5 comments about The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double-Consciousness.

1. The book was in very good condition, but it took longer than expected to receive it.



2. Paul Gilroy's The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness begins with a clear problematic. Prevailing historical authority subscribes to racial, ethnic, or national essentialism in analyzing "blackness." This reduces the cultural and political history of "black" people to a physics of isolated particles. Instead of unrelated national histories, Gilroy seeks a postnational account of the black Diaspora. Gilroy's effort involves searching for common modes of reason across hybrid black Atlantic cultures. He believes that the academic endeavor of African studies, when framed by the nation state as a mode of inquiry (e.g. "African-American studies") can not engage the African Diaspora as a liquid phenomenon that is in constant dialogue with itself. For Gilroy, this Diaspora does not "fit" in the compartments of national boundaries. These boundaries impair present-day political resistance because they deny an alternative to European cultural hegemony in articulating the black relationship to modernity. Moreover, these boundaries obscure the hybrid legacy of prevailing "western" civilization.
   
   Importantly, Gilroy diverges from a number of other thinkers (in fields as diverse as Communications, Anthropology, and History) as to the origins of "black" artistic expression. Scholars like Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong, and Lawrence Levine would contend that black culture maintains an essential orality in the midst of modernity. Each has a way to avoid the tendency of this contention to exoticize blackness. (McLuhan concludes that modernity is oral and that technology is an extension of sensation in his "Gutenberg Galaxy" and "Understanding Media." Ong systematizes the cognitive aptitudes of oral and literate worldviews in his aptly titled "Orality and Literacy." Levine concludes that black expressive forms have been gradually inscribed by modernity in the century following the Civil War in his seminal "Black Culture and Black Consciousness.") These thinkers embody the idea of "latent orality" which framed the prevailing academic status of black cultural expression in the 1960s and 1970s.
   
   A major figure who broke this paradigm in the 1980s was Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates articulates a sophisticated and literate intellectual tradition through the way in which black vernacular signifies upon itself. The result is a critical conversation on political subjectivity within black expression. This resists the reduction of black cultural texts to latent orality or the reduction of black intellect to assimilation of Western knowledge aesthetics. Gates shows that black expression has a sophisticated textual criticism that predated and survived European hegemony. But for Gilroy, this does not go far enough.
   
   Gilroy sees "textuality" itself as a problematic instrument in analyzing black music. He ties the moral basis of black music to a critique of modernity in what he calls a "politics of transfiguration." In contrast to Gates's critique of black vernacular, Gilroy sees in black music an invocation to literacy (critical discourse that is abstract from present circumstance) that is morally constituted of a critique of the shortfallings of modernity. In other words, whereas Gates sought a distinctly African means of achieving critical thought as rooted in European knowledge aesthetics (a mind-body split--Gates's signification is a sophisticated life of the mind above the body), Gilroy sees the counterculture of modernity as negating this split between "ethics and aesthetics, culture and politics (page 39)." Whereas Gates shows that literacy and reason are not solely European genealogies, Gilroy shows that black vernacular is not necessary for black reason. For Gilroy, black expression ("counterculture") is a moral signification upon modernity. This counterculture does not reify textuality because it objects to knowledge as something abstract to the human lifeworld, a hallmark of European thought. Gilroy's counterculture is thus a "post-literate" mode of reason, an engagement with the intellectual future rather than the intellectual present (Gates) or the intellectual past (McLuhan/Ong/Levine).



3. In "The Black Atlantic" Paul Gilroy constructs an excellent text based on the black diasporic experience. His views of black culture as being a dynamic networked construct based on the idea of the diaspora derived from Jewish culture, is an illuminating concept that contains great substance. Gilroy's underlying transnational humanism (that can be read in his latest pseudo-utopian work "Against Race") and vital rethinking about the perils of cultural nationalism and the urgent benefits of a unique hybrid culture is a thoroughly needed breath in the stasis of linear monocultural thinking. The book functions in an excellent manner in addressing the complex dynamics of slavery, colonization, and their inherent residual effects on black political culture. In addition the method in which Gilroy weaves Adorno, Hendrix, hip-hop culture, Du Bois, Wright, Hegel and a host of others in a clear and eloquent manner is cause for reading in itself. In a nutshell, this is a valuable sociological and philosophical work that creates a rupture in linear, absolutist views of history, sexuality, identity and other various elements in relation to black particularity. In this book Gilroy composes the dynamics of intercultural exchange (whether artistic, political, social, moral etc.) as well as attributing to socialized historical memory through its brilliant text.



