The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Buck: Almost too good to be true
  • On the road with Buck
  • I Knew Buck O'Neil
  • A year in the life of Buck O'Neil
  • Hmmm...
The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America
Joe Posnanski
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060854030
Release Date: 2007-02-27

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:

4 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

3 out of 5 stars 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.

3 out of 5 stars 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?
I Dream for You a World: A Covenant for Our Children (The Children's Covenant)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Putting it in Action
  • An important lesson to parents
  • Must be on every child's bookshelf
I Dream for You a World: A Covenant for Our Children (The Children's Covenant)
Charisse Carney-Nunes
Manufacturer: Brand Nu Words
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0974814237

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:

5 out of 5 stars 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

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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!
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
PowerNomics : The National Plan to Empower Black America
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Release The Power
  • This is truly Black America's second Bible
  • Live on your feet or die on your knees
  • Economic common sense!!
  • This book has changed my life.
PowerNomics : The National Plan to Empower Black America
Claud Anderson
Manufacturer: Powernomics Corporation of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0966170229

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:

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • What is up the profane language?
  • Good book that tells it like it is
  • Walking in other shoes
  • The reality in the race relationships in the United States
  • Suburban Shakedown
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America
Nathan Mc Call
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679740708
Release Date: 1995-01-31

Book Description

In this "honest and searching look at the perils of growing up a black male in urban America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Washington Post reporter Nathan McCall tells the story of his passage from the street and the prison yard to the newsroom of one of America's most prestigious papers. "A stirring tale of transformation."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The New Yorker.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars What is up the profane language?.......2007-10-04

I was not to moved by this book. I asked my son to read it out loud to me and of course he paused the majority of the time because of the profanity in the book. Young black men have a tendency to grow up around profane language and circumstances that are not accomodating to their life and the writer should have took into consideration that if their are a lack of black male role models for young males that makes them seek something or someone that they can relate whether that is good or bad. The title "A young black man in America" with this type of language is promoting profanity which promotes mental negativity and the lack of need to broaden their language and keep a limited vocabulary. This book is a written confirmation that not only should you think before you speak but think before you write. Their is not enough respect among young males to begin with and the writer can relate to them without nurturing their profane vocab or disrespectful mentality. We need writers that have a positive impact on the reader and not one that promotes the typical behavior I see from most young black males.

4 out of 5 stars Good book that tells it like it is.......2006-06-25

Follow the life of Nathan Mc Call in this book, see how America works through his eyes. This book was thought provoking, eye opening and sad.

You feel for Nathan and what he goes through but you don't really end up liking who he is as a person. This book allows you to see what it is like growing up as a black male in America.

Education, jail, work, crime, children, friendships with white people. This book is open and honest and I recommend it to anyone who wants to begin to try and understand and see what it is like growing up as a black male.

It certainly opened my eyes!

5 out of 5 stars Walking in other shoes.......2006-06-20

This book hurts to read. So much pain in so many lives. But what McCall does is put you in his shoes--this is no easy task for someone who is both white and female. It opens a huge door of understanding. It is not a book for the immature or the fearful. I read some of these reviews and wondered, "What book did they read?" Definately not light reading. Powerful, frightening, enlightening. Needs to be read.

5 out of 5 stars The reality in the race relationships in the United States .......2006-04-25

I have read this book over and over and I still find parallels in the life of Nathan McCall and my own life. Mc Call calls it as it is, the society that we live in is not leveled and only one group that gets all the privileges. That there is no recognition that the success of the whites was made on the backs of African Americans that worked for free, and gave that wealth that even today whites get to enjoy. To many people who think that racism is a thing of the past this book is a revelation and goes deeply into the inherit truths of racism and its consequences. Many people think that black teenagers are "ready" for a life of crime, but the truth is that a hypocritical racist society has designated a path for those teenagers, to see a prove of this just look at school systems in white and black neighborhoods. It is like we are living under two separate states, same flag, same country but different standards of living and I'm not talking about 1862 or 1963, I'm talking about 2006. This book is very powerful with a strong sad message.

5 out of 5 stars Suburban Shakedown.......2006-01-21

Nathan McCall shares his personal story as a "wild child" of color, becoming a man in a racially prejudices country; his crimes and imprisonment, gang warfare, street smarts and wisdom, and finding his way to truth and sanity.

