Book Description
When Legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked sports columnist Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, Posnanski had to think about it. From that question was born the idea behind BASEBALL AND JAZZ. Posnanski and the 94 year old O'Neil decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country in hopes of stirring up the love that first drew them to the game. This book is just as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. In a time when disillusioned, steroid–shooting, money hungry athletes define the sport, Buck O'Neil stands out as a man that truly played for the love of the game. Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O'Neil loved almost as much as baseball: jazz. BASEBALL AND JAZZ is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man's heart.
Customer Reviews:
Buck: Almost too good to be true.......2007-09-23
Like many baseball followers, my admiration for Buck O'Neil can be traced to Ken Burns' documentary on baseball. How a black man could live through the era in which Buck lived with the attitudes he has is beyond me. (I am white, not American but lived in the US in the 60s and 70s.) Mr Posnanski's book is is a little too sugary, uncritical and unprobing for my liking. I cannot but help to think that with a little probing there is probably bit more to Buck's attitudes than is presented. However, if you want a feel-good book about this topic, this is the dream book.
On the road with Buck.......2007-09-10
A splendid collection of stories, told by one of our most valuable citizens, and conveyed by a very talented listener and writer.
I Knew Buck O'Neil.......2007-08-24
A great read of a great human being, and baseball man. I would see Buck several times a year in the '80s at the Detroit Tigers, Joker Marchant Stadium, when he was a scout with the Kansas City Royals. He was a pleasant a man you could ever meet. I am pleased to have known the man, even if only those brief moments I was able see and to talk to him.
Buy this book, and read a great tribute of this man and to the Negro Leagues of the past.
A year in the life of Buck O'Neil.......2007-08-23
I found the book very readable and never really got bored with it. I would have liked more in depth stories from when Buck played and managed. Most of the reminisces were short and sweet versions. All and all, I did enjoy the book and consider it a good book, not a great book.
Hmmm..........2007-08-08
I can't help but wonder if the 22 reviews -- all giving this book 5 stars -- are some of the author's closest friends. I am not saying I didn't like the book, but the writing was drab. Through the first few chapters, I got it, Buck O'neal was a good man. So, I'm just saying that the stories were not told in a way that made me connect with Mr. O'Neal --he was just a nice guy and then he died. There are a few editing errors as well, which made it confusing. I am by no means a critic of writing, but I just don't see the amazing book everyone else here did -- anyone agree with me?
Book Description
Six years' worth of symposiums come together in this rich collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances in areas ranging from health and education to crime reduction and financial well-being. Addressing these pressing concerns are contributors Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general; Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of the research think tank PolicyLink; and Cornel West, professor of Religion at Princeton University. Each chapter outlines one key issue and provides a list of resources, suggestions for action, and a checklist for what concerned citizens can do to keep their communities progressing socially, politically, and economically. Though the African American community faces devastating social disparities—in which more than 8 million people live in poverty—this celebration of possibility, hope, and strength will help leaders and citizens keep Black America moving forward.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I'd expected...but still a good piece of information.......2007-09-25
I had expected so much more from this book I guess. Not that it was a bad read, it really wasn't, it just wasn't what I had expected. The ideals and processes outlined are very basic, with some direction to make it happen. It falls in line with many of the other books I have read in the past on money management, professional growth, etc., except it is targeted to the African American community and the plight these issues have on the community and family structure in Black America. I suggest this book if you do not have a collection of "self help" book on your shelf. I suggest this book if you want to know what the plight of the Black American is in this world and what can be done to fix it. But if your pretty well read on these topics already, it will be a repeat of information. I did buy copies and gave it to the younger generations of my family as I feel these are things they need to know and work on NOW. So in that respect this is a winning read.
Worth the Read.......2007-08-28
This book was and eye opener for the ones who want to see the truth. It's sad that we live in America who would perfer to blind themselves to harsh reality. Remember we are our brother and sister's keeper.
Sad But True.......2007-08-18
The information, commentary, and suggested solutions to improve the position of blacks are well said. I am a big fan of Cornel West anyway but the intellects that analyze the plight have done their homework and not extreme in the characterization of what is. Enjoy it for enlightenment and join the effort to change what is unfortunately sad but true.
