The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

Amazon.com

Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel "for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out," the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. In other words, the ragamuffins. Manning understands better than most that behind our facades of order and self-assurance are inadequacies that can find healing only in Jesus. While the powerful and religious elite challenged him, Jesus embraced and healed and fed the needs of the ragamuffins. Jesus delivered love, healing, and, most of all, grace.

Grace is defined as "the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God." But, as Manning points out, we have "twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper." In reality, God offers us grace immeasurable. Brennan Manning gently encourages us to embrace that grace in the face of our greatest needs. And Manning certainly knows whereof he speaks, having taken a journey from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism. Manning came face to face with his need, finally abandoning himself to grace. And he invites us now to join him in a life of grace.

Manning is without doubt one of the most eloquent writers on the subject of grace because he openly shares his own pain and struggle to help readers deal with failure and inadequacy. And he sweetly challenges them to do the same. --Patricia Klein

Book Description

A Furious Love Is Hot on Your Trail!

Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this newly repackaged edition—now with full appendix, study questions, and the author’s own epilogue, “Ragamuffin Ten Years Later,” Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth. The Father beckons us to Himself with a “furious love” that burns brightly and constantly. Only when we truly embrace God’s grace can we bask in the joy of a gospel that enfolds the most needy of His flock—the “ragamuffins.”

Are you bedraggled, beat-up, burnt-out?

Most of us believe in God’s grace—in theory. But somehow we can’t seem to apply it in our daily lives. We continue to see Him as a small-minded bookkeeper, tallying our failures and successes on a score sheet.

Yet God gives us His grace, willingly, no matter what we’ve done. We come to Him as ragamuffins—dirty, bedraggled, and beat-up. And when we sit at His feet, He smiles upon us, the chosen objects of His “furious love.”

Brennan Manning ’s now-classic meditation on grace and what it takes to access it—simple honesty—has changed thousands of lives. Now with a Ragamuffin’s thirty-day spiritual journey guide, it will change yours, too.

Starburst:

Includes New 30-Day

Spiritual Journey Guide

****

“ Brennan Manning does a masterful job of blowing the dust off of shop-worn theology and allowing God’s grace to do what only God’s grace can do—amaze.”

Max Lucado

Bestselling author of The Gift for All People

“I found deep comfort in realizing that Jesus loves even me, a ragamuffin, just as I am.”

Michael Card

Musician, recording artist, and author of A Violent Grace

“This is a zestful and accurate portrayal that tells us unmistakably that the gospel is good, dazzlingly good.”

Eugene Peterson

Author of The Message

Story Behind the Book

The world assigns value to people using measurable standards. Someone is a successful student if she receives As. Someone is a strong athlete if he runs five miles a day. The Lord, however, knows nothing of standards. The Ragamuffin Gospel was inspired by Brennan Manning after he discovered firsthand what it means to live by grace instead of performance. His words bring new life and sweet refreshment to Christians who are tired of never measuring up.

Customer Reviews:

And oft-quoted master of reality.......2007-10-14

For many years and up until just recently, all my emails would go out with this signature attached. "The greatest cause of atheism in the world today, is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. This, is what an unbelieving world, simply finds, unbelievable." I wrote that entirely without looking it up, so much has it become ingrained in my thoughts. Some of you will recognize this quote, especially if you like Christian rock/hiphop group DC Talk as they use this quote on the start of one of their songs. It wasn't until about 2 years ago someone emailed me and corrected me about it's origin. Turns out it was actually Brennan Manning that first penned it. So the author of The Ragamuffin Gospel has been having an impact on me much longer than I have known about him or his books. Well as I have said last week, I am now listening to far more books in audio rather than reading them. And as you can see from the reviews I have been able to do, it really does enable me to "read" far more books than I normally would. The bookmarking feature of Apples iPod just makes it so versatile. The computer will keep playing from where I last stopped on my iPod and vice versa.

The Ragamuffin Gospel. Brennan Manning. So who is this book for? It's primarily for new believers, Pastors, and anyone else who has a heartbeat. If I had a name, I would write a book like this myself, for without wanting to sound conceited Brennan echoes the cry of my heart. I have been in ministry a long time. Long enough to have seen the incredible injustices so many suffer at the hands of those who hold title and position in the body. I am not sure they'd like to meet Brennan Manning in a dark alley, but then again, I am not sure anything but grace would flow from Brennan at that time. I do not see how this book could have been written without many a tear having been spilt. He so perfectly pictures the problems of our current fascination with turning Church into businesses, and contrasts it with the way of Jesus. Here, Brennan says, is a Church for ragamuffins, misfits, outcasts, delinquents, rejects, etc, this is the Church of Jesus Christ. But look, in today's Churches, we reserve the front seating for the Pastors and Elders, or the big givers. It is business as usual. The former are not welcome. They may be put up with, but hardly welcome. With gentle elegance, Brennan lifts the shroud from our eyes and shows us a picture of the true Church of Jesus Christ.

