrote a book I knew i'd have to have it. It was a very quick read, took me only 2 weeks to finish. It's also opened my eyes to the NFL and the way it works. One of the best books ive read



4. Not every football memoir/autbio will be like Jerry Kramer's DISTANT REPLAY or have a subject as complex as Jim Brown. It was painful to hear Rice read his book (Audio CD) because he's not a natural reader mor speaker, but one can appreciate the path he laid for future players to emulate. I think this book is more geared towards the non-fan as opposed to the historian, NFL fan or Jerry Rice fan. I do think Jerry could've improved his reading skills for the CD edition or have someone else read the book, but it's a good story. As long as the book served its purpose, I can't complain.
   
   - This review is for the Unabridged CD edition.



5. Excellent book, easy read. Very frank and honest dialogue produces a very refreshing look at the character and
   makeup of NFL great Jerry Rice. He possesses "old school" values, rare for todays athletes and his humble
   approach and its origins are clearly defined in his upbringing. Would highly recommend it for parents and players
   of any sport as well as non-players as it explores more than the world of athletics and promotes a great
   work ethic.
   
   K.F.

2 comments about "Strong Medicine" Speaks: A Native American Elder Has Her Say.

1. I had no idea I've been waiting for words of wisdom from a Native American Elder. But Strong Medicine is (forgive me) just what the doctor ordered.
   
   Marion "Strong Medicine" Gould's story is a big one. She has suffered. She inspires. She laughs. She shares wisdom you'll want to reflect on. And she does not shrink down from saying what many of us think but might not say out loud. (Or in a book.)
   
   I'm not a history buff, but I loved learning about Strong Medicine's life--precisely because of the way Hearth presented the information. I didn't feel like I was getting a lesson. I felt like I was making a new friend. A really compassionate and wise and funny one.



2. This book is a gem! I acutally felt each story as though it were "Stong Medicine" actually speaking directly to me. I felt all emotions, happy, excited, anticipation, and sad as she told this beautiful story.
   
   Amy captured her and this book will truly capture you!
   
   What a testimony of true Native American life.

4 comments about Oprah Winfrey: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. If you have millions of dollars in America, a country not known for its generosity, it's normally accepted that you are a very "kind" person, thus explains the aura which surrounds the scream queen Oprah. Her empire not only includes millions of dollars, but questionable investments throughout the world which include sweat factories and exploited workers. I for one found this book rather tedious as it attempts to make Oprah a saint who does no wrong. I'm waiting for her fall from grace like Martha Stewarts.



2. Purchased this book for a college report and found it to be very informative.



3. 
   I love Oprah and loved reading her biography. Her life story is exciting and inspiring and should be shared and read by people who wish to succeed against all odds.
   
   Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in 1954. She is an Emmy Ward winning talk show host and magazine publisher. In 2003 Forbes magazine proclaimed her the first black woman billionaire in the world. She has appeared on Time magazine's 100 most influential people list more frequently than any other woman, and considered by many to be the most influential woman in the world.
   
   Oprah is one of America's greatest philanthropists donating generously to charity. Not only is Oprah's personal charity giving unmatched by any other show business celebrity, but she has one of the most generous audiences in show business, raising money for various causes.
   
   Oprah was on the first national broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1986. In the mid-1990s the shows adopted a more serious format; addressing issues that Winfrey thought were of importance to women, such as infidelity, child abuse and cosmetic surgery. She often interviews celebrities on issues that directly involve them in some way, such as cancer, charity work, or substance abuse. In addition, she interviews ordinary people who have done extraordinary things or been involved in important current issues.
   
   In 1985, Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg's epic adaptation of Alice Walker's award-winning novel "The Color Purple". She earned immediate acclaim as Sofia, the distraught housewife. The following year Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but she lost. She has also acted in other films. Winfrey publishes two magazines and she has co-authored five books.
   
   Winfrey has never married, but it is widely assumed that she has lived with her partner Stedman Graham for almost twenty years. The relationship of Oprah and Stedman has been documented through the years with numerous romantic tabloid articles often accompanied by color spreads of the couple at home and on lavish vacations.



4. This book by Helen S. Garson is quite subpar. Most of the "facts" that she gives are things that can be found (...)from watching cable shows that talk about Oprah. Oprah has set the new standard of what talk shows should be, but Ms. Garson did a poor job in showing this. She even describes Oprah as "clowning" for her viewers and audience when she gets excited about something on her show. Yes, I consider myself an "Oprah supporter," and was very disappointed in this biography. The next time Ms. Garson wants to write a biography about a celebrity, she should get her research from more places than the local library.

