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.

2 comments about Jesse: The Life and Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson.

1. Neither a smear sheet or puff piece, this is a very objective and thorough look at the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

   Here you see both the good and bad. The infamous "King's blood" incident, the womanizing, the crudity and rudeness (that I've had the misfortune to expereince once), and the scandals are all here minus the Angela Parker case in 1971, oddly.

   However, Frady does not let the reader forget the good that Jesse Jackson has done for society. We also him getting tearful Israeli and Palestinian children to come together in peace. We see him trying to unify poor Whites and Blacks in America (who even THINKS of doing that anymore?), we see him encouraging Black kids to forego delinquency and do better in school (I first saw him on one such occasion in 1978), and we see the successful instances in which he helped in the release of hostages. We also see that contrary to popular (mis)beleif, he has encouraged far more cooperation among the races than this far lesser contemporaries among what remains of "Black leadership."

   Frady lets the reader know that in spite of Rev. Jesse Jackson's considerable and numerous flaws, the good that he has done cannot be dismissed.

   In spite of this, there is a minor complaint. Frady gets to be a bit much with the dialect in trying to capture Rev. J/J's speech patters ("Yawl," "Great Gawd a mighty," "Looka heah," etc.).




2. "Jesse" is a compelling examination of the fascinating life and times of an American original, civil rights leader and two-time presidential contender Jesse Jackson. This detailed, nuanced biography benefits from the author's nearly thirty years covering Jackson as a journalist, as well as the access Frady was granted his subject as a frequent traveling companion and from many interviews with Jackson, his family and colleagues. As a result, Frady has been able to create a intimate account of his subject's life and thought which seemingly allows the reader to get inside Jackson's head and understand his motivations and actions. Striving for a balanced portrayal, Frady does not shy away from Jackson's faults; commendably, he deals with them in a frank, fair manner while avoiding sensationalism. Ultimately, Frady suggests, all of Jackson's activities, from his early work with PUSH and Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, to his presidential campaigns and his incessant world travels, have been motivated by a common spirit of "gospel populism" and a desire to be seen not simply as a black leader but as a moral leader with a vision that transcends racial, cultural and economic boundaries. "Jesse" is not a perfect book; it seems at times a bit lengthy, and often Frady devotes seemingly endless attention to minor or obscure events and breezes over major ones (example: we repeatedly hear references and anecdotes about Jackson's 1989 trip to earthquake-stricken Armenia, but his 1988 speech at the Democratic National Convention - probably his most memorable public moment - is cursorily dispatched in two sentences). "Jesse" is probably not, as one reviewer suggested, the definitive biography of Jesse Jackson, but it is an important key to understanding the man, and in the absence of a definitive portrait, it will no doubt be the best Jackson biography available for a very long time.

4 comments about We Won't Budge: An African Exile in the World.

1. Having read Professor Diawara's "IN SEARCH OF AFRICA" and been struck by his outspokenness, I was left with a puzzling question. How could he rail in that book against racism and exploitation in the West, while also taking African societies to task for failing to get on board with modernity? I'm used to views advocating that Africans be encouraged to respect their own traditions, to "be themselves"; the notion that certain aspects of Africans' cultural identity are holding them back is provocative, especially coming from an African intellectual like Diawara.

   He elaborates on this seeming contradiction more fully in "WE WON'T BUDGE," while fulminating at length on the very divergent meanings of difference in French and American societies. His focus is modern migration, which he analyzes through his own experience as a young migrant in Paris and then in Washington in the 1970s, then again in Paris (now as a tenured professor and visiting researcher) at the turn of the millennium. Through his remembered interactions in all these settings with friends and family, with policemen and poets, with bureaucrats and bosses, he helps the reader come to grips with the meaning of exile.