4. The Black Atlantic is an attempt to call to attention the contribution of the slaves to the progression of modernity. Submitting himself to the operation of Western modernity, Gilroy recognizes that there exists a double consciousness in the black flesh, that is, the black sees his own image through the 'other.' However, as to me, we should find the third term--denegation to revolute against the metaphysic difference and cultural strength instead. Denegation in its very essence is not to break down the established but rather to hold a critical eye on the contigent cultural transformation and has the self recognize the alterity.



5. Paul Gilroy brings a fresh eye and mind to the challenging task of examining black cultural and political manifestations as they affect the transglobal community. Gilroy, unlike some cultural theorists, sees the interconnectedness between those discourses around race, class, gender, and sexuality and its impact on the black and world communities. It is his articulation of how these entities are intertwined that makes for a fresh and insightful examination of contemporary black diasporic experience.

2 comments about The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.

1. After meeting Mr. Zellner at a lecture on the enduring legacy of the Civil Rights Movement [CRM] I was very intrigued by the story of this white son/grandson of former Klansmen, who became one of the biggest advocates of the movement. In this book Bob shows his transition from a very curious and slightly confused college senior, to a full fledged freedom fighter. He does not idealize himself or the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [SNCC], showing the tensions, fears, and doubts over everything from gender and race relations, to the basic theory of non-violence, as well as the intense brutalization they underwent in their quest for freedom. The story does not end with his departure from SNCC, but continues through his grassroots organizing efforts with GROW, to being abused by the NY State Police, and beyond. This is an amazing story, one that sheds so much new light on one of the most important eras of US history. The book is well written, highly readable, while reflecting the interesting southern sense of humor that seems so characteristic of Zellner. I would recommend this book to anyone, and would call it a must read for anyone with heightened interest in the CRM.



2. Mr Zellner, an early SNCC member, has contributed a wonderful account of the civil rights movement as it entered its post 50's phase seeking to confront southern apartheid in the front-line states of Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana. As one of the few white SNCC field secretaries from 1961, Mr Zellner endured beatings and even torture in a Louisiana prison alongside his sometimes better-known colleagues. More than a simple narrative, however, the book has relevance especially today for those too young to remember that until only a generation ago, some people were not free in the South and as Mr Zellner reminds us, calling an African American "Mr" could earn a severe beating from the police. Partly because of the sacrifice and commitment of SNCC members working on cooperation with other rights organizations, now, we can proudly say "Mr President".
   
   Written as a memoir, "The Wrong Side of Murder Creek" is lively and informative and brings to life the excitement, hardships and dangers confronted by civil rights activists. It is a book which merits inclusion in US civil rights history as does Mr Zellner himself. His unique perspective as the son and grandson of devote Methodists and Ku Klux Klan members, Mr Zellner reminds us that standing up for what you believe in was and perhaps still is, dangerous but necessary.

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

1. I read "The Bond" over two nights. What an incredible story! It tells the story of triumph over adversity. I recommend every parent; single or married; every teacher,teen-ager, male or female read this book!



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



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



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



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

5 comments about Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson.

1. Compelling, engrossing, fast read (I read while on a flight). It moved like a great crime novel. Bumpy Johnson is a fascinating character and I especially liked that this long overdue BIO came from the most credible source possible (Bumpy's wife - Mayme). This book clears up a lot of misreprentations depicted in movies and other literature. I also enjoyed that it provided a first hand historical account of 1920's/1930's Harlem - one of the most rich and undiscovered slices of American history. My wife even read and enjoyed this book and she generally has little interest in this type of material. My only criticism is that I wish Ms. Johnson had covered a bit more about Bumpy's more cultured side - the fact that he was pretty well read, socially active and thoughtful about the politics of the day. In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of books or movies about the American Mafia or Organized Crime. This rich and detailed account is as good or better than anything out there.



