2 comments about Beauty Is Convulsive: The Passion of Frida Kahlo.

1. After having read Kahlo's diary she kept in her final days, Maso became inspired by not only Kahlo's art, but by her vision of the world, and has created in "Beauty Is Convulsive" a marvelous series of prose poems. Incorporating aspects of Kahlo's life into meditations on suffering and pain as art, these poems weave a tapestry of Kahlo's artistic mind, which was deeply affected by her physical ailments that persisted throughout her life. This is not a biography, but rather a side dish for readers enthralled by Kahlo's (or Maso's, for that matter) powerful art. Reaching back to the styles used in her previous book "Aureole", Carole Maso has written a fascinating, complex, and unique book celebrating a passionate artist.



2. This work adds to Maso's reputation as one of the most significant writers today. As Maso has suggested in the past, why are less known artists ignored in media, at the expense of well-known writers. Hopefully, this smart, beautifully engaging, and funny text will introduce a new audience to two influential and important artists.

3 comments about The Endangered Black Family: Coping With the Unisexualization and Coming Extinction of the Black Race (A Black Male/Female Relationships Book ; No).

1. This is a strange urban Black American perspective that ignores the rest of the world and concerns itself with a very Amero centric view that has no value for the larger world. It's a book written by cultists .... if they offer you a homemade drink .. skip it.
   I read half the book couldn't take anymore.
   Sad.



2. This book is well written and researched. The authors have a heartfelt desire to help black couples to deal with the myriad of problems that they face and it definitely comes across in the pages. It presents historical reasons for the problems (more than you may be aware), then categorizes them. Finally, they present possible solutions. These are 'harsh' but, in my view, necessary.

   Definitely a wedding gift for a young black couple.




3. This is a good book to read - it is driven by valiant goals and a love of one's people, but just know that you're dealing with some serious people here. If you're black and you're dating a white person, they feel the best plan of action is to ostracize you to set an example for the young.

   Ouch.

1 comments about Love Across the Color Line: The Letters of Alice Hanley to Channing Lewis.

1. While renovating an old house, a person found a lace stocking filled with love letters from a woman to a man. Also enclosed is a photo of a black woman. Instead of being correspondence between two blacks, it turns out that these letters were written by an Irish-American woman to her black male lover.
   
   History buffs and amateur genealogists should love this book. Outside of the interracial context, this book answers how do you find more information when you come upon a historical artifact. The answer is to look at old census documents, old maps, old magazines. Also, let people know what you found and see if someone may know helpful third parties. Just as modern techniques show that we leave our DNA everywhere, for approximately 150 years or so, Americans have left photographs and writings everywhere. Your reality can be found, even a century after the fact.
   
   The editor of this book said that the contributors knew this book must be a collaboration from the start. I actually think a historian with a background in women's history, African-American history, and local Massachusetts history could have written this book all by her- or himself.
   
   The extant letters were written by Alice to Channing; there is no existing two-way correspondence here. However, the book stated that when relationships fell apart, women often asked their paramours for their letters back. So while I thought that Channing may have kept these letters, it was actually Alice who did so. In that same vein, the book uncovers much more about Alice than Channing. In fact, it stands out that the chapter devoted to her is deep whereas the one devoted to him is scant. Still, you gotta work with whatcha got.
   
   This book is inspiring in that it proves such relationships did exist before Loving v. Virginia. However, that is where the inspiration ends. This relationship was riddled with abuse, jealousy, "gold digging," and misogyny. Just as Frederick Douglass wed a different white woman than the one to whom he wrote love letters, Channing never divorced his white wife to marry Alice. Patricia Hill Collins has soundly condemned the idea that this pairing is Root's "love's revolution." That stands out here. In fact, modern census figures show that couples co-habit interracially much more than they wed interracially.
   
   While this book does mention Smith College at several points, it never brings up that Northampton is now nicknamed "Lesbianville, USA" by its own residents. Greenwich Village was known for its tolerance toward interracial couples and gay couples. The authors here never state whether Northampton residents of that era would have been equally open-minded.
   
   This book does leave some questions unanswered. Alice was 32 when she wrote to Channing and 40 when she married another man. Did she pursue Channing because she didn't want to be an "old maid"? Channing was obviously literate, but the authors never suggest how he learned to read. They mention several times that the Civil War was a close memory for all involved. During the slavery era, it was illegal to teach blacks to read. This book never answers how Channing became one of the exceptions.
   