A Pastor I knew in New Zealand once objected when I told him that I don't think the Church in its current state is what Jesus really wants us to have. Ironically he calls himself a reformer. If it's ok, why reform it? Of course he would object, he was a Pastor. Not so fast. Today, many leaders in the Church are seeing the light. It's easy to point fingers at the likes of Rob Bell, he's young, but when Brennan Manning who has more memories stretching back longer than the road is stretching ahead, someone who has walked the talk the better part of half a century, we need to take notice. The Church is not where it needs to be, and that is plainly clear to any honest Christian leader. It is after-all, PLAINLY obvious to those outside of the Church. This book helps us. It's not just cute pop psychology, it's a clear view of how things are and how we can change them so the ragamuffins, the ones Jesus spent his time with, once again become the ones we spend our time with.

Grace over judgment. Grace over dogma. Grace. As I have discovered first hand on my own journey, grace is like a four letter word in many ministries. For those that have been hurt, are being hurt, or have been accused of being the hurter, The Ragamuffin Gospel will bring a much needed clarity of vision. To those who are ragamuffins and know it, and want to see Christ's vision of the Church come to fruition, this will be like rocket-fuel for your soul.

Amazing, Grace defined!.......2007-09-23

Manning simply and eloquently defines and describes the Amazing Grace of God's salavation that is available to all of humanity...

Amazing Grace.......2007-07-23

So often Christianity is viewed as judgmental and legalistic and the heart of Christianity is lost. Jesus was the friend of sinners and accepted and encouraged the downtrodden and those rejected by the religious elite. Manning so eloquently brings to life the meaning of Grace. He paints numerous word pictures to help illustrate what Grace really means.

Reading this book was like taking a fresh breath of air. I would recommend it to anyone, especially anyone struggling with believing that God truly loves them just as they are, in spite of all their terrible sins.

Always Good News.......2007-07-08

Brennan Manning does an excellent job of reaching out to those of us who feel we have so miserably failed to live up to our calling. He vividly demonstrates the good news once again that Jesus came to save sinners and reflects the incredible, unconditional love of his Father. For anyone who needs to hear the good news again, this is the book.

Re-Luthering.......2007-07-04

In the epilogue to Ragamuffin Gospel, "The Scandal of Grace," Manning informs the reader that one of his Roman Catholic critics told him that he "had out Luthered Luther." I don't know that you can "out-Luther" Luther --- but Manning is at least close here.

If you let it, this book will take you through a path that not many people go on. You'll go to Spiritual AA.

Manning, a recovering alcoholic himself, describes the faith life of a Christian as really only a recovering sinner ever could. He is upfront about his disease. He knows that he isn't God. He knows that He doesn't even deserve to sneeze in God's direction. He shows the most comfortable Christian that they are still a sinner even though they have a nice family and go to church every Sunday. He goes even farther. He makes sure that you know that if you're not actively involved in being empty, in being a ragamuffin, that you're not living the Christian life as it was intended to be lived.

In short, he tells you what a Ragamuffin is - it's a sinner-saint. It is someone who has no right, no claim, and no worth who is passionately and wildly embraced by a savior.

The book is a great choice for a devotional read. It will bring not only a new perspective on your current place before God, but it will show you that your ultimate place is with God, singing in the joy of His free grace.

It is a message of grace for anyone brave enough to consider themselves one of God's ragamuffins.

Charlie Bird Count to the Beat: Baby Loves Jazz

Average customer rating:

A hit!
Excellent books!
Very Entertaining!

Charlie Bird Count to the Beat: Baby Loves Jazz
Andy Blackman Hurwitz
Manufacturer: Price Stern Sloan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 084312086X

Book Description

Count with Charlie Bird as he plays his sax:

One orange ostrich plays organ solo .

Two tiny tigers play trumpet duo.

Customer Reviews:

A hit!.......2007-09-23

This series is wonderful! Our two-year-old absolutely loves the Baby Loves Jazz series. We bought a few to start out, then ended up buying the whole set. Two months after acquiring them, she is still enamored and requests to listen to them and read them every day. Her favorites? Well, these are the words we hear most often: "Mommy, read Duck and Miles?" or "Daddy, listen to Duck and Miles?" Philly Joe is also high on the list. I recommend them all. The books stand out on their own, but the music is what makes this series really shine. For example, on Duck Ellington's CD, he does a great Monk style on one track, then switches to great impression of Coltrane's classic quartet on the next track, with a very nice McCoy Tyner impression. Lots of variety and high quality make this series worthwhile (though I could have done without Louis Lion's potty tune). Don't forget the Go Baby Go CD as well (a stand-alone CD without a book), which is perhaps a notch above the music on the book CDs. The ABC tune is her favorite on that one.