2 comments about Race First: The Ideological and Organizational Struggles of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (New Marcus Garvey Library).

1. I read this book several years ago and was so impressed with the research, the detail, the style and the care that Tony Martin took to tell the Marcus Garvey story.

   It is a wonderfully balanced look at his successes, his failures, his faith in God and most of all his impact on our nation.

   I highly recommend this to history lovers of all backgrounds. You won't be disappointed.




2. Dr. Tony Martin has provided an in-depth historical account and analysis of Marcus Garvey's heroic agitation on behalf of African people's freedom world-wide.

   Dr. Martin effectively conveys a sense of the profound mission on which Marcus Garvey launched himself and his organization, the UNIA. Garvey understood the importance of psychology as well as economics and Dr. Martin's book describes his efforts, successful and unsuccessful, to achieve his very ambitious goals.

   "Race First", for example, lists the states and countries that were the homes of the 996 chapters of the UNIA on five continents and in the Caribbean. Dr. Martin also describes how the U.S. and colonial governments conspired to block the UNIA's program and even the distribution of its newspaper (printed in three languages).

   This book is indispensable to understanding modern American, African and world history and especially to understanding the "Black/African Nationalist" impulse of Africans in the Diaspora.

No comments about Arrest The Music!: Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics (African Expressive Cultures).

5 comments about Singin' and Swingin' and Getting Merry like Christmas.

1. SINGIN' & SWINGIN', the third installment in Angelou's autobiographical series of books, pleased me more than did the first two, or perhaps I should say that it is less uncomfortable to read than are its predecessors. I must confess that, by the time I finished Angelou's second book, her nearly constant expression of prejudice against Caucasian Americans was becoming tedious.
   
   One finds a very thick thread of bias and racial distrust in both CAGED BIRD and in GATHER TOGETHER, and that thread is made even more annoying by the fact that the many instances of abuse and betrayal that Angelou relates in those first two books are all perpetrated not by Whites but by her fellow Blacks, yet that race receives none of her blanket condemnation. Granted, I suppose that, had I lived as a Black in Stamps, Arkansas in the 1930s and '40s, I too would have copious reasons to distrust and dislike the entire White population of the United States, yet the barrage of vituperation directed against that population does become repetitive and predictable, two traits that an author should normally avoid in a book, the justification behind them notwithstanding. SINGIN' & SWINGIN' is not devoid of Angelou's racial prejudices by any means, but it is not so heavily laden with them, and they are not so intrusive as to overwhelm the reader.
   
   Two other targets of criticism arise in Angelou's first three books: her veracity and her own culpability for some of the blows she has described. As to the first, the historical accuracy of these books, I have mentioned in another review that I find most unusual the fact that Angelou, a dropout from the formal educational system, habitue of bars and sometime prostitute and brothel owner, actually plunged into books by authors such as Jane Eyre and Dostoevski for pleasure. Nonetheless, the fact that she writes of having done so tells us something of her self concept and desire for fulfillment and meaning in her life. In SINGIN' & SWINGIN', she writes of her success as a professional singer and dancer, of touring Europe as a cast member of the musical "Porgy and Bess," and of interacting with many "big name" performers. Did she actually "rub shoulders" with all the notables mentioned in her book?
   
   She is re-creating events from years past, and it may be that we are seeing some of her dreams as well as her actions, but what of that? Are not our dreams as much a part of our history as are our recordable acts? And are not all history books, written as they are by victors rather than by the vanquished, slanted by the world view of their authors? Besides, a good story usually benefits from some judicious embellishment. I find no quibble with Angelou's veracity, for I do not expect a word-for-word recollection of some conversation with a colleague decades ago but rather a retelling of that conversation that gives the reader a feel for the way it sounded in Angelou's ears.
   
   The third target, her own culpability for her treatment by others and for the guilt that she herself generates, is purely and simply inapplicable to a review of the book. The reader may feel strongly that Angelou had no right or privilege to seek freedom by touring Europe when she left her young son to the care of others and that she fully deserves the feeling of guilt that she describes. Another reader may feel that she was stupidly careless in her relationships with the Greek purser on her ship and with the ship's doctor. Indeed, even though the Angelou we find in this book is more mature than are her younger incarnations in the previous books, she can still be seen as incredibly naive and even foolish in numerous situations. There will be those who criticize the book because of these self-depictions. However, we must believe that this is the way Angelou saw herself at that stage of her life, and, while the reader may at times want to shake some sense into her, he must not allow this to affect his judgement of the book. Indeed, Angelou paints a very clear picture of herself--as she remembers herself--so, while we may be occasionally annoyed with the picture, we cannot fault the skill of the artist, for the picture is quite clear and unambiguous.
   