2. I read this book in 2 days. I couldn't put it down. I was captivated. I'd always wanteed to know more about Bumpy Johnson ever since I was junior high and found out he really existed as I was a huge fan of the Cotton Club since I was a little girl. I am so glad this book was written because it dispels the rumours and lies and lays out the truth. With so much detail and information that anyone with the inclination to do the work could very well research it. I loved getting a more detailed insight not into just the obviously complex man Mr. Johnson was but also the mindset of the people of th Harlem Renassaince and learning allthese different and interesting factoids about celebriites I've heard about but never here all the true strides and accomplishments they had like the great Sarah Vaughn. I say this is information that needs to reach more people.



3. Mayme Johnson, Bumpy Johnson's wife of twenty years, decided it was time to set the record straight. In HARLEM GODFATHER, she does just that, providing readers an intimate and in depth look into the infamous Bumpy Johnson, his life and his character.
   
   Make no mistake; this isn't a wife's dreamy version of her husband's life, delicately covering the dark patches with a flowery illusion. No, by the end of the first chapter, you instinctively realize Mayme Johnson is a straight shooter and is giving you the truth, with all the fat trimmed away.
   
   Bumpy Johnson was Harlem. Period. Here, he becomes more than a conflicted character in Hoodlum or a blatant misrepresentation in American Gangster. Here, his charisma and creativeness prove he should be acknowledged with all the great bosses of the "mafia" heyday.
   
   Was he a criminal? Yes, but boy, did he run it with style and finesse, a true "Sporting Man" as Mayme Johnson calls them. It is that style, loyalty, cleverness and simple luck, which fixates mainstream America. Bumpy battled Dutch Schultz, played chess and bargained with Lucky Luciano and rubbed elbows with Hollywood stars and starlets, but would pull out his switchblade and slash a guy without a second thought.
   
   While Mayme Johnson provided an insightful and comprehensive journey of her husband's life, Karen Quinones Miller did a masterful job of seamlessly molding the pieces together in this flawless work. The amount of research, time and effort put here cannot go unnoticed. Karen Quinones Miller undoubtedly filled in the blanks, providing the political and historical climate, which enriched the telling of Bumpy Johnson's life.
   
   Mayme Johnson's candor is refreshing, and the simplicity with which she and Karen Quinones Miller deliver this complicated biography is wonderful.
   
   Reviewed by a. Kai
   for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



4. I really loved this Book.. After spending years searching for any information on Bumpy Johnson, I was excited to find that this book would be published. When I recieved my copy I read it in two days, and was very happy to learn about the "Real Bumpy Johnson". He was some man... The movie couldn't get it right, but this book certainly has... Congratulations to the author on a job well done...



5. Imagine sitting around on the living room floor in your grandmother's house, listening carefully as your grandmother recaps your family history. That is the feeling I got while reading Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson by Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller.
   
   Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was already making a name for himself. His parents, worrying about his safety, send him to live with his older sister, Mabel, in Harlem. This was the beginning of a new sheriff in town, and he meant business.
   
   If loyalty is what you wanted; Bumpy was the man to find. Anything happening in Harlem had to be approved by him as well, and he never ever backed downed. Especially when he knew he was right. Though his main business was numbers running and protection, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, on a drug trafficking charge. Something he did not see coming, for all of Harlem knew the type of man he was.
   
   Mayme Johnson wanted to set the record straight about the type of man, her husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, was. The type of people he kept company with and how he dealt with those who thought they could bring him down. At 93 years-old her memories of the things which took place, from the time Bumpy was young all the way up until the day of his death, was impressive. Though she met Bumpy in 1948, he along with his true friends shared the events of his earlier days with her, as well as things that took place when she was not there.
   
   Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller cleared up a lot of falsified information in Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. Sometimes they flipped back and forth within the timeline, but it was not hard to keep up with. The main thing I had a concern about was the lack of proper editing. There were numerous errors of all sorts. The binding was also an issue for me. I found it hard to hold the book comfortably. All and all I still recommend Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson to anyone wanting to know the truth about the real American gangster.
   
