3 comments about A Place for Us: A Greek Immigrant Boy's Odyssey to a New Country and an Unknown Father.

1. I could not put this book down. I read the story of Eleni several years ago and wanted to know what happened to the family and thie story continues with this book. Nicholas Gage's mother would certainly be proud of her family and the sacrifice she made. A fantastic book, highly recommended



2. Gage writes his and his family's story with a wonderful combination of pathos and humour--an incredible perspective and a worthwhile read.



3. This is as an extraordinary book by one of our country's most important contemporary writers. Highly recommended!

4 comments about Die Nigger Die!: A Political Autobiography.

1. This is the autobiography of the type of man who has long gone out of style in the black community--an original man. While down-to-earth in manner, H. Rap Brown had a understated intelligence that served him well. But it's his ability to translate thoughts into words that make this book worth reading. From issues like skin color to class divisions, Brown outlines many issues that still face the black community today.
   
   A lot of political works get caught in the trap of trying to reflect the intelligence of the writer, Brown does the best job of effectively communicating from the black street perspective.
   I'm sure he would like for everyone who reads this to read his Revolution by the Book, and when you compare the two you can chart the evolution of an original man, from street scholar to religious cleric. Read it for yourself and make up your own mind.



2. When H.Rap Brown's classic autobiography was first published, he was former chair of SNCC, the leading Black liberation group in the United States. Back then, I used this book as an introduction to the Black Power movement. Rap Brown was a grassroots leader, and he spoke the language of the grassroots community. In my estimate, H. Rap Brown was one of the most successful political agitators of the black revolt. With the exception of Malcolm X, there were few that could match his effectiveness of moving people in the streets. For that precise reason, Brown, now Imam Jamil Al-Amin, has been a key victim of repression, for fighting for black liberation.



3. H. Rap Brown has been called the african-american Jim Goad. In Mr. Brown's case, however, his screed is directed not at women and liberals but instead at "honkeys," "crackers" and, of course, "THE MAN!" This autobiography gives the reader insight into the anger that fueled one man's efforts to bring down "the system." Overall, though, the book is kinda insubstantial and considering the darn thing cost nearly 15 bones, there are much better books on the subject.



4. While rightfully cited as an articulation of Black anger in the 60s, there are portions of this book that are difficult to take seriously. Rap/El-Amin's hilarious descriptions of pilfering items in Lyndon Johnson's White House, the story of his being stopped by the Louisiana cops for wearing ragged clothes, his refusal to eat or drink anything in prison for 43 DAYS (last time I checked in biology class, no human could go that long without water) etc. come off like wild tall tales told by one of Richard Pryor's characters. Even when the book is serious, there is never a dull moment. His observations on Ebony magazine, poor whites, and the explaination of the book's title, will make you laugh as well as think. Oh yeah, check out his "Rap" early on in the book, the contents of which would make NWA blush!

   The recent noteriety of Rap/El-Amin adds a somber note to the proceedings, but in the meantime, read this. You can see why this wild, controversial, and colorful book was so popular in the late 1960s. A cross between Richard Pryor and Malcolm X! Certainly one of the most entertaining of the Black Power manifestos.

5 comments about On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker (Lisa Drew Books).

1. This a wonderfully written biography on Madam C.J. Walker's life. I felt uplifted and inspired by her success as a business woman, as a human rights activist and as a philanthropist. A'Lelia Bundles, Madam Walker's great-great granddaughter, did an excellent job of transporting readers to 1867-1919 to experience the politicial, social and economical issues during Madam Walker's life time.
   
   A'Lelia Bundles was very clear and truthful regarding the fact that Madam Walker did not invent the hot comb. Madam Walker's business provided hair and skin care products to women of color not only in the U.S., also to women in the Caribbean and in Cuba. It is my strong opinion that Madam Walker was one of the first people to develop the concept of self-empowerment and financial independence for women of color because she provided the opportunity to become a Walker sales agent to thousands of women across the U.S. Madam C.J. Walker's work as a human rights activist and her contributions as a philanthropist, impacted a countless number of institutions, organizations and individuals. On Her Own Ground is powerful, moving, enlighting and it is filled with courage!