   "Exile" is an apt word for Diawara's life: like James Baldwin, or even Hemingway, it's something he's chosen, rather than something forced upon him. He's neither a refugee nor a labor migrant looking only to support his family back home. In fact he's severed many of the bonds that connected him with Mali, his native country. He's turned his back on his family's religion and tried to ignore its demands that he conform to what he considers stifling customs. For this reason it's refreshing to read his perspective on migration, identity, and home in the modern world.

   Diawara's voice can be jarring, however, as well as contradictory at times. While he wears the mantle of ethnographer in telling his story, he doesn't tell us what his narrative authority rests on. In "WE WON'T BUDGE," all the dialogues with various persona appear to be reproduced verbatim, but I suspect they are merely paraphrased since he never mentions recording his conversations with people. Maybe he occasionally puts words in his interlocutors' mouths to illustrate a point. Moreover, he shows us the full text of letters he both wrote and received while a young man in Paris and DC. Did he keep copies of letters he sent, or get them back from their recipients? To do either shows tremendous ego; more likely, he's paraphrasing again to the best of his recollection. By presenting these memories as hard fact, Diawara tries to come off as both social scientist and memoirist, blending objective analysis with subjective experience.

   This approach doesn't always work. Does the author contradict himself? Very well then, he contradicts himself. Nonetheless, or maybe because of this, "WE WON'T BUDGE" is a fascinating, quixotic, and lucid glimpse into the life of an African exile in the modern world.




2. Professor Diawara in this book speaks directly to what seems to be a generation of multicultural, intellectual nomads who are knowledgeable about numerous world cultures but not truly comfortable in any of them. His voyage to New York, beginning in Bamako and stopping for a time in Paris, is an interesting one and raises serious questions about the ever-kinetic lives of Africans who must shuttle between the Continent, London, New York, Paris and the other major cities of their colonizers in an unceasing uphill battle whose sole goal is a better standard of living.

   His discussions of the culture clash between West Africans and the French are also salient and will seem familiar to anyone living in one of the world's multi-culti magnet cities. It is through his descriptions that we learn that we are all, in many ways, dealing with the same problems of modernity and negotiating the distance at which two cultures can peacefully coexist.




3. I have always enjoyed looking at life through another's eyes and now I have been able to do it from an international perspective. The title "We Won't Budge" does not give away the true meaning behind the text. It is just enough to invite the reader to pick it up and explore all that it has to offer. Diawara takes you on a journey of personal and intellectual moments that impact his life and the way he sees the world. It's a very honest and brave reflection of one's self. I am glad that he has decided to share his experience with world.



4. I stumbled across this book by chance and debated for a while whether or not I should buy the hardback edition or wait till it came out in paperback. Thankfully I spent the money and have no regrets - only shame that I even debated whether to get it or not! This is a wonderfully written book and one that should appeal to a wide audience. For readers who are longing for a book that is hard to put down - this is your book. For readers who are interested in learning more about Africa, Africans, France and America - this is your book. For readers who interested in issues of race, identity and belonging- this is your book. For all global souls and Africans who are dying to see parts of their world and experiences described on paper - you must buy this book. It's a rare gem that made me laugh and want to cry. I highly recommend it.

1 comments about Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?: From the Projects to Prep School.

1. A little girl whose father casually names all the stars in the various constellations can hardly help but reach for those stars, even if he's no longer a presence in her life. It's those early years that truly matter in the very special relationship of a father and his daughter. I know this for a fact, as my father and I shared a similar background.
   
   Ms. Lyles was named for her elusive father, and used his teachings as a springboard to a more challenging educational experience. Even though his presence wasn't a constant in her life, his love for words and books opened her young eyes to the world, and she never looked back.
   
   Her story proves that intelligence and education go hand-in-hand in creating an anachronism, such as she was while a teen-ager. Her early promise, however, was fulfilled many times over as she continued to achieve beyond what the rest of the world might have thought possible for this sassy, skinny Black kid from the projects of inner-city Cleveland.
   
