5 comments about Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva.

1. Sorry, Miss Jones. This book was not written well enough to keep my attention. I struggled throughout. But kudos for not being afraid to talk about anyone and being brave enough to put it all in a book.



2. Why did I buy this book? I give her 2 stars for being so brave and open about her situations, but the book is poorly written. It just went on and on and I could go on and on about the book but I am not so there.



3. I had to force myself to finish this book. I was extremely boring. I think I skipped one chapter towards the end. I always read the customer reviews before I purchase any books. I am so glad that I checked this book out at the library. It had some facts in there about a few celebrites that I didn't know about, but it wasn't nothing to write home about. I recommend that you BORROW the book.



4. I was curious about the life of Tarsha Jones since she "blew up" as a morning dj on a Philly radio station. I'd never heard of her before then and had no idea that she'd been a recording artist. The book was entertaining enough - I managed to read it in one day ( a work day at that!).
   
   Her musings about her family laid an interesting foundation but then the immediate jump into her high school troubles and the drawn out stories of female beatdowns was truthful but odd in that it went on & on & on. I really enjoyed her brief recountings of going to a performing arts high school and her college experiences but the drama with her boyfriends revealed "TMI" that I found tedious & repetitious.
   
   Her music industry experiences were also interesting WHEN SHE DISCUSSED THE BUSINESS aspect. Her romances left me puzzled - I mean, I know that these female "tell-alls" feel that name-dropping is the only way to pique readers' interest but her experiences left me feeling judgemental about her and wondering WHY she kept repeating the same mistakes with different (but ultimately the same) unavailable men.
   
   I really enjoyed reading about her move into disc jockying and loved her accounts of working in Philly - she really was a breath of fresh air to morning radio for a time.
   
   I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read & are curious about Miss Jones' early years & how she'd gotten to where she is today.



5. this book was a good read, read it fairly quickly. i still think she is a big loud mouth ignorant chick on the radio.

5 comments about God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia.

1. Being a life-long resident of the South Carolina Lowcountry, many of the things Bailey described in her book hit home. A fear of the otherworldly, grave respect for elders and ancestors, and contentment with life in its natural simplicity are telling traits that Bailey has really invested herself in the life she describes. The book shifts in interests as Bailey describes her experiences of reaching maturity in the natural, social, and spiritual senses, but her worldview remains consistent with the old traditions.
   
   For those who are interested in the actual speech patterns of Geechee (or Gullah) people, this is not really the book for you. There are sparse renditions of the Lowcountry/Island way of talking, but one gets the sense that Bailey was a good code-switcher; indeed, any Geechee with solid home-training would try to avoid speaking with one's home accent in public. Nevertheless, the culture that came up with the language is presented panchronologically; the very distant past is treated with the same sense of importance as the events that took place during Bailey's lifetime, and just as much gravity is given to as much as she can foresee of the unknown future.
   
   I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a sense of culture and was an excellent reference concerning the culture of the greater African-American culture overall. It is filled with lively stories, unforgetable anecdotes, thoughtful philosophizing, and hope.



2. This is a great book to learn about the culture, history and traditions of a Geechee community on Sapelo Island, GA. Compared to other books I have read about this area, Ms. Bailey really focuses on the folklore and superstitions that shaped life on this isolated island during the second half of the 20th century. Although some of these traditions continue, many are fading away as this unique community shrinks in size. Ms. Bailey considers it her duty to be a storyteller, to pass these stories down to whoever will listen, and to keep the traditions alive. Ms. Bailey succeeds by telling her story with a vibrant narrative - a very fast and rewarding read.



3. The Golden Isles of Georgia are mysterious and fascinating. The Spanish moss, tabby walls, the "shout" of the Sea Island Singers, and cloudy past reach out to visitors today. The author of this book, a salt-water Geechee, grew up on Sapelo. Her story is wonderfully interesting. The beliefs of the slaves' descendants were so little changed for so many years. Traditions born in western Africa are still hanging on to life even today on Sapelo. I hope the government, even in the name of saving the environment, never succeeds in taking the land away from the Geechee families who lived such true lives there. Their life deserves to continue as long as their faith lives.



4. Part memoir, part cultural history, part plea on behalf of a fragile culture, God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man is as affecting as the best magic realism. You do not simply read it, you savor it and absorb it into your very soul.