2. Before I read this book, I knew Madam C.J. Walker must have been one tough cookie! And she certainly was. But her story is more than just "daughter of slaves makes good."
   
   Madam Walker was orphaned at 7, and went to live with her sister and brother-in-law in what was apparently an abusive household. She married at 14 to escape the situation and, at 20, was left a widow, with a child to support. Leaving Mississippi for St. Louis, she began an extraordinary journey, one that would lead her not merely to wealth and fame, but to a position of influence and importance in the affairs of her race and her nation. She overcame obstacles of race, gender and class to found a business that would help give independence and financial stability to thousands of women. From the very beginning of her success, she used her money to help others, not merely through employment, but by setting an example of charitable giving that lasted throughout her life.
   
   As a woman rising from poverty, attempting to establish herself as a leader, she often met with resistance even in her own community (it took quite some time, for instance, for Booker T. Washington to acknowledge her as a leading businesswoman). But she persisted, and, even more to her credit, was able to walk a fine line between the supporters of Washington and those of W.E.B. DuBois, who took Washington to task as not aggressive enough in fighting for civil rights.
   
   I was fascinated by the section discussing Madam Walker's involvement in the efforts of the African-American community to have the issue of race placed on the table at the Versailles Peace Conference after World War I. This was a part of our history that I had not been aware of before reading this book. It does not surprise me that the government was spying on prominent African - Americans and community organizations (plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!). And anyone, black or white, whom the government perceived as not being completely behind the official point of view was denied a passport to travel to the conference. The issue never came to the table.
   
   Unfortunately, as with a lot of strong, determined women, Madam Walker was not as successful in her choice of men (a difficulty her daughter also had!). But she did not hesitate to do what needed to be done in her personal life. Her daughter, Lelia (later A'Lelia), whom she raised with the usual mother-daughter conflicts, grew up to become an important part of the family business, though not an artist in any field herself, a key supporter of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
   
   The author, A'Lelia Bundles, is her subject's great-great-great-granddaughter, and is a journalist. Her experience in that field surely was a major factor in the quality of this book. The woman knows research and documentation! She has provided endnotes, as well as a lengthy bibliography. Madam Walker is fortunate in her biographer and Ms. Bundles is fortunate in her ancestors!



3. Mrs. Bundles,
   I just wanted to let you know, I got an 'A' for my presentation on your great- great grandmother. My teacher told me that my speech was on a 2nd year speech class level and that I was like a piece of brass, I just needed some fine polishing. I may have a future in motivational speaking and I just had to thank you. The information in your book was not only factual and informative, but interesting to me as well as my mother and sisters. Our family history could be parallel to yours, except we have yet to find the key to financial success, but we will.
   I have fully enjoyed your book and reading what you yourself have been able to accomplish has been an added inspiration to me.
   Thank you for your time in guiding me to my 'A'



4. The author tells the amazing rags to riches story of her great great grandmother, while at the same time providing a detailed account of a fascinating time in American history. This was a delight to read. Highly recommended!



5. This book helps you to appreciate our past generations and how their struggles were not that different from our own. Madam CJ Walker is more than a shinning example of what anyone with determination can accomplish. A'Lelia Bundles is truly blessed that her great-grandmother and grandmother left so much documentation her to quench her love of family history. The experiences and stories of those that knew them take you back in time. This book helped me to look at my grandmother's antiques differently. I used to view them as beautiful things I have grown up with and am comforted by, but now I realize that they hold the key to what I may have been searching for all of my life. Just as she was drawn to the her grandmother's dressing table so was I. We are blessed as black women to have such a rich heritage to share. A'Lelia carries with her the dignity and pride of her family that I wish all of our young people could express. I think reading this book will help everyone to look to their past in a quest for the future.

3 comments about An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege.