Excellent books!.......2007-04-06

My husband and I absolutely love this series. It was made with adults in mind. It's not too kidish. We have the Miles the Crocodile, Charlie Bird, Ella Elephant, & Duck Ellington so far. We also have the Baby Loves Jazz CD (go baby go). It's great too. My 1 year old loves them all. We've been listening to them since he was about 8 months old. He listens to them every morning and night before bedtime. He's even started dancing to them. Now that he's a little older. He brings me the books and we read the little stories. I also dubbed these for my nieces who are 3 & 6. They really like them too. You can't go wrong with these books that come with the cd's. They are an excellent teaching tool as well as entertainment.

Very Entertaining!.......2007-01-06

I had originally bought this and the Ella the Elephant for my almost 2 year old. It turns out that my almost 4 year old loves the accompanying CD and "reading" along with the book just as much. My husband and I are jazz lovers, and after seeing Baby Loves Jazz at the Monterey Jazz Festival 2006, knew this was an awsome way to introduce our sons to this wonderful music.

She's Got the Beat (Simon Romantic Comedies)

Average customer rating:

A fantastic book
This book was great!!!!!!!!
She's Got to be Kidding
This book makes u wanna rock
A cute, quick read

She's Got the Beat (Simon Romantic Comedies)
Nancy Krulik
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1416900209

Book Description

SHE BANGS! SHE BANGS!

Miranda was the quiet type...until she moved to Austin. Home of the hippest college rock bands, Austin, Texas, is a scene. And Miranda is dying to break out of her small-town shell. So she decides to do something totally un-Miranda: learn to play the drums.

When crashing the cymbals, the girl's a wild child! Plus there's a perk to her new gig: a cute bass player. Unfortunately Mr. Bass Man isn't exactly looking for love. Can this rocker chick change his tune? Or does finding her own rhythm mean sacrificing true love?

Customer Reviews:

A fantastic book.......2007-01-08

This book is awesome, funny and also very romantic. I can relate very much to Miranda because I'm a small town girl myself, who later went on to experience life in a big city. This book proves to all teenage girls that to get the man of your dreams, just be you, and never shirk from anything you want to do fearing it's not right for you (unless of course it is something illegal or morally wrong!).

This book was great!!!!!!!!.......2006-01-24

I read this book in 2 hours. It is an awesome book for teenage girls. Especially female musicians. This book is about a girl named Miranda who has just graduated high school in a small Texas town. She moves to Austin and finds out that she can be whoever she wants to be around all the new people she meets. She sees and add and then decides to take drumming lessons. Drumming then becomes her passion. She lives, breathes and eats the music. A local band then needs a temporary drummer because theirs was not able to play and Miranda accepts the offer. While playing with the band she meets the bass player, Adam, and falls in love with him. But love isn't really what he is looking for.

An amazing plot full of twists and turns, this book is great. You learn to like all of the characters, especially Miranda, even if they make really stupid mistakes. I hope that you will read this book. :)

She's Got to be Kidding.......2005-12-21

In Pulse's line of teen romantic comedies, there are some really delightful storylines. Too bad there aren't a lot of really delightful authors.

The biggest problem in this book is Miranda, who is unsympathetic and unlikable. She is naive and ignorant beyond all believability, and spends an inordinate amount of time blushing and giggling. Her attempts at forceful decision making are unconvincing, as is her sudden passion for drumming. And she's rather shallow, too, dating a guy who isn't too bright just because he's really cute, laughing at poor, geeky people, and thinking of plus sized girls in tight jeans as people who "apparently didn't own a full-length mirror". So much for being PC.
The people around her have a little more personality, but they're still ridiculously stereotyped. Miranda's friends aren't so bad, but every other girl in the world is an easy, partying groupie who wears only mini skirts and tight tube tops. And the guys are all commitment fearing pigs...except for Mr. Sensitive, otherwise we wouldn't have a love story here, would we?
I'm not sure where Krulik learned about music. Supposedly, the band Miranda joins plays music that's not punk at all (as she assumed) but a sort of R&B/Country kind of thing. Um...with song names like 'Massacre of the Heart' and 'Coldhearted Queen'? Sounds like straight up emo to me. Oh, and the one punk band that is seen during the book is absolutely horrible. Folks, generalizations do not a good book make.