   Her love for books and words prompted her teachers to goad her into continually improving herself, until at age 14, she found herself in totally new territory. A three-year scholarship to a private school (where all the rich, white kids went) meant she left her own home to live with a teacher, but still meant a bus-ride to the rural campus.
   
   Having learned at an early age that race was *Important*, she also learned that some things are only important if you let them be. Conspiracies could be found anywhere, if you looked hard enough to find them. Fortunately for the rest of us, Ms. Lyles decided to look beyond them and find the truth of a larger world. Granted, she had a lot of encouragement and support from folks she didn't know and had never met, but she also used her own store of gumption to push or pull herself to a higher plane.
   
   This wonderfully readable book is not only a non-pretentious biography of a graceful writer/poet but also a demonstration that gems are to be found in the most unlikely of places. It's also a great slice-of-life look at a world not very familiar to those of us who happen to be white, and from a different economic structure. If you remember--or even if you don't--the river that burnt or the Hough riots, your memory will be challenged by her view of these events.
   
   Follow along as she experiences the beginnings of the Black Power movement while still a pre-teen, graduates from Hawken and Smith College and takes her place in a world of letters, as poet, writer and editor.
   
   Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? is an inspirational story that should be read by anyone who can read, regardless of age or color or social position. For those who cannot themselves read it, a spoken version should be created so that no one is left out.

No comments about The Secret Trust of Aspasia Cruvellier Mirault: The Life and Trials of a Free Woman of Color in Antebellum Georgia.

1 comments about A Man Called White: The Autobiography of Walter White.

1. I read this autobiography in college, and it took my breath away. White, who was executive secretary of the NAACP until his death in the mid 1950s, writes candidly of his work and life in the fight for civil rights. The book title is a play on his last name and the fact that his mixed ancestry left him with light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. He used his appearance to help him get evidence in lynching investigations, and was successful because the lynchers thought he was white (being born and raised in Atlanta didn't hurt either!) The man was no saint (ditched his wife to marry another woman, a practice I don't endorse) but you cannot read this book without having some kind of change in your thinking on race relations--then or now.

5 comments about Gonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr..

1. This is an exceedingly well researched glimpse into the early, middle, and later life of the brilliant and God-gifted Sammy Davis Jr.- each period of his genius life very well explored. From birth onwards, SD went through stuff we never dreamed, and did stuff we never knew, but this book gives the whole story, warts and all. A very good read, full of fascinating insights and some tasty dish too. As a longtime Hollywood journalist myself (who had many interactions with Sammy) I found quite a few minor errors (Fishgall called Michael Cole of Mod Squad "Peter Cole",) but most people won't notice these, and will really enjoy this thorough look inside a truly amazing life. Congrats to the author!
   
   Barbara Sternig, Hollywood



2. I personally have not read any other book written around the life of Sammy Davis Jr. I was interested after all this time, for I heard so much surrounding such a well known and honored Entertainer. Reading this story at times I found to be tedious and boring, too many descriptors of movies, the theatre and surroundings in the environment of which Sammy Davis Jr. lived. The best part of this story in the last few chapters which captures the essence of ones personal life, unfortunately it surrounds the deterioration of a magnificient man. The story is well written and leads you to believe that the author has researched and thoroughly done his homework. I must say that I am very surprised at the lifestyle that Sammy Davis Jr lead and I feel for his loved ones, because this story of how he was and how he treated his family, his wives, is really terrible and they had to see and want something deeply to have stayed involved and connected to Sammy Davis Jr. I guess also that you have to understand the drugs and addiction and need for stardom to really understand how Altovise, May, his children and his close friends really dealt with him. Truthfully by the count of what this author has documented the only ones who truly benefitted from Sammy Davis Jr. legacy is the World who wanted to be entertained. Those who went to the theatre, to Vegas shows. His wives were just pawns and lived their lives through his status (never getting much from him) and his children, well I am surprised they refer to him as daddy, 'cause it seems as if he was just Sammy in their lives. Truthfully this book is really a very sad story of a man that was... did he really every love his family, it seems as if his only love was the Stage. I think that the author could have written less and got the point across....maybe his aim was to also get you to read the Autobiography, but it also seems like the author capture the essence of all the other material that has been written on this entertainer. I rated it a 3 for interest only, and there were probably 4 good chapters in this book. Authors writing ability I give him 2 thumbs up for research and documentation, footnotes etc... Content and interest to the avid reader, less descriptors and explanation of other characters. I felt at some points in the book that it was more about Frank Sinatra and others then Sammy Davis Jr.



