Amazon.com
The author of There Are No Children Here follows up that magnificent effort with the gripping story of a mysterious death in southwest Michigan. A black teenager surfaces in the St. Joseph River, drowned. How did he get there? The towns of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, divided by both race and the river, grapple with the possibilities in this maddeningly difficult case. Alex Kotlowitz puts his sharp reporting skills to good work here, describing in detail everything that is known about Eric McGinnis's short life and untimely death. But the book is best at plumbing the racial psychology of these mutually suspicious communities. The Other Side of the River has that can't-put-it-down quality found in the best narrative nonfiction, and it speaks to issues affecting all of America.
Book Description
Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here was more than a bestseller; it was a national event. His beautifully narrated, heartbreaking nonfiction account of two black boys struggling to grow up in a Chicago public housing complex spent eight weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, was a made-for-television movie starring and produced by Oprah Winfrey, won many distinguished awards, and sparked a continuing national debate on the lives of inner-city children.
In The Other Side of the River, his eagerly awaited new book, Kotlowitz takes us to southern Michigan. Here, separated by the St. Joseph River, are two towns, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Geographically close, they are worlds apart, a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St. Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community and ninety-five percent white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and ninety-two percent black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes, inevitably, a screen on which each town projects their resentments and fears.
The Other Side of the River sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. In this gripping and ultimately profound book, Alex Kotlowitz proves why he is one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Disjointed, unstable focus.......2007-10-17
Kotlowitz's first book was stunning and I think he should have stuck with that type of writing. This book is a disappointing second. The entire story is rambling and often has no discernible point. I'm sure this is much more meaningful for residents of the town. The racial thing has been slanted so many ways in the media by now, I still think that 'The Eye of the Storm' from 1968 takes the cake.
read in one night! a real page turner.......2007-04-30
Here's the thing - you know who died, and you know where the body was found and in what condition, but you don't know the why and how. And you still can't put this book down!
Alex Kotlowitz is a master story teller of a real life murder in a racially charged small town, geographically divided by a river but racially divided by mistrust and suspicion. His research is detailed and thorough, and the reader finds himself quickly immersed and emotionally invovled with the characters. Every character is complex and likeable. There are no bad guys/good guys. Just an unsolved murder, in a town yearning to heal.
Sometimes the truth is difficult to take.......2007-02-19
This was an excellent book--painful to read in some places, but important when it comes to understanding the role of racism and race relations in this country. I find it interesting to read the comments from some of the residents of St. Joe's who claim that their town was misrepresented. My sense is that many simply found their deeply entrenched bigoted attitudes and racism difficult to take when detailed in print for the world to read. Perhaps they should spend less time defending the indefensible and more on changing the fabric of their town and its relationship with their neighbors across the bridge.
Not as good as I expected..........2006-05-26
Alex's last book There Are No Children Here is hard to top, but I tried to give The Other Side of the River a chance. What was the point of the book? To show the different levels of racial tensions within this particular community or to find out who killed the teenager? I am still trying to understand the purpose of the book. I felt like I didn't learn anything new.
Great Writing.......2006-01-24
I bought this book for my parents since they own property north of Benton Harbor. I started reading the book after I realized I have worked with one of the people in the book. Very interesting. I will not state my personal opinion on the subject.
I rode a mountain bike from Saint Joseph into Benton Harbor shortly after these events took place and never realized how bad things were. Never had any problems until riding my motorcycle in Benton Harbor with my black fiance'.
Average customer rating:
- Form Over Content
- Beautiful Poem
- Ambitious but highly disapointing
- From Sisters Nineties Literary Group Book Review Editor
- Richie's Picks: A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL
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A Wreath for Emmett Till (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors (Awards))
Marilyn Nelson
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0618397523 |
Book Description
In 1955, people all over the United States knew that Emmett Louis Till was a fourteen-year-old African American boy lynched for supposedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. The brutality of his murder, the open-casket funeral, and the acquittal of the men tried for the crime drew wide media attention. Award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson reminds us of the boy whose fate helped spark the civil rights movement. This martyr's wreath, woven from a little-known but sophisticated form of poetry, challenges us to speak out against modern-day injustices, to "speak what we see."