1. Serious bibliophiles know that J.P. Morgan's Library (The Morgan Library & Museum is its current name) is the holy shrine of book collecting - the greatest archive of rare books, historical and literary original manuscripts, exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, music manuscripts, fine art drawings, ancient seals, etc... in the Western Hemisphere - and perhaps the world. Belle da Costa Greene, as one of the primary forces in molding the collection, and the institution's first director, would be worthy of note for that role alone. But Belle is far more. She was a brilliant art historian, whose tastes and scholarship made a real impact on bibliography and art criticism. She was also a coquettish beauty and epic flirt, whose long and literary infatuations (particularly the torrid one with the titanic art critic Bernard Berenson) are worthy of note. She's also worthy of note as a pioneering independent woman in a field dominated by men. Ultimately, however, it's her ambiguous and troubling racial identity for which she is best known.
   
   The fact is that Belle Greene's father, Richard Greener, was the first African American graduate of Harvard University. Greener had a distinguished but troubled career as a civil rights leader - ending up estranged from his family and serving as a diplomat in Vladivostok. Belle's mother took the family across the racial line in Belle's late childhood and they all passed as white. So Belle was raised as a black in her early childhood and as a white in her late childhood. She attended Amherst and Princeton as a white (obviously, since Princeton wouldn't have a black graduate until 1951). She worked very closely with J.P. Morgan - a man of very traditional racial and ethnic biases. (J.P. Morgan famously wouldn't meet with Joe Kennedy (JFK's father, and director of the NY Stock Exchange at the time) because he was Irish). She also had a close professional relationship with Jack Morgan - J.P.'s son and CEO of the Morgan empire through its period of greatest power - who had even more conservative views than his father. Belle traversed the world of high society, constantly attending the cultural events, parties, and dinners of the NY elite 400. How she reconciled race, power, prestige, and her own identity is a fascinating subject. Heidi Ardizzone treats the subject with admirable finesse - particularly her lovely postmodern racial sensibility that the label of "blackness" was prejudicial and punitive - that the notion of "passing" is limited and obsolete. No one should be quick to judge Belle for her actions, given that the question of which of her roughly equal mix of white and black ancestries should take precedence is a racist question to begin with. The issue of dishonor in not acknowledging race is complicated by the amoral quality of wrongful discrimination in the categorizing of race to begin with.
   
   Belle is a tough subject for a biography because she burned all her papers near the end of her life - a romantic and extravagant gesture for a romantic and extravagant woman. Ardizzone pulls a rabbit out of hat in creating a detailed biography by sheer grit and determination. She has combed all the archives of those who conversed with Belle (at a time when everyone was prolific letter writers and the letters of important people were often saved). Bernard Berenson's archives contained 400 of Belle's letters - but Ardizzone went far further. She takes historical sources of all kinds from the places she knew Belle was to reconstruct parts of Belle's life for which there are no primary sources. The end result has pockets of speculation, but a remarkable wealth of detail. The whole thing is rigorously end-noted. I'll confess that sometimes I found it had too much detail slowing the narrative pace - but Belles amazing life makes the bit of persistence necessary worth the (sometimes) effort. Ardizzone isn't too dry. I love the moment where she punctuates a combative exchange between powerful women with the decidedly un-academic narrative flourish "Meow"! Ultimately, it's easy to recommend this book to anyone with a taste for biography and an interest in art history, The Morgan, or identity politics.



2. When you read this book it should be clear to you that Belle Da Costa Greene was not "black" or "African American" but a mixed-race white or white person of mixed ancestry. Her mother and siblings also embraced their European heritage and rejected the forced "Negro" stigma that a racist government might have imposed on them if they had been subservient enough to allow it. Belle and her family should be praised for the bravery and self-respect that allowed them to live as they wanted to live. Imposing a forced "black" identity on Belle or anyone else accused of "passing for white" is the moral equivalent of endorsing the Nuremberg Laws that condemned Jews as too "inferior" to claim a German or other European culture and identity because they were only "inferior" Semites.
   