   Critics have complained that books don't bring up issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality enough. Well, this book juggles all of those balls. In fact, this book spells out ways that the interracial component of this duo may have been the smallest worry of the couple's concerns. Alice never brings up race in her letters, but the authors suggest that clearly race was a salient issue at this time. I am pleased that I found this book.

5 comments about Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman.

1. I've always wondered about the day-to-day lives of musicians, especially about those who are not regular members of a band. I now know that these musicians are called "sidemen." Fred Wesley is an extraordinary trombone player and a candid writer. I didn't know James Brown was such a jerk to work for. You can listen to (and watch) some of the performances Fred talks about on utube.



2. I am a 57 year old Washington, DC trombonist with many years of "chittlin circuit" experience. Reading Fred Wesley's account of his life as a sideman really hit home with me. So far, I have purchased (at last count) twelve copies of this fascinating book and distributed them to fellow musician friends who I know would also appreciate it. This really feels good and also therapeutic that our story is being told and documented. Older musicians always used to talk about paying dues. Well it seems that we never stop paying them, and Fred really spells it out in a clear, brutally honest, and what I find to be a very humorous and entertaining fashion. I would highly recommend this book to musicians young and old and to anyone else interested in learning what it is really like for the majority of us in this bizarre and crazy business.
   
   Lincoln Ross
   [...]



3. Fred wesley's book takes you on a Journey of the Music industry that you seldom every get on the whole un-cut real. this Man is responsible for some of the Baddest Jams known to the Human Ear Drum. He is a Multi Talented Instrumentalist, Producer&Arranger. He Grew up Down south&dealt with so much,but that was just the start upon entering the Army, then His Exposure to the Music Business under the Controls of Ike Turner. back when Ike&Tina Turner were together. then Fred going over to James Brown's camp which alone makes this Book a Must have. He doesn't pull no punches about JB's Camp&How He ran&did things. then fast forward to George Clinton and the Whole P-Funk Mob&operation. you move on to Count Basie. this Book deals with Inflated Ego, Sex,Drugs,Music, Race, Politics of the Industry&so many other details that you just can't even imagine sometimes that go on behind the curtains. very detailed&a Must read.



4. Fred Wesley is "THE MAN". Here is a musical funk legend who has really paid his dues. He was the glue that kept the Funk going strong despite of James's legendary self-righteous super-ego and his harsh tyranny ways that interferred with the creative freedom and progressive potential of the most talented musicians that God has ever put on earth. James invented Funk which I will give him the credit he rightfully and respectfully deserves, but he definitely didn't do it on his own (thanks to the talented musicians of Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Alfred 'Pee Wee" Ellis, St Clair Pinckney, Waymon Reed, Richard 'Kush' Griffin, Jimmy Nolen, Al 'Country' Kellum, Clyde Stubblefield, John 'Jabo' Starks, Melvin Parker, Fillyau Clayton, Bootsy and Phelp Collins, Bernard Odum, Sweet Charles Sherrell, Johnny Griggs; the talented singers of Marva Whitney, Vicki Anderson, and the late great Lyn Collins; last but definitely not the least, I can't forget Bobby Byrd because if not for him, James life would have taking a bleaker turn since Byrd and his family not only helped James get out of prison and on parole, but got James into his gospel group which James would later become the frontman of and, with his ambition and talent, would take the group further than they had ever imagine. There are other James Brown musicians names that I can't remember but had a major influential impact on builting the structural foundation on the sound we now know as 'Funk'. This book honestly puts everything on the table with his experiences as a professional musician as well as how shady the music industry really is.



5. "Hit Me, Fred" by Fred Wesley is one of the most honest and engaging autobiographies I have read. Honest in that Fred gives us uncolored insight into to the world of the music industry with all of the inflated egos, false hype, drug abuse, and intense politicizing. Also honest in his love and appreciation for his mentors, his unabiding affection for his fellow sidemen through out his career and his sense of awe when the James Brown band or Parliment or the Count Basie band were playing at their best. "Hit Me Fred" is engaging for all of the reasons above with the addition of Fred being a gifted story teller in general. This book is a must read for funk enthusiasts and aspiring musicians.

No comments about Outside the Magic Circle: The Autobiography of Virginia Foster Durr.

5 comments about America Behind The Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans.

1. Dr. Gates has done America a great service by helping to pull back the curtain on African American experiences and voices. I would recommend any of his writings.