   In the book, Cornelia Bailey, resident griot of Sapelo Island off the Georgia coast, spins the story of her growing up in that place and in a time when lives were governed equally by religion, magic, and chance. She admits us deep into the culture of her proud people and introduces us to folkways strong enough to have survived the Middle Passage and the centuries since. So it is with infinite sadness we learn that the forces of progress are rendering these same folkways as fragile as a paper-thin fig shell that washes onto the beach.

   It goes without saying that God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man will appeal to cultural historians, anthropologists, naturalists, and environmentalists. The book's strongest appeal, however, will be to lovers of lyrical prose -- and to anyone who delights in the sheer magic of the way words fall on the ear and follow one another on a page.

   This is a special book, one that should find a home on every reader's short shelf of well-thumbed volumes that are read and referenced time and again.




5. God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man transports the reader to the Georgia sea islands. You swear you can smell the marsh, hear the sea birds cry and taste the sweet potatoes. The writing is so pure and the people so true that you come away afraid of Mama Lizzie, furious at Bukra and proud of Grandma when she faces down the deacons. The issues the book tackles are important - ownership of the land, the insidious effects of slavery, the origins of sea island culture in Africa - but it is also a book that captures your heart. A must for anyone who is interested in people. Highly recommended.

4 comments about Black Kettle : The Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace but Found War.

1. Thom Hatch hits the mark on Cheyenne Indian Chief Black Kettle's efforts to uphold peaceful relations throughout manifest destiny. Despite broken treaty after broken treaty by the government and gluttonous bone-headed army generals with personal vendettas and lack of respect for the Indians, it is a wonder that Black Kettle maintained his philosophy on peace for so many years.
   It is disheartening that the vision of peace is what eventually killed him along with many of his people.
   If surviving the brutal and senseless butchery of Sand Creek Massacre by egotistical Colonel Chivington wasn't enough punishment, Black Kettle was to soon afterwards undergo additional tests of endurance from the thoughtless and misguided behavior of the U. S. military and government.
   A very persuasive, gripping and touching account of one man's dream of peace.



2. This work explores the efforts of a great Cheyenne chief who, despite his betrayal by the white man, continued his search for peace, only to lose his life in the process. It reveals how Black Kettle stood in stark contrast to Chivington, Sherman, Sheridan, Custer and others, who enthusiastically effected our government's policy of destroying the culture of the Plains Indians and killing, with little or no excuse, innocent tribal menbers. Make no mistake, there were elements within the tribes who were no better. However, one cannot read this well-written account without coming away with a sense of revulsion toward those members of the white power structure and our military who made so little effort to understand a people who were different and to treat them with the respect they deserved. Read this book if you want to know more than one will find within the usual histories written by the victors.



3. The title should read, "Black Kettle, the Cheyenne Chief who Sought Life and Found Only Death". This is a difficult book to read because the story is not only true but shameful. As someone from Colorado, I was horrified to learn many of our streets and city areas are named after men who were often theives, liars, opportunists and some even condoned the murder of the Native Americans. One tries to frame the story in the context of the time and the ignorance and the misunderstandings of the of white America, yet in 2005 the site of the Sand Creek massacre is a minor footnote that most Coloradians are unaware and The Black Hills still have not been returned to the Souix, so has our sense of justice towards Native Americans really changed? The book does a excellent, informative telling of the story of a very shameful part of Colorado and American history.This is the story of an exceptional man who rightly always believed in peace but wrongly believed in the U.S. government. We should be reminded of this past and never forget the genocide that was carried out in the country in the name of westward expansion. Black Kettle should be remembered as man who was as great in statue as any American hero.



4. It has been 140 years since that dark dawn rose over the eastern plains of Colorado bathing the land in blood and gore at Sand Creek. Countless books have been written about the subject, and its story has been recounted in film. Today, there are those who believe it was a massacre, others it was a battle that turned into a massacre, but to all academic historians Chivington's attack upon a sleeping village of Cheyenne and Arapaho was nothing but a massacre turned into a blood bath of unspeakable horror.
   
   A new book by Thom Hatch is now available entitled, "Black Kettle: The Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace But Found War" The book is the first ever written biography about the Cheyenne leader. And, Sand Creek is at the center of Black Kettle's life.
   
   Black Kettle is more than a story of one man's life. The story Hatch shares is rich in Plains Indian culture focusing on the Cheyenne people along with their form of government, laws, religion, courtship, and military society. The narrative follows the Cheyenne relationships with other tribes that were both productive and destructive. Hatch also describes life for the Cheyenne after the white man enters the scene. Hatch's passages about the warrior societies are filled with pageantry, color, and ritual.
   