Not diminishing responsibility for his own life choices, McCall's story is very real and honest. It challenges America's institutional establishments of prejudice and cruelty, illustrating the imbalances in a white dominated world.

I loved it!
Black Boy (The Restored Text Established by The Library of America) (Perennial Classics)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • wow
  • Not the best edition to have
  • Searching for Humanity
  • Read it for the second time!
  • Hearing Wright's Life and Our Own
Black Boy (The Restored Text Established by The Library of America) (Perennial Classics)
Richard A. Wright
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060929782

Book Description

With an introduction by Jerry W. Ward, Jr.

Black Boy is a classic of American autobiography, a subtly crafted narrative of Richard Wright's journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. An enduring story of one young man's coming off age during a particular time and place, Black Boy remains a seminal text in our history about what it means to be a man, black, and Southern in America.

"Superb...The Library of America has insured that most of Wright's major texts are now available as he wanted them to be tread...Most important of all is the opportunity we now have to hear a great American writer speak with his own voice about matters that still resonate at the center of our lives."
--Alfred Kazin, New York Time Book Review

"The publication of this new edition is not just an editorial innovation, it is a major event in American literary history."
--Andrew Delbanco, New Republic

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars wow.......2007-09-29

This is my all time favourite book ever. I'm sure there are literary drawbacks to it somewhere; but overall I think its an amazingly well written book. Poignant, stark, and unfathomable. Reading it made me so hungry, you wouldn't believe.

5 out of 5 stars Not the best edition to have.......2007-09-15

Much as I love and admire this book--a must-read in American literature--this is not the best edition to have. Wright originally wrote the book in two parts: "Southern Night," about his experiences in the South; and "The Horror and the Glory." His original title for the two-part book was AMERICAN HUNGER.

When it was selected as a primary selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club--a great honor at that time, which tripled the sales of the book--he was asked to remove "The Horror and the Glory" and just publish the first section, "Southern Night." That was the book he retitled BLACK BOY. It is a pure memoir of his life as an aspirational but deeply alienated black growing up in the South.

Recent editions of the book have restored "The Horror and the Glory" to the text, and you might think this is a good thing. I don't think it is, in this case. That section purports to continue his memoir with his experiences in Chicago. However, unfortunately--and ironically--the Book of the Month Club editors were right from an artistic standpoint. "The Horror and the Glory" is completely different in tone. It largely recounts Wright's involvement in the Communist Party of the 1930s, and is deeply enmeshed in party politics. It embodies Wright's own feelings of devotion to Communism and Communist ideals even as it recounts his repudiation of the party.

I have nothing against Wright having been a Communist per se; my objections are not political at all but purely artistic. This second part of the book has none of the directness and immediacy of the first part; it is far less entertaining, and much more of a chore to read. Actually, the first part of the book (about two-thirds of its length) does indeed stand alone as a cohesive, coherent narrative. This is how it was issued, and, actually, it's how it should be read. The second part merely dilutes the artistic impact of the first part, rather than adding to it.

"The Horror and the Glory" was published originally in a motley of smaller articles, in the Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere. The issues it raises--internal Communist party politics and their relationships to the John Reed Clubs and their associated writers' groups--are somewhat interesting historically, but dated and ultimately irrelevant. It feels very much like commentary on facts and events you're expected to know about, but don't.

I suggest readers either purchase an edition that is true to the first edition, and contains only what in this edition is called "Southern Night," or else consider just reading the first part and letting the second part go. I think it's a better book the way it was originally issued.

5 out of 5 stars Searching for Humanity.......2007-06-26



Richard Wrights autobiographical book is all the more remarkable in so much that it exists and was written by a man born to fail by society and given every hinderence to his thirst and love for life and reading.

Wrights book never becomes mawkish or pious.It simply tells it how it was;deep south society at the turn of the century and the black peoples place in it. Wright is open about his own failings-taunting jews, his childhood alcoholism-but there was no escape for him no matter how hard he tried to get ahead. A painful scene comes when young Wright thinks he is 'getting ahead' by selling newspapers to have a wiser black head point out he is actually selling ku klux klan literature. His love for books is hampered by the law banning blacks from libraries.

He comes across liberals who try to help him, but there is only so much anyone can do in a society swamped by prejudices.