2. Dr. Gates' book isn't a strict scholastic piece; instead, this is a collage of sketches of African-American life in the U.S. For this reason, this book is a great read. There is no overarching thesis, no trendy sociological analysis. In this book, Dr. Gates is more concerned with how diverse the day to day experiences are in the African-American community and what can be learned from individuals' personal stories, struggles and thoughts. He removes himself from the limelight and allows those he interviews to have center stage. This book is very human and very real. In an academic culture that likes broad, over-generalized theories, this book is a challenge to bring our thoughts back to the individuals who really struggle with societal problems and what life looks like outside the academic bubble. This book has a pulse and should be read by all those looking for the faces and the humanity behind the academic theories.



3. Despite the title, this book doesn't seem to go very far beyond the color line. Although the venerated author does tackle class, a very important issue, the book doesn't seem to draw the obvious conclusion. Here we see many of the familiar terms like "white money" or "white society" and yet this isn't America in 1950. Today's America is no longer white, in fact society at large is far more Hispanic and Asian then it ever has been. And yet there is still the racist stereotype that anything wealthy is white and that to succeed people must conform to `whiteness'. Such is the lie and such is the sad state of affairs that even the many educated and successful people interviewed in this book seem incapable of getting past.

   I was most unhappy not to se Condi Rice interviewed since I think her take on these things would have been most profound. Nevertheless this was a good start, finally admitting that class sometimes trumps race. The problem was that that conclusion didn't seem to draw this factuality out. Poverty is endemic, its not racial, it's a sickness and a culture. The culture of the trailer park mirrors the culture of the ghetto, and although racial lines may be drawn, they have little to do with success. Success is also a culture and it turns out that wealth breeds wealth. Thus the interviewees and this study should have drawn that idea out more, asking people to do what Booker T. asked them to do so long ago, namely, to succeed despite everything. Dr. King asked us to judge people by the `content of their character rather then the color of their skin' but it seems that in some points made here skin color is still paramount. And unless people heed Dr. Kings words, we will still be having `conversations beyond the color line' in 50 more years.

   Seth J. Frantzman




4. The media often tries to appear balanced and diverse by bringing on somebody to present the "black point of view." As this book of dialogues amply demonstrates, there is no such thing...there are only African Americans with opinions as diverse as the individuals themselves.

   Gates wondered "how far have we come since the Civil Rights Movement." To get some sense, he interviewed movers and shakers like Jesse Jackson and Vernon Jordan, but also those the Great Society left behind, like Kalais Chiron Hunt in the Cook County Jail and residents of Chicago's infamous Robert Taylor Homes . Familiar entertainment figures like Bernie Mac, Alicia Keys and Don Cheadle weigh in, with refreshingly candid interviews not commonly found in Hollywood hype. We meet activists on the front lines, like Lenora Fulani who uses theater to teach kids how to succeed in business. And we meet everyday people like Dierdre and Jerald Wolff who joined the new Southern Migration by moving to an affluent, predominantly black community in Atlanta, and Lura and Chris, a biracial couple living in Birmingham..

   I'm always impressed with Gate's ability to capture his subject's words without imposing his personality...he shares his own story in the introduction. Each of the 39 stories is told with clarity and fluidity; you read one and can't resist moving right into the next.

   A thought provoking book and for many white readers, a glimpse of black America not represented elsewhere.

   Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com




5. I was very delighted to hear that Henry Louis Gates was releasing another book, so as usual I grabbed the first copy at my job. I read this book in two days, and I found it very interesting. I liked the way he divided the community into four sections. The sections that affected me the most were the Ebony Towers and Chicago's South Side. I loved the Ebony Towers section because those are the people that I look up to most in my life and they really inspire me, especially Colin Powell. Chicago's South Side was the saddest thing I have read to this date. It was the magnifying glass into what is wrong with the African-American community today. I have to agree with the previous poster that stated Gates needs to really think about classes being separated as the root of the problem because I disagree also. I have lived in a working class urban area since I was 10. I have never lived next door to a doctor, lawyer, or a corporate executive. That fact has never discouraged me from maintaining high academic standards, or from striving to do my best in all areas of my life. Why? Because I have parents! I have parents that are involved in every aspect of my life. They took time to expose me to things beyond the hood, they nurtured me, and they were hard on me. Because of their determination combined with mines, their daughter will be a college graduate in May 2004. I believe any set of good parents would do that for their child. That is the biggest problem in the community today. Where are all the parents? In the Chicago chapter, I saw nothing but dependency and hopelessness. I can't blame anyone but them, not the black doctor that decided to move to the suburbs. Instead of focusing on why successful African-Americans do not live by less fortunate African-Americans, focus on the ways they do try to give back to the community. I know that many do not, but there are a large number who do. If anyone wants to make it out of the ghetto, they can if they really wanted to. Like my title said, the issues are deeper than this book can ever get. This was a nice effort and I appreciated the honest dialogue. I look forward to seeing the documentary.
   P.S. Kudos to John Singleton for giving the NAACP the finger. They are so consumed with Hollywood's artistic endeavours, that they forget about the ordinary citizens that really need them.