I am in the middle of the road..........2007-07-31
I enjoyed the statistics. I enjoyed the stories of those whom changed their circumstances due to their own volitions. I did not find in this book the way to make all of these things happen. There were little snippets of information claiming "HERE, here are the steps you can make as a person and within your community!! HERE!" But this book does not take into consideration that there is no community. There is no Black American community. How do we foster a sense of community? In my opinion, this book assumes there is already a community to put these ideas into motion. I don't see that. Black Americans react. They always come out, usually in anger, to respond to something. Then, after the knee-jerk reaction, Black America goes back to its complacent niche in society until something else makes them upset.
The only reason I give this book a 3 and not a 5 is because it assumes falsehoods. There is no Black community to put these plans into action. If there were, I would give this book a 5, hands down.
Must have in reading collection.......2007-06-27
This book is a must for anyone, reguardless of your color. I waited to purchase the book, but after reading other reviews I knew I had to have my own copy. My daughter picks it up and read it which opens up discussions for us. Recommended for anyone with children.
Book Description
I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD: A COVENANT FOR OUR CHILDREN (Brand Nu Words February 2007) takes the reader on a lyrical journey leading to a child'ss understanding of the fundamental principles set forth in the New York Times bestselling book, THE
Customer Reviews:
Putting it in Action.......2007-05-02
So often we hear of various theories behind the problems our communities and society face. Unfortunately, many of these theories never seem to make the leap from theory to practice. I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD is a wonderful book that seeks to operationalize Tavis Smiley's Covenant with Black America for even the youngest members of our society. Author Charisse Carney-Nunes uses a poetic style to present the overall themes of the covenant and then follows up with general information about the Covenant with Black America. In addition, she provides easy to understand explanations of the various covenant issues as well as examples of how children and families can put the issues into action. For example, the "Covenant issue" Strengthening the family includes suggestions such as being honest, eating dinner as a family, and living the life you dream.
Mixed media illustrations really add to the depth of I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD. By including artwork as well as photographs, the artwork catches the attention of readers and draws them in. The poetic language is fun, engaging, and easy to remember. The explanation of the covenant is done especially well and really breaks down complex concepts into language children can understand. Suggested activities at the end of each section not only help children understand the concepts in concrete terms, but also provide ideas for moving the theories into practice that can easily be accomplished. I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD is a book that should be in every child's library, but especially in the libraries of African-merican children.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
An important lesson to parents.......2007-03-27
Like Carney-Nunes' previous book Nappy, I Dream a World for You is a beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully constructed book designed to teach African American children to love and value themselves. What I love most about this book, however, is its message to the parents. I Dream a World for You tells of the world parents have the right to dream for their children, and I hope inspires and empowers us to seek to create that world. Carney-Nunes continues to write what both children and their parents most need to hear.
Must be on every child's bookshelf.......2007-02-14
This is a wonderfully creative book, and a must read for all young children. Whether a pre-reader or a fluent early reader, children will love this book. It introduces a set of values to children that will hold them in good stead for a lifetime. Most important, my kid loves it!
Customer Reviews:
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America.......2007-03-23
Wonderful book! Read origin over 30 years ago. Greatly appreciate being able to replace a lost volume.
A must read for those interested in the influence of african americans abroad and in the u.s........2007-03-14
This book is a good reference for those who want to gain more knowledge about the african american experience before slavery and after. There is so much more to African American history than being enslaved in the United States. In this book you learn a little about African civilization, slavery, post slavery and today.
one more time!.......2007-03-08
I read this about a decade ago. Incredible insights! Well written. I am reading it again, and have given it as a gift. I will buy as many as I can afford. It is one book that must be read, for a historical and spiritual perspective of African Americans.
Well researched, with quite a bit of bias.......2006-10-12
Regardless of Mr. Bennett's apparent biases, and sometimes lofty criticisms of white America, this book is a remarkable read. When writing about such an emotional and intense subject, I believe it is impossible to be completely objective, especially when the topic involves the oppression and suppression of your own people. That being said, the author does a good job of remaining as objective as possible throughout the bulk of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the history of black America.
Big Sistah Patty.......2006-09-18
I loved this book. It was very informative. I am going to buy them and give as gifts to my family and friends.
Book Description
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist exposes the secret history of racial cleansing in America
"Leave now, or die!"
From the heart of the Midwest to the Deep South, from the mountains of North Carolina to the Texas frontier, words like these have echoed through more than a century of American history. The call heralded not a tornado or a hurricane, but a very unnatural disaster--a manmade wave of racial cleansing that purged black populations from counties across the nation.