   Much of what Hatch discusses in this portion of the book has been written before, but Black Kettle finally becomes a human being instead of just a symbol of the wrongs committed against the Indians. After Black Kettle witnessed the peace gathering between his people and the Kiowas, Hatch explains its effect upon the Cheyenne leader.
   
   "Perhaps this event made enough of an impression upon Black Kettle that it served as a lesson in shaping his future role as a man who believed that peace with any enemy - even the white man - was attainable if both parties were honorable and sincere with their promise to become friends."
   
   The centerpiece of any story around Black Kettle has to be the Sand Creek Massacre and Hatch does not disappoint the reader. There can be no honest telling of Sand Creek that doesn't move the reader, and the story of Black Kettle at Sand Creek is powerful. Black Kettle leads as many of his people as he can to safety to the Sand Pits except for his wife, Medicine Woman Later, who is shot down near the creek in a hail of bullets.
   
   At twilight, Black Kettle returns to find his wife as the soldiers commit the atrocities around him. Finding Medicine Woman Later still alive, Black Kettle carries her on his back for miles until he catches-up with the survivors, who by now are moving northeast away from the killing field. Putting his wife on a horse, Black Kettle leads his people to the Dog Soldier camps.
   
   So ends the Sand Creek Massacre, but far more of the life of Black Kettle follows. A true leader is one that stands up for what he believes, never wavers, and makes decisions based solely on the betterment of his people, not for how it might make his life better. Black Kettle was such a leader. Black Kettle continued to sue for peace from the white man, even after Sand Creek, even though many of his people chastised him for it, even though the intimidation of the Dog Soldiers tried to stop him. Black Kettle knew his people would be doomed if they continued to fight the people moving into their lands. He believed peace was the only choice the Cheyenne had to save what they could of their way of life.
   
   Tom Hatch brings us the complete life of Black Kettle -- his analysis of the man's life and the events surrounding it is fresh, bold, and provides new challenges for future researches.

5 comments about Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.

1. Great book. I really enjoyed it, and I would certainly recommend it to others. No way this book is NOT five stars plus.



2. This is a dangerously important and uplifting book. It is subversive in the sense that it reveals one of the darkest secrets about the "real souls of Black people:" That music provides the streetlights that illuminate "the royal road to hope and survival."
   
   This book recalls in my own mind, during the same times that Q's musical life literally exploded (the two years from 14 to 16) -- the years when he literally went from "street urchin to musical genius" in one giant step, that it so happens that this was the same period that my stepfather and his returning army WW-II buddies were teasing each other about "combat boots" being their first real pair of shoes. Being essentially true made the joke all the more painful.
   
   Yet, all of these Arkansas farm boys were in college on the GI Bill; and most importantly, they could all play musical instruments and could sing and dance and read music - especially the Harmonica, the piano, and the guitar. I naturally grew up thinking that doing these things was innate. It came as a great shock to me: when after getting a harmonic for Christmas, it did not play itself. I could not play a single song on the darn thing? I naturally thought that there was something terribly wrong with me: Maybe I was genetically defective? Although I did eventually learn to play the trumpet after a painful and lengthy apprenticeship, it still mystifies me, as to how it was that those in my father's and Q's generation picked up music as if it blew in through the window from off the wind?
   
   That among other reasons is why this book is so terribly important: right after the war, music and sports provided the cushions for finding a semi-normal existence in a world gone mad with poverty and its racist rules and traditions. Q's life was different than most other inner city black kids only in the fact that his mother had to be committed to an insane asylum while he was young. This of course made the urgency for music in his life an even more important existential imperative: As he notes, his discovery of music became, not just his mistress (as it was for Duke Ellington), but also his mother.
   
   But that is only part of the uplifting story told here, somehow, poverty, depravation, and humiliation during the era of "full" American Apartheid, could always be turned on its head: Somehow, there were always unguarded existential escape routes to both sanity and occasionally to success. Q followed his heart and found his talents, which as it turns out were considerable.
   
   Living on the margins, on the outskirts of mainstream society, can either empower you or embitter you, or send you to the insane asylum as it did Q's mother. But either way, music and sports (and not the bible, the only thing that Q's mother took with her to the insane asylum) will help illuminate the way.
   
   Five Stars



3. I was amazed at how good this book is. This book makes you want to know what's going to happen next. I never knew Quincy Jones had a hard childhood. I think I would rather starve than eat rats. I love the fact that Quincy doesn't just talk about music all the time but Quincy went deep into his personal life. I admire the fact that Quincy never gave up on his dream to become a trumpeter. I'm surprised at how successful Quincy is with all the problems he had. Reading this book inspires me to always follow my dreams, no matter what. I recommend this book BIG TIME to anyone interested in his life!