The writing is structurely sound, but otherwise unimpressive. A lot of the dialogue seems forced and contrived, especially the humorous bits...not a good thing for a romantic COMEDY. Krulik's style is heavy-handed and lacks subtlety; she feels the need to tell the reader everything she already implied.
The story meanders far, far too much. Now, this wouldn't have been a problem if that time had been spent on the developing relationship. But we don't even meet Mr. Right until page 70 or so, and she doesn't start spending time with him until the book is about half over. Even then, they're not around each a lot, and there's no chemistry between them whatsoever. So as the book begins to draw to a close, Miranda hatches a half-baked plan to get him, which fails. And then another half-baked plan to get BACK at him, which beyond all reason and believability actually succeeds. Huh.

And what's with the guys randomly sticking their tongues in Miranda's mouth? The sexual content here is silly and exploitive. It's like this is teen chick lit trying to be adult chick lit. Or perhaps adult trying to be teen.

This book makes u wanna rock.......2005-08-10

Mirada is shy and timid. She tries to break out of the comfort zone so she takes drum lessons. She loves it and eventually joins a band. What she doesn't expect is to fall for their basist and songwriter. This book has nothing to intense but is a sweet read for all girls who wanna rock.

A cute, quick read.......2005-06-21

SHE'S GOT THE BEAT is another book from the Simon Pulse teen romantic comedy line, and I found it irresistable. It's a cute, fun, easy read that teenage girls will love, especially considering the strong female characters.

Miranda has just graduated from high school, and for the first time in her life she's leaving her small town for bigger things - she's going to school in Austin, Texas. With support from her family and (most of) her friends, she heads off...and of course, Austin is nothing like she imagined. After a rough start, though, Miranda makes some new friends (Kathleen, the more alternative-type girl and Missy, the flirt) and things start looking up.

Miranda still feels like something is missing though, and that's when SHE'S GOT THE BEAT really starts picking up. She decides that she's going to do something completely unlike herself: Miranda signs up for drum lessons.

SHE'S GOT THE BEAT is a good mix of comedy, music, and romance. Miranda's different encounters with a few (very) different boys are funny and relateable at the same time.

Recommended to fans of How Not to Spend Your Senior Year, the Mates, Dates, and...series, and Royally Jacked.

Overall grade - B

Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in Letters 1957-1958

Average customer rating:

Joyce Johnson is ruining my life.
Do what you want, Jerce...
Groan...
An Open Door Offering Insight To The Beat Generation & Love!
Door Wide Open

Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in Letters 1957-1958
Joyce Johnson , and Jack Kerouac
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141001879

Amazon.com

They met in early 1957, eight months before the publication of On the Road made Jack Kerouac the most famous young writer in America. Some of the bitterest, saddest letters Kerouac wrote to his 21-year-old lover, Joyce Glassman, reveal the personal cost of the hysterical media attention that followed. Yet their early correspondence shows a side of Kerouac not always evident in his fiction: tender, spiritual, and supportive of Glassman's efforts to write her first novel. Now known as Joyce Johnson, she supplements the text of their epistles with commentary whose sensitive, rueful tone will be familiar to readers of her memoir, Minor Characters. The loving but independent air she assumed in her letters, Johnson notes, came from painful rewriting to eliminate all hints of hurt or need; as he wandered in and out of her life, Kerouac kept reminding her he didn't want to be tied down, even as he urged her to come visit whatever city he'd alighted in. Spiced with marvelously evocative period slang like dig and swing, and references to friends such as Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady, this poignant epistolary record of a 22-month love affair also brings to life an exciting moment in American cultural history, when the Beat writers gave "powerful, irresistible voices to subversive longings." --Wendy Smith

Book Description

On a blind date in Greenwich Village set up by Allen Ginsberg, Joyce Johnson (then Joyce Glassman) met Jack Kerouac in January 1957, nine months before he became famous overnight with the publication of On the Road. She was an adventurous, independent-minded twenty-one-year-old; Kerouac was already running on empty at thirty-five. This unique book, containing the many letters the two of them wrote to each other, reveals a surprisingly tender side of Kerouac. It also shares the vivid and unusual perspective of what it meant to be young, Beat, and a woman in the Cold War fifties. Reflecting on those tumultuous years, Johnson seamlessly interweaves letters and commentary, bringing to life her love affair with one of American letters' most fascinating and enigmatic figures.

Customer Reviews:

Joyce Johnson is ruining my life........2006-11-11

And so is Jack Kerouac. He is also ruining my life.

I love Joyce Johnson. She is so amazingly insightful and humble and has this ability to tell a story without being competitive or passive aggressive.

These letters made me smile, frustrated me and made me cover my eyes in embarrassment. A great read!

