2 comments about Black Women in America (3 Vol. Set).

1. Black Women in America is the most authoritative resource for African-American Women's History on the market. Published by England's Oxford University Press, it explores the historical contributions of Black women to American life. The 3 volume set is enormous in scope, yet is presented in well illustrated compact volumes. Biographies and critical essays illuminate the past from America's Revolutionary War Era to the present. Black Women in America is an inspiring resource for libraries and living rooms. This well researched encyclopedia set reminds us of the noble ideals that make America great.



2. Those serious about African-American and women's history MUST include this encyclopedia in their reference collections.

No comments about A Black Physician's Struggle for Civil Rights: Edward C. Mazique, M.D..

2 comments about Out of the Frying Pan: Reflections of a Japanese American.

1. As the son of the author, it is impossible to write an objective review. The author is a retired editor with the Denver Post and a member of the Journalism Hall of Fame. He has written several books on the history of the Japanese Americans in the U.S. This book brings together his stories, perceptions and insights around his experiences prior to and after World War II. It is a "quick read" written in the concise style of a journalist. It is not a victim's story nor a hero's story. It is reporting of little-known events with the personal insights of the author.



2. Bill Hosokawa remind us that history must not repeat itself nor be forgotten; that is, placing Japanese Americans in concentration camps during the out break of World War II. "Out of the Frying Pan" explains and exemplifies the true meaning of being an American of Japanese descent, while overcoming racial discrimination in the land of the free. This book must be read by those who believe in the true colors of red, white and blue.

5 comments about So What: The Life of Miles Davis.

1. I read Miles' autobiography in all of it's shocking and hysterical glory regarding his personal life. Szwed's book covers some of that same ground but from the perspective of others, particular some of those whom Miles treated so unfairly (Gil Evans had to plead on his children's behalf in order to get paid). From a personal standpoint the reader will find himself/herself muttering "what a p****" many times while reading this book.
   
   
   Musically, this book is so much more informative than the autobiography and answers most of the questions regarding the evolution of Miles' music. It was great reading about how "In A Silent Way" was composed via edits and it sent me running for my copy of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" to search for the original studio dates to see who got there first. Miles and Jimi were in frequent contact so it's no surprise that the concept of the studio as an instrument were used to create these two masterworks that appeared at roughly the same time. An early review bemoans the fact that over 20 pages were dedicated to "In A Silent Way" while "Kind of Blue" only received 8 pages. But this is actually very necessary as what was going on with the process for "In A Silent Way" was so revolutionary in terms of the music and the whole paradigm of how "records" and musical art are/can be made.
   
   The pages from 280 - 310 that cover "In A Silent Way" through "On the Corner" were a real page-turner for me. So much was revealed about what was going on. I found myself reaching for releases like "Get Up With It" to revisit "Rated-X" and "Honky Tonk" and I was glad I purchased "The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions" and "The Cellar Door Sessions".
   
   The only criticisms I have are:
   
   1. There are some passages regarding recording sessions where the chronology wanders a bit, i.e., we read about Filles De Kilamanjaro, move on and then a little later Szwed revisits that session out of order so one has to pay close attention or will become confused.
   
   2. He gets some of the names of the rock contemporaries wrong, e.g., Johnny Winters instead of Johnny Winter.
   
   3. He's a little off on his release facts when it comes to the 70's band with Liebman and Fortune. He asserts Agharta was not released in this country until 1990 and that is just wrong. I purchased it as a domestic Columbia release in 1976 or 1977.
   
   4. The epilogue was completely unnecessary. This was an effort to rationalize and explain the shabby way that Miles treated others. There is really no excuse for treating people the way Miles treated people. It is a choice, not because he had a stern, standoffish mother or anything like that. I can love the music of Miles Davis and dislike the man's behavior and actions as a human being living in this world.
   
   On the positive side, there is just so much to learn about Miles' musical process and the evolution of that process in this book. This is highly recommended reading, especially for musicians who are interested in creative music.



2. I had always been puzzled by the deification of Miles Davis. Yes, he was a good trumpet player and bandleader, but the idolization of him always baffled me. Then again, I cannot figure out why Princess Diana or JFK were deified either.
   