We have long known about horrific episodes of lynching in the South, but the story of widespread racial cleansingabove and below the Mason-Dixon line--has remained almost entirely unknown. Time after time, in the period between Reconstruction and the 1920s, whites banded together to drive out the blacks in their midst. They burned and killed indiscriminately and drove thousands from their homes, sweeping entire counties clear of blacks to make them racially "pure." The expulsions were swift-in many cases, it took no more than twenty-four hours to eliminate an entire African-American population. Shockingly, these areas remain virtually all-white to this day.
Based on nearly a decade of painstaking research in archives and census records, Buried in the Bitter Waters provides irrefutable evidence that racial cleansing occurred again and again on American soil, and fundamentally reshaped the geography of race. In this groundbreaking book, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elliot Jaspin has rewritten American history as we know it.
Customer Reviews:
Leave now, or die.......2007-10-13
Elliot Jaspin does a superb job of uncovering the hidden history of about a dozen American counties where the white citizens used violence and the threat of violence to force their black neighbors to move out of the county. It's ugly history that many white people might be reluctant to hear about, which is why it's been hidden for so long. But Jaspin tells the stories with a compelling and passionate voice that makes for very accessible and important reading for anyone who cares about the American history of race.
However, this book is not only about history. In his final chapter, Jaspin, who researched this history for both this book and a series of newspaper articles, recounts the struggles over the publication of the newspaper articles. This chapter shows that the impulse to keep the hidden history hidden is still strong -- for example, by resisting the term "racial cleansing" and holding to the legend (that Jaspin refutes) that the black people were generally compensated for their loss of land and property. This final chapter ends on a hopeful note with a story of truth and reconciliation that shows that the truth can lead to healing.
I encourage anyone interested in the American history of race to read this important book.
Goosebumps, Passing Darkness, Wish to See Light.......2007-06-27
I wish I could say that I cried over this book, but the truth is that I am so accustomed to America's legacy of genocide, social injustice, and external fraud, regime change, and invasion that I simply sighed and thought, "wow, about time this came to light."
This is a stunning book that should be read by every American of every race, creed, and class.
I previously reviewed a book today that discussed how white supremacy views were one of the causes of the downfall of democracy after the Civil War. I believe this. As a Marine, I learned there are only Marines, some dark green, some light green. That lesson has NOT been learned by all Americans, and that is one reason I favor a restoration of universal national service (including two years for any immigrant granted citizenship, at any age), with the option of armed, peace, or homeland service.
I am Latino by culture, white by race, intelligent by design (pun intended). I believe that America genocided the native Americans, genocided the people of color, and is now in the process of disenfranchising the Latinos while making commons cause with the Asians. None of this bodes well for a Republic that is supposed to offer Liberty & Justice for all as the foundation for collective intelligence and the sovereign We the People.
The Constitution has been trashed by Dick Cheney and his neo-conservative and Christo-fascist supporters, and it is high time someone stood up and said ENOUGH--we must make common cause with the people of color, embrace their leaders, both self-selected and elected, and MOVE ON beyond the corporate socialism and the corrupt political party environments that have broken the middle class and impoverished the working ppor--which the author of the book by that title points out, should be but is not an oxymoron.
This is an important book. I hope it shames some, causes dispair in others, and that overall, it rises to be a liberation manifesto, a starting point for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission within America, to reveal, curse, and forgive all that has been done to the people of color on the assumption, the grotesque assumption, of white supremacy.
I share Martin Luther King's dream, and I am committed to seeing it fulfilled.
Semper Fidelis,
Robert Steele
Bonhoeffer
Improper behavior
The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America (Galaxy Books)
Al On America
Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America
The Color of Fascism: Lawrence Dennis, Racial Passing, and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States
Uncovering Hidden Treasures.......2007-04-10
Jaspin should be commended for telling the stories of these towns, even when the information concerning these incidents is scant. Buried in the Bitter Waters serves as a reminder to its readers that racial cleansing in America took place throughout the country, not just the Deep South. It also reminds us that much of the history of our country has yet to be told. Selma, Birmingham, Memphis, and Montgomery are familiar names in the history of race in America. Jaspin shines the light on towns like Corbin and Commanche, not to disparage them but to remind us that the racial clensing in America was widespread.
DEEPLY MOVING AND FACTUAL.......2007-03-06
Regrettably, there is a great deal in our country's history of which we are now ashamed. Surely the years between 1874 and the 1920s in America saw some of the most deplorable events. During that period of time racial cleansing took place over a wide geographical area. This was cruel, senseless and more to our disgrace these actions were condoned at the time and glossed over today.