The sad end is when Wright traveled up to the north; Chicago, where 'Blacks are free' The memoir ends here, but further reading of Wrights work-and that of his admirers and contemporaries such as Ralph Ellison-makes you aware that this was just another myth.Yes,life wasn't as oppressive as the south, but the 'liberals' liked the blacks to stay in the 'black belt'(a favourite term of Wrights) and used all means at disposal should they get 'Uppity'.

Wright inspired Ellison and Baldwin amongst others, but I feel sure he must have inspired MLK as well, as all Wright ever really wanted was human dignity for all mankinds peoples.

4 out of 5 stars Read it for the second time!.......2007-04-25

This book is an early years autobiography of Richard Wright, the famed and accomplished African American author. I read all of Mr. Wright's books when I was in junior high school and wanted to share them with my teenage daughter. In doing so, I picked up "Black Boy" and couldn't put it down until I read it again.

Richard Wright was raised in the South in the 1920's. He experienced the hardships, poverty, and racism of those days and relays these experiences descriptively yet simply in the book. The reader can can see and feel the events without being bored.

"Black Boy" is a quick one- or two-day read, and I recommend it highly. I also highly recommend one of Mr. Wright's fictional novels, "Native Son."

4 out of 5 stars Hearing Wright's Life and Our Own.......2007-04-05

Peter Francis James's performance of Richard Wright's autobiography brings many of its aural qualities our ears, qualities we may not notice in a silent reading of the book. These CDs enable both the visually impaired and the sighted to enjoy Wright's classic and to ponder why after sixty-two years the book still provides insights about American culure.
What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Learned Something New
  • Historical and Relevant
  • An Enjoyable, Enlightening Read
  • A Good Read
  • Much Ado
What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America
Tavis Smiley
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385505167
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

“I Have a Dream,” Dr. King intoned. In English class, we were just starting to learn about similes and metaphors and figures of speech. Those concepts weren’t immediately clear to me as Dr. King talked about “symbolic shadow,” but …I understood the power of symbolic language.

Over the next several weeks, I spent hours studying that one speech…King’s speeches touched me so deeply and profoundly that, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I found myself crying. I wasn’t sure what those tears represented: maybe his words touched the pain and hurt and humiliation I was still feeling; maybe my tears stemmed from the new confidence and purpose his words gave me. Maybe I felt an empathy with my people whose history of suffering and survival was coming alive to me for the first time. In part, they reflected my pride in the courageous brilliance of a leader outspoken in conveying our purpose and passion.

I see now that King influenced me on several levels: First, he showed me that words have meaning—they aren’t arbitrary—and words are powerful. He showed me that words can carry the force of love. He also showed me that one man can make a difference. He himself had made that difference….Despite evidence to the contrary, King believed that things would get better. Every day that I read his words, they moved me like a powerful sermon. They changed my life and emboldened my ambition.
—From What I Know For Sure

From the man who catapulted The Covenant with Black America to number one on the New York Times bestseller list comes a searing memoir of poverty, ambition, pain, and atonement. Celebrated talk-show host Tavis Smiley describes growing up in an all-white rural community in Indiana and the impact it had on his life.

Tavis Smiley grew up in a family of thirteen in a small trailer in Indiana, where money was scarce and the sight of other black faces even scarcer. One of only a few African American kids in his high school, he grew up feeling like an outsider because of the color of his skin, his Pentecostal religious beliefs, and his family’s economic circumstances. It was the love and support of his family that sustained him. But that trust and support was shattered when his father, in a moment of rage, beat him with an electrical cord, sending him to the hospital. Tavis was placed in foster care for a time, and it took him years to bridge the emotional chasm between him and his parents.

Nothing, however, could quench Tavis’s fierce inner drive to succeed. His remarkable speaking ability made him an oratorical champion in Indiana and offered him a pathway to a different world. Determined to fight for the underdog and for African American rights, he entered the political arena, moving to Los Angeles to work in Mayor Tom Bradley’s administration. Later, he embarked on his career as a radio commentator, discovering that it was an ideal way to influence public discourse on the issues of the day. Now with his own show on PBS, he remains committed to bettering the lives of all Americans; he’s especially acclaimed for his work on behalf of people of color and the underprivileged.

An honest, deeply moving self-portrait of one of America’s most popular media figures, What I Know for Sure should appeal to readers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Learned Something New.......2007-10-15

I didn't follow Smiley's career and knew nothing about him besides people being so outraged when he was fired from BET, so when I saw this book in the library, I immediately scooped it up. I wanted to know what all the hype was about. This was an extremely interesting read explaining Smiley's work ethic, family ideas, and network strategies to become the successful journalist and talk show host that he is. His upbringing as a child was typical of a heavily devoted Christian family, but I was caught offguard by the trailer park home. That was something new for me because I'd never read a story about a Black family living in a trailer home. I grimaced through the hardest childhood memory for him primarily because I don't believe in slavery-influenced tactics to discipline a child and because I think the most harsh way to punish a person is to confront them when you are mad. I felt Smiley's anger for him while continuing to read. The book also covered his college years, governmental goals and internships, and his stubbornness to succeed. My only con for this book was that he briefly gave an overview of an outburst he had with NPR, which sounded surprisingly similar to his finger wagging for Bob Johnson. I wonder if those two did not work well together because they were too much alike, especially when repeatedly reading about his bullheaded logic in getting any job, internship, and respect. I am very curious how outside people may view him because by the book being influenced from his stories, there seems to be a slight bias. Other than that, great read. I'm going to check out his other work as well to get a better feel for his take on political issues.

4 out of 5 stars Historical and Relevant.......2007-09-11

I applaud Mr. Smiley for his detailed account of African-American stories and the way that he connected them to Historical events. He, in this book, successfully gave a description of how so many have grown up in Urban America.

5 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable, Enlightening Read.......2007-06-29

Tavis Smiley writes an enjoyable, enlightening, easy-to-read story of his upbringing in middle America. Though at times fighting against a sometimes harsh upbringing in a committed Christian home, Smiley's work repeatedly hearkens back to the lessons he learned in that very home. He teaches how anyone can move beyond negative life experiences, be they in the home or in society, to a place of meaning and success in life.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Soul Physicians.

4 out of 5 stars A Good Read.......2007-06-28

I truly enjoyed this book. I totally agree with another reader...the chapters are not unnecessarily bogged down with additional information which made the book very easy to read. His story is very encouraging and is a testament that there is no obstacle you cannot overcome if you have the faith and determination Tavis displayed in this book.
Although I may not have had the heart to make some of the moves he did i.e. (taking an unpaid position away from home with no means of income) look where he is today...God Bless him!

1 out of 5 stars Much Ado.......2007-06-22

I admire Tavis, think he is an insightful interviewer and enjoy his show very much. However, his book was a disappointment. There's no THERE there. Poorly written, thin on substance--he doesn't really DO anything. Although I have sympathy from the scars he obviously still bears from his abusive and sheltered overly-religious childhood, he comes off as whiney and superficial. I and some of my book club members liked Tavis a lot better before reading his shallow memoir.
Red, White, and Black: The Peoples of Early North America (4th Edition)
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Don't believe the poor reviews
  • So boring!
  • ...
  • Exploring Nash's argument
  • A View From All Angles
Red, White, and Black: The Peoples of Early North America (4th Edition)
Gary B. Nash
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0139567569

Book Description

Written by highly acclaimed historian Gary B. Nash, this book presents an interpretive account of the interactions between Native Americans, African Americans, and Euroamericans during the colonial and revolutionary eras. It reveals the crucial interconnections between North America's many peoples—illustrating the ease of their interactions in the first two centuries of European and African presence—to develop a fuller, deeper understanding of the nation's underpinnings. Coverage explores the interaction of many peoples at all levels of society, from various cultural backgrounds and across the centuries; African-Americans as active participants in the cultural process, drawing upon the work of African and African-American historians; the origins of racism, tracing the development of racial attitudes and the mixing of people across racial boundaries; Indians as much more than victims, reaching beyond the Europeans that "discovered" North America to explore the society that had already been here for thousands of years; profiles of the various European colonizers, examining French, Dutch, and Spanish settlers and comparing their treatment of enslaved Africans and Native Americans with that of the English. For those interested in Colonial American History.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Don't believe the poor reviews.......2005-03-25

First of all, I can see where some would find this book boring- that is if the reader has no interest in American History. But this begs the questions- why would such a person pick up this book to begin with? For class maybe, but I imagine every student of history has read a difficult book or two. This one simply doesn't qualify. As far as books I've had to read for school, this was pretty easy to get through.