4. I loved it! I'm learning the piano and thought I could learn something from the best. I learned more. I'm a big music lover and love Quincy and his music. He's worked with the best of the legends, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dina Washington, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson etc. etc. He's had an incredible life! And not without tragedy and set backs and overcame them all. His family is beautiful. How he forgave the sad and unfair things done to him. Tears and laughter, so moving, especially about his brother Lloyd. Quincy's my hero. I knew he was great, but he's more. I'm so grateful he shared his life with us. I learned so much! Let the Light heal the dark places, and listen to God's whispers is where I want to be. Thank you Quincy!



5. I was extremely impressed. Scouting the library, I saw the book and I thought, Hey, this might be good. That night, I read 45 pages, with the school the following day: it was almost a priority. He really is a multi-talented fellow. Of his biggest accomplishment, (arguably, I mean besides his 29 Grammys) was Michael Jackson's Thriller album, but this guy can do anything. The stories are humble, the style down to earth and approachable, and above all, the stories were great. This isn't your ordinary 900 page presidential autobiography. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates autobiographies, truly something worth reading.

3 comments about The River of No Return: The Autobiography of a Black Militant and the Life and Death of SNCC.

1. This is a well written account of someone who was on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. As Dr. Sellers recounts his life as a "black militant", he gives us first hand insight of not only his, but "others" involvement in this historical movement. His details caputured my soul and touch my heart. Not only did I have the opportunity to read the autobioraphy of Dr. Cleveland Seller, he was also my long time advisor and professor at The University of South Carolina. This book is as well written as his first hand accounts.



2. I know Cleve Sellers quite well, he's currently a history professor at the University of South Carolina and his students are fortunate to get firsthand accounts of the Civil Rights movement from a lesser-known, but NOT a lesser player in these events. Readers of his book are forutante too, for here you have verfiable firsthand accounts from a man who lived through this stuff and paid heavily for it. In about 40 years, the generation who lived through the Civil Rights movement will no longer be with us, and it is good that documents of this kind will be around to let future generations know what it was REALLY like.

   However, it's worthy to note that his closing chapter, on the chaotic state of Black leadership after the Civil Rights movement, is still dead-on traget although it was written in 1973.




3. This is a reprint of a well-written personal account by a SNCC member and Howard University student. I am glad to see this book back in print. It will give an insight to the young and not so young who, because of the media's almost exclusive focus on Dr. King, have been lead to believe that the only important aspect of the civil rights movement was the "I Have a Dream" speech. Cleve Sellers gives us an up close and personal report on some of the key leaders of SNCC, especially the late Stokely Carmichael (known later as Kwame Ture), who later became, for a short time, the Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party and for many years the primary organizer of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party.

   Sellers shares many of the behind the scenes relationships between SNCC and other organizations and details the tactical and ideological differences which engaged the energies of the SNCC membership.

4 comments about Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer.

1. Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer-The ESPN presentation, "Black Magic" prompted me to purchase this book to learn more about John B. McLendon. Being an African American college student at an HBCU when TN State won the three NAIA chanpionships, I knew a little about Coach McLendon and TN State. The book made me aware of many of the things that McLendon accomplished during his life, both on and off the court, and how little credit he has been given for doing so. I strongly recommend it to all basketball fans and coaches at all levels.



2. This book is great reading not only for anyone interested in the game of basketball, or in learning how to be a better coach (of any sport), but also for anyone interested in the Civil Rights movement and all those looking for a story that inspires. Coach McLendon has a lot to teach all of us about courage and integrity. Author Milton Katz shares story after story that illustrate these points in his highly readable narrative. This book would make a great holiday gift for just about anybody.



3. It is a story about an underdog. A man fulfilling his dreams and facilitating the same for the many people he came in contact with. The story of John McLendon's life is a shining example of how sports and entertainment can be a microcosm for the rest of society and perhaps an easier barrier to elicit change. Many times, society remembers the culmination of a chain of events. In the case of John McLendon, he was the pioneer that paved the way for the likes of Glory Road and Jackie Robinson.



4. Milton Katz has humor, integrity, and wisdom to spare. He is one of the finest individuals I know. Those who cannot enjoy him in person can at least enjoy him in print. Mr. Katz knows how to tell a great story -- and like everything he does, he does it with a lot of heart. You can learn from this man -- and you'll probably have fun along the way...