Author Jaspin is twice a Pulitzer Prize winner, and is a reporter for Cox Newspapers. Years of prodigious research were poured into his book which presents clear evidence of what took place. Yet we hear of what was an apparent whitewash by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Editors ignored clear conflicts of interest while editing the racial cleansing series. Procedures designed to protect the integrity of the reporting process were dispensed with. And finally the head of the company's newspaper division overrode the judgment of editors in Austin and Washington and ordered that a different term be substituted for 'racial cleansings.' It is a cautionary tale about the lingering shame that trumps honest discussion of the full history of America's racial cleansings."
How sad that racial cleansing did occur - sadder yet that some will not acknowledge our misdeeds.
The apt title for Jaspin's book comes from the pen of Zora Neale Hurston: "Ah done died in grief and been buried in de bitter waters, and Ah done rose agin from de dead lak Lazarus. " For those who heard "Leave now, or die!" their lives were overturned in mere hours as they fled carrying what possessions they could. Those were the lucky ones - countless others were killed, their homes burned as blacks were driven from entire counties. Thus, even today some of these areas are still "lily-white."
According to the courts blacks were not considered citizens. Thus, it was quite literally leave or die. Jaspin bases his information on countless interviews, census records, and archives. It is a tragic story but a true one.
Actor Don Leslie offers an accomplished reading of Buried in the Bitter Waters, clearly stating facts and movingly relating the words of those interviewed.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Book Description
Half a century after brave Americans took to the streets to raise the bar of opportunity for all races, Juan Williams writes that too many black Americans are in crisis—caught in a twisted hip-hop culture, dropping out of school, ending up in jail, having babies when they are not ready to be parents, and falling to the bottom in twenty-first-century global economic competition.
In Enough, Juan Williams issues a lucid, impassioned clarion call to do the right thing now, before we travel so far off the glorious path set by generations of civil rights heroes that there can be no more reaching back to offer a hand and rescue those being left behind.
Inspired by Bill Cosby’s now famous speech at the NAACP gala celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown decision integrating schools, Williams makes the case that while there is still racism, it is way past time for black Americans to open their eyes to the “culture of failure” that exists within their community. He raises the banner of proud black traditional values—self-help, strong families, and belief in God—that sustained black people through generations of oppression and flowered in the exhilarating promise of the modern civil rights movement. Williams asks what happened to keeping our eyes on the prize by proving the case for equality with black excellence and achievement.
He takes particular aim at prominent black leaders—from Al Sharpton to Jesse Jackson to Marion Barry. Williams exposes the call for reparations as an act of futility, a detour into self-pity; he condemns the “Stop Snitching” campaign as nothing more than a surrender to criminals; and he decries the glorification of materialism, misogyny, and murder as a corruption of a rich black culture, a tragic turn into pornographic excess that is hurting young black minds, especially among the poor.
Reinforcing his incisive observations with solid research and alarming statistical data, Williams offers a concrete plan for overcoming the obstacles that now stand in the way of African Americans’ full participation in the nation’s freedom and prosperity. Certain to be widely discussed and vehemently debated, Enough is a bold, perceptive, solution-based look at African American life, culture, and politics today.
Customer Reviews:
Is more than i was expected.......2007-10-17
Hay! Is more than i was expected. Thank you amazon and sender.
Take care
A Thought-Provoking Critical Analysis Of Black Culture.......2007-10-13
Juan Williams has eloquently and courageously put to words thoughts that I've had for many years. I find it interesting that it took a speech from famed comedian / actor Bill Cosby to spur Mr. Williams to take center stage in the culture battle within the black community.
Nevertheless, this book exposes to the world the mindless rhetoric and failed strategies of many of the so-called civil rights leaders that are just as much a drag on the ability of American blacks to successfully pursue the American dream as slavery and racism ever was. I would even go so far as to assert that self-appointed civil rights leaders practice an entirely new brand of slavery, economic slavery, designed to keep a noble and proud culture chained to the failing polices of past radicalism and confrontation that had their place in the 60s but are woefully inadequate today; and which only presently exits to serve the self-interests of those who promote them. While Mr. Williams hints at such, a bolder, more clearly articulated statement would have been a welcomed addition to his work. My only other disappointment with Enough was the lack of footnotes and source citations for many of its claims.