3. i was a fan before i m a bigger fan now. excellent pacing beautifully written and really tells the story of a truly remarkable man i very easliy could have read this in one sitting but i savored every page. highly recommended



4. 
   
   This is the only biography I've read about Sammy Davis Jr.I am retired and though born about 10 years after him,it seems to me he was around forever.This biography jives exactly with how I saw his career over the years.The one great enlightenment I got from this book was the personal details;which obviously were new to me,and I suppose would be to anyone who reads it.Every page presented something new and in a very readible style.
   Davis did so much and interacted with so many people over so long a period that the author had a huge task to cover it all in such a short biography;I feel what he has done is a supurb job to say the least.
   The author makes you feel like you are traveling right along side as Davis pursues his life and career;what more can one ask for in a biogrphy?
   If you enjoyed Sammy,you'll surely enjoy this book.



5. . . .you'll enjoy this one as well. I wasn't sure I could take another Sammy Davis, Jr. biography so soon after Will Haygood's recent (and excellent) biography, but the brisk pacing and clear writing drew me in. Fishgall sticks to the major events in Sammy's life and doesn't go overboard with the historical background, but a clear picture of the man and his time emerges. I felt an inordinate amount of attention was paid to Sammy's later years and television appearances, but I appreciated learning more about his children and his third marriage. If you can only read one, read "In Black and White." If you're still interested, read Sammy's own books, and include this strong, fair biography.

2 comments about A Matter of Law: A Memoir of Struggle in the Cause of Equal Rights.

1. Judge Robert Carter gives a blow by blow account of the legal fronts of the civil rights struggle: the personalities involved, the infighting among them, the battles won, lost, and nearly neglected. Brown v. Board is well-told elsewhere, while other struggles receive overdue attention (e.g., the battle for the NAACP to preserve its member lists from scrutiny by officials striving to break the organization's back).
   
   Carter perceives himself as the uncharismatic technocrat of the struggle, an unheralded leader in a fight who was unceremoniously jettisoned from its core despite his impressive contributions.
   Accordingly, his account is that of a dutiful documentarian, rather than a labor of love, and the writing suffers for a dearth of passion.



2. When reading about the history of the NAACP's and the Legal Defense Fund's struggle for human rights, we tend to hear more about Thurgood Marshall and not enough about Robert Carter, who was a integral part of the fight. After many years, Robert Carter has shared his perspective with us.
   
   Tales from Carter's childhood and schooling are simply stated. Given the discrimination and hardship with which he grew up, these tales are more aptly labeled, "simply understated. His accomplishments through adversity are clearly laudable, but we don't get all the detail we would hope for. He does discuss a falling out between Marshall and him, and he also discusses grabs for power as Thurgood left. However, we don't get this level of detail on the cases.
   
   Regardless of the level of detail, this is a very informative read. I would recommend that anyone wanting to know more about our continuing struggle with civil rights should read this book.

5 comments about Frederick Douglass.

1. Looking for a biography of the former slave turned lecturer and abolitionist, I came across this work by author McFeely. The first section regarding the birth and circumstances of Douglass' flight to freedom was full of what I consider "psychobabble". The author makes too many conjectures concerning the relationship of Douglass with his owner, including possible latent homosexual feelings but never includes any information to back this claim up. The story picks up when Douglass moves to New England and becomes involved in the abolistionist causes. His travels to England and his relationship with women working for the cause of women's suffrage is particularly interesting. However, the remainder of the book seems to meander with no purpose.