Customer Reviews:
Form Over Content.......2006-09-27
A fellow teacher is doing a unit on African-American lit and the Civil Rights Movement as a lead-in to Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". "A Wreath for Emmett Till" was one of the books she shared with the class. I have perused it myself, still unsure whether I should actually purchase it or not. Two things other reviewers have mentioned that I too find appealing about the book are: 1)The sheer complexity of constructing a heroic crown of sonnets and 2)the historical backdrop of the events described. Unfortunately, these aspects have very little to do with the content of the poems themselves. Most of the information about Till is contained in the preface and afterword, not in the poems themselves. Likewise, others reviewers, like I, praise Nelson for giving a tour-de-force in making a heroic crown of sonnets (and her commentaries about the sonnets were enlightening), but to be honest, the poems themselves were not particularly outstanding. I would buy the book more as an example of the structure and form of poetry rather than as an example of good poetry (If that makes sense).
Beautiful Poem.......2006-05-31
This book is in the form of a Heroic Sonnet is a brilliantly written book. It is about giving a wreath to Emmett Till, a young child who was lynched after whistling at a white woman. Till, who normally lived in Chicago, was spending the time at his uncle for the summer. After whistling at a white woman, Briant, Milan and a third person kidnapped Emmett Till. Soon after the kidapping, they lynched him. Later in the Trial, Briant and Milan were found not guilty, though later, it was proven they were guilty. This book was brilliantly written into a heroic sonnet, each of the first lines stating: R.I.P. EMMETT L. TILL. It got me emotionally connected, displeased by the racism people had back then (i.e. allowing Briant and Millan the right to be not guilty just because Till was Black). This book was brilliantly written through the use of similies. It allowed you to invision the racism back then. The only comment I have against it is the World Trade Center reference, mentioning 9/11 hadn't happened yet. Other than that, A Wreath for Emmet Till by Marilyn Nelsen was an excellent work of poetry.
Ambitious but highly disapointing.......2006-04-27
This ambitious poetry book is based on a little known poetic style known as a crown of sonnets, used historically to honor great kings. In this unique book, author Marilyn Nelson tries to apply it to an ordinary kid named Emmett Till whose name became household when he was brutally lynched, and outrage over his murder fueled the early flames of the black civil rights movement.
Nelson is admirable to tackle such a brutal and tough subject matter, however admiration is not enough to cover the fact that her poems are often hard to follow due to the ridged style, in addition to being tangential and lacking in any strong dramatic or emotional punch. She writes about Till's murder as she would weave it into a floral wreath, and sometimes that leaves the reader bored and wondering why we should even care about Nelson's pretty flowers. Her stated goal is to write about Till but he rarely makes an actual appearance in these poems, and her attempt to tie his murder into a larger history of lynching is poorly executed. At one point she ties Till's murder to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, which comes out extremely contrived and tacked on, since the events, issues, emotions, and circumstances are completely different. She expands considerable ink wishing he had never been killed, which although very admirable, doesn't give her much space to explore the national impact of his death or the good that grew out of his tragedy. In addition, her lengthy and complex notes at the end of the book are absolutely necessary to understand her many intellectual allusions and symbols. I could not imagine giving this book to anyone under 16 and having them get it at all - I'm finishing my undergrad in two weeks and I was overwhelmed. While the poems pick up pathos towards the end, it really is not enough to save the whole set.
The illustrations by Philippe Lardy are nice but unremarkable, and given the poignant and brutal subject matter they are severely disappointing. Many of them are simplistic and pretty paintings of flowers and birds that fit the wreath theme but entirely loose the tragedy and power of Till's death. Like Nelson's poems, you need the complex notes at the back of the book to understand the many symbols in the oft-abstract illustrations. Emmett Till himself is only shown once, and the artist attempts to make him look like an EveryChild (even to the point of giving him no real facial expressions) which makes him look generic and dull. The art shines best when it is the most simple, such as when it is a textured background for the text itself, with simple shapes instead of complex allegories. When the best thing you can say about the illustrations is that they make nice and non-imposing backgrounds, you know the art is in trouble.