Minor criticisms aside, this is a well written book. Mr. Williams presents his ideas in a smoothly organized fashion that rivets the readers' attention in a vice grip of paradigm shifts, provocative ideas, and conservative thought that the black community would do well to consider. Its been said as a political force the black vote is taken for granted by the Democrat Party and written off by the Republican Party. Many of the reasons are revealed in this book. How can either party consider blacks to be politically relevant when the emerging leadership in politics and pop culture debase and disrespect their own people and the rule of law?
As so well stated by Mr. Williams, the key to ending black poverty and lack of social progress lies within the black community itself. Government can throw billions more dollars at the problem with equally meager results as seen these past 30 years, or blacks can rise above the crass, degrading, demeaning, and enslaving icons of rap artists, self-serving civil rights leaders, tolerance of neighborhood crime, and lack of moral courage to propel the race to unimagined prosperity. Enough is certainly a step in the right direction.
Speaking For Us!.......2007-10-06
It took one speech by one man at one moment frozen in time to set off a barrage of discussions on the Black community's progress post-civil Rights era.
Bill Cosby, famed doctor of the Cosby show, stood in front of the crowd as if he was a preacher standing at a pulpit speaking truths from the Bible instead of having a congregation of the willing eagerly anticipating his every word the crowd was members of the NAACP who expected a simple congratulatory speech from the non-controversial celebrity. The event that Mr. Cosby made his infamous speech was deemed, by him, to be appropriate--it was the commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court ruling (this ruling prompted the eventual integration of public schools across America--making the "separate but equal" policy unconstitutional). Irregardless of how you felt about Cosby's speech, you have to admit that it took immense courage on his part to risk his reputation and long-standing alliances (both political and social) to draw from his wisdom that he has gained over the years as an actor, activist and as a black man.
The author, Juan Williams, of "Enough....", is an accomplished commentator (known from his correspondent work on NPR and Fox News) exceptionally delved into Mr. Cosby's argument about the downturn and complacency of the Black community after the Civil Rights Movement. He took each hard-hitting point of Bill Cosby's speech such as the lack of importance on education leading to increased drop-out rates, social failures as result of deteriorating family cohesion, the long-term effects of criminal elements within neighborhood of all economies--especially poorer areas, lack of credible leadership to further carry-on the torch of the movement, cyclical poverty effecting the economic wealth of the community, and the ill-conceived plea to seek reparations from the federal government for the crimes against our ancestors.
Mr. William's approach to analyzing Bill Cosby's argument for change was reminiscent of a college professor that taught one of my "art of argument logic" courses--he presented a theory, dissected it, built it back up, presented opposing views and brought it all full circle!
As I read this book, I realized that it was justified for Cosby (or anyone else) to point out the shortcomings within the black community to invoke change. Why should we continue to go on with our lives being disillusioned? Everything is not okay! Cosby's speech is simply a rally call to everyone, in particular, those that will take heed to his battle cry. We are not at war with this mystical force out there to get black folks (aka "the man"), we are at war with "crabs in the bucket" weighing down on the community making it appear to the world that we are a community who continues to fail whether in education, economic advancement and social imagery. I know that Cosby wasn't speaking to everyone--not all blacks are dropping out of school! Not all blacks are unaware of the sacrifices that our ancestors went through so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today! Not all blacks are accepting of the negative images and buffoonery that is in the media! Not all blacks are accepting of anything that sets us back to a period prior to the civil rights movement!
People within the Black community should not dismiss Bill Cosby as just some old, rich man with nothing better to do than to nitpick at the "wrongs of the young generation". His speech had validity and needed to be heard and what better venue than at event celebrating a freedom that some black people take for granted--the right to an equal opportunity to a quality education under the eyes of the law.
Enough by Juan Williams.......2007-10-05
This was an awesome book that should be mandatory reading for Liberal Arts majors and just the general public. The author describes a realistic pathway for both blacks and whites in the search for racial harmony.
Juan Williams -- The Black Radical.......2007-09-28
I used to think that people like Mr. Williams were sellouts. Now, I know better. When you look at what he is saying...he is saying the same thing as Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. (Farrakhan just has a slicker approach.)
That is, the Nation draws you in with their "hate whitey" message, but when you join they slowly flip the script. When you attend the meetings, buy the tapes, and read the there books, the message is the same:
1. Eat good foods (How to eat to live).
2. Take care of your responsibilities. "Every brother needs a job. If he doesn't have a job, then the brothers need to get together and create him one." -- Farrakhan
3. Don't buy things (cars and homes) you can't afford. - F.O.I. meetings
4. Educate your own children. - If they won't treat you right, they won't teach you right. N.O.I slogan
What more needs to be said? Juan Williams is as pro-black as you can get!