Do what you want, Jerce..........2004-08-07

That's something Jack told Joyce once and I think it sums about a great deal about his personal outlook on life. He wrote to Joyce in 1958: "Your salvation is within yourself, in your own essence of mind, it is not to be gotten grasping at external people like me" Overall, this book gave me pure enjoyment.It's filled with inspiration and advice written between two people one generation apart connected by their souls travelling similar paths. Joyce's social life is tied to the Beats; who are of course all over the globe living freely. She is the steadfast port-of-call in NYC holding all the pieces together. As Jack is travelling on his adventures throughout Tangiers, San Francisco, Mexico, and Orlando she keeps him up-to-date on news and gossip. As a fellow female, Joyce is someone I can relate to and enjoy spending time with. She is not your typical "girly" girl! She has talent, opinions and a strong grip on her feelings. Whenever she wrote how much she cared for Jack in her letters to him, I always ached inside because I could imagine what a trying situation this all was; loving such a roaming spirit as Kerouac. Still she was young at the time and it was an experience of a lifetime sharing her thoughts and feelings with a man who opened up to her in all honesty. Of course, there was no guidelines for the kind of relationship she had with JeanLouis. He would come and go in and out of her life, but they had a strong relationship through letters. Through her letters Joyce proves to be just as tough and free spirited as the men in her group ("...dexamyl pill has taken effect...and I better start on the novel now), but as a woman she longed for a committment and stability. An interesing combination. Ginsberg was a genius setting these two up that night in 1957. I'm just getting into the Kerouac world and I loved learning more about his personality (its ever-moving organic quality) and personal life. It adds more meat to his novels. I loved reading his thoughts on composing Dharma Bums and his literary advice to Joyce was priceless: Never Revise!!!
In the end Jack did what he wanted with their relationship and I think it was for the best. After all "unrequited love is a bore".
Joyce is a lovely writer and I'm gonna read Minor Characters as soon as possible! Onto more Kerouac...

Groan..........2004-01-23

I'm not sure why everyone else has rated this book so highly--I've found it to be quite banal, and sometimes down-right painful to read. Johnson comes across as a bland, naive and gullable girl who tries to play up to Kerouac in order to win his dubious affection. Her letters are written in a most childish and lame manner, and I can't believe that she was published a few years later. I hate to say such a thing, but it's true. Needless to say, their affair--calling it a love affir is streaching it a tad--eventually ends, and now forty years later she's decided to publish their exchange of letters in order to assure her fifteen minutes of fame. The fact that this book does provide a little insight into Kerouac keeps it from being two stars.

An Open Door Offering Insight To The Beat Generation & Love!.......2003-11-03

Jack Kerouac warned Joyce Johnson, nee Glassman, on the first night they spent together, back in 1957, "I don't like blondes." In spite of their inauspicious beginning, Kerouac kept returning to Glassman over a period of two years, during which time he restlessly wandered the US and Mexico. They met on a blind date set up by poet Allen Ginsberg, almost a year before Kerouac's name became a household word with the publication of "On The Road." She was an intelligent, talented, independent twenty-one year-old, and he was thirty-five, "pop-culture's guy's guy," "The King of the Beats," on the brink of enormous success.

This collection of letters, poems and postcards, between Kerouac and Ms. Glassman, written over a two-year period, are interspersed with Glassman's elegant, focused writing, as she poignantly comments on their relationship and the times. Glassman-Johnson wrote in her Beat Generation memoir, "Minor Characters," "If time were like a passage of music, you could keep going back to it till you got it right." This sense of sadness and longing permeates the book. She gives an insightful view of what it was like to be a "liberated woman" and an aspiring author back in the late 1950s. Her crowd may have been Beat Generation icons, but a double standard was still the norm. Glassman's struggle to be a writer of consequence, and her battle against the mores of the day, "illustrate the disparity between the myth and reality of the Beat experience." She really shows what it was like to be young, female and Beat during the Eisenhower years.

Kerouac's correspondence, filled with his spontaneous prose and 50s slang, gives the reader an amazing portrait of his struggle with fame and the attacks by his critics against his subsequent works. Throughout his travels, he tried, in a limited way, to balance this important relationship with a woman who truly understood him more than most people ever would. He did show a capacity for tenderness, as he formed a bond with Glassman, who shared his passion for writing. Yet Glassman wanted a more lasting relationship, which eventually caused their break-up. "You're nothing but a big bag of wind," she informed Kerouac before she left him. Eventually they did form a friendship. Most of the text is dominated by their romantic relationship. However, there are wonderful glimpses of the "beatnik scene," Greenwich Village in the 50s, Allen Ginsberg, the Orlovskys, Elise Cowan, and Neal Cassidy.