A Wreath for Emmett Till asks the reader to "bear witness to the atrocity" and take responsibility for this murder in our collective memory, but otherwise is not a call to any action or awareness. Unfortunately what sticks in the memory is a book that falls short of its lofty goals.
From Sisters Nineties Literary Group Book Review Editor.......2005-08-18
A Wreath for Emmett Till is my first encounter with Marilyn Nelson; a bittersweet introduction. As a member of the Sisters~Nineties Literary Group, this book fascinates me as it is a beautiful example of poetic mastery. When our editor gives us a writing assignment for our publication, I grumble and protest, then I revel in the experience; delighting in the success of learning about the world of poetry and all its various forms. The "sankofet," created by Debra Morrowloving Sisters~Nineties founder, comes to mind as I read this book.*
Ms. Nelson's rhyme scheme is a fourteen-line sonnet on each page linking the previous poem with the next as the last line of the previous poem is the first line of the next poem on the following page. In the world of poetry, this is known as a "crown of sonnets."
Although written for children, I had to read the book twice to "feel" the horrible images that this book so beautifully captures. References to flower, plants, and trees are symbolic and make up the "wreath" for Emmett.
Please read this book and share the experience with your children. The incident is described as the motivating force of the Civil Rights Movement. It is also a wake-up call to all those who continue to live a life of apathy and denial when it comes to standing up for the legacy of the African American struggle.
*Sankofet is a poetic form of three stanzas, each with seven lines. The fourth line of each stanza is the same. The last word of each stanza is the first word of the subsequent verse, and the last line of a Sankofet is the first line in the poem. The format of the Sankofet emulates the call-and-response motif of Afrikan musical tradition with the repetition of the fourth lines. The connecting words at the beginning and end of the stanzas represent the Afrikan cycle of life concept.
Richie's Picks: A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL.......2005-05-22
I cannot recall if back in 1968 my eighth-grade American history teacher Mrs. Auryansen taught us about the death of Emmett Till. But one of the things I loved most about that year of studying with an enthusiastic teacher who often made American history come alive for me was the series of quarterly independent projects we had to plan and complete. Each marking period we would have to do an American history-related visual piece as well as a written piece and an oral piece.
"BY the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray."
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray."
That's the first of the seven verses of "The Blue and The Gray" by Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907). I memorized and proudly recited those seven verses to my American history class, and that memory has stuck with me.
Having just celebrated my personal half-century mark, I'm all for turning around and returning to eighth-grade. And if I could do so, this is what I would memorize this time around for one of my oral pieces:
"Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood,
my heartwood has been scarred for fifty years
by what I heard, with hundreds of green ears.
That jackal laughter. Two hundred years I stood
listening to small struggles to find food,
to the songs of creature life, which disappears
and comes again, to the music of the spheres.
Two hundred years of deaths I understood.
Then slaughter axed one quiet summer night,
shivering the deep silence of the stars.
A running boy, five men in close pursuit.
One dark, five pale faces in the moonlight.
Noise, silence, back-slaps. One match, five cigars.
Emmett Till's name still catches in the throat."
That is one of the fifteen sonnets that comprises A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL by Marilyn Nelson. After reading the book to myself and then reading it aloud to Shari, my thoughts kept wandering off yesterday to brainstorming how I might somehow set up an event down in the City on Sunday, August 28th--fifty years to the day since Emmett was kidnapped--in which someone who would both have known the Civil Rights movement and whose presence could attract a major audience (a Danny Glover or a Bill Russell or someone else of that stature) would read this powerful series of poems aloud to a crowd to commemorate the anniversary of the brutal death of Emmett Till, a death which horrified the world and made clear what had gone on for so long.
I can imagine having a choir and soloist perform at such an event, but definitely not a bunch of droning speakers whose verbosity might take away from the carefully chosen words of Marilyn Nelson's heroic crown of sonnets about Emmett Till. As Marilyn explains in her preface (HOW I CAME TO WRITE THIS POEM):
"A crown of sonnets is a sequence of interlinked sonnets in which the last line of one becomes the first line, sometimes slightly altered, of the next. A heroic crown of sonnets is a sequence of fifteen interlocking sonnets, in which the last one is made up of the first lines of the preceeding fourteen."