Amazon.com
There Are No Children Here, the true story of brothers Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers, ages 11 and 9 at the start, brings home the horror of trying to make it in a violence-ridden public housing project. The boys live in a gang-plagued war zone on Chicago's West Side, literally learning how to dodge bullets the way kids in the suburbs learn to chase baseballs. "If I grow up, I'd like to be a bus driver," says Lafeyette at one point. That's if, not when--spoken with the complete innocence of a child. The book's title comes from a comment made by the brothers' mother as she and author Alex Kotlowitz contemplate the challenges of living in such a hostile environment: "There are no children here," she says. "They've seen too much to be children." This book humanizes the problem of inner-city pathology, makes readers care about Lafeyette and Pharoah more than they may expect to, and offers a sliver of hope buried deep within a world of chaos.
Book Description
This is the moving and powerful account of two remarkable boys struggling to survive in Chicago's Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex disfigured by crime and neglect.
Customer Reviews:
The other America indeed.......2007-09-25
Nice mix of anecdote and historical background on life in inner city America. Excellent insight into the everyday difficulties faced by families and some of the root causes. This book, though almost 20 years old, still has a message that needs to be heard.
a sobering account of the horrendous state of America's impoverished.......2007-07-18
You don't need to look to Africa or the Middle East to find crime and poverty. Millions live in gang-riddled public housing projects, where violence is a fact of life. If these thoughts don't stir your heart, this book will.
impressive work of reserach and great story telling.......2007-04-30
As in his other book, The other side of the River, Alex Kotlowitz proves again what an amazing story teller he is. Kotlowitz spent a couple of years living with and getting to Know Pharaoh and Lafeyette in the Chiacgo housing project, a place where even the police are afraid to go into without back up. The life of these children seems to be written in the stars, everything is planned for them - poverty, delinquency, prison, abuse, drugs and finally death. Regardless of your stand on social (in)equality, wellfare and other government help, it is easy to relate to Kotlowitz' regard for the boys and some of their friends, although most of us are on the "right" side of the law and the more affluent side of society. The poignant story brings to mind the chicken and the egg debate - do people sink into poverty because of inadequate government help or do they have a hand in it? The boys' mother has 8 children, no job and her husband wont provide for them. Why does she continue to have more children? The government built housing for the people, but the housing is substandard, and reinforces the residents' feelings of being left behind, not on society's top priority. Has America given up on these children?
Can't wait for Alex to write an update, 10 years later.
Great Reading.......2007-04-07
I was required to read this book for a class and loved it! The story of these boys was so moving. I would recommend this book to everyone!
You MUST read this book.......2007-01-10
This goes out to everyone living in America today.... you have to read this book. I grew up in a small rural town. My only experience of urban life came from movies and rap music. This book made it plainly clear to me that we are sweeping Americas own problems under a rug. Though I feel strongly for the plight of others all over the world, how can we help them when we haven't spent the time and energy that we need to fix our own backyard? We need to invest in our future and it needs to happen now. This book should be required reading in our schools especially with regards to small town schools. These schools tend to "glamorize" urban life and gangs instead of understanding what they are, a means of survival for our scared youth looking for protection and who don't see another way out nor a future for themselves.
Book Description
America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in the Movies is a lively introduction to issues of diversity as represented within the American cinema. The first synthetic and historical text of its kind, America on Film provides a comprehensive overview of the industrial, socio-cultural, and aesthetic factors that contribute to cinematic representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality. The volume chronicles the cinematic history of various cultural groups, examines forces and institutions of bias, and stimulates discussion about the relationship between film and American national culture.Accessible and user-friendly, America on Film features 101 illustrations, a glossary of key terms, questions for discussion, and lists for further reading and further viewing. The book is organized within a broad historical framework, with specific theoretical concepts - including film genre, auteurism, cultural studies, Orientalism, the "male gaze, " feminism, and queer theory - integrated throughout. Each individual chapter features a concise overview of the topic at hand, a discussion of representative films, figures, and movements, and an in-depth analysis of a single film, including The Lion King, The Jazz Singer, Smoke Signals, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Celluloid Closet.