   I am still searching for a biography which puts this man's life into context.




2. Frederick Douglass is an authentic American and a heroic figure. For those wishing to become aquainted with a chronicle of his life, McFeely's book will do the job.

   Born a slave in Maryland, Douglass accomplished the difficult task of self education in an era when slaves were not taught under penalty of law. "Running away with himself" (as Southerners used to describe slaves who escaped) twenty years before the Civil War, he became one of our country's great orators in telling the tale of his life as a bondsman and urging that America embrace emancipation of all slaves. He was perhaps the anti-slavery movement's best spokesman. Not only for the sheer eloquence with which he captivated audiences, but as living proof that a black could be educated to a level reached by few people of any race.

   Douglass did his part for the Union in the Civil War and bought into Republicanism as the best political vehicle for achieving the end of slavery and the leveling up of blacks to their rightful place in American society. His hopes were frustrated after the Civil War when his party turned away from Reconstruction and blacks were subjugated anew by racism, indifference and Jim Crowism.

   Douglass was an idealist in that he believed that America could be exhorted into granting slaves not only their freedom but their civil rights and social equality. His country failed his vision miserably and he ended his life personnally successful (as successful as his skin color could take him in the 1890's) but very distraught at the chasm between his hopes for a free America and the reality.

   This is an adequate book, though dry at times. It follows Douglass chronologically. In episodes where his life was a fascinating story -- as a slave, his escape, his establishment in the North, as a politician and as US minister to Haiti -- the book is a fascinating tale. Not so fascinating are long accounts of his work on the road delivering speeches as an agent of the anti-slavery movement. Part of the problem with writing a biography of a man who was in large part a professional orator is that the chapters focusing on that work are not very exciting. Mcfeely spends a lot of ink detailing his journies on the stump and his meetings with many characters who were part of the American and English anti-slavery movements. Douglass's life flow, when examined chronologically, produces a story of varying degrees of drama. Although any biograhpher is limited by his character, I had the feeling throughout that Douglass's life could be told with more verve without sacrificing the facts.

   What McFeely should have jettisoned were several parts where he delved into psychobabble -- speculations about sexual attraction or the depth of feeling between Douglass and several figures in his life. Human feelings and attractions are an important part of any biography and certainly shaped Douglass's life. McFeeley speculates on several without any facts to support his views. These are relegated to the first half of the book and do not intrude greatly, however.

   If one needs or wants to learn about the life of this great American, McFeeley's book will fill the bill.




3. I, also, cannot understand why the first reader found this biography on Fredrick Douglass, racist. Personally, I found it completely the opposite. For the first time, I truly felt I understood the man behind the public image.



4. I am curious to know the previous reviewer found William McFeely's observations/analysis of Frederick Douglas racist. I too found a lot of overly subjective tones within the work of Mr. McFeely's analysis of Frederick Douglas, but I also found that his analysis captured, for me, Frederick Douglas' strong positive character, and sense of universal humanity. Mr. McFeely's analysis, while in some instances deductive, yet subjective in others, presented a man - not a God, who held fast to is universal convictions, but who was also subject to human frailties. Mr. McFeely's analysis of Douglas has reinforced my admiration in Frederick Douglas even more.



5. I was so excited to see a new book on Frederick Douglass I didn't take time to preview the book. A classic mistake. The book is full of assumptions and innuendo. It seems the author was trying to destroy Frederick Douglass' place in history. There were too many insulting statements based on little or no fact. I tried to keep an open mind while reading the book, but the more I read the more disgusted I became. What the author may consider conservative and controversial; I consider a racist piece of trash.

No comments about African-American Firsts: Famous, Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America.