Thus, it's like a literary crossword puzzle. Get one word wrong and it simply doesn't fit together. Get all the words exactly right and you've got something worthy of public performances by famous personalities and recitations by today's and tomorrow's American history students.
Marilyn Nelson got it right.
Book Description
Who perpetrates hate crimes and why? How do hate groups recruit members? Why does so much controversy surround hate crime legislation? While hate crimes are becoming a popular area of academic study, many important questions about hate crimes remain unanswered.
Hate Crimes: Causes, Controls, and Controversies addresses the many facets of hate crimes, providing a comprehensive examination of this complex problem. Author Phyllis B. Gerstenfeld explores the causes of prejudice, the history and operation of hate crime legislation, the activities of organized extremist groups, the international manifestations and solutions to hate crimes, and the consequences of hate crimes upon victims and communities. Considering a broad range of issues from a variety of perspectives, this multidisciplinary text includes the latest legal developments and cutting-edge social research.
To inspire and engage students, the author includes
- Current and familiar topics such as hate on campus
- A sampling of state hate crime laws
- Information for starting an anti-hate campaign
- First-person accounts from victims and perpetrators of hate crimes
- Predictions about and recommendations for the future of hate crimes
- Chapter conclusions, discussion questions, and Internet exercises
Designed to spark discussion in hate crimes courses for undergraduate and graduate students in criminology, criminal justice, and sociology,
Hate Crimes will also be of interest to instructors teaching courses on victimology, violence, and race, ethnicity, and gender.
Book Description
On the night of October 20, 1973, a white couple strolling down Telegraph Hill were set upon and butchered by four young black men. Thus began a reign of terror that lasted six months and left 15 whites dead and the entire city in a state of panic. The intent was nothing less than an attempt to instigate a race war. With pressure on the San Francisco Police Department mounting daily, and the murders showing no sign of abating, young homicide detectives Prentice Earl Sanders and his colleague Rotea Gilfordboth African-Americanwere assigned to the cases. The problem was: Sanders and Gilford were in the midst of a trail-blazing suit against the SFPD for racial discrimination, which in those days was rampant. The backlash was immediate. The force needed Sanderss and Gilfords knowledge of the black community to help stem the brutal murders, but the SFPD made it known that in a tight situation no white back-up would be forthcoming. In these impossible conditionsthe oppressive white power structure on the one hand, the violent black radicals on the otherSanders and Gilford knew they were sitting ducks. Still, they set out to find those guilty of the Zebra Murders and bring them to justice. This is their incredible story.
Customer Reviews:
Great Service Again.......2007-05-14
As usual book arrived in record time in great condition. Very interesting good read about a horrifying true subject!
Madness and murder in San Francisco.......2007-05-02
ZEBRA MURDERS: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights by Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen is the true story of serial killings that took place in San Francisco in 1973 and 1974. The killings were racially motivated during a period when the United States was being forced to treat African Americans in a more equal manner. Although the Brown v. Board of Education decision had been made several years earlier, apartheid still existed. There were angry African Americans - some who were ready to step outside the law.
The atmosphere surrounding the murders included the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, the birth of the Black Panther Party and continued segregation in the work place. Early in the police investigation, it was noted that all the victims were white and black men were seen running from the scene of the crime. Two police officers, Prentice Earl Sanders and Rotea Gilford, who were fighting their own racial discrimination battle with the San Francisco police department, were assigned to the case. All black men who were out after dark were stopped, searched and questioned. This behavior brought lawsuits to the city. In addition, the two black officers were concerned there was going to be a white backlash and so they pushed hard to solve the case, sometimes staying up for days on end. The killings were upsetting the entire city and Sanders and Gilford were afraid the 'racial profiling' was only serving to make matters worse.
This is a well-written true story of American apartheid in the San Francisco police department and the ability of two black officers to overcome the obstacles and still solve the mystery. It moves along swiftly while interjecting the needed nuggets of history of segregation and discrimination in the United States. You can feel the frustration Sanders and Gilford felt as they fought the police department in a lawsuit and attempted to solve the mystery of black men randomly killing white people. Enough background was given so that the atmosphere surrounding San Francisco in 1973 was apparent. It is definitely a must read book.
Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Any California collection must have it........2007-02-04
Any long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area will recall the Zebra killer, whose racially motivated drive-by shootings terrorized the city in 1973-74, and how they were eventually solved by a team led by two black detectives. This story comes alive under the hand of the city's first Afro-American police chief, who was one of these detectives, and pro ides behind-the-scenes expose information about the reign of terror and its investigation. The underlying politics and discrimination within the SFPD comes to life, as does the time of social turmoil, in this riveting story of a crime spree thwarted. Any California collection must have it.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
I enjoyed the book.......2007-01-09
"Enjoy" is probably the wrong word for the subject matter. But I found it fascinating. Both my father and my uncle were in the force at the time and I heard stories about the case and the paranoia it caused. I was on offence about the racial controversies described in the book till I saw the discussions both on this site and elsewhere and saw the names of people (all retired SFPD cops) who were bashing the material. Now I think that maybe the authors are not exaggerating... Regardless, I found the book to be very interesting and informative. Good work.
Not a good book!.......2007-01-07
I bought this book with the hope of enhancing my limited knowledge on this critical time in the city of San Fransico that took place back in the 1970's. I did read Clark Howards book on the same subject about 25 years ago. After reading Mr Sanders version of the events I wonder if they were both writing about the same incident. Needless to say, Mr. Sanders book leaves one with the feeling that the real crime was the fact that the Mayor of S.F. and the police were using every means at there disposal to put a stop to these horrible crimes.
One fact that seems to be at odds with Mr. Sanders is the fact that after months of frustration, the police were able to create a crack in the case within a week of finally taking drastic actions in regards to a dragnet in the area where most of the killings took place. This is in direct contrast to the point that Mr. Sanders makes throughout the book which is to say that the then S.F. police department was completely corrupt and unable to solve crimes because they were so at odds with most of the citizens of S.F. A point most everyone else disputes.
I believe the fact that the crime was solved only after the police applied direct pressure speaks for itself in terms of whatit really took to put a stop to these killers.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a truthful, insighful and accurate telling of this tragic chapter in the city by the bay.
Book Description
Words, like sticks and stones, can assault; they can injure; they can exclude. In this important book, four prominent legal scholars from the tradition of critical race theory draw on the experience of injury from racist hate speech to develop a first amendment interpretation that recognizes such injuries. In their critique of "first amendment orthodoxy," the authors argue that only a history of racism can explain why defamation, invasion of privacy, and fraud are exempt from free-speech guarantees while racist and sexist verbal assaults are not.
Customer Reviews:
thoughtful writing on critical race theory and the law.......2000-03-10
this book examines how free speech in this country intersects with assaultive speech.it challenges the thought that all speech should be protected, and engages you to examine the intent behind many words that we take for granted.
matsuda is known as a constitutional scholar and passionate inquisitor into the blurry intersection of race, gender, the law, and language. whether you agree with her views or not, this book and the ideas put forth will challenge you to examine your own beliefs and expectations of what your civil rights are.
Amazon.com
Noticing differences among people is biological. At six months, an infant can distinguish skin color, hair texture, and facial features. But forming attitudes about differences is social, say Caryl Stern La Rosa and Ellen Hofheimer Bettman in this perceptive and practical book developed by the Anti-Defamation League, Hate Hurts. The authors offer a clear and compelling guide to understanding the way children learn and unlearn prejudice, suggesting hundreds of strategies, role plays, and sample dialogues for parents and teachers to shape the way children value the differences they perceive.
Prejudice--an all-too-common response to dealing with differences of race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation--is contagious, the authors warn. They offer both the theory and the practice to teach children to "turn the fear and pain of prejudice into the courage and cooperation of understanding and respect." Insightful chapters illuminate how children see differences at various ages, from toddler to teen, and detail the tough questions they may ask.