   It is amazing to me how people who claim to be against "racism" are often prepared (usually at the behest of the black-identified) to condemn other whites as too inferior to be white because of "black blood" (Note that Hispanics and Arabs are usually exempt from this stigma because of their political power and social cohesion). Of course, the "politically correct" terminology is to claim that the alleged "passer" rejected morally superior blacks for morally inferior whites, but "everyone" understands what is truly meant. Books that should be read in addition to this one in order to give a fairer picture: PASSING FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE and LEGAL HISTORY OF THE COLOR LINE.Passing for Who You Really Are



3. In 1911 one Bella da Costa Greene made New York newspaper headlines by buying a book from one of Britain's finest printers, succeeding at a high-profile auction which allowed her to walk away with the book for half of what her employer had authorized her to pay, despite aggressive bidding. She would spend some forty years at her employer's resulting library and become its first director - but the real story of her achievement, which includes her African-American heritage, lack of formal art education, and bohemian lifestyle, remained hidden until now. AN ILLUMINATED LIFE charts her rise to culture and prosperity and provides an extraordinary, gripping memoir of an amazing woman which is perfect for any general interest library strong in biographical memoirs, art history, or even Afro-American notable figures.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about No Name in the Street.

1. His father arrived on the scene when James was two. His mother stood between the children and the father. When King died, Baldwin was working on a screen version of the Malcolm X story. James Baldwin appeared with Martin Luther King at Carnegie Hall in a newly purchased black suit, and wore the black suit to the funeral two weeks later. Then he gave the barely worn suit to a friend.
   
   Baldwin observes that the French did not dare to think that the Algerian situation could be existentialist. When he went to France he went there to escape racism. He could live with Africans in Paris in comparative peace. Baldwin went to Paris with no money. He frequented Arab cafes. Baldwin could not undertand why Camus produced William Faulkner's REQUIEM FOR A NUN. James Baldwin claims that Faulkner is attempting to exorcise a history which is also a curse in his work. He argues that the cultural pretensions of history are nothing more than a mask for power.
   
   He knew by 1956 when he saw a picture of a school child being jeered by a crowd while seeking to integrate her school that he would be leaving Europe to return to America to take up the cause. Returning in 19576 he saw New York in a different way and went to the South. James Baldwin relates that he has always been struck in America by an emotional poverty. He says he really didn't know much about terror until he went to the South. In large ways and small Baldwin found the people in the Civil Rights Movement, facing Southern terror, heroic. Before his trip to the South the author had never seen the horror or the poverty.
   
   Malcolm X, unlike Frantz Fanon, operated in the Afro-American idiom. In 1968 James Baldwin was sharing a flat with is sister Paula and his brother David in London. He learned there of Malcolm's death. A former resident of Harlem, he distrusted the legend of Malcolm X until he had the opportunity to meet him.
   
   Uncomfortably, Baldwin came to realize later that in those years, in the fifties and sixties, he was a sort of great black hope of the great white father. Malcolm X considered himself to be the spiritual property of those who produced him. He was dangerous because he apprehended the horror of the black condition. Writing an epilogue in 1971 Baldwin noted that the book had been delayed by trials, assassinations, and funerals.



2. It seems strange that this crisp and concise essay is less known and less read than Baldwin's earlier collections. True, he is angrier, rawer, less forgiving here, and his earlier diplomatic hopefulness has given way to a deeply cynical and contemptuous view of American society. Yet, given the atrocities Baldwin, along with his friends and colleagues, personally witnessed and underwent during the years immediately preceding this book, his fury is, at the very least, understandable.
   
   Baldwin's recollections of the 1950s and 60s are not presented as linear narrative. Instead, he intertwines, among other topics: the cowardice of liberals during the McCarthy era; the French-Algerian conflict; his investigations and travels in the South; the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (and his own reminiscences of them); his experiences in Hollywood with commercial filmmakers; his encounters with Eldridge Cleaver, Huey Newton and the Black Panthers; his bemused reaction to the flower children in San Francisco; and his four-year battle to rescue his former assistant, Tony Maynard, from an arrest and conviction for a murder he didn't commit. (Maynard's conviction was overturned after this book was published.) The supporting cast of his friends and adversaries in these personal and societal struggles is a veritable who's who: Elia Kazan, William Styron, Fred Shuttlewsorth, Andrew Young, Harry Belafonte, Billy Dee Williams, Marlon Brando, Robert Kennedy.
   
   Baldwin's self-effacing willingness to reopen old wounds and expose the evidence of his own folly is still on hand here. He opens with an anecdote about a visit with a childhood friend in the south Bronx: his humorous and humiliating arrival in a limousine, the all-too-apparent difference between his own prosperity and his friend's meager (but contented) subsistence and his shameful condescension toward his friend's "job at the post office," and their explosive argument over the war in Vietnam. He also recounts his own naivety in a chronicle of his first traumatic exposure to Jim Crow laws in Montgomery: "It is not difficult to be a marked man in the South--all you have to do, in fact, is to go there."
   