   Jennifer Coissiere
   APOOO BookClub

5 comments about Temptations, Updated.

1. Like so many who saw the television drama: The Temptations, this book only covered a certain segment in the life of the Temps, which is not the fault of the author. However, the book did give a window into the world of Motown and a perspective of what it was like for the young artist of that area.
   
   It was okay.



2. Otis did a great job on this book. I appreciate and respect Otis for not really saying bad things about the group. I belive he could have told much more of their personal struggles and personal business, but he chose not to. I think it take a respectable man to write a book as well written as this one is about the Tempts and yet leave them their dignity intact. This show the love and respect Otis have for them. I tip my hat to him.
   
   Thanks Otis for going back and including Melvin(blue)in your book. He was wonderful.



3. This book is excellent. I think the 70's & the Temps were in the best era of all centuries!



4. I am in the process of reading the book and i like it so far but i love the moive sooooooo much i watch it like everyday its addicting! I'm probally the youngest temptations fan i'm 14 years old and love them ..... my favorites are eddie and david i think they are the best voices.
   
   
   
   
   
   let me close by saying the tempts willl never die and i thinkt their the best group ever! noone can top them



5. I love the Temptations, and this is an outstanding book. It gives you all of the history that wasn't in the movie. It is a must have for all Temptations fans.

5 comments about Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World.

1. Very interesting book. Brings you into the culture of the Mosuo people. Read it for Human Development class. Enjoyed it!



2. Yang Erche Namu, born in 1966 is a professional singer, model, socialite, author and basically a very famous person in China. She has written eight autobiographies in Chinese, none of which have been translated into English. However, from what we can gather from excerpta most of them narrate together with her life story the many relations she has had with men all over the world, with detailed appreciations of their virtues and vices. She is actively interested in women empowerment in China and has been investing in hotels in her home region in Sichuan. In 2007 she wrote a public letter proposing to Sarkozy, but evidently he preferred Carla Bruni. Her fame in China does not march together with public sympathy, and she says of herself that Chinese hate her almost as much as Mao's wife.
   However, this discussed public personality has a very interesting background, that has drawn the interest of an appreciated anthropologist Christine Mathieu (1954) who undertook the task of reconstructing Namu's childhood. This biography written in first person is not actually written by Namu but by her "interpreter" Mathieu. Namu was born in the Moso ethnicity, one of the 56 Chinese recognized minority groups. The less than 50,000 Moso live according to a matrilinear social organization. Women detain property and through the so called "walking marriage" procreate children that more often than not do not know their fathers. A woman's offspring is usually by different men. This kind of social organization is very rare, but still survives in some parts of the world and determines a peaceful and non violent environment. Until the 1980's this secluded society had had few contacts with the outside world and maintained its peculiar characteristics and represented an anthropologist dream..
   The spirited and intelligent Namu was keen to escape her limited life in a Moso village, and this is the story of "Leaving Mother Lake". The story of Namu's youth ranges from the description of her family and friends, sibling rivaltry, an isolated experience among the mountains with her uncle and basically a conflictive relationship with her mother Christine Mathieu has reconstructed and rewritten Namu's childhood from long conversations and memories of the protagonist, and after completion of the biography she submitted it to Namu, who recognized herself in the tale. Can this lead us to call this is an authorized biography, a biography by proxy, a false diary, an interpreted memoir? The definition is difficult, and the genesis of this book, which has been a world wide best-seller, is I think one of its drawbacks. The personality of the young Namu has been westernized, and probably for this reason it gains so much empathy. In some points Namu's story reminded me of "Caddie Woodlawn" " or "The Little House on the Prairie".
   Independently however from the description of the protagonist's character and her personal facts, the book is an anthropologic text full of stories, episodes, historical and religious analysis and correlations with history and sociology of the evolution of modern China. I was personally more interested in this aspect and found that Mathieu knows how to tell a story, and has aptly chosen Namu as her vehicle for a social analysis of the Moso ethnicity. The memoir is followed by a chapter on the discussions on the evolution of the Moso ethnicity and its possible historical explanations and another with a two voice interview with Namu and Mathieu.
   This book is very readable, it breezes along conveying by broad lines the sense of this social group, it also introduces us to the strong personality of Namu. But I suggest to look her up on from other sources, one of which is Michel Palin's "Himalaya" and reflect on who she really is and what she represents in modern China.