Book Description
PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America is a five-year plan to make Black America a prosperous and empowered race that is self-sufficient and competitive as a group by the year 2005. In this book, Dr. Anderson obliterates the myths and illusions of black progress and brings together data and information from many different sources to construct a framework for solutions to the dilemma of Black America. In PowerNomics: The National Plan, Dr. Anderson proposes new principles, strategies and concepts that show blacks a new way to see, think, and behave in race matters. The new mind set prepares blacks to take strategic steps to create a new reality for their race. It offers guidance to others who support blacks self-sufficiency. In this book, Dr. Anderson offers insightful analysis and action steps blacks can take to redesign core areas of life - Education, Economics, Politics and Religion - to better benefit their race. The action steps in each area require new empowerment tools that Dr. Anderson presents - a new group vision and a new culture of empowerment - tools designed to counter, if not break many of the racial monopolies in society. Vertical integration and Industrializing black communities are other major concepts and strategies that he presents in the book. He places a great deal of importance on building industries in black communities that are constructed upon group competitive advantages. A the same time he announced the release of PowerNomics: The National Plan, he also announced that he has established several models of the strategies he proposes in the book. PowerNomics: The Plan, is infused with Dr. Anderson's trademark creative thinking and answers questions such as: - Why are blacks the only group that equates success with working in a White corporation, government or the entertainment industry? - How did power and wealth - businesses, resources, privileges, income and control of all levels of government get so disproportionately distributed into the hands of White society?
- Industrialization brings many economic benefits to the geographic locations where it occurs. Why has Black America never been industrialized and how can it be done? - Why do visible blacks and black leaders avoid blackness, identifying the focus of their work instead for people of color, minorities, women, gays , the poor, Hispanics, and other immigrant groups? - What enables a constant stream of immigrant groups to politically, economically and socially dominate blacks? - In politics, how is it that blacks can be monolithic and loyal political supporters yet their group receives no quid pro quo benefits? - In his first book, Black Labor, White Wealth, Dr. Anderson examined history and showed how racism has locked and boxed blacks into a near permanent underclass. Picking up where Black Labor, White Wealth left off, PowerNomics: The National Plan is the missing link between the historical analysis of problems facing blacks and the strategies needed to correct those problems. Dr. Anderson's books are a phenomenon in the publishing industry. His work is distinguished because he has turned books that are serious, non-fiction, and heavy on black history, into best-sellers. PowerNomics: The National Plan continues that pattern. It is an astounding work.
Customer Reviews:
Release The Power.......2006-07-10
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.
This is truly Black America's second Bible.......2006-05-24
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.
Live on your feet or die on your knees.......2005-10-15
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.
Economic common sense!!.......2005-04-10
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.
This book has changed my life........2004-10-29
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.
Book Description
David Brion Davis has long been recognized as the leading authority on slavery in the Western World. His books have won every major history award--including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award--and he has been universally praised for his prodigious research, his brilliant analytical skill, and his rich and powerful prose. Now, in Inhuman Bondage, Davis sums up a lifetime of insight in what Stanley L. Engerman calls "a monumental and magisterial book, the essential work on New World slavery for several decades to come." Davis begins with the dramatic Amistad case, which vividly highlights the international character of the Atlantic slave trade and the roles of the American judiciary, the presidency, the media, and of both black and white abolitionists. The heart of the book looks at slavery in the American South, describing black slaveholding planters, the rise of the Cotton Kingdom, the daily life of ordinary slaves, the highly destructive internal, long-distance slave trade, the sexual exploitation of slaves, the emergence of an African-American culture, and much more. But though centered on the United States, the book offers a global perspective spanning four continents. It is the only study of American slavery that reaches back to ancient foundations (discussing the classical and biblical justifications for chattel bondage) and also traces the long evolution of anti-black racism (as in the writings of David Hume and Immanuel Kant, among many others). Equally important, it combines the subjects of slavery and abolitionism as very few books do, and it illuminates the meaning of nineteenth-century slave conspiracies and revolts, with a detailed comparison with 3 major revolts in the British Caribbean. It connects the actual life of slaves with the crucial place of slavery in American politics and stresses that slavery was integral to America's success as a nation--not a marginal enterprise. A definitive history by a writer deeply immersed in the subject, Inhuman Bondage offers a compelling narrative that links together the profits of slavery, the pain of the enslaved, and the legacy of racism. It is the ultimate portrait of the dark side of the American dream. Yet it offers an inspiring example as well--the story of how abolitionists, barely a fringe group in the 1770s, successfully fought, in the space of a hundred years, to defeat one of human history's greatest evils.