   That said, I guess this is an accurate portrayal of a very complex man. It seems to cover all aspects of him and I admire the author for what seems to be copious research.
   
   The book shows he was a severe druggie, a man who liked to beat his wives, a man who lacked any empathy whatsoever for the feelings of other people, and a total hypocrite.
   
   Some of the people in the book say you have to indulge the artist, that being such a person means he lives outside the normal rules of adult human conduct. I don't buy it.



3. In a way this is really a review of some of the prior reviews, above; it's odd that so much bad writing on popular music and jazz gets so highly praised, and yet when a book of the caliber of this Miles Davis bio appears, everyone qualifies their praise, and adds silly things to boot - like one reviewer's comment that Miles "himself had once heaped abuse on the likes of Louis Armstrong." Simply not true and there is no source for this. Szwed's Miles Davis book is a must read, a living antidote to the stacks of bad books on jazz and pop music these days, written by an academic who KNOWS the music, who can wrtie, and is one of the most perceptive critics on the planet. Read it -



4. Yale jazz historian Szwed established his credentials with an excellent biography of jazz eccentric Sun Ra (Space Is the Place: The Life and Times of Sun Ra [1997]). He has now written an engaging biography of the talented trumpeter, Miles Davis. The story of Davis's tormented life and his tumultuous relations with men and women is enough by itself to ensure the book's interest but Szwed brings special strengths to the subject of Miles as artist (which Miles clearly, and above all else, was).
   
   At times, Szwed's description of the artistic and creative milieu of Davis's times disrupts the narrative flow of the book, but Szwed's judgments always illuminate: they are especially helpful in understanding an artist like Davis who was keenly attuned to the musical currents -classical, jazz and pop-of his day and whose music often consciously responded to them.
   
   Szwed is in addition a perceptive analyst of Davis's music throughout the trumpeter's long career. To me, this is a special strength of this excellent book: Szwed makes clear to me the musical aesthetic that shaped Miles's decisions as he moved further and further away from conventional jazz forms and techniques. If there is a flaw in Szwed's book, it is in the digressions: they break the narrative flow, but they also enrich the reader's understanding of the musical world in which Davis made so many bold and ultimately successful choices.
   
   Highly recommended. David Keymer. Modesto CA.



5. I found this to be a good book, although I'm not sure I would place it ahead of the other two Miles biographies out there. Szwed writes engaging prose and keeps things moving along throughout while writing in a good voice for this type of thing. Chambers book seems to be better researched,though, and it seems that Szwed relies heavily on secondary sources and the Troupe interviews with Miles Davis from the 80s. Personally, I distrust some of Miles' comments on his art from the 80s as he was heavily wrapped up in a star persona by that point. I felt the book was stronger on the bop period and the 60s and seemed to rush headlong through the 80s. This is kind of a pity because Szwed's is the only biography written since Miles' death and more interpretation and a stronger stance on Miles' later period would be illuminating for this contraversial period in his art.

   The book seems to be written more for those interested in miles the artist and miles the man than miles the musician. There is not too much musical analysis, and I didn't have too much of a problem with that.

   Chambers book goes into greater detail and is still my first recommendation for those seriously interested in Miles, but this can be a good intro and will definitely give folks a greater sense of this powerful figure of jazz.

5 comments about Ministry of Lies: The Truth Behind "The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews".

1. Harold Brackman's work here brings several questions for a reader to deal with. What is/was the motive for even writing a refutation to the Nation of Islam's book? In analyizing the references and cross-referencing said references with the NOI book, it becomes apparent that Harold Brackman's sources are extremely faulty, outright distortions, with degrees of hyperbole mixed in.
   