This is as much the story of Joyce Glassman Johnson's growth as a woman and writer, as it is about Jack Kerouac and the Beat generation. "Door Wide Open" is an extraordinarily sensitive portrayal of a man, a woman, a relationship and a time that strongly influenced, (and still does), the arts, literature and culture in the US - a wonderful book!
JANA

Door Wide Open.......2002-08-01

Beautiful and elegant. Any woman who's ever been in love with a difficult man will appreciate Joyce Johnson's bittersweet romance.

Beats Rhymes & Life: What We Love and Hate About Hip-Hop

Average customer rating:

From The Stage To The Street
"Sparks debate and discussion...presents an opportunity for us to ask ourselves difficult questions."
Our Love/Hate Relationship with Hip-Hop

Beats Rhymes & Life: What We Love and Hate About Hip-Hop
Ytasha Womack
Manufacturer: Harlem Moon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0767919777
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Book Description

Our generation made hip-hop. But hip-hop also made us. Why are suburban kids referring to their subdivision as “block”? Why has the pimp become a figure of male power? Why has dodging the feds become an act of honor long after one has made millions as a legitimate artist? What happens when fantasy does more harm than reality?—From the Introduction

Hip-hop culture has been in the mainstream for years. Suburban teens take their fashion cues from Diddy and expect to have Three 6 Mafia play their sweet-sixteen parties. From the “Boogie Down Bronx” to the heartland, hip-hop’s influence is major. But has the movement taken a wrong turn? In Beats Rhymes and Life, hot journalists Kenji Jasper and Ytasha Womack have focused on what they consider to be the most prominent symbols of the genre: the fan, the turntable, the ice, the dance floor, the shell casing, the buzz, the tag, the whip, the ass, the stiletto, the (pimp’s) cane, the coffin, the cross, and the corner. Each is the focus of an essay by a journalist who skillfully dissects what their chosen symbol means to them and to the hip-hop community.The collection also features many original interviews with some of rap’s biggest stars talking candidly about how they connect to the culture and their fans. With a foreword by the renowned scholar Michael Eric Dyson, Beats Rhymes and Life is an innovative and daring look at the state of the hip-hop nation.

Customer Reviews:

From The Stage To The Street.......2007-07-17

When did we first fall in love with Hip-Hop as a culture, and as a lifestyle? When were we first disappointed in Hip-Hop as a culture, and as a lifestyle? Beats Rhymes and Life discusses this in terms that two generations of Hip-Hop lovers can understand beginning with the foreword Michael Eric Dyson compares and contrasts the Hip-Hop movement of the eighties with the civil rights movement of the sixties socially, economically, and politically.

Beats Rhymes and Life breaks down the culture, movement, and business of Hip-Hop from the perspective of rappers (through interviews) as well as from the perspective of fans. Several common Hip-Hop personas and personalities are discussed as well as why it is popular, what type of influence it has on the community/race and what rapper was the originator of this image. For example P. Diddy is listed as one of the originators of the "baller" persona, notable follow-ups include "Baby (Birdman), "Lil Flip" and Fabulous.
Beats Rhymes and Life also lists Tupac as being the originator of the "superthug/gansta" persona, notable follow-ups include Mobb Deep and 50 cent.

I enjoyed Beats Rhymes and Life because it explored many different facets of Hip-Hop and their effect. The writing is honest, and humorous (where appropriate). This book is a must read for anyone who feels strongly about Hip-Hop. This book is truly an education into a cultural phenomenon.

Reviewed By:
Porscha
APOOO BookClub

"Sparks debate and discussion...presents an opportunity for us to ask ourselves difficult questions.".......2007-06-18

"Beats Rhymes & Life sparks debate and discussion. It provides an interesting theory on the symbols in hip-hop, highlighting some compelling interviews with some of the top entertainers in the industry depicting hip-hop as a major influence in our world today. Promoting a notion that hip-hop has some how gone wrong and offers reason for us to ponder, which presents an opportunity for us to ask ourselves difficult questions."

"Overall, profound opinions are presented generating serious thought about the true ramifications of what is displayed through this complex genre of music through Beats Rhymes & Life."

"Do we attempt to silence or limit the artist or do we change what is often times their reality and maybe then people will not feel embarrassed, ashamed and degraded? Perhaps the change needed is far deeper than a genre of music."

"Highly recommended for those truly interested in taking a look at this issue from various perspectives."

Our Love/Hate Relationship with Hip-Hop.......2007-05-16

Over the past 30 years, hip-hop has been a familiar friend to many of us. It's been a ear to complain to, a shoulder to lean on, a crush to flirt with. But just like those close friends we came up with, hip-hop has changed and evolved as time progressed. Hip-hop began as a cultural movement conceived in the hearts and souls of urban communities in the 1970s but has grown into a mass-produced mainstream commodity in the 2000s. It has mutated from the days of the 12" vinyl, all-night dance parties, and social commentary into pirated mp3's, candid sexualization of our women, and the constant pursuit of diamonds.