   I do not find SINGIN' & SWINGIN' to be a "stand-alone" book. For the reader to understand and appreciate Angelou's situation in this book, he needs to have read I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS and GATHER TOGETHER IN MY NAME first. We should consider her autobiographical books mere chapters from a larger tome, and we need to read those chapters in order. Of course, having once begun this imaginary book, the reader will want to finish it, and I am looking forward to beginning the next "chapter" in short order.
   
   Oh, one final thought: Ever wonder where Angelou's last name originated and how she "morphed" from Marguerite Johnson into Maya Angelou? The earlier books explained the "Maya," but this one explains the "Angelou." It's a neat revelation.



2. Maya Angelou tells us without restraint how she crawled out of the hell of her youth years to become a star dancer.
   Vivid decription of the situation of the African Americans and their mentality in the middle of last century.
   Evocative language, sharp, intelligent and fluent.
   A book to recommend.



3. I think that the book was very interesting in the beginning and the end, because I like the way it started out like she was shy about her entertainment career. And at the end it was very dramatic about how she was about to kill herself and her son as well because her life wasn't going the way she wanted it to go. Also, how the white community despised her and didn't accept the person that she was. This book really caught my eye, even though I am a young adult. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults of all ages because it really is an excellent book.



4. this third installment of angelou's sutobiography is just as well written and interesting as her first two. however, i have become completely baffled with ine aspect of the novel. in the first two books, her son's name was guy. suddenly, in "singin and swingin..." her son is referred to as clyde! if anyone knows why this is so, please share your explanation. it would be highly appreciated! and whatever his name is, still a good read.



5. A very pleasant read. There's nothing like traveling Europe and Africa by way of Angelou's memory and experience (if you can't get there personally). This autobiography covers the time Maya spent with the Porgy and Bess opera. I'm always amazed at the elegant, graceful and poetic way the author tells her life story. I'm even more amazed at how those same characteristics are exhibited in her speech, her stature, and her aura. This is a quick read that is sure to inspire. Angelou has a way of sharing wisdom and experience in a manner that connects with most any reader. Add this one to your list and be sure to check out some of her audiotapes as well. The only thing better than reading Maya's work, is listening to Maya read her work.

5 comments about Anything We Love Can Be Saved.

1. This is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. Anybody who wants to know anything about the soul of Paganism should burn all of their "So You Want to be A Wiccan" trash and read Anything We Love Can Be Saved. Walker's connection to the land, to Mother Earth, and to Spirit is as Pagan as it gets. This book is profoundly beautiful, profoundly Pagan. She understands that we belong to this wonderful planet, and that real worship of deity is not possible unless we're free, including free to explore and revel in our sexuality. She understands our connectedness to other animals, the nonhuman ones, and espouses their humane treatment as well.



2. Alice Walker writes ideas I don't already know, and she gives me new ways of interpreting people. She is worth considering, especially when you think you disagree with her. It is better to engage her in thoughtful debate than to not listen to what she has to say. Ms. Walker did not title this book "Anything I Love Can Be Saved." Importantly, she chose "Anything WE Love Can Be Saved." The book discusses pursuits she has shared with others.
   
   "Now I know that . . .activism is often my muse . . . All we own, at least for the short time we have it, is our life . . . Whenever I experience evil, and it is not, unfortunately, uncommon to experience it in these times, my deepest feeling is disappointment. I have learned to accept the fact that we risk disappointment, disillusionment, even despair, every time we act. Every time we decide to believe the world can be better. Every time we decide to trust others to be as noble as we think they are. And that there might be years during which our grief is equal to, or even greater than, our hope. The alternative, however, not to act, and therefore to miss experiencing other people at their best, reaching toward their fullness, has never appealed to me." pp. xxiv-xxv.
   
   I've spent a good deal of time researching concepts of love. Many people are familiar with Paul's description of love's attributes from 1 Corinthians 13. Alice Walker highlights the next chapter's oppression of women in the verses of 1 Corinthians 14:33-35. "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." I have to agree with Ms. Walker's assertion that the Bible was written by men. And I doubt any intelligent "god" would seek any "peace" that silences women or dictates they become intellectual subordinates to their husbands. As I have grown older, I've found more community and guidance from the voices of women.
   