   The main question a studious reader must ask is, what is it about the jewish people, both past and currently, incites so much examination? This examination includes the scisms within jewish culture, how jewish people conduct commerce, the defense of the nation/state of israel to name few. Harold Brackman's work, we come to find out has been paid for by his jewish employers. That fact alone is cause for some skepticism as to the acurracy of his sources and his motives for writing the book. Corrolatively, one has to ask a similar question regarding the NOI research department in writing their book.
   Since the jewish people's motives seemed to get attacked by various groups and individuals, it would be intelligent to answer the question, what precisely is anti-semitism, and is being jewish a racial category separate from the acrual religion of judiasm? Harold Brackman's work would have gone alot further in establishing a dialogue if the above questions had of been placed in his discussion, and answered cogently by jewish person's. Lastly, for the reader who is looking for a validation of vitrol against the NOI, Harold Brackman provides this activity. This work is not unbiased. As a reader of this work, I continually asked the question, is there a definition of racism clearly gleaned from this work or not. The answer was no! It would be much more sensible if jewish leaders convened an intelligent forum or conference, and addressed the NOI work to the public. If jewish leaders would do this, then this work might be taken a bit more seriously than simply a BLACK male scholar being used as a pawn in a very trecherous game.This book is not work it's purchase price!!



2. Obviously the author of the following quote is a .........?
   "demonstrates that you don't have to be a white Christian to be a dangerous racist spreading lies and promoting genocide---he's actually the only non-white non-Christian that I know of who is doing so in this country"



3. I suspect, (and I am Man enough to say that I could be wrong) from the material presented here, that there is a huge degree of fallacy contained within the pages of this book. Let me point out a few things:
   1)It was stated that (European)Jewish slavers enslaved only pagan white slaves, and that Jewish slavers ceased to be involved in 1000A.D., 500 years before slaveships started carting off enslaved Africans out of Africa. Yes, there were some Africans who sold out their own African Brothers and Sisters, in service to their White Massa. Yes, there have been cases of white-on-white violence and enslavement, but if European Jews ceased to be involved in the slave trade, and if they were not involved in the TransAtlantic Slave Trade,and if European Jewish slave traders had no part whatsoever in enslaving Black people, as this book states, THEN HOW DID A LOT OF BLACK PEOPLE all over the African Diaspora END UP WITH EUROPEAN JEWISH LAST NAMES such as WALKER, WINKLER, TURNER, COLEMAN, KAUFMAN, AND CONE? Malcolm X (and other Black and SOME White Historians) was not lying when he talked about how European slavemasters forced their names, particularly THEIR LAST NAMES, on African people, to signify their status as property of their WHITE slavemasters. Therefore, the purpose of the X is to signify the UNKNOWN AFRICAN NAME that Black people originally had before being enslaved.
   2)There is a lot of emphasis on the Arabs enslaving Africans, and I've seen a lot of white people and IGNORANT Black people say, "Why do you Black Muslims claim the religion of your Arab Slavemasters? Don't you know that Arabs were enslaving Africans before the TransAtlantic Slave Trade?!!!" First of all, yes, there were, and still are some Arabs that are and were enslaving Black people. And there were some cases where some Africans had other Africans in bondage. However, this is NO COMPARISON WHATSOEVER to, and DOES NOT NEGATE OR DIMINISH the slavery that EUROPEANS unleashed on AFRICANS, ASIANS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, OCEANIC PEOPLES, and SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLES OF COLOR. Why?
   1)It was the EUROPEAN who developed and practiced CHATTEL SLAVERY, which is designed to reduce the enslaved to a subhuman state by nearly killing the slave - a state less than a dog. Howard Zinn even states this very same thing in A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.
   2)And before anybody says, "Well,there were Free Black people who enslaved Black people, or Indians who enslaved Black people brutally in places such as Louisiana", let me say this: YOU CANNOT have Non-whites enslaving other Non-whites without first having WHITES ENSLAVING NON-WHITES.
   3)In the book, THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY, by Susanne Everett, she shows how GREEKS AND ROMANS were enslaving African peoples LONG BEFORE the Arabs even thought about it. The Arabs did not come into Africa until the 7th Century A.D. The Greeks came into Africa roughly around the 8th Century B.C., then the Romans came in roughly around the 3rd-2nd Century B.C. Obviously this would have been SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS (roughly around 1400-1500 some odd years) before the Arabs even touched African soil. Therefore, it is MATHEMATICALLY and TRUTHFULLY impossible and assinine to state, "well the Arabs were enslaving Blacks before the Europeans". Also:
   a)on pg.15, Susanne Everett states:
   