   Baldwin admits to the impossibility of objectivity in his writing, comparing his task to Shaw's writing "Saint Joan": "he had the immense advantage of having never known her." And his account of two decades of struggle is by no means impartial. But I prefer this version of Baldwin, who no longer seems to care about kowtowing to the mostly white New Yorker readers who made up his audience for his earlier work. "No Name in the Street" is uncomfortably honest--and that bluntness lends the work a faithfulness to the spirit of the times.

5 comments about Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50.

1. What's not to love about 50 beautiful black women over the age of 50? I was sold on the cover alone. Ruby Dee is one the most beautiful women of all time and she does not get the recognition that she so richly deserves.
   The book is my coffee table, do I need to say anything else?



2. It was so wonderful to see so many strong African American women who are in so many fields. I gave it as a gift to a family member for Christmas and it was passed around so much, everyone wants a copy! Kudos to the photographer for capturing the personalities of these remarkable women.



3. I'm not sure what the above poster was thinking. M. Cunningham is one of the best photographers around (he did the photos in Crowns) and the photos in this book are beautiful. Don't pay attention to the cover on this page, its a bad reproduction of a great photo of actress Ruby Dee. I found the womens essays open and heart-warming. This book is the perfect Christmas gift for a mother or grandmother or any woman in your life if you want to put a smile on her face.



4. Book was damaged at delivery, so I returned it; but what I saw was disappointing, very dull drab pictures, not an attracting looking book at all. Did not look interesting or inviting. Was sorry I ordered it in the first place.



5. this Book truly showcases Black women in full detail. this Book captures Black Women over and 50 and Beyond with there words,Wisdom and uplift. Connie Briscoe does a fantastic job at interviewing. all 50 women. Michael Cunningham does a Great Job here as well. you hear stories of overcoming so many obstacles and maintaining a level of still striving for more. you learn that a strong upbringing and Love along with family made these Women strive for more than what was said or expected. Ruby Dee looks fantastic and is timeless as are the other African-American Women Profiled in this Book. very enlightening and detailed.

5 comments about The Pimp's Bible: The Sweet Science of Sin.

1. A must to ad to the pimp collection. He lays out more of the rules than his life, but if know the game, its all about rules.



2. A great introduction into the many life styles and forms of pimping which go unnoticed by todays standards of the word pimp. I would recommend this over The Pimp Game: Instructional Guide by Mickey Royal. To me Alfred Bilbo Gholson has a better grip of what pimping means, he also represents a classier type of pimp, one who doesn't believe in drugs and violence as a means of pimping.



3. Grow up! It's not good to be a pimp, that's victimizing women you crazy...!



4. The cover is wack. The contents reveal just how much work the author put in to this lifestyle. This is still applicable today. If only people were willing to go through the correct process pimps might once again gain respect. Read between the lines in this book. Much game it has.



5. I live in a nursing home, and this book has taught me how to deal with all the old biddies that live here. I am getting more attention than ever in the love department. I have also learned how to place myself at the top of all the other old men here, without even having to resort to any weaponry like the fellows in this book. The concepts are really the same; instead of cruising around in a Cadillac, I cruise up and down the halls in my wheelchair. The book has made this managed care facility worth living in!

5 comments about Speaking Truth to Power.

1. One thing that we all wondered was: "Why did Hill wait until Thomas was being evaluated for a position on the Supreme Court to make these allegations?" And it turns out that she did not and only brought these issues to thefore when found by an investigation into Thomas' background.
   
   There were also a lot of details that were not apparent about the nature of the trial: 1. The congressional hearings were NOT conducted by attorneys, and so the usual rules of courtroom conduct and gathering evidence were not adhered to; 2. Some of the detailed nature of the ugliness toward people that are caught in the middle of congressional hearings (the documentary on Susan McDougal was another example of how the sheer hostility that politicians can display toward anyone that gets in the way); 3. Details of the statements that Thomas made to her. It was also more clear that the environment in which she was working (a person-- among MANY others-- trying to get thhe letters of recommendation and make the ties that would get her a job somewhere) might have made her a lot more timid in telling Thomas where to go with his remarks.
   