This book is not a primary source. If you are looking for such a thing, look elsewhere. This is a well-researched account of life on the early American frontier, and the interaction between different cultures.

Someone makes the claim further down that this book makes the Europeans look really bad. I disagree. This book does a fine job of looking at this time period from multiple view points. There are moments when the Europeans will come off badly, but almost any group has it's moments throughout history where it's not going to be a shining example of how to live your life. Aside from which, as this book points out, the Europeans are not one single group and the different European groups looked at within this book (The English, Dutch, French, and Spanish) all had different relationships with the various indigenous peoples of what would become the eastern United States. This book also takes a look at slavery and the origins of that horrid institution in the Americas. It is often fascinating reading and certainly doesn't deserve the one star reviews it's received.

1 out of 5 stars So boring!.......2003-02-25

Like a few others on here I could not read this book. It did help me fall asleep though, lol. Anyone who's looking into reading this book, Id suggest checking it out of the library before you buy it.

1 out of 5 stars ..........2002-09-04

This is by far the worst book I have ever needed to read for school ever. When I attempted to read this book, I must've fallen asleep at least 10 times and I haven't even got past the first 2 chapters. I have no idea what my teacher was thinking when he saw this book. If it was a choice, I would choose negative 5 stars for this waste of paper and ink. It is, hands down, a boring book with absolutely not point at all except to critizice the immigration of the early Europeans. It almost seems like Nash couldn't give about the Europeans coming over here. Well, I would be quite upset if they didn't come over here, unless it would have prevented the publishing of his redundant, afwul book.

4 out of 5 stars Exploring Nash's argument.......2002-02-05

RWB by Nash attempts to present a more accurate picture of colonial society. However, in the end, I believe Nash fails to do any real justice to his examination of this society's underpinnings. Essentially, Nash abandons this pursuit very quickly into the book and deals mostly with the facts of the era. Additionally, Nash's views seem all to decidedly Neo-Progressive. He simply will not concede a point or discuss a point, which does not fit this mindset. Another perhaps more disturbing issue is Nash's like of primary sources throughout his work. The majority of his sites are from other historians' works. But before you think of moving on and passing this work up understand a few basic things about it. First, by no means am I questioning Nash's historical ability or accuracy. Second, this work provides a novice student of history and excellent foundation to start to build an understanding of the Colonial Period on. Moreover, Nash's analysis though I find fault with it is still holds water in the historical community through refinements and redefinitions of his point. I suggest that any one seeking to get a handle on the Colonial period or start a study of this era should start here. However, do not read this work and take it as anything other then a meager beginning; instead, use it as a stepping stone to branch out into other works by Winthrop Jordan, William Cronon, Edmund Morgan, Bernard Bailyn, and Laurel Ulrich.

5 out of 5 stars A View From All Angles.......2000-08-29

Gary Nash scratches beneath the surface in his analysis of the deomographics of colonial America. He skillfuly reveals the interaction between Europeans, native Americans, and Africans in the years preceding the American Revolution. Nash brings an important missing element to the mix by exploring how native American and African cultures affected European society, offering a refreshing look race relations. For once, readers are given a glimpse of the proud and unshakable cultures of these two exploited peoples.

Red, White & Black compares race relations between several different cultures and regions. Nash not only spouts statistics; he helps the reader to understand why certain peoples fought and why they formed alliances during this volatile period in our history.
Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (A New Republic Book)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • disturbing
  • A must read
  • A brilliantly-written book that bravely bucks conventional wisdom
  • "There but for the grace of God we go"-excerpt from the book
  • A Black Man confronts his worst fears, his identity:
Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (A New Republic Book)
Keith B. Richburg
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0465001874

Amazon.com

From 1991 to 1994, Keith Richburg was based in Nairobi as the Africa bureau chief for the Washington Post. He traveled throughout Africa, from Rwanda to Zaire, witnessing and reporting on wars, famines, mass murders, and the complexity and corruption of African politics. Unlike many black Americans who romanticize Africa, Richburg looks back on his time there and concludes that he is simply an American, not an African American. This is a powerful, hard-hitting book, filled with anguished soul-searching as Richburg makes his way toward that uncomfortable conclusion.