The most powerful segments of the book are devoted to true stories that describe how to respond to children of all ages who have been the initiator or the object of hateful words and actions. For example, one section redefines "big words" (prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination) for "little people"; another tackles adolescent name-calling, exclusion, and "zooing." Specific tools for countering bias in schools, media, books, and online are underlined with conviction and clarity. Parents and teachers could not wish for a wiser guide to confront and conquer prejudice in our children and ourselves. --Barbara Mackoff
Customer Reviews:
a lesson to "unlearn".......2000-11-18
I had to read this book at work (I'm an assistant editor for a teachers' magazine) and was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my reading assignment. If you are a parent or teacher, you will have no trouble finding some benefit from this book.
"Hate Hurts" addresses issues that different ages of children have, from a preschooler's inquiries ("Why don't that man's legs work?") to more serious teen-age deliberations ("I don't like how my friends were teasing that gay guy, but I don't want them to think I'm gay...").
The only reason I don't give this 5 stars is the scattershot approach the book takes. Having said that, this approach makes the book digestible by parents and teachers alike, and the material is appropriate for sharing with nearly anybody. This book is an easy read, and has many applicable anecdotes and a great lesson for all.
A Wonderful Text For Concerned Parents.......2000-10-15
A marvelous book! As the mother of young twins, I wonder (and worry) about how best to teach my children what it means to be a citizen in a diverse society, one where people of different races, religions, nationalities, ethnicites, ages, sexual orientations, looks and customs all participate equally (whew, that was a lot for one sentence!) -- but where, alas, a good deal of prejudice and misunderstanding still exist. 'Hate Hurts' is full of fine, useful advice. The authors offer insights and suggestions that are always practical, though not always obvious. What's more, part of the proceeds go towards efforts by the Anti-Defamation League to eradicate prejudice. This book will have a permanent and prominent place in our family library.
Book Description
Sixteen-year-old Jessica Mastriani knew she wasn't going to be able to hide her psychic powers from the U.S. government -- interested in utilizing her special skills for their own devices -- forever. But she never thought that she and Cyrus Krantz, the special agent brought in to "convince" Jess to join his elite team of "specially gifted" crime solvers, would turn out to have something in common.
But when a local boy's disappearance is attributed to a backwoods militia group, Jess's goal -- to find the missing child -- and Dr. Krantz's -- to stop a group of madmen before they kill again -- turn out to be one and the same. Suddenly Jess finds herself working with one enemy in order to stop a far worse one. In an atmosphere of hate and fear, can Jess and Dr. Krantz -- not to mention Jess's would-be boyfriend, Rob -- work together to unite a community and save a life...without losing their own?
Customer Reviews:
Sanctuary.......2007-06-13
Jess is changing, as are all the other characters. It's so interesting now to look back to the first book, and I realize that so much has happened but it doesn't seem like that much. And now there is only one book left in the series and I guarantee you I will miss reading these books. They go by fast, let me tell you.
a great book!!!.......2007-01-23
Sanctuary is a fantastic book that readers will fall in love with, especially fans of the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series. READ THIS BOOK!!
Loved it!!!.......2006-06-05
I loved this book it has so much going on and the romance it's the greatest. i can't wait until the fifth book.
Killers watch out Jess is out for revenge!.......2006-04-01
It was Thanksgiving Dinner when it all began, everyone was over celebrating at the Mastriani's. The Ambromowitz's, The Lippman's, and unfortunately Great Aunt Rose, when Dr. Thomson their new neighbor that moved in across the street at the old Hoadly place. His son Nate was missing after going to the store to pick up whip cream. After initially thinking that he came to ask for her 'special' help Jess didn't put much thought into Nate's disappearence. She had other things on her mind like skipping out on her families Thanksgiving and heading over to celebrate with her boyfriend.
Later she regrets it when on her way home she stumbles across the murder scene, someone had killed Nate and abandoned his body in a corn field, the hype for all killers in Indiana when they want to dispose of a body. Jess is upset knowing that it is some kind of group kind from the insignia they carved into Nate's chest. The next day Seth a little jewish boy goes missing, days before his bar mitzvah.
Only a day or so after Nate, the mysterious gang attacks the synagogue, and desecrates the churches cemetry. Now Jess is out for revenge enough that she can't even hide her psychic powers from Dr. Krantz the new FBI person following