5 comments about The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley (Young Spirit Books) (Young Spirit Books).

1. I bought this as a gift for my niece...she was absolutely thrilled and delivery was so quick



2. My son is doing a bio bash at school and chose Bob Marley. He's only in the fifth grade so we didn't want him reading too much about him.
   
   I myself didn't read the book - but he enjoyed it and is looking forward to doing a presentation and report on it.



3. This book continues to amaze me -- no matter how many times I read it. I also have shared the novel with many friends and family as gifts. The story of Bob Marley's childhood is revealed truthfully and vividly through beautiful illustrations by Mariah Fox and a wonderful collaboration by daughter Cedella Marley and seasoned author Gerald Hausman.
   
   The message of this book rings as clear and soulful as Bob Marley's own songs. Adults and children alike can share in this experience and journey of a child - it's a fantastic learning tool especially for kids and the subject matter is sure to keep them interested. Highly Recommended.



4. Gerald Hausman is a not only a distinguished writer, but has lived in Jamaica and knows the culture with eyes wide open. His daughter, Mariah Fox, was almost raised on the island and her drawings, more magical than real, speak of places beyond places. Cedella Marley was always there, heard all the stories, knows all the songs, and tells the story of Bob Marley's childhood from a daughter's view point. All my children have this book, as do my grandchildren, and one day so will my great grandchildren. Read it, look at the pictures, and smile. It is that good.



5. What a lovely book. With so much to choose from among Marley publications, this one truly distinguishes itself in that it capture the real spirit of Marley's origins. Since you could call Bob the ultimate Roots musician, Boy From Nine Miles is a kind of Roots for the Marley story. It is certainly geared towards the young ones, but it could easily win a place in the heart of older readers too. The illustrations are very simpatico with the earthiness of Marley's story and helps deliver the Marley tale with earnestness without becoming sappy. Marley was an earnest man after all and it is no surprise to me that the open hearted and earnest style of a children's book may be one of the surest ways to convey, aside from his music, Marley's roots in Jamaica, his spirit and his passion for justice and truth. There is no doubt if you have always loved Bob's music and have kids, this really does belong in your home library. I can totally understand why this would be a hit in the schools too as another reviewer testified. Very nicely done book.

2 comments about Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence.

1. Please consider Mr. Gandhi's ongoing attacks against Israel as well as his latest statement that "the Jews are the biggest players" in global violence (WashPost OnFaith, Jan 10, 2008).
   
   Such statements are extremist, false, and extremely biased. Do you want to support such an author?



2. Written by Arun Gandhi (the fifth grandson of the great spiritual and political leader Mahatma Gandhi), Legacy Of Love: My Education In The Path Of Nonviolence is an autobiographical account of one man's struggle to understand, cope with, and learn to peacefully resist social injustice in all of its forms. Born in 1934 in South Africa, Gandhi and his family were subjected to the wrongs of apartheid while he was growing up. In Legacy of Love, his reflections on the profound power of truth, morality, and the spiritual meaning of nonviolent resistance fill the pages with meaningful and insightful testimony.

5 comments about A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

1. My parents and I have listened to all the CDs with the greatest enthusiasm over and over again. The quality is pretty good and the speeches are not extracts, but played in full. Barring few, I have found most of the introductions to be very informative and well presented. I am glad this collection includes both of Dr King's most famous "I have a Dream" and "I've been to the Mountaintop" speeches - I had noticed that most audio tapes include only one or the other, or both in extract form. I would certainly recommend this to anyone interested in great speeches. Also, one may access American Rhetoric website for the transcripts of these speeches to follow with the powerful voice of Dr King.



2. this is by far the greatest speeches made by dr.martin luther king jr, that change america by far every true american should have a copy of it. i enjoy listening to it over and over again,



3. I really enjoyed listening to the authentic voices of Dr. King and others on this CD. It has been an essential resource for my students, faculty and staff as well as very important to my community. I have been able to relearn and share the CD with many different settings during Black History month as well as with in the context of the King Holiday in January. This material and the authentic way it its delivered has made the "Black Experience" that much more real to every one I have shared the CD with.
   
   I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed this version of Dr. King's speeches.



4. Receipt and quality of our recent purchases were prompt, and the condition of the items orders were actually better than described.



5. I listen to these over and over, can't stop listening to Dr. King. Very moving and the things he said and did were all so real. Our generation of now needs to hear his speeches. You really want this collection!!! I'm buying a couple more as gifts.

No comments about Biographical Objects: How Things Tell the Stories of Peoples' Lives.