Book Description

In “the most honest book to emerge from Africa in a long time” (USA Today), a black american correspondent for the Washington Post reports on the horrors he witnessed in Somalia, Rwanda, South Africa, and other troubled African nations-and reflects on his own identity. Map; updated with a new afterword.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars disturbing.......2007-03-29

this is a very disturbing and frightening account. While I agree with the authors premise of "straight talk", I do not agree with the pessimism.
I grew up in Africa and it has its own unique beauty. Africa is not for everyone though, black or white, only certain people can appreciate it. Africa has many problems, and many of them cannot be blamed on western or European nations. They are africa's problems so africa must find its own solutions. I agree with the author that african dictators have committed terrible atrocities to their own citizens

Richburg seems to focus on the extreme negative sides of Africa, rwanda war, somali civil war, war in the congo. But they were people in other parts of Africa who were equally shocked and revulsed by those wars. I am african but I do not think even I could manage to keep myself together if I had seen 3 different civil wars in three years. You do not have to be a non-african to be affected.

Basically you cannot make generalizations about Africa. In my whole life in africa( more than 25 years) I have never seen anyone killed, never, I have never seen anyone fire an AK47. Petty theft is a part of life that you get used to, what do you expect when folks live on less than $1. just keep your wallet in your front pocket. And if you do not want burglers to rob your home just have a large family with plenty of extended relatives- too much to handle for burglers, life goes on.

I disagree with the authors pessimism because around 80% of all african countries have mulitiparty democratic elections. Liberia elected africa's first woman president. Africa is largely entering its second round or phase of multiparty democracy as the terms of most two term presidents have ended. Malawi, tanzania, zambia, south africa have all entered this phase. Nigeria is about to have its first transition from one elected leader to the next.

It is known there is a stigma about africa amongst many of African descent. Because of the "poverty" and lack of development many would like to distance themselves and not be associated with Africa. I can understand that, its a personal choice. But I think that is what is at the heart of this book. This book is very anti-african, for a man who spent 3 years in Africa and did not integrate well with africa and felt like an alien- well I think that says alot.

5 out of 5 stars A must read.......2007-03-02

I read this book when it first came out. It is a fascinating, gripping and honest portrayal of the author's experiences in Africa. Some of the images it painted in my mind are still with me, such as the scene of the bodies flowing down the river from the upstream genocide.

Africa is a big enough and important enough place that everyone should read this book to get a dose of the reality that is Africa.

I noticed a strange thing with the few critics that did not like this book. Every single one of them resort to psycho analyzing the author. They theorize that he is traumatized and not in his right mind, or he is suffering from self hatred and self doubt and that, more than his actual experiences, explains the book. To me it is certainly ok to dispute or disagree with an author if you don't like his book, but is it necessary to attack his mental health if you dont't like what he reports? It reminds me of the tactics of the Soviet Union where dissenters were declared mentally ill and put into institutions. What is it about all these folks who are offended about his reporting on conditions in Africa that make them want to attack the author's mental health? One of the reviewers even went so far as to call him a "murderer" and "traitor". One reviwer who even claimed to have been a friend in college used the mental health approach to undermine his work. Some friend!
When I read the book I saw a brilliant reporter at work and detected not a hint of mental illness or psychosis. Read the negative reviews for yourself and help me get a grip on this strange approach to critisizing this book....I've never seen anything quite like it....at least not since the decline of the Soviet Union. Is this a new trend?


5 out of 5 stars A brilliantly-written book that bravely bucks conventional wisdom.......2007-01-17

Richburg's book is both immensely important and immensely readable. His command is majesterial. He marshalls facts and personal experiences to substantiate the twin arguments that are at the book's core: (1) that modern-day Africa is a place of almost unimaginable violence and dysfunction, and (2) that black American identity has wrongly tried to establish an unquestioning affinity with that troubled continent.

Truth is always in short supply, particularly at the nexus of race, identity and global politics. Richburg's book speaks with a precision and intelligence that inform, provoke and ultimately enlighten his readers. Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars "There but for the grace of God we go"-excerpt from the book.......2006-10-26

It's one of the best and most gripping book I've read. It's a very vivid account of someone on the ground of what really happened in Africa in the early nineties. ..very honest, passionate , and angry.

I must admit, in the first few chapters I thought, here's a very intelligent black man whose circumstance shielded him from the discriminating lot in America. As you read on, you would come to admire this man for coming out victorious, successful and grateful amidst the discriminating environment he grew up with.

I've recommended these books to my friends-regardless of whether they think America owes them anything or not.

4 out of 5 stars A Black Man confronts his worst fears, his identity:.......2006-09-16



Keith B. Richburg was the Washington Post's Africa bureau chief from 1991 to 1994. In his memoir "Out of America" Richburg's tale of Africa is interesting. He describes himself as a man torn between two worlds. First he copes with living as a black man with Euro-centric tendencies and second, he refers to him self as a black man who doesn't quite fit in an Afro-centric world.
Many reviewers have labeled Richburg a self hating black man because of some of his statements. Many Blacks who've read the book were offended. I guess some of his views could be construed in a negative manner when perceived from a racially myopic standpoint, and I quote, "Thank God my nameless ancestors, brought across the ocean in chains and leg irons, made it out alive. Thank God I am an American." To properly ascertain why Richburg made this comment the reader has to comprehend the horrors that he's witnessed. A Case in point: the atrocities in Rwanda. In chapter 5, "Thy Neighbor's Killer," in reference to the Rwandan massacre Richburg states that, "I first saw the bodies floating down the Kagera River from Rwanda into Tanzania. They floated down the river and over the Rusumo Falls." What has to be ascertained is that during the 1994 campaign the Hutu massacred the Tutsi. Belgium lost control of the territory and the Tutsi were in league with the Belgians while the Hutu became second class citizens. The Hutu in a jealous rage perceived that the Tutsi were the enemy and in a sense they were since they represented the years of sanguineous oppression that the Hutu experienced, which sparked their recalcitrancy or insurrection. However, this doesn't justify the Hutu's barbarous acts.
The overall point that Richburg was making was that he's glad he wasn't involved in this gravitas situation. I think most people would have the same response if they had experienced this atrocity.

In chapter 3, Richburg takes a journey through Somalia. He begins his tale quoting a U.S. intelligence official, "Somalia has ceased to exist. And right now, nobody cares." Richburg covered the 1992 atrocities in Mogadishu which lead into the United Nations' mission "Operation to Restore Hope" which was a complete failure. Later the U.N. succeeded in alleviating the famine conditions in the country. But in the end the U.N. retreated and the country has been in a state of entropy ever since.
Moreover, Richburg delves into the issue of economic strangulation. His inquiry was, "why has East Asia emerged as the model for economic success while Africa has seen mostly poverty, hunger and economies propped up by foreign aid?" And Richburg's answer, "corruption is the cancer eating at the heart of the African states. It is what sustains Africa's strongmen in power, and the money they pilfer, when spread generously throughout the system, [this] is what allows them to continue to command allegiance long after their last shred of legitimacy [is] gone." One particular case was Zaire president Mobutu stashing nearly $10 billion in overseas bank accounts, while ripping off state-run corporations. The African people are not receiving the funds necessary to run their countries. According to the World Bank,"Africa is home to the world's poorest nations." African children's mortality rate is abysmal. Children are most likely to die before age five and most adults don't make it beyond age fifty. The book gives many answers, unfortunately the answers given are uncomfortable ones, and may not be what the reader wants to read. But the bottom line is that the truth hurts.
Also, the book briefly alludes to Liberia's late 1980's free fall and the maniacal Valentine Strasser's ascension to power. The fact that in 1993 African American leaders such as Coretta Scott King, Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan attended a summit meeting between Africans and African Americans organized by the Reverend Leon Sullivan (who is an anti apartheid activist) leaves something to the imagination.
The question that was raised during the summit was a legitimate one. How come black leaders are so quick to call for social change in America under white suppression but waffle around the issue when it involves black suppression on black people in African countries? It's just something to ponder on, but remember be circumspect when contemplating on the issues brought up in this book. Don't read this with a reactionary point of view. You'll do yourself a deserves then.
This book should be read by a wide readership because it is so thought provoking. Many Blacks need to take an internal journey of the self and contemplate the true meaning of ethics and justice, then and only then will all Africans taste freedom.
Richburg succeeds in taking the reader through his personal journey, but if you are looking for an academic perspective then look elsewhere because this is his story, his experience. If you want to learn more about Africa this book will lead you in the right direction, but academia it is not.
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • WOW! This book made me think.
  • Such a shame!!
  • A book I recommend to all my friends
  • A Need to Read
  • didn't make it far into the book...
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
Lawrence Otis Graham
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060984384
Release Date: 1999-12-22

Book Description

Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group.

Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first millions in the 1870s. Graham tells who's in and who's not in the group today with separate chapters on the elite in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nashville, and New Orleans. A new Introduction explains the controversy that the book elicited from both the black and white communities.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars WOW! This book made me think........2007-09-24

This may sound strange, but this book really made me think. Instead of walking away thinking that some blacks think that they are better than others (as some critics have written), I walked away thinking about choices. What makes some people build families and get rich while some do little or nothing?

I thought about the choices my grand parents made. I contacted my grand parents on both sides of my family and ask several questions pertaining to the times.

I asked my father's father what made him go to school. He went to Temple University 50+ years ago; he attended grad school at the University of Maryland where he met my grandmother; he has been Kappa Alpha Psi for over 50 years. Where as my mother's father was a good time charley who never even bought a house for his wife and nine children. He had a good job in sanitation, but he chose to reside in the Robert Taylor homes of Chicago.

To make a long story short, the book helped me to see the power of choice. Even in the face of racism, we (not just A.G. Gaston or Reginald Lewis) are all making choices. That being said, the book is a good read. See if you can get something extra from it.

3 out of 5 stars Such a shame!!.......2007-05-10

It is such a shame that in this day and age there are still some people of color that still feel the need to distance themselves. I actually brought this book about a year after it was published. After reading it the one thing that stuck out to me was the fact that no matter how much I tried as a black woman I would never belong. ( mind you these are a group of black families we are talking about). For so many years we as black people in this country have had to deal with discrimination on all sorts of levels, but to hear that it still exits and in our own communities. I for one am truly saddend. The only answer I can come up with is the need for these people to feel superior to someone.

5 out of 5 stars A book I recommend to all my friends.......2007-04-27

I read this book years ago and loved it. A lot of the places, people, and concepts that Graham discusses were already familiar to me but I learned just as much. This book is insightful, inspiring, and revealing. It illustrates the socio-economic differences in what we term as the Black Race. It was refreshing to see someone capture and present the fact that all "blacks" are not lumped into one big pot. There have always been differences and will continue to be.

4 out of 5 stars A Need to Read.......2006-08-25

This is a reveling look into an almost invisible aspect of black society that has been around for ages, and I for one am impressed. True, there is some unpleasantness in this book regarding the harsh reality of black on black prejudice. But this occurs at all levels of black society and society in general.

What must not be overlooked is the desire and ability achieve and to escape, if at all possible the scars and brutality of being black in a white, racist society. This is especially true when it comes to ones children, namely the children of successful black Americans who desperately want and need to shield them, not only from the ravages of racism, to which young children are especially sensitive and can be seriously marked and marred, but also from the numerous pathologies that are rampant in the black community and are destroying black children by the millions. The children of the black upper classes are not only taught that they can be somebody, but that they must be somebody and that failure is not an option. Thankfully, they can afford not to allow their children's lives to be sabotaged before they reach puberty and have, or did, construct a community in which they could develop into individuals not as adversely affected by entrenched racism and prejudice.

1 out of 5 stars didn't make it far into the book..........2006-08-16

I tried to read this book. Then I flipped ahead and read spots of the book. I could not, as a young Black Anthropology student juggling several more forward thinking and socially relevant books this summer, bring myself to include this backward-thinking, embarrassing 200+ pages of pompous garbage. I have old classmates and distant family members that were actually raised in this way and on a daily basis measure themselves and those around them by this pathetic, haughty litmus test. It disgusts me that this deluded ideology still exists to this day, and we are led through the grandeur of the Black elite by Graham, who justifies much of it as he admits to eventually feeling obligated to get a nose job. This book was offensive at best and frustrating in this day and age to understand. I will grant that the book was accurate in its historical value, but after reading what led to this intra-racism, there is simply no reason to me as to why this should be glorified and perpetuated within Black American culture. Perhaps Graham would have been better off with a more well thought out, less repetitive historical text expounding on just the Introduction through Chapter 2, with research that would be actually useful and insightful from a more scholarly source as well as accounts from these early Black entrepreneurs and their families in ways that don't come off so self-aggrandizing.

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