   It is an uncomfortable fact that the Greeks. . .
   were UTTERLY DEPENDENT on slavery. THE ABOLITION
   OF SLAVERY IN GREECE WOULD HAVE DISRUPTED THE
   WHOLE FABRIC OF ITS SOCIETY. From the 6th century
   B.C. in ATHENS and other
   GREEK CITIES, slavery effectively replaced
   other forms of dependent labor. For the Greeks
   of the classical period (480-338 B.C.) it was
   UNTHINKABLE THAT SOCIETY SHOULD BE ORGANIZED IN
   ANY OTHER WAY. Plato's REPUBLIC was firmly based
   ON SLAVE LABOR, although he drew the line, in war,
   at enslaving his fellow Greeks - he advised
   soldiers to 'keep their hands off one another
   and turn their energies AGAINST FOREIGNERS'.
   
   b)On page 17, there is a picture of a Roman slave
   market, with 8 slaves. One of the slaves is a
   BLACK WOMAN; the other slaves are Whites of
   different ages, and genders.
   
   c)On page 12, there is an excerpt from THE ODDYSEY,
   dealing with slavery, and a caption which states
   that,"Slaves in Ancient Greece . . .were none the
   less the absolute CHATTELS of their masters. . ."
   
   d)On page 25 is a picture of a statue of a Nubian/
   Kemetan slave that was a house slave in a Greek
   house. The caption reads, "The Household Slaves
   Of Ancient Greece". A caption reads that the
   statue is of, "a black slave boy probably bought
   FROM THE UPPER NILE", and that he is leaning
   against an amphora, a Grecian vase.
   4)In the documentary, "A Great and Mighty Walk", The late great Dr. John Henrick Clarke talks about how the Ancient Africans were asking the Arabs to get their Greek and Roman slave masters off their backs. He says (and this is nearly an exact quote), "They (the Arabs) did get their European slavemasters off the Africans' backs - but the Arabs also REPLACED them on the African's backs". He goes on to show and discuss how the Arabs introduced Africans to Allah and the enslavement that they brought along with that.
   
   5)Michael Bradley, a white historian, talks about the Hyksos, a EURASIAN predecessor of White Jews, who invaded Kemet in the 15th Century B.C. and enslaved several of the Kemetan people (who by the way, WERE BLACK AFRICANS). He speaks of the hypocrisy of how the Exodus story has been taught to have us thinking that White Jews were enslaved in Egypt, when it was actually the other way around - the Hyksos, predecessors of White Jews, unleashed a brutal enslavement on the Black Kemetans, for roughly 400 some years (Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm............), until they were driven out by the Black Pharaoh Ahmose I. By the way, this would have been some 1500 years BEFORE the year 1000 A.D., when European Jewish slavers "ceased to be involved" in the slave trade, as this author would have people to believe.
   6)Before anyone yells out reverse racism or rants about this being "Anti-Semitic", let me quote Roman historian TACITUS who wrote this in the 1ST CENTURY (Hmmmmm. . .Who else lived in the 1st Century?Hint: he was hung on a cross):
   
   "Many say that the Jews come from ETHIOPIA."
   
   7)Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannon talks about the original Jews who were and STILL ARE of AFRICAN ORIGIN, in WE, THE BLACK JEWS.
   
   I don't agree with everything Farrakhan says, but he does speak a lot of truths that ameriKKKa refuses to deal with. I also doubt that the author of THIS BOOK has studied Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam with any serious depth to effectively critique what the N.O.I. has said, shown, and proved. I also doubt that he met with Tony Martin to discuss what Tony Martin published, either; or if he did, he probably had a MONOLOG instead of a DIALOGUE with Tony Martin. I also doubt that he has studied the ORIGINAL origins of the Jewish people, as I have stated in points 6 and 7, above. And I SERIOUSLY doubt that what I stated above, could be refuted, which in closing, would render Harold Brackman's book faulty. Find out for yourself.