   "If the women of the world were comfortable, this would be a comfortable world."
   
   To understand what the title of this book might be saying, a person must interpret how Alice Walker is using the word "saved." "Saved" is a word I have trouble with because I grew up in a religious community where a person could only be "saved" by choosing one being and one way. Seeking additional voices or additional community was "fallen" or "depraved." Alice Walker does not appear to be primarily be using the word "saved" in the commonly connotated evangelical "conversion to more enlightened path" sense. She is also not primarily using the word "saved" to promote "possession or acquisition of" another human being.
   
   Ms. Walker emphasizes "saved" in the sense that any person, idea, or object of good character can be remembered, preserved, nourished, grown, and sheltered by love. She says "love and justice and truth are the only monuments that generate everwidening circles of energy and life . . . though trashed and trampled, generation after generation."
   
   She discusses principles of preserving and sharing past loves in relation to recounting how written word efforts and community acknowledgement have honored Zora Neale Hurston, a woman who herself wrote in order to honor and preserve the often concealed, but discretely passed down, African American culture that survived hundreds of years of slavery and discriminatory religious & cultural practices.
   
   Zora also wrote to preserve the memory of specific loves from her personal history. In Zora's work, Alice found a character named Shug, Alice's "outside" grandmother, her grandfather's lover, whose descendant Alice was named after. And if you've read or watched The Color Purple, you are familiar with Shug. There are real people behind most great literary characters.
   
   Alice believes in preserving and sharing the good qualities of those who were unjustly dishonored and have passed from view. Her essay "Anything We Love Can Be Saved" was an address she gave at the the First Annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival in 1990, a festival bringing attention to and honoring the writings of Zora Neal Hurston. Injustice is not overcome through silence. As the subtitle of this book "A Writer's Activism" emphasizes, love is active, notorious, and publicized. The act of love may start "First in their own hearts," but it must be communicated to and shared with "the hearts of others. They have only to make their love inseparable from their belief. And both inseparable from hard work . . . Paying homage to her, memorializing her light, her struggle . . . brought us peace."



3. I am a lonely and sad person regularly. I would not describe myself as depressed, because depression too often has a meaning that the person is down due to misunderstanding. My sadness is borne out of knowing that worthwhile ideas, methods, and interactions exist, and knowing I am no longer able to participate with them. (Which ironically is an underestimated and underdiagnosed cause of real, clinical depression.)
   
   When I get too sad, I pick up a book like this one by an author who has an insightful & challenging voice. When I feel an absence of someone challenging me with new & good ideas, I pretend that instead of just reading Ms. Walker's books - I pretend she is in the room with me discussing her radical ideas and intent on keeping me company with her arousing ideals. I imagine she appreciates attentive feedback, and a willingness to thoroughly consider all her ideas, even when she is angry.
   
   And when I pause between ideas, I dream of a world that doesn't exist. I dream that most people would choose to act in ways similar to Ms. Walker. I allow myself to fantasize that most parents might choose to be less hypocritical and would agree to say for the sake of their daughters, "all I can promise her is not to lie" even if it "is painful to her, I believe nonetheless it is better than a lie. Surely better than the lies I was told - 'for my own good' - only to sniff them out eventually and become entangled in them."
   
   Then I get a peaceful, easy feeling and like a mad one, I choose to live as if "love is best expressed through truth," "Because to me, it is precisely our personal memories of joy and delight in each other and our present passions and loves that sustain us." p. 66
   
   And like Ms. Walker, I stubbornly refuse to forget or to pretend those memories never occured. It is a lonely refusal. It may be an unwise refusal. But it is a less unhealthy refusal for me than hypocrisy. It is not a raging refusal (as Ms. Walker indicates it is in her at times). And it is not a depressed refusal. It is a clear, conscious, chosen & sad refusal. And in that existence, I thank Ms. Walker for her ideas, her stubborn voice, her words against likely failures, and in my imaginary world - her companionship.



4. I want to be Alice Walker when I grow up, too bad that job has already been taken.



5. This is a very interesting book. One of the things that I enjoy most about Walker's writing is her ability to convey her perspective of the world. I esspecially liked the first two essay's, and the essay on her cat. I don't agree with absolutly all of Walker's points (Though I do agree with most of them), but this does nothing to undermine the power of the book. The book is sub-titled "A Writer's Activism" and it left me thinking about the place of activism in my own life. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind, especially when read in conjunction with Walker's book of short stories, "You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down".

No comments about Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave.