5 comments about Prince among Slaves.

1. This is an extraordinary true story of a Black Muslim captured and sold into slavery in 1788 in Africa. He was the 26 year old son of a tribal king, married, with a young son. In addition to his native language, Pular, he read and wrote Arabic as well as other African languges. He was sold to a plantation owner near Natchez, which was part of Spanish territory in that time. After 40 years of slavery he gained his freedom and was able to return to Africa, where he lived briefly until his death.
   
   The book is exceptionally well resesearched and told with sensitivity. It demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit in times of great depravation.



2. This is a valuable work that should be read to discover the life of a Muslim during the time of slavery since most slave narratives do not mention Islam even when 10 to 15 percent of slaves here were of Muslim origin.
   
   By the way, Karim Abdul Jabbar became Muslim at the hands of Khalifah Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, founder of the D.C. based Hanafi Madh-hab, around 1970. The venerable Sufi and Black Muslim leader wrote the work "Look and See" that will soon be released on Magribine Press. If someone makes claims that a work made someone become Muslims, or some other such claim, they should give references.



3. This is the book that convinced a young impressionable Lew Alcindor to embrace Islam and change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. A good read that would make a better motion picture.



4. According to the reviews on the back cover, Alford's book "vividly re-creates a life as dramatic as a work of fiction...events...almost defy belief." I'd tend to agree. This remarkably detailed book narrates the life of Ibrahima, a Fulani prince captured at the age of 26 and enslaved in the USA for 40 years, during which he lost neither his Muslim faith nor his dignity- both of which finally led to his freedom. The details surrounding those events are incredible and sometimes even mystical. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this book was its contrast of the literate, cosmopolitan culture of Futa Jalon, Ibrahima's homeland, and the illiterate, racist, and often homicidal nature of the whites of Natchez.



5. Terry Alford is a very brilliant man for his insights and facts to uncover Abd Rahman Ibrahima's life. If written without strong and factual information an attempt to publish an account of his life would be useless. The author did Ibrahima great justice in taking note that it would be very important in making this man's place in history known. In the book the author overwhealms the reader with facts that cast away any doubts the reader may have about the authenticity of this book. Alford deserves highest regards for having the patience and faith to document the life of such an extraordinary person.

No comments about The Veiled Garvey: The Life and Times of Amy Jacques Garvey.

1 comments about Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and the Struggle for Racial Uplift (African American History Series (Wilmington, Del.), No. 1.).

1. Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, And The Struggle For Racial Uplift by Jacqueline M. Moore (Associate Professor of History at Austin College, Sherman, Texas) is an informed and informative depiction of two remarkable and quiet different men who helped shape Black American history. Placing each man's work in historical context, and studying the debate conflict of ideas that both had and alternatives to either one's point of view, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, And The Struggle For Racial Uplift is an intelligently written, scholarly, evenhanded, and "reader friendly" analytical survey and presentation which is strongly recommended for students of Black Studies, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the contributions of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois to American society and culture.

5 comments about Days of Grace.

1. The biography was absolutely rivteting. It showed the enormous depth of a very special man - a side other than that of a great athlete but also one of a very special leader. His story of living with AIDS reveals all the complexities associated with the disease early in the epidemic, the stigma, the lack of confidentiality, and discrimination. Unfortunately, many of these themes have not gone away since the I read the book. A must read for the entire community as an important reminder of the still unending work that has to be done in this epidemic.
   Pamela Payne Foster, author of "Is there a balm in Black America?"



2. I cannot remember the last time I started reading a book and enjoying it as much as I did, and then half way through the book I could barely continue on. Arthur Ashe did this to me in his autobiography. What happened really, I couldn't say, but I was all praise and looked forward to reading more and more, and then I couldn't wait to be done. Strange indeed.
   
   The book started off great. Ashe gave us some insight into his world and into various aspects of his life that is not well known. He talked about his days as the captain of the American Davis Cup team, which was enlightening and revealing. He tells the intimate details of how, why and what happened when he discovered, as well as was discovered, to have aids. The opening chapter had me gripped to the seat as I was drawn in from the first few words. Amidst all this was Ashe's eloquence and ability to calmly and eloquently tell his story and impart who he was at the same time.
   
   But then it became droll and boring. Ashe started talking about day to day stuff and imparting common conversations, thoughts and actions with too much importance. He would talk about going for a walk, or a talk he had with his daughter. He devoted several chapters to talking about various issues that didn't have anything to do with him but was more of a long winded explanation to help clarify a one sentence thought that he had. For example, he talked for almost a whole chapter about the likelihood of gay and lesbian athletes in various sports. Finally, as much as this seems touching, the letter at the end to his daughter sealed the deal and made this a mostly boring biography to read.
   
   What we didn't see was his struggle with racism and segregation as he grew up in those troubled times of America. He talks a lot about segregation and racism as a retired tennis player, but he hardly goes into any detail about what ordeals he had to go through. This was the stuff that he could have gone into detail about and not only made his writing more interesting but helped raise awareness to what was and to hopefully will no longer be. Additionally, he didn't go into any detail about his own tennis career as a professional.
   
   I wanted to see Ashe as a tennis player as well as his ordeals with the many surgeries he had that resulted in him contracting AIDS. But we don't get that. Instead we oftentimes get paragraph after paragraph of his day to day routine with AIDS. What pills he took, what he considered taking and so on.
   
   What made his biography interesting in the first place was his stance on the black race and how they perceived themselves after slavery, segregation and slavery. He was truly a man beyond his time not only for black relations but for mankind's relationship with one another. For the first half of the book I would most certainly recommend to anyone as this is a very enlightening read. But the second half killed it and made it nothing more than average. Where was the biography part of autoBIOGRAPHY? I didn't find it, but I was still impressed with who Ashe was nonetheless.
   
   3 stars.



3. That tennis great Arthur Ashe died a victim of AIDS on February 6, 1993, is an undeniable tragedy. The fact that while he lived, he did so with consummate integrity, intelligence, and grace, remains his enduring legacy. Written with literary biographer Arnold Rampersad (Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison) Arthur Ashe's DAYS OF GRACE provides readers with a powerful portrait of an exceptional individual entrenched in the issues and passions of his life and times. Aside from being one of the most dynamic athletes of his or any other generation, his legacy also marks him as one of our greatest humanitarians.
   
   In this invitingly intimate and yet stoically objective memoir, Ashe grapples with the issues of sports, racism, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which he contracted while receiving a blood transfusion after his second heart bypass operation in 1983. DAYS OF GRACE reveals different sides to a man many described as "cold" while he lived. The view from within does not support this description. Some very warm snapshots are provided of Ashe as a man who never stopped being an obedient son, as a fervent patriot, lover of art, serious intellectual, mystical seeker, generous philanthropist, devoted husband, and loving father.
   
   Ashe's tendency to gloss over such feats as writing a landmark three-volume history of black athletes, his historic 1970 win at the Australian Tennis Open and 1975 victory at Wimbledon; or his association with people like Nelson Mandela and Jesse Jackson, rings true to an exceptional character whose many parts added up to a truly noble and memorable sum. As tragically as he may have died, DAYS OF GRACE provides an amazing portrait of just how heroically he lived.
   
   by Author-Poet Aberjhani
   author of "The Bridge of Silver Wings"
   and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)



4. An athlete who epitomized grace. He had style, compassion, 3 Grand Slam Titles and a place in the Tennis Hall of Fame. The only African-American ever to win at Wimbledom and the first African-American to win a Grand Slam Title. Arthur won the inaugural US Open in 1968. Arthur's legacy as a social activist is perhaps even more important to this legacy, his steadfast beliefs in doing what was right for those who could not so for themselves, in his standing up to apartheid in South Africa after being denied a visa in 1968 to play in the South African Open because he was black. In 1988 Arthur discovered he was HIV+ after undergoing heart surgery and receiving a blood transfusion. Arthur died of complications from AIDS in Feb of 1993 but not before calling world-wide attention to the sufferers of AIDS and the indignities suffered by them. In this day and age of black athletes more worried about their 'street cred' then being a positive role model this is one of the most memorable autobiographies I've ever read.



5. Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) wrote this book in his final year of life, after his battle against AIDS had been made public by the media against his wishes. This book is a remarkable combination of autobiography, tennis narrative, and philosophical/political statement from the author as he faced death with courage, class, and grace. Ashe describes his upbringing in Richmond Virginia during the latter days of segregation, his career in professional tennis, and his premature heart problems that apparently led to his contracting HIV from a blood transfusion. Ashe also offers insights and opinions on tennis players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, Black-Jewish relations, civil rights, the nation's political culture in the early 1990's, and of course, the tragic disease that was to fell him and so many others.
   
   Ashe demonstrated intelligence, dignity and compassion, and tragically died before the new retro-viral drugs arrived to spare (but not cure) many victims. Ashe was a class act, and his book is a lasting and valuable testament.

5 comments about PowerNomics : The National Plan to Empower Black America.

1. PowerNomics should be required reading for every African American book club, community organization, church, and family. The book embodies tenents set forth from Marcus Garvey to Elijah Muhammed to DuBois and Washington. If you believe that "God helps those who help themselves," PowerNomics is an action plan to achieve self-sufficiency.



2. Before I read this book, I had not one clue how bad we as African Americans had it. This book truly opened my eyes. The statistics that were presented would make Dr. King literally cry. We have gotten so far behind other nationalities that it is literally pathetic. Claud Anderson's vision if implemented can really change the course that us as Blacks are on. This book should be in every Black American's household.



3. Mr. Andersons' book provides a thorough examination, diagnosis, and best possible cure for what ails black america. Not poor whites, hispanics, arabs, jews, gays, or white women. You owe it to you and your family to at least check out the facts of this examination and then decide.
   
   White america has always put their modus operandi in our face; this is our society, these are our rules, do the best you can with what we decide to give you; don't bother me while I make my money. If you do, the police will handle you.
   
   Here is Black americas' call to focus on what should have been the legacy of civil rights - economic empowerment.



4. A continuation of Black labor White wealth, this account is a program of action for those interested with the implimentaion of the economic model based on Powernomics and the fascinating industries available for exploitation within certain communities. Additionally this addition has updated stats and excellent examples of programs designed to help control-preserve community economic development and culture as well as history...to protect communities from outsiders with their own interests thru ethno-aggregation and consolidation urban communities can learn to impliment basic protective procedures. Fascinating far reaching analysis, that should be of interest for those areas facing population displacement thru gentrification. If developed properly this Powerenomics plan can serve areas well into the next century and beyond.



5. I have been a self-proclaimed conscious person for 5 years now.
   I began with reading black history studying ancient african civilizations and traditions. When I found out about Ancient Kemit and Kush and the African connection to the Hebrews I honestly believed that the major problem we had in this country was lack of self-knowledge. Even though I still beleive that to be a major issue, I know now that the force that keeps us down is ignorance of a different type. It is the ignorance of how a Democratic Capitalist system truly works that keeps us at the bottom. It was and is the ignorance of our past and present leaders who push and promote intergration when it's obvious it has failed us. And finally it is each and every black individuals ignorance when he moves out of a black community when they become middle class, diluting our voting and economic base. But now i have no excuses I now know what is going on around me. If you want to know buy this book.

5 comments about Quitting America.

1. I love Randall Robinson. I teach World history at an all male school for Emotionally disturbed students. His writing is so clear and understandable . My students listen as I read to them (High-school age) and have another perspective on this country they call home. There is so much the text books don't say . I am recommending this book for their summer reading list, as I prepare to leave America.



2. During the Jeremiah Wright contreversy I decided to go to the website of Barack Obama's rascist, anti-semetic, and America hating church. One of the links gave a list of recommended books, and this was one.
   
   It is not a suprise that such a book would be on the website of Jeremiah Wright's church of hate. It is also no suprise that a fool like Randall Robinson would write such a book. Robinson was a fixture on American TV in the 1980s as an "expert" on African issues. As you can guess, Mr. Robinson was always heaping praise on communist governments like those in Angola, and the evil government of Robert Mugabe, who, by the way, has killed more blacks than any aparteid era South African leader by a landslide.
   
   Anyway, I must give Robinson some credit here. Unlike the Baldwin boys, and the other members of the liberal elite, he actually left, making the USA a much better place. If only all the other liberals followed his lead and left the country, the true patriots in America would not have to support all these spoiled brat liberals and have to listen to their uneducated drivel.
   
   I reccomend this book to all the liberals of America. It is a guide on how to leave and never look back. Come on libs.....put your money where your mouth is. Buy this book and follow Mr. Robinson to St Kitts. The weather is lovely.



3. ...full of non-sequitors, documented errors, reverse racism and precious few references or footnotes. Look, I can't blame the man for wanting to move to the pretty, pleasant little island of St. Kitts, where the money he earned in America allows him to live like a king. If you're ready to enjoy a quiet, pastoral life with nice weather and a low cost of living I'm sure it's a fine place. He gets royalties from his writing and by now is old enough to collect social security as well, I'm sure it's a great life. But a little more intellectual honesty about his sojourn would have been nicer. Fewer outright lies or partial distortions or technical truths presented without any context, please.
   
   Oh well, I'm glad that Mr. Robinson was able to earn the money that allows him such a lavish lifestyle right here in mean ol' Capitalist Pig America. I'm also glad that he was able to write and speak on controversial topics here in America, where such expression is constitutionally protected. Most of all I'm glad I purchased this book used, so I didn't directly support his new lifestyle with any of MY money.



4. I really enjoyed reading Randall Robinson's book Quitting America. I was intriguied by his comments and his point of view. The book is very eloquently written in that I had to stop reading at times to really contemplate exactly what the author was trying to convey to me as a reader. I would reccommend this book to everyone because it gives you insight into a very educated black man's feelings about living in America.



5. Disclaimer first: I am not American. I have lived in eight countries around the world, including nine years in the US, as well as countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. I think I have a pretty good idea what elements constitute a functional society. America, by and large, is dysfunctional, given how money-hungry and superficial it is. And I also happen to be an outspoken advocate for minority issues. I work in multicultural education. And I am writing a doctorate on a certain aspect of the Transatlantic slave trade.
   
   That said, I went about reading the book with an open mind. And while I enjoyed the well-crafted, eloquent writing, I became pretty appalled by the need to rant and accuse and point fingers at The Enemy *without offering a solution*. You, Mr. Robinson, are sitting cushily on a cute little island close to Mainland America, driving your Honda CRX and making enough money to actually be able to afford the luxury to write such racist treatises. You are having it pretty darn good, and America is funding your life - you do not have to go about earning a meager living on St. Kitts the hard way, like the locals. And you, the Pan-Africanist, have elected NOT to move to The Motherland... why not? Newsflash: Africa, ruled as it is by African leaders, is corrupt and messed up to the core. They pocket Western aid funds to build lavish palaces while their people are dying of hunger and AIDS. Africans commit genocide against fellow Africans. But from the safety of a pretty little island paradise, one forgets that so easily when one is consumed by hatred for one particular group of people. I take exception to your generalizations and simplifications of The Evil White People In Evil White America. And as I said, I am not even a part of them. So, other than writing hateful tirades with a view of making money off of a predominantly African-American readership, what do YOU do or suggest to fix the problems that America undoubtedly has? Running away to St. Kitts is not the answer, Mr. Robinson. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. And that is exactly what's wrong with this book.

No comments about Incognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid.

5 comments about Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.

1. I first really watched an Ali fight as a boy. Ali was fighting his second comeback fight against the Argentine brawler Oscar Bonavena. It was a gruelling 15 round fight. It was on ABC, and Howard Cosell made it sound much more dramatic than it actually was. It was competitive, but Ali was winning the fight when he dug deep, and dropped Bonavena three times in the final round for an automatic stoppage. This was not a feat to be taken lightly. Bonavena had fought Joe Frazier twice, Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, and a host of others without being taken off his feet.
   
   In any case, over the years, I had read so much about Ali, that when a friend passed this book to me, I was unexcited at the prospect of reading another Ali chronicle.
   
   I was unexpectedly delighted at Hauser's coverage of this legend. He brings out what a transcendant figure Ali was (and remains).
   
   He uses the same technique that made Terry Pluto's LOOSE BALLS a classic sports story, in that he lets people from Ali's past do the talking. Former opponents, wives, associates, friends, trainers all take their turns. Many are insightful.
   
   Hauser is not beyond showing us Ali's warts. We see him as an unfaithful husband, as a cruel tormentor at times, as a foolhardy spendthrift (chump), and for once, as a confused and angry young man, as he transitions into his Muslim persona.
   
   But he evolves as an incredibly special human being. As his skills begin to erode in the ring, his humane qualities flourish. He becomes a man of deep, contented faith. He performs acts for ordinary people that show him to be a worthy idol.
   
   As his career ends, he confronts his diminishing health and vitality by once again looking to his faith. He meets his fourth wife, and finds peace with himself.
   
   Some of what is in this book is hilarious. Ali in many ways is a true original. He is a first rate character, and leaves his ring opponents and his associates often shaking their heads. George Foreman tells a truly funny story about him, and later speaks in great reverence about Ali's greatness, and what an honor it was to share a ring with him.
   
   One thing the book points out is in the 1960's and 1970's, many of the fighters were thoughtful, intelligent and articulate men. Not so much anymore.
   
   The one disappointing item for me, was that the story ends in 1988. Ali's story has continued.
   
   Hauser is a worthy chronicler of this seminal icon. He has done a profound service for any fan, or any curious person who would like to know about one of last century's most famous and influential people.
   
   This is one of the greatest sports biographies I have ever read.



2. Excellent book with wonderful personal insight into a man who captivated the world and the sport of boxing. This is a must read for any Muhammad Ali fan.



3. The author has compiled a book that is exhaustive in its history on the great man. There seems to be nothing left out on him but it is so tiring to read page after page (500 plus) of glorification of Ali.
   
   I found that even a huge fan like myself was getting bored of the countless pages devoted to Ali's religion, health and finances.
   
   I think the book could have dropped at least 150 pages, possibly 200, and still have been a good read.



4. Mainly because it dares to take seriously a glimpse at his deep and abiding faith and his daily practice and study of his humble faith. For this reason alone, for its look into the soul of the man, please please do get this book. It also sees behind the glory and into the pain.
   
   THis book was authorized by the great man himself.
   
   THe one Ali book to get. THen get the Soul of a Butterfly, of course, on audio CD.



5. Thomas Hauser's definitive work on Ali uses a somewhat unconventional style in that he culls quotations from different interviews ranging from Ali's cook to Joe Frazier to paint quite a unique portrait of Ali unlike any other book.
   
   Though much research has been done through interviews of people each of which provide a unique perspective on Ali, it could have helped if Hauser could have interviewed more of Ali's detractors to provide a more well-rounded picture of the icon. The last part of the book pulls out all the stops and proceeds to venerate Ali to the detriment of painting a multi-dimensional picture of the 20th century's greatest athlete.
   
   An educational read but could have used a more unbiased treatment.

No comments about Michelle: A Biography.

3 comments about The Four Immigrants Manga : A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1924.

1. This was a very interesting read, although the jokes themselves were rarely funny due to the difficulty of translating puns. It stands out mostly as a sort of documentary about Japanese immigrants in San Fransisco, specifically worker-students. We watch them struggle to find jobs in strange American homes, a social commentary about gambling and the evils thereof, a six to eight page story of the San Fransisco Earthquake, and building their families.
   
   I found it especially interesting to read the notes after each two-page "chapters" in the back of the book, which added depth to what was happening and provided historical content as well as further describing conditions in San Fransisco at that time.
   
   Comments were made at the beginning of the book that the cartoonist had limited his market because he was writing strictly for fellow immigrants, who would best understand the mixture of Japanese and English that he used in his writing. This is denoted throughout the book with shaky letters for English, which immigrants had difficulty following and plain type-set for regular Japanese, their birth tongue.
   
   As for the artwork, think more old-school Japanese and American comics than the manga that is popular today-- don't be expecting tick marks or sweatdrops for example!
   
   For me especially this had a lot of fond memories. I am not Japanese, but my family moved to San Fransisco in the early 1905 from Italy, so a lot of this made me remember stories about my great grandfather and my great grandmother--my great-grandfather built a shoe-store that was destroyed by the San Fransisco earthquake. Even if you don't buy this book for the humor, at least consider the purchase to read about immigrants to America in the 1900's.



2. Henry Kiyama created this terrific book in the 1930's, chronicling the lives of four young Japanese immigrants and their struggle to find work and acceptance in San Francisco at the turn of the century. It was unearthed and translated into English, giving us all the rare privelege of a glimpse into the immigrant experience of that era. Drawn in a simple and lighthearted style and told with insight and depth, Kiyama, along with the rising popularity of Japanese Anime and Manga, reinforces the notion that comics are not just for kids anymore. A great read for a comic lover, a hyphenated-American or anyone interested in the multihued experience of our country.



3. If you're not used to reading comics, this will seem rough and not particularly funny. Readers more familiar with the form will recognize that this book is more subtle and better crafted than your typical comic.

   It's of special interest to Japanese Americans and others interested in the immigrant experience in the USA.