4. I think that it is worthwhile to refute hate speech. And this book does a good job of that.
   
   As the author says, "the Jews have had it better than the Blacks in America, in no small part because of the historical advantage derived from the biological accident of white skin." Well, lighter skin. However, "if the Nation of Islam - in junior partnership with white racist antisemites - does somehow transform the U. S. into a country where Black-Jewish cooperation towards goals of minority rights and social justice becomes impossible," Jews and Blacks will both suffer.
   
   The author says that "those who lie to us about the past foreclose our chance to shape the future."
   
   There are numerous untruths in "The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews." Brackman exposes many of them in this book. The untruths include claims that Jews "dominated" the slave trade in Medieval Europe, Africa, Latin America, and New England. In fact, Jews played a minor role in all these locations, while Arabs seem to have been the biggest slave traders in Africa. "According to the African historian J. E. Inikori, Arab slavers between the years 650 and 1900 drained Black Africa of 14.4 million people - more than most estimates of slave exports to the Americas during the 400 years of the Atlantic slave trade."
   
   What about Southern Jews? Yes, there were some Southern Jewish slaveowners. In 1830, there were about 225,000 Southern families who owned slaves, including 322 Jewish families. About 59,000 of the families owned twenty or more slaves, including 23 Jewish ones. About 11,000 of the families owned fifty or more slaves including 4 Jewish ones. By the way, the author points out that some "persons of color" owned slaves too. These colored slaveowners "outnumbered the Jewish ones by fifteen to one."
   
   I want all humans to be happy and prosperous, not poor and miserable. And I think we'll have a better chance of that if we value truth, justice, and human rights. This book is to be praised for taking a step in that direction. I recommend it.



5. It is truly a pity to see with what weak arguments this work is attacked. Since when must one attend a speech before rectifying bigoted distortions distributed on paper?

5 comments about Godfather of the Kremlin: the Life and Times of Boris Berezovsky.

1. This is a great book by a good author with a fantastic approach to the subject at hand.Even with all the warnings about some of the things being to good to be true ( or bad for that matter) the reality has surface just by watching the news about Russia.I like the fact that the author was able to track all the corrupt corporations in countries like Great Britain,Switzerland and USA.The author mentions names,dates and places with accuracy.Also i enjoyed his explanations and the political and economic ramifications that the corruption in Russia has brought.It is very sad to see how Boris Yeltsin drove Russia to the ground while pretending to be a good president.The Book shows how Yeltsin is as guilty as anyone in Russia of its problems.He was just a mummified puppet with a stupid smile.Anyone with interest in recient history of Russia should read this book.



2. I personally witnessed the outcomes of the corrupted rule of the culprits portrayed by late Paul Klebnikov.
   Many Russians believe that the truths revealed in this book were the cause of author's murder.



3. This book tells a powerful story that most Americans are, sadly, unfamiliar with. Mr. Klebnikov outlines in impressive detail the history of Russia during the very turbulent times of the 1990s. The development of gangster capitalism under the Yeltsin regime in an environment of political corruption was a tragic episode in Russian history and an example of an opportunity squandered. This book outlines the rise of the mafia in Russia in the post-glasnost time period and the links they had to the Chechens and to the political leaders of the time.
   
   While I sometimes became a bit lost in all the details and Russian names with which I was unfamiliar, the story came through well as Mr. Klebnikov built, step-by-step, a solid and well-documented case. This story is an important one for Americans who wish to better understand what happened during this time period and how it affected, and still affects, Russia. From political assassinations to presidential elections - the book tells a compelling and sadly disturbing story.
   
   Since I have several Russian friends, I felt I owed it to myself to become more familiar with recent Russian history. And this book did not let me down. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in understanding Russia better and I suspect it will in time become a classic for the detailed description it provides of this time period in Russian history.
   
   Highly recommended!



4. Everybody should read this book - it helps to put the entire Litvinenko killing in perspective ; the dead Russian spy worked for Berezovsky - given Berezovsky long criminal history it would not be surprising at all that he was directly involved in murdering his own employee as part of his long ongoing campaign to overthrow the democratically elected president Putin and thereby illegally regain control of all of Russia's natural resources including in particular Russia's oil and gas wealth.