3. A very inspiring and good book about moso culture. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know a little bit more about it.



4. As with all young people, Erche Namu Yang--or just Namu--faced the traditional crossroads of forging her own identity when she was a teen in the early 1980s. While many authors have written about this important life turning point, Namu's book stands out because she faced her coming of age in one of the world's most unique cultures. As the book's extended titles notes, she experienced "a girlhood at the edge of the world." What she should have said was "in a Feminist Utopia"!
   
   Namu was born into the Moso (also Mosuo) people, who live near Lake Lugu (or Mother Lake) in remote parts of Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, bordering Tibet. This area has been referred to as The Country of Daughters, with good reason. The Moso are one of the world's few remaining matrilineal societies. Mothers serve as heads of their families, daughters are favored, and property and leadership is passed down among the females. Sounds good! However, this culture has been described as a feminist fantasy as well as mistakenly understood as tribes of promiscuous women, because the women do not marry. They move from one relationship to the next when they wish, without any self-consciousness or guilt between either party. Male roles within the family structure are filled by the family matriarch's brothers and sons. The Moso believe that because the men in the household are all blood relatives, they will be forever loyal and helpful to their women kin. There's definitely something to that.
   
   No, I'm not making this up! The wealth of details Namu provides about Moso culture in her story will set the record straight about her people's lifestyle. Put on your cultural historian hat and remain aware that the Moso's socio-economic structure totally works for them, and you will learn a lot about an amazing group of people.
   
   Though it traumatized her family--especially her mother--Namu knew her destiny lay beyond becoming her family's next leader. This book is about a girl having the courage to fulfill her dreams and how these ambitions affect her relationship with her mother. The Moso cultural aspect provides a unique backdrop for a timeless story about personal growth.
   
   SIDE NOTE: I had the privilege of hearing Namu speak at the Shanghai Literary Festival one year. She is stunningly beautiful with a voice to match. She is so talented that she is successful at everything she does. When she couldn't sing anymore, she became a model. When she was too old to model, she became an author. To date, she has written 13 books--though only Leaving Mother Lake has been translated into English. Now she is trying to improve the quality of life in Lake Lugu and to be an ambassador for the Moso. She has opened the Namu Palace Hotel Museum at Lake Lugu, where artists can stay gratis if they create a piece to put in the adjacent art gallery and where guests can learn about Moso culture first hand. Hmmm. Definitely something to think about! But if nothing else, you can be inspired simply by reading her coming of age story.



5. A beautiful book ... truely inspiring ... no-one can fail to be moved into the (Moso) world ... so full of humanity ... I would recommend it to everyone .....

5 comments about Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran.

1. This is simply the best book I have read in a great while. Several issues are addressed: life in the US as a child of immigrants/exiles and how one conceptualizes (and mythologizes) "the old country"; life in Iran as an American-Iranian: someone who feels like they should (are obligated to?) belong but somehow never quite gets all the pieces to fit; and trying to tie these identities together into a whole person.
   
   With few Americans traveling abroad for more than 1-2 week vacations and little opportunity to be more than tourists where ever we go (or to ever be able to understand what it means to move your life to another country, let alone a country where you are considered suspect); this book moves people beyond thinking of Iran as simply "evil", "scary", etc. Life and people there, like anywhere, is complicated and many things to many people. The Western view of Iran has traditionally been to focus on the terrible and extreme or conversely to romanticise it and see only the mythical, the static ancient history.
   
   Whichever side of the coin most Americans tend to focus on, it is usually an uncomplicated, uninformed view of the nation and the people. This book allows the reader a peek into a small section of life there to see ugly, wonderful, beautiful, happy, terrified, hopeful, dispondent people.
   She never claims to represent anyone other than herself, she doesn't try to speak for Iran or Iranians or Iranian Americans- she just lets us look at the world through her eyes for a little while.
   