   On the bad side, I can say that Hill's tone was the faintest bit melodramatic-- and this makes me wonder just how serious the comment made to her were-- noting that she offered information about the content of his statements but not direct quotes.
   
   All in all, the book is very balanced and level-headed-- if a bit more wordy than necessary. (It could have been shortened by about 50 pages without missing anything-- although it was not nearly the verbose disaster of, say something written by Ayn Rand. On account of this, I'm taking off one star.)



2. At the beginning of the book Hill writes, "I did not choose the issue of sexual harassment, it chose me." And that is undoubtedly true. Anita Hill is a household name and her name immediately brings to mind the issue of sexual harassment. Hill describes how the issue chose her in this book.
   You can tell just how truthful this book is by the way in which it was written. This is not the best written book. But, Anita Hill puts on no airs, she just tells the truth and the way she saw it in a simple, understandable voice.
   And the truth is, she was put through the ringer by people in power who did not want to a) acknowledge that sexual harassment is a problem, and b) change the current widespread problem of sexual harassment and thus change our current power structure.
   It is interesting to note how Hill relates the problem of sexual harassment to other crimes committed against women which are also motivated by power and control. These comparisons ring a bell of truth.
   Hill also writes about how at times, when one is a ethnic minority and a woman, one has to choose between honoring their gender and honoring their race. Her analysis of this is enough to read the book.
   I recommend this book to those who are interested in getting to know the real Anita Hill, those who are interested in insider politics especially when it concerns problems unique to women, and those who are interested in the way that different minority groups bisect each other.
   The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating is because, as I mentioned, it's not the most well written book. I feel that at times the writing was circular and repetitive. The words don't leap off the page. However, also, at times the writing is very direct and potent and say the truth in a manner that is clear and concise. At those times, ideas leap off the page.



3. Anita Hill proves that she was telling the truth with this book and I always knew that she was.
   
   It's so sad that so many were able to demonize and scandalize this woman and her intentions, but in the end, the TRUTH always wins.
   
   This powerful autobiography is a MUST READ, a book that you won't be able to put down or to forget. I'm so glad I read it.
   
   
   
   



4. When this book first came out, I was drawn to the cover, because I knew that there were many messages for me in this book. Yet, I hesitated to read this, because I had not voiced what I felt about those hearings.

   I actually looked over my shoulders, when I glanced through this book, before buying it, because I had decided that so many people around me demanded my opinion of this tragedy.

   When I watched the hearing, while I sat next to others, for whatever reason I waited to say whether or not I believed Dr. Hill. I wanted to process it all, in the privacy of my own space.

   Watching her, on many levels I related to her. Yet, I had some unanswered questions that reading this book, along with other books that reference this tragedy helped me to make my own decisions about what happened.

   Dr. Hill put a voice to many of the challenges that I had, as professional African-American woman, who wanted to speak about many issues that too high a number of African-Americans refused to communicate. Before reading this book, I wanted to be free to speak against some socialized rules that I grew up with, that are common in African-American families. But, I wanted to communicate that I am proud of being African-American.

   And as a result of reading this book, I gained tremendous courage to fully live my life's mission, which is to guide women and girls to earn trust in themselves.

   To this day, as a journalist, if an editor argues against Anita Hill, I refuse to write for that paper.

   Thank you, Dr. Hill.




5. I am so glad I read this book - it gave me insight into what a wonderful woman Anita Hill is in explaining the ordeal she went through in testifying at "the hearings." I must admit that at the time, I didn't believe Hill's testaments; she appeared nervous and uncertain whereas Thomas appeared very sure of himself, was outraged, and even went so far as to cry before the Senate Committee and television cameras. Of course, I now realize that was just an act.

   Anyhow, I thought that after the hearings were over, Anita Hill went back home to Oklahoma and went on with her life, the ordeal forgotten. After reading this book, I had no idea that Hill endured further harassment from students at the university where she taught, faculty, the media, and people who never knew her nor she them. It was downright outrageous and disgusting.