5. Paul Klebnikov is a modern Russian hero. He was assasinated because he tried to show the world how corrupt Russia had become at the hands of the oligarchs. "The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism" is well written and organized. It follows not only the "rise" of Berezovsky but also illustrates how the majority of the Duma (Russian Congress) was in fact acting on behalf of the gangsters or were in fact gangsters themselves holding seats in the house.
   It is a reavealing look into the saddest chapter of Russian history. A must read for anyone interested in politics or modern history. It is a shame and loss to us all that Paul was killed. Who knows what other truths he could have recovered had he lived. It is also a shame that in our modern age of information, only a few speak the truth - and if they speak to loudly they are silenced, as was Paul. May he rest in peace.
   If you enjoyed this book, Paul also did an interview called "Theft of the century: Privatization and the looting of Russia." If you google it, you will find it on the net.

5 comments about Monsieur de Saint-George: Virtuoso, Swordsman, Revolutionary: A Legendary Life Rediscovered.

1. I became aware of St. Georges through harp history... his having been a teacher to Marie Anotoine - she being one who really helped advance and revolutionized the harp. Familiar with his music and wanting to know a bit more about him, I purchased this book.
   
   Overall, I found the book very enjoiable. Perhaps one of them most important features of the book is the sections dealing with his joingin of/and place within the Masons, and their history as almost a "salon" for learned men. (Mozart was also a member.)
   
   There is a really long, protracted history of the slave trade that I found both gratuitous, unneccessary, and ... irritating. It amounts to a treatise on why slavery is bad... and anyone interested in the telling of this fairly obscure historical life has all ready grasped that. Ironically, the issue of slavery and the place of blacks in French society is more needed to fully understand St. George's life in that society... and there is no mention of it. (There was white slavery in Britain - gentilely called indentured servitude - and the class system which amounted to slavery... so this was going on in France, too.) He mentions black children being kept as "pets" but doesn't mention what happened to them when they got older... yet there were enough blacks for St. George to command a regiment. So we have no persepective on his relations with any blacks other than Dumas.... one of the few who would have been his social and educational equal.
   
   So while there are some gaps and problems with the book (noted by the reviewer with the historical corrections) - quoting previous fictionalized histories is common - still it is interesting, and there clearly is an amount of reasearch and it is overall an interesting read, the story of a person we don't hear much of.



2. I've seen this book priced for much more and in much worse shape than I've received. It's a great historical source on the Black french slave trade. The book itself was practically brand new and arrived very quickly.



3. This was an excellent bio of a remarkable polymath.
   Thank you Alain Guede for your fine curriculum vitae
   on Monsieur Saint-George.
   For those of us who enjoys a insightful,entertaining
   and yes even inspiring non-fiction read.
   Here is a Man whose story truly deserves to be widely read.
   NOT TO BE MISSED!



4. I purchased this book after seeing a television documentary on Monsieur de Saint-George, and was fascinated by his life and achievements (and eager to hear more of his music).

   Unfortunately, though the his life is fascinating and takes many turns, the quality of the storytelling here is not up to the task. As anyone who has read academic research will know, a remarkable topic can quickly be drowned out by droning prose.

   Having said that, I felt at every point eager to hear the next twist or turn of this man's life. Perhaps someone will do him better service.

   PS - Suggest if you decide to proceed with this book, that you purchase the music to listen to as you read. Perhaps it will improve the whole experience, and will definitely give you better insight into his achievements.




5. Monsieur De Saint-George: Virtuoso, Swordsman, Revolutionary is the amazing biography of Joseph Boulogne de Saint-George, the son of a slave mother and a gentleman father and the trail he blazed through eighteenth-century aristocratic circles to become one of the greatest of the French composers. Also known for his talented violin playing, his superb swordsmanship, and his passionate hope for a future that would promote equal rights for human beings regardless of color. An enthralling life story which was definitely researched and superbly written by biographer Alain Guede, Monsieur De Saint-George is a quite significant contribution to Black Studies and Music History collections.

3 comments about Notable Black American Women.