   Azadeh Moaveni also allows us to follow her in her search for a place and identity that seems perpetually just out of reach. Like the tale about the Simorgh, the journey to find this place and identity eventually leads her (and the reader) to look within.
   
   Unfortunately this review can't do the book justice- I highly recommend this book to anyone, period.



2. Azadeh Moaveni's "Lipstick Jihad" is interesting and well-written, but not captivating. Much of the criticism from other reviewers revolves around her well-to-do social status and her focus on the young, upper- and middle-class generation with which she seems to have spent her time. Is this an "authentic" description of contemporary Iran? Were this a work of journalism, this critique might be valid, for the book is fully absorbed in the Islamic Republic-style perversions of the otherwise recognizable drama of being a young adult. And one can hardly charge her with misleading the reader on this account, as I can't think of a more apt description of this book's focus than the subtitle itself: "A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran."
   
   The appropriate question to ask is not what the subject of her book is, but how well she has captured it. It is for this that I only give three stars. She rides from interesting anecdote to interesting anecdote, and when discussing her sense of being suspended between Iranian and American identities she can really shine. But her attempts to draw perspective often left me skeptical. She's fully capable of viewing her environment critically, but I'm not convinced she ever transcended it, looked back and encapsulated it for her audience.
   
   When I finished each chapter I was not compelled to start the next and only rarely found myself lost in its pages. I am glad I read the book, and learned much about the political and social dimensions of life in contemporary Iran. But a memoirist's role is larger - even, in some ways, dishonest. For a memoir must universalize the personal, must order and narrate a life that rarely comes with either. In Moaveni's abstraction of her experience she only puts forward an interesting read, not a great one.



3. I enjoyed this book and found it somewhat enlightening about Iran and it was interesting to read how the younger set manages to socialize despite the constant repression by their government. Before going to Iran to live for a time, the author has an idyllic remembrance of a visit there, coupled with the reminicenses of her family. Once she gets there she gets an education of what it's like to live in a society that is in no way free and is governed by religious fanatics.
   
   I was annoyed that she still felt so torn throughout the book - she wanted Iran to be so different, and seemed to consider herself Iranian, never once acknowledging her great good fortune of having been born an American. She never mentioned an appreciation for America, only yearning for a better Iran so she could stay there, and ultimately went to live in Beirut but doesn't say why. She could not have a fulfilled life in America?
   
   Another thing that bothered me was the narrow perspective. She wrote about how the people she socialized with didn't care at all about Islam and weren't religious, thus giving the impression that the only religious fanatics in Iran are the people running the government. She seemed to think that if Iran could go back to a secular government that Islam would no longer be a problem for Iranians. Also I would have liked more depth pertaining to the problems women experience in this type of environment.



4. I have no business writing this review, for I read Moaveni's "Lipstick Jihad" over eight months ago, and can recall little about it.
   
   Then why, you may ask, are you writing a review? If you can remember nothing about the characters sketched, the episodes related, the lessons learned, the style employed, etc. -- if none of these things has stuck in your mind, what could you possibly have to say about the book?
   
   My point exactly.



5. So many of the reviews I've read focus on the author's upper-middle class status or her secularism as if these things make her less Iranian and therefore less suitable to write a book about being Iranian. Let us not forget that this book is a memoir, it is one woman's story of living in Iran but never really feeling like an Iranian. It's not a history book nor is it political commentary, though it does delve into both subjects. It is, however, an incredibly honest depiction of an American-born journalist's life in Iran during Khatami's presidency.
   I know the reason I loved this book so much is because of all the parallels I can draw between the author's life and my own. "Lipstick Jihad" is the book I would write if I ever had the opportunity. It's almost eerie reading someone else's words all the while thinking they could be your own. No book, no picture, no film has ever made me ache for Iran like this book has. And I know this book won't and can't affect everyone the way it has me, but it is definitely worth reading to find out.

5 comments about The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East.

1. The seller had what I wanted and packaged it well. I highly recommend this seller!



2. The book arrived in a timely fashion and in good condition. I am pleased



3. Though the telling of the true personal story of the intersecting lives an Arab man and a Jewish woman, the complexities of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict come alive in a way that political/statistical books can never achieve. This is a story of real people - good people who are trying to make their way in a world that makes no sense to either of them. The author has managed to remain true to the story in an unbiased way leaving the reader to grapple with the controversial and convoluted issues. This book is a wonderful way to learn about the complexities of this small geographic area that affects the hearts and minds of millions of people on our planet. A must read for all those who care about peace and justice in our world.



4. Much of Sandy Tolan's book reads like a novel, and yet it is a true story. (The rest of the book reads like a well documented -- which it is -- history book.) I absolutely loved it! Tolan goes out of his way to be even-handed in terms of not favoring the Jewish or Palestinian 'side' of the issue. He just tells the story from both perspectives as it was told to him and according to his extensive research. It's a beautiful, informative, and very well written book. I highly recommend it.



5. yes, after 1948 there were many conflicts between jews and arabs, but what some reviewers here fail to highlight is the very critical timeline of the conflict: no arab ever had a problem with jews prior to 1948, prior to when israel took what was without any interpretation arab land and declared itself a country. did the reviewers even read what they wrote? the grouping of the arabs against the jews was nothing other than solidarity with their kinsmen for losing their land to a newly-, arbitrarily-created country. imagine if a group of muslims joined the significant muslim population in an american city, suddenly declared themselves a country, then cried about the injustice of "all the american states unifying against them"...ludicrous to expect otherwise. Of course this book doesn't portray EVERYTHING, but if it portrays the conflict somewhat favorably towards palestinians, it is because that's the way the facts played out. Some israelis think that an unbiased report means a neutral report, most are willing to accept some fault for starting the whole mess.

4 comments about Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (The Bedford Series in History and Culture).

1. In the classic slave narrative genre, Frederick Douglass' narrative of his life brings to life, in all its horrors, American slave society, and one slave's life-long protest against it.
   
   When we read Frederick Douglass in his own words, he is less the radical and more the reformer than we've been led to believe. He is also more the Christian statesmen and less the Christianity critic than we might imagine. Douglass' oft quoted comments about Christianity had much more to do with a righteous critique of distorted Christian living practiced by white masters than with any critique of Christianity or of Christ. In reality, Douglass, like so many enslaved African Americans before and after him, saw in Jesus a Savior they could identify with--a suffering Savior.
   
   Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.



2. Frederick Douglass is the complete ressurection of the saying, "Knowledge is Power." With the more information he aquired as a slave the more he lusted for freedom. He also provides an excellent example of what black people in this country could do for themselves, interms of their economical status. Looking further, Douglass loved to think and imagine the endless possiblities, while he was still in bondage physically. When he began to read and understand the "Hypocrasy" that this country was based on, using christianity as it main tool, and what every human should be allowed by right, this released his psychological enslavement. If blacks throughout this country could read and understand there were blacks that went through worse situatians and overcame them, and the current situation that destroy the black communities were created for them to fail, just like slavery, many would wake up and take on the mask of Douglass. The mask that says, "regardless of class, race, or creed, this world was created for everyone to enjoy including me."



3. I read this book as part of a summer assignment entering into the 11th grade in addition to "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs. Both are great pieces of African-American historical literature and well worth the read. I couldn't read this book all in one sitting, due to the need to fight the urge to throw up. He detailed descriptions of physical, psycological, and emotional abuse are enough to sicken any one and make you disgusted with the human race.



4. The honesty with which this is written is amazing. I was glued to it from page one. I felt disgusted by the human race, saddened by his traumas and guilty just for being white. I think this needs to be read more. Especially in schools. Why isn't it???

5 comments about Black Like Me.

1. This book was recommended to me, and i bought it and it sat on my shelf for a time. I got it down the other day and started reading and could not put it down. It was amazing.
   I was brought back to so many memories of the deep south and the attitudes, (that still are now today) prevailing in that time.
   I admire this man's courage so much. I despaired at the attitudes the white people had tword him. The look, the tone of voice, the lonliness.
   When he looks into the mirror for the first time, he is greeted by, himself yet a stranger.
   To walk in another man's shoes is indeed a gift of God, and to be able to have compassion for that experiance is great.
   This will be one of my fave. books along with Watership Down and several others i have read over and over again.
   This would be a book you could read over again and get more and more from.
   Amazing book.