Often, some of us openly wonder has hip-hop taken a turn for the worst - a complicated question, to say the least. But in Beats Rhymes & Life, co-editors Kenji Jasper and Ytasha Womack attempt to peel back the layers of stereotype and convention and address the query at its heart. The most recognizable symbols from the genre are all dissected at length by prominent journalists in the field, who analyze modern motifs from the diamond infatuation, the adoration of pimping, the devotion to holding down the block, and the magnetizing allure of the coffin, among others.

The array of contributors aims to produce a diverse explication of the state of the hip-hop nation. The mixture of freelance writers, poets, filmmakers and editors allows Beats Rhymes & Life to dwell on a range of issues, such as hip-hop's fondness for cannabis and the garnishment of young women as live-action sex toys, to the MC Hammer backlash and religious dynamics within rap.

In his section, "The Disgruntled Fan", Faraji Whalen draws attention to the often-overlooked foster model hip-hop serves as for many youth. "With so many black youths living in single-parent households in which that single parent often works two jobs, there is frequently no one to teach the nuances of social interaction and appropriate behavior other than the TV and the CD player. And since the vast majority of these single parents are women, there's a void of male role models. So when our young consumer swithces on the boob tube and sees Jay-Z leaned up against a Bentley, `all the wavy light-skinned girls' loving him now, it's fairly easy to decipher how Jay becomes his operational role model."

Michael Eric Dyson exposes in the foreward the magnetic appeal of the late Tupac Shakur. "[He has] Black Panther sensibility, joined with political thuggery, joined with black romantic ambition, and the hoochization of the black female populace...I was attracted to him because the contradictions were in him. They were both spectacular and effectively destructive. Tupac represented the best and the brightest on one hand, and the worst on the other, at the same time."

Complementing the journalist critiques are exclusive interviews from of hip-hop's premier names, along the lines of Nelly, Ludacris, Scarface, Heather Hunter and others.

The decline in quality from many hip-hop acts is touched on by Too $hort in his interview. "My personal theory is that rappers don't really lose it lyrically, they just don't pay attention to the production. That first album, when you was broke, came out the bomb, but then [with] that next one you've got some jewelry. You got a car. The girl wants you. And then you go into the studio and you got the ego and the ego can't make records. Records gotta come from within."

XXL magazine co-founder Rob Marriott explains in his interview that, contrary to media depictions, the diamond obsession transcends hip-hop. "For me, the acknowledgement that the Negro's bling habit is both wasteful and foolish is not so much a critique as it is a point of departure. Bling culture, or at lest the wanton out-of-control materialism it describes and celebrates, is like violence: American as cherry pie. It was an American phenomenon long before Juvenile and the Cash Money Millionaires coined the phrase."

At its heart, Beats Rhymes & Life doesn't aim to answer if hip-hop has sunk into an ill-fated demise. Rather, it exposes the genre, its fans, the major players, and the behind-the-scenes forces, airing out hip-hop's dirty laundry while also shining light on its wonderful tapestry and social threading. In essence, it showcases what should be a redundancy - true and real hip-hop.

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Steady Beat Volume 2 (Steady Beat)
Rivkah
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1598161369
Release Date: 2006-10-10

WOMEN WHO LOVE BOOKS TOO MUCH Bibliophiles, Bluestockings & Prolific Pens

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WOMEN WHO LOVE BOOKS TOO MUCH Bibliophiles, Bluestockings & Prolific Pens

Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1567316603

Schoolproof: How to Help Your Family Beat the System and Learn to Love Learning the Easy Natural Way

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Wish I'd read this sooner
A definite MUST for all homeschoolers

Schoolproof: How to Help Your Family Beat the System and Learn to Love Learning the Easy Natural Way
Mary Pride
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0891074805

Customer Reviews:

Wish I'd read this sooner.......2007-10-11

As with all the Mary Pride books I've read, I wish I'd read School Proof sooner. It would have saved me some experimentation in my homeschooling. I love the concept that simpler is better, and she really demystifies the process of education. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone thinking about homeschooling, or just starting out in homeschooling. This is my 7th year teaching my children, and School Proof served as a pleasant refresher for me.

A definite MUST for all homeschoolers.......1999-05-29

I have contemplated homeschooling for quite a while, but I didn't know where to begin. I felt overwhelmed at the whole idea--until I read this book. Pride sets forth her philosophy of teaching and explains how we can empower our children with the tools they need that will eventually enable them to teach themselves. I wouldn't start or continue homeschooling without first reading this book.