1. This book contains a short biography, and where possible a picture, of many notable African-American women. Such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Ella Fitzgerald and Rosa Parks are here, as are many lesser-known lights - authors, educators, activists, performers, and much more. It's well and truly a great resource, one that is sure to please anyone interested in great American women!
   
   I highly recommend this book.



2. Excellent resource for any Black woman, writer, or scholar. A must have for librarians or individuals seeking to add to their collection.



3. I found that this book is very informative for research and for your own information on different types of black women.

3 comments about Broken Greek -- a language to belong.

1. "Broken Greek" by Adrianne Kalfpolou is an wonderful book for anyone who is planning to visit Greece, and is particularly ideal for individuals who have been there before, but who are a bit unsure of why the culture is the way it is. Having visited Greece many times over the past 10 years, I always wondered why foreigners were usually treated differently than local people. Adrianne provides tremendous insights into the underlying reasons for it. I for one have to say this book really helped me to better understand the Greek people, and altered my approach to interacting with them during my visits there.



2. Broken Greek is a memoir of the author's experiences while living in Greece. Yet, contained within these glimpses is something much more substantial than your average travel narrative. Perhaps the difference in this work is that the author is Greek American but truly Greek in her heart, despite the fact that in Greece she is considered an outsider most of the time. This creates a unique feeling of deep love for the country and its culture complicated by a frustration for the bureaucracy that keeps her from becoming completely part of this world. This aspect makes the book extremely useful in terms of sociological or ethnic studies.
   
   The academic value of this work doesn't reduce the enjoyment factor of this book one little bit. The book is broken up into several major events in the author's life: the last days of her grandparents' lives, troubles after a traffic accident, her struggles with trying to get a position at the university, looking to buy a house on the island of Patmos, etc.
   
   I felt I got something special from each of these experiences. In some sections, I gained a deeper understanding of Greek traditions and daily life struggles. From other accounts, I received insight into the tangle of bureaucracy that the author had to face. My favourite portion of the book, however, was the recollections of her grandfather's last days. I was so touched and overcome with emotion that I actually had to put the book down a few times.



3. Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (8/06)
   
   
   "Broken Greek" is truly an inside view of the real Greece. As both an 'outsider' and 'one of them', author Adrianne Kalfopoulou gives a unique look at Greece and all of its glory or sometimes lack of glory. Showing the true side of a country that so many visualize as romantic and historical, she creates a rapport with the people of Greece as only a true native can. As both Greek and American, she sometimes gets a much different attitude than a typical tourist would get as she decides to change her life and hopes to no longer be viewed as a 'xeni' (foreign) person. As she pushes through a system that is truly different than anything she experienced in America, she realizes the need to be considered 'one of them' as the entire system seems to be based on who you know and not what you know. Applying for a teaching position at a university, her application is over looked simply based on the fact that a less knowledgeable person knows the right people to obtain the position even though she is truly not qualified. Putting up a fight, Adrianne takes on the system to prove a point.
   
   Becoming 'one of them' means not only learning the system and how it operates but learning how to live amongst the people and learning their ways. What most Americans might consider to be a completely obsolete way of thinking, Adrianne quickly learns that much of the time business transpires based upon trust and one's own word, as opposed to legal papers and contracts. When she cannot afford to have the dream home she purchased with her life savings renovated all at once, many of the tradesmen are content with payments 'as she can make them', with no written contract. One of the factors that makes her realize she is becoming 'one of them'.
   
   Throughout the book you see the subtle changes occurring as she begins her life living with her grandparents and ends the story as someone who truly is a Greek, living in a small town with her daughter. She becomes 'one of them' with slow changes in her lifestyle that she later realizes is something that gives her an inner peace. While she still finds that she must sometimes fight the system, she also learns that perhaps 'traditional ways' aren't always bad, even if they do seem a bit backwards compared to the life style she had in America.
   
   As she and her daugher take a vacation back to the United States, she realizes as she puts up with a complete culture shock, that the transformation is complete and she now feels like an outsider in the country she grew up in. Both she and her daughter seem to long for what they now consider home, the country of Greece.
   
   Beautiful and poignant, the story transforms a stereotype of the Greek people into a real look at their lives and actions. Sharing everything from the way the government handles jobs to how neighbors help each other, you realize the importance of belonging in this beautiful country of tradition. Sharing old fashioned ways and means, the author comes to realize that the real Greece is nothing like the Greece many are introduced to as tourists. Creating friendships that are built on honesty and trust, she comes to grips with her true roots as she shares the many facets of being Greek with the reader.
   
   If you don't come away from reading this book longing for a taste of days gone by and perhaps wondering if our more 'modern' world might not be as wonderful as we're told it is, I would be surprised. It not only shares the outer beauty of a country that is grand, but shares the inner beauty of a people who are often just as grand.
   
   A great read for anyone interested in finding out the inside view of Greece and its people. And the scatterings of Greek words along the way can help you out a bit when you decide that Greece is definitely going to have to be on your list of vacation sites. Perhaps with this book, you will realize that to see the true Greece and it's people, you don't have to take the tour bus.

4 comments about Solutions for Black America.

1. Solutions for Black America is a great book. I am extremely pleased that Jawanza Kunjufu has written it. This is basically a step by step analysis of each problem in the African American community, and a series of solutions to go with it. I particularly found the chapters on Education and parenting the most enlightening. And even though I don't agree with many things written here, I must still strongly recommend this to every black person as a must read.
   With that said, let me tell you about some of my issues with it. I'm not the type of guy who favors the 'racism is the reason for black failure' argument. But this is something that he has at the top of his solution list for many of the community's problems. He puts reducing racism and creating more equality at the top of his solution list for a number of different problems. I say it's as good as it's going to get. Many of us are succeeding, and even though it would be nice to get more equality, we're probably not going to get it, so deal with it. Yes, if we were treated as equal to whites from the start, we would not have our current issues of disproportionate poverty, poor health, and crime. But, there are too many black people succeeding in today's world for me to believe that racism can continue to prevent any of us from doing the minimum: Graduate from high school, don't commit crimes, and raise your children to be productive members of society. Personal responsibility for our own successes and failures as well as those of our children is what is going to elevate those blacks still lagging behind out of poverty and distress.
   My next issue is probably more a product of my own pessimism/realism, but I felt like I needed to say it as long as I have the audience. Mr Kunjufu has the idea of trying to repair the entire community through stimulating an African American network of businesses and commerce, enhancing our own sense of nationalism, while simultaneously eradicating our more self destructive cultural tendencies. I believe that none of this will ever happen. Nothing wrong with him writing it, nothing wrong with trying to put it in motion. After all, we should all shoot for something.. but it's not going to happen. We are what we are. And what is black culture anyway? Who knows? Too many people believe that it is whatever BET says it is, or whatever our lower income bretheren have made it out to be.
   Anyway, let me end this rant with this. As blacks I think a problem is that we see ourselves as individuals. Individuals who do the same things, live in the same places, and make the same mistakes. But, we don't see ourselves as a nation. Although this isn't ideal, we can use this to guide our strategy for improvement. Focus on teaching each individual to be their best, to value their education, to respect others, etc. (you know, the way parents often do with children)and we will be on the way to a better future.



2. Jawanza has laid it on the line, He has offered real world solutions for the problems plaguing our (the Black) community. He forces us to think and reconsider simply debating and discussing the problems. Most notable is when he articulates why we can not agree on what solutions should be used for our various problems and when we should offer those solutions. Brother Jawanaza writes we should never offer a solution until we agree on what the cause of the problem is. If we differ as to what we think is the cause of the problem we will be unable to come to a consensus as to what is the best solutions for the Problem. I recommend every thinking Black man and woman read this book if you are truly interested in reading about real world solutions to the problems plaguing the Black community.



3. It's a shame that Jawanza Kunjufu does not get more attention for his writings. His books are so powerful they make you want to take on the entire world all by yourself. His formula of Problem - Cause - Solution - Implementation is revolutionary. Every Black person in America should read this book. Who would've thought that we could purchase the answers to our struggles for only $16.



4. I was tired of hearing about Black people complain about the problems.This book gave me over 100 solutions and stategies.