Customer Reviews:
WHAT YOU NEVER LEARNED IN SCHOOL IN THE SOUTH.......2007-05-09
If you are over 60 and did not self-educate on slavery,you need to read this book. Believe me, slavery was a barely mentioned topic in elementary school through college. I know this is true for Blacks in the South and probably is true for other races as well.
This book is a must read for those non-academics who want to have a better understanding of slavery in America and the Americas. The sexual exploitation and psychological impact of slavery is generally known. This book, however, allows one to get the full picture of slavery from a global, economic and political perspective. There is nothing better for a painful subject like this than finding a reliable (well documented) and easy to read source by a respected author.
A great gift for your friends, no matter what race!
Dr. Davis' Opus.......2007-03-24
Readers of "Inhuman Bondage" have the privilege of entering the mind of one of the greatest living scholars of American slavery. In what truly may be his opus, Dr. David Brion Davis writes not simply a book, but composes a symphony. Like all great composers, Davis blends seemingly disparate notes into beautiful harmony.
Wide-ranging, even sprawling in coverage, Davis tells the epic story of the inhuman bondage of human enslavement. Laying the foundation with a captivating and accurate portrayal of the history and philosophy of ancient slavery, the author then moves into the modern era of slavery, first in the "New World" then in America more specifically.
"Inhuman Bondage" masterfully weaves together these larger socio-political realities with the very specific psychological realities of groups (such as the Amistad) and individuals. The clear message resonates: even inhuman treatment cannot dehumanize the human soul. In their rebellion (sometimes overt, other times, by necessity, covert and even internal), enslaved African Americans displayed their full humanity.
For a brilliantly written, in-depth, comprehensive, captivating narrative of new world slavery, look no further than "Inhuman Bondage."
Reviewer: Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction.
Great Research, Bulky Read.......2006-08-12
In under 350 pages, David Brion Davis presents a wealth of information for those exploring the history of slavery for the first time or for readers seeking additional information to supplement past books and articles.
Unfortunately, it reads like a choppy college lecture, with the flow of material marred oftentimes by the circular exploration of material. A topic may be introduced, then discussed in depth later and then reintroduced for concluding remarks many pages later.
Davis utilizes numerous resources from contemporary historians and it is appreciated that he introduces the author and the work to the reader while quoting from the material.
Inhuman Bondage is an important work in the growing number of books covering the sordid past that has been "conveniently" ignored or flippantly tossed aside in past historical writings.
By coming to terms with the past and acknowledging the damage it has done is the only way the words from Davis and others will truly have full meaning.
Read and Enjoy.......2006-06-12
This is an altogether splendid book. It is skillfully written such that it is difficult to put down; the notes are voluminous, the maps helpful, the range of information brought together and organized successfully impressive, the opinions of the author clearly expressed, and acknowledgement and credit to other historians generous. Despite this, one does wonder for whom the book was written, surely not the hypothetical general reader. Much more information than the lawyerly standard of what everyone knows is frequently called for. To give just one example, on pp. 265-66, a free black is shown worrying about the effects on him of the Fugitive Slave Law. One drops immediately to how Anthony Burns was hauled through the streets of Boston on his way to Virginia. Is one to infer that Burns was a free black erroneously seized or an escaped slave? And although Davis details how important the religious motivation was in abolitionist thought, nowhere was there any explanation of how this Biblically based thinking, which at this time was largely literal, coped with or was able to get around the clear Biblical acceptance of slavery. And one could wish, particularly in view of their extent and comprehension of various aspects of the subject, that the citations in the notes had been compiled into a bibliography. Nevertheless, I would recommend to anyone who is at all interested in slavery, the Civil War, racism, and a host of associated topics, that they do themselves a favour and read Inhuman Bondage.
Interesting.......2006-04-29
This book contributes to recent studies on slavery in Brazil and the French west indies, a wide study ot Slavery in the new world, explainings its origins, terrors, history and final liberations and conflicts. One wonders however how much the subjects needs a companion on Slavery in the Old World, and why there is no discussion of how pre-European enslavement of Africans by Arabs led to the formation of slave empires in Zanzibar and west africa that fueled the European slave trade. Imainge if these scholars dared to prick the bubble and reveal the fact that Slavery did not originate among Europeans and tha tin fact a study must be done on the rise and fall of slavery in the old world.
Seth J. Frantzman
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