   Hill writes eloquently about her roots, her upbringing in Oklahoma, her years at Yale Univ. Law School, and her job at the EEOC where she worked under Clarence Thomas and the harassment she endured from him, her subsequent career change all the way up until the hearings. It's all interesting and worth reading.

   Anita Hill is the catalyst for which the laws of sexual harassment have changed and claims for which are now taken very seriously. It is very unfortunate that she had to take such torment and emotional brutality as a result of it, as if harassment from Thomas wasn't enough in and of itself.

   That Thomas is now sitting on the highest court in the land for life, knowing the content of his character and demeanor, is indeed disturbing. But I hope that deep inside he is sorry and feels the utmost remorse and guilt for his mistreatment of Anita Hill and all his other victims.

   The truth always come out - maybe not today or tomorrow - but eventually it does. Thomas knows what he did, and the world knows what he did despite his "categorical" denials.

   It is my hope that Anita Hill finds the peace and happiness she deserves. Her life will never be the same, as she herself admits, but unfortunately almost all movers and shakers's lives were and are forever changed.

   An insightful and honest book, I recommend it highly.

4 comments about When the Birds Stopped Singing: Life in Ramallah Under Siege.

1. This book should be read by all of the Western world to gain a perspective on the ordinary citizen living in the Occupied territory of Palestine. So often, I don't think we actually realize what "Occupation" means and how much power remains in Israel's hands even when there is not an actual occupation of a specific city. The author helped me understand the Oslo Accord and how it failed to bring justice to the region.
   This account ( using a diary format) really brings home what curfew means to daily life and the fear which comes when soldiers invade without regard to human feelings. Although written in 2003, I'm sure this holds true in 2006, and certainly makes me more attentive to news coming out of their continued struggle.



2. This book left me horrified at what is going on in the Middle East. It is even worse than I thought - and I thought I knew a lot about the situation already. Raja's day to day account, written in the form of a diary, gives a first hand account of what it is like to live under Occupation.
   This is hell on earth; and we in America are financing it all, with our 3 billion dollars a year that we send to Israel in military aid.
   The greatest threat to World Peace lies here, and we are paying for it.



3. (...)I purchased "When the Birds Stopped Singing" without hesitation as I looked forward to his unique human rights and legal perspective as an adult during the intifada. While his writing style is still engaging, the content is not as strong. This small book is simply a collection of short diary entries that depict his daily experiences during the difficult times. While the situation itself is heart breaking, the entries become redunant with several descriptions of outrageous Israeli soldier behavior, Palestinian subjugation and rebellion, and the difficulties of living some semblance of a normal life under such circumstances. I did not find anything new or compelling in this book, rather I felt I was perusing a random personal journal that was likely never meant to be published. Shehadeh's human rights and legal perspective never seemed to emerge in his entries which left this as an average book that will likely only appeal to those who have not heard many personal accounts of Palestinian life during the intifiada.



4. This book is about the siege of Ramallah and Shehadeh tells a heartbreaking story, with plenty of villians to go around. I expected that. To my surprise, what makes the book worth reading are the heroes. Not the Isreali soldiers. Not the PLO. Not Islamic Jihad or Hamas. The heroes of this book are the everyday people who actually try to live a normal life in the West Bank.

5 comments about The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco.

1. this Book was on right on time. Sylvester was something else back in the day as a artist and very Open about his sexuality. He didn't back down from anything. His voice was the truth and very soulful. this Book explores his whole career and thensome and the many other artists he encountered and how important they were,etc... this book takes you back to a time period when so much was happening. a must read and it is very well written and is a real page turner.



2. I am still reading the book and have been quite pleased with all the details of Mr Sylvester James Jr. Life, I am sure when a read the final pages it will be as smashing as the life he lived!! I also found a DVD, Filmed in San Francisco, in 1985 or 1987 when he celebrated his birthday, the video is grainy and not what I expected which was Him and the Famous (Two Tons of Fun,) what I have is Sylvester in his what I call break out years his voice was not as vibrant during this period but to have anything of him suits me just fine. He came into his own he perfected his voice and character, I still miss his presence on earth just as I do all the Great Ones.
   