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

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



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



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



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



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

No comments about Not of Pure Blood: The Free People of Color and Racial Prejudice in Nineteenth-Century Puerto Rico.

1 comments about African American Lives.

1. I bought this book for my husband's birthday and he loved it. Though I haven't read it from cover to cover, I am constantly referencing it. Need facts on any prominent (and some not so prominent) African Americans, this book has everyone from Sojourner Truth to Malcolm X.
   I actually called Harvard University and was able to get my copy signed and Prof Gates was extremely gracious.
   I think every house with encyclopedias should include this in there library.

5 comments about On Sidesaddles to Heaven: The Women of the Rocky Mountain Mission.

1. I can't believe I'm the first reviewer to give this book a single star. It's an interesting topic, sure, but the quality of the book is appalling. Maybe the previous five reviewers were able to look past the constant spelling and grammar errors, but with several on every page (many of them basic typos -- can't the publisher spell check? -- as well as comma issues and awkward/incorrect sentence structure) I found the grammatical issues far too distracting to take this book seriously. Whatever academic merit this book may have is completely undermined by the shoddy and amateur quality of the publishing. This just isn't a book a self-respecting academic could keep in her library.
   
   However, if you have no particular attachment to spelling and grammar, and think you can overlook this constant problem, you may still be disappointed in the content. Again, it's a promising topic, but Carlson is alternately too brief and generalizing or too verbose and meandering, and the story doesn't really "flow." It seems like the publisher is a pretty small outfit (I googled Caxton Press and found three staff members total) but they are in desperate need of someone to assist authors with revisions, and most importantly, a COPYEDITOR.



2. This book was put together really well. Everything had an order and only once or twice did you feel like you were jumping back and forth between years(which is what I think is the problem with most books on history). I really enjoyed the time the author took to describe things like the sidesaddles themselves or all the stages of syphlis. The Whitmans were portrayed in a completely different light than what most children are taught in school. In a time when the women were all but ignored; I find it amazing that this author could find so much information about them so that we could finally read about who they were beyond the wives of missionaries. Thank you Laurie Carlson for all the hard work you put into this one. It was worth your time and dedication.



3. Carlson has written an absorbing and poignant account of these brave ladies. In addition to giving readers a good sense of these women as real people--not simply stoic helpmates in a great historical drama perpetuated by their missionary husbands--Carlson provides many telling details about aspects of frontier life, such as feminine hygiene, childbearing and sanitary practices, that previous historical accounts have overlooked. This book is a wonderful example of history from a woman's point of view, and it does a fine job of bringing the past vividly to life. Highly recommended.--Paul Slimak, in The Bookcase, Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles, February, 1999.



4. Carlson has written an absorbing and poignant account of these brave ladies. In addition to giving readers a good sense of these women as real people--not simply stoic helpmates in a great historical drama perpetuated by their missionary husbands--Carlson provides many telling details about aspects of frontier life, such as feminine hygiene, childbearing and sanitary practices, that previous historical accounts have overlooked. This book is a wonderful example of history from a woman's point of view, and it does a fine job of bringing the past vividly to life. Highly recommended.--Paul Slimak, in The Bookcase, Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles, February, 1999.



5. The characters seemed quite real. I was drawn to them in spite of their obvious human frailties. They were much like modern peace corps workers, idealistic but not very practical. Dedication to their individual faiths gave them both motivation and courage. The depictions of the characters lives in New England before their journey were disturbing. The severity of their lives made it easy to understand why they would choose such a dangerous path. Depictions of the Indian tribes concerned were historically accurate, but possibly not politically correct. I greatly enjoyed this example of Mrs Carlson's work. I look forward to seeing further work by this author.