A Drummer's Beat to Mend (Love Spectrum Romance)

Average customer rating:

True Blasian Love, right here....
Competent Writer, but...
Lovely story but.....
A love story worth reading
A Different, Diverse Story (4.5 Stars)

A Drummer's Beat to Mend (Love Spectrum Romance)
Kei Swanson
Manufacturer: Genesis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585711713

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True Blasian Love, right here...........2007-08-22

This was an excellent, excellent read. Absolutely well written. Both characters wer easily identifiable and both were written to be easily fallen inlove with. I recommend this book to anyone who is openminded about black and asian relationships and to anyone who are just openminded about ALL different kinds of interracial relationships. This book is great and great to read time after time after time!

Competent Writer, but..........2007-05-07

I am personally one who appreciates competent writing and I think Ms. Swanson is definitely a great writer. I think she did a good job with developing her characters and plot in this book.

I did have an issue with two things:
1) I found this book through someone's listing of interracial romance books. To be honest, as someone who has read (and loved) romance novels since I was 12 (now I'm 34), this book is not one that I would consider "romance," as say, a Johanna Lindsay or Beverly Jenkins book. Rather, it seemed so much more formal than that, as if it were a novel, say like "The Thornbirds" (can't think of anything else at the moment), with elements of romance in it. For me personally, in terms of the types of books I seek to purchase, the element of a book being a romance novel is more desirable to me than a book that is a novel with romance. It's as if the romance piece were an afterthought, not the central theme of the book. Again, this is what I seek in a book and why I purchased it. Although I think Ms. Swanson is an excellent writer and the book is well written, I honestly wouldn't have gotten this book, knowing what I know now. I don't really feel it should be advertised as romance, but that's my personal opinion. After all, I think John Grisham is a great writer, also. But I wouldn't go out and purchase his books, because I'm not into the genre of his novels.

2) As another reviewer stated, I don't know Ms. Swanson's heritage, but I did take exception to the "exaltation" of the character's hair and the "White" ancestry bit. It reeked of the good hair-bad hair, slave mentality too much to me. While I am okay with "describing" hair as straight, wavy, kinky, etc., I think adding a "ranking" of or giving "status" placement of hair is a regression to me. THAT element in the story was a HUGE turn-off for me and I think it was really hard for me to connect to and really care for the heroine thereafter.

Lovely story but............2007-04-13

I liked this story, it is rare to find a love story about an African American woman and Japanese man or any ethnic group of Indian or Oriental (is that the right word?) background. But being a black woman myself I find that making the woman as eurocentric beauty wise
as possible irritating, the references to hair due to her white ancestor, (a lot of black people in the Western world due to slavery whether rape or consenual sex had a white ancestor nothing to boast about in my opinion) the fact Tetsu was attracted to her hair waves rather than the fact she had'traditional' black hair. I am not sure if the author is white or a mixed race (black with white) woman but the 'good hair' analogy which as black people we need to get over is sad to see in such a story. The fact that Mckenna being an educated doctor of thirty something acted so childish, she runs away rather than face a good bye, she does not tell him something that happens to her that he needs to know. However the Japanese culture comes through in a positive way. The only baddies in the story are the heroine's prejudiced and snobbish family - she needed therapy with relatives like those.

A love story worth reading.......2007-01-19

This was a excellent book. I reread it about once a week just because I love the story of Mckenna and Tetsuro. Black Woman/Asian Man books are rare within itself and I adore this book and I recommend anyone who is a interracial book fan to read this book.

A Different, Diverse Story (4.5 Stars).......2006-11-23

Book Description: Tetsuro Takamitsu, a Japanese drummer, has devoted his life to taiko drumming, sacrificing family for performing. McKenna Stafford, an African American doctor, has given her life to medicine, abandoning hope of marriage and children. Brought together by a freak accident, McKenna finds her heart repaired as she mends Tetsuro's hand. Can they overcome their differences to build a family together?

I loved Tetsuro Takamitsu and McKenna Stafford's story: the Japanese cultural information, the development, the pace, and especially the characters (flaws and all) - with the exception of the slap. --- Henceforth the 4.5 and not a 5.

Anal And Oral Love. Volume 1: Instinct & Evolution; Volume 2: Neurosis & Compulsion. A Survey of Mankind's Off-Beat Sexual Compulsions. More Than 60 Illustrations!

Average customer rating:

Anal And Oral Love. Volume 1: Instinct & Evolution; Volume 2: Neurosis & Compulsion. A Survey of Mankind's Off-Beat Sexual Compulsions. More Than 60 Illustrations!
James Bellah
Manufacturer: Los Angeles: Ultima Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ITHKFQ

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