   Sincerely,
   LEE



3. At last, a beautifully-written book about a beautiful artist - Sylvester. I have been waiting for this book to arrive for years and, finally, here it is!
   
   I was hooked by the opening chapter which tells the story of a young boy named Tiki Lofton who sneaks out of his bedroom window at night and over to a friend's apartment where, in 1960's South Central, with the help of a young Sylvester, he transforms himself into a "Disquotay." The Disquotays were a group of boys who liked to dress up as sophisticated ladies. And Sylvester, or Dooni as he was known then, was in charge of the wigs.
   
   "The first Disquotay bash that Tiki went to was over on 120th and Athens, at Etta James's house, sometime around 1965. Etta, who would later be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (largely on the strength of her 1961 hit "At Last") and the Betty Ford Center (largely on the strength of her smack addiction), was already a recording star and a friend to many local Los Angeles drag queens . . . The house, with its swimming pool and fireplace, had stunned her. Women, drag queens, and guys, all sending joyful noises in Tiki's direction; the music had been jumping; Walter Jackson's version of "Lee Cross," Jr. Walker & the All Stars' "Shotgun," "Nowhere to Run" by Martha and the Vandellas, Fontella Bass singing "Rescue Me." Gay kids all perched on gigantic speakers, singing and carrying on . . . Tiki had said to herself. "This -- honey, where is this world?" Within months, she would be a full-fledged Disquotay, made-up, bewigged, bejeweled."
   
   Joshua Gamsom recreates this world vividly in that first chapter. Simultaneously, he introduces us to the members of Sylvester's family. His beautiful and beloved mother and grandmother. His twin sisters, Dette and Dean. The quotes are full of heart and expertly placed and the story unfolds like a fine silk fan. I can't help but think that Sylvester would be very pleased to read this biography.
   
   I had the honor of meeting with Sylvester to discuss a project a few years before his death. It was mid-afternoon and he was sewing sequins on something, which was his favorite pasttime. He was always sewing, a talent he picked up from the women who raised him. He walked over to the turntable and put on Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew" and said he was dedicating the song at his One-Night-Only concert the following night to his fans and supporters in San Francisco, the city in which he always felt most at home. That night, with Martha Wash at his side, they performed that song together, bouncing their voices off each other inside the Castro Theater. Those two powerful voices, the acoustics of the Castro Theater, and the magical spell he wove with Patti LaBelle's song was something to behold.
   
   That Sylvester could hold his own with the amazing Martha Wash is a testament to the power of his falsetto. He didn't have a thin, reedy falsetto. His was full-bodied, gravelly even, and very much in evidence on one of his biggest hits, "Do You Wanna Funk."
   
   "So when I tell you, that you're really something, baby, will you stay, or will you go away."
   
   Joshua Gamson captures the essence of Sylvester's personality, the diva fits as well as the immense kindness and sensitivity, and wraps it all together into an highly readable book that I wholeheartedly suggest you pick up. Although some have faulted him for not having an encyclopedic knowledge of music, Gamson lets experts like Joel Selvin provide insightful commentary.
   
   It is my hope that someone has optioned the book for a movie and we can expect to see this wild individual portrayed in all his glory.
   
   John Waters wraps up "The Fabulous Sylvester" pretty well in his cover blurb: "A well-written, touching, dignified biography of a gay black diva who never really fit into any minority but managed to achieve his dreams of stardom. Now that's what I call a man."
   
   Five Stars. Great Read.



4. The Fabulous Sylvester is a fascinating recounting of the life of Sylvester, the dance scene and Sylvester's career. This book explores the life of Sylvester from his early childhood days to his development into an international dance icon. This book does not sugarcoat any part of Sylvester's life. It is detailed and honest and shows us all aspects of his life and career. This book is as interesting and fabulous as Sylvester was.



5. Joshua Gamson took the reader on a magical journey of Sylvester's glitter world of music, sex, and drugs with the abandonment that was the time of the 70's. Sadly, there was no gold at the end of the rainbow and we, like Sylvester, saw the decline with terrible retribution.
   
   I highly recommend this book; it's a quick read and you won't be able to put it down.