2. 'Black Like Me' by John Howard Griffin was bombastic when it was first published in the early 1960s. It brazenly articulated the differences on how people, in particular the author, are treated in the Deep South based on the color of their skin. The author had his skin darkened through chemicals and ultraviolet light. He traveled from New Orleans to Atlanta by road (mostly bus) and chronicles how people looked at him differently just because he was black. For a white man he found the experience utterly appalling. It was also staggering how various white men approached the author to discuss very crude sexual matters, thinking that African-Americans are only of any value based on their sexual prowess.
   
   This book should easily be considered five stars by most reviewers. However the book is flawed. The author is not a particularly fine writer; he has a tendency to ramble. And I feel the author has taken some journalist liberties. I wanted more of the facts about people, what they look like, what they said and did, etc. But the author seems to be inconsistent; sometimes he wants to lecture us on racism, other times he delivers a documentary on his travels.
   
   
   Bottom line: an important and very shocking read. Recommended.



3. Before there was comic "Soul Man" etc., there was this 50's investigative memoir about a white male 'passing' as a black man to 'experience' black culture. Also, try Philip Roth's "The Stain" movie and book based on a real life BM passing for WM.



4. This book is the account of a white man, named John Howard Griffin, who turned himself black to study the real extent of racism. It starts out with his experiences in New Orleans as a black man. He knew about some of the things that are done to black people, but didn't know the full extent of how much white people try to degrade the sense of value or self-worth of all black people. He experiences having to walk miles ot get a drink of water, working for hours and having just eough money to eat that day, and the whites attempts at lowering all black's self worth, including the "hate stare." However, New orleans is relatively nice for Bkacks. When he reads that in Mississippi there was a lynching case the FBI had found tons of evidence for and the White grand jury wouldn't even open the packet of evidence. The mississippe folks claimed they had wonderful relationships with the Negros. Griffin had even met some of them before, and talked about there relationships with the Negros. He saw a whole new side of them when he went as a black man. He was horrified at how inhumanely people could treat other people and shares very insightful thoughts ion what racism was really like.
   
   I would highly reccomend this book for someone to read, although it's not for younger children. it''s more for tenns and audults. It has a plethora of large words that some with smallish vocabularies might not understand. Otherwise this is one of the best boos I have ever read and I highly reccomend you read it.



5. Though approaching the fiftieth anniversary of the events in this book, reading BLACK LIKE ME today shows both the inroads America has made towards erasing the blight of racial intolerance, as well as the limits that America has in truly educating itself about all kinds of Hate. Indefensible Hate still exists here, and there is no indication that it will make as great a stride in the next fifty years as it has in the last fifty.
   
   Without question, this book should be required reading for all teenagers (and adults) across the country. To understand another's perspective is the first, primary step in eradicating intolerance. This book (which is a slight bit didactic at points) is the remarkable journey of a man who bothered to really try to understand the life of the black man in the American South as best as he could. Of course he could never truly KNOW, but he certainly took pains to do what he could to understand the experience better than anyone before.
   
   Students (eighth-graders) in my Honors Language Arts class are required to read this book, and I hope they will discover from where we as a nation have traveled. Those who easily bandy about epithets or think unkind thoughts about others (whether because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, or ability) might get an honest sense of perspective by taking the trip with John Howard Griffin.
   
   Better yet, after reading this book, ask yourself these questions (and I will ask my students): "If given the opportunity to change my appearance so dramatically as to appear to be from a different race for six weeks, would I do it? What would I fear going into it? Suppose I was told after four weeks that it was impossible to change back; how would it make me feel?"
   
   For a country that falsely prides itself on equality for all, I believe that our conversations about racial equality are sorely lacking in our public dialogue. BLACK LIKE ME would be an excellent place to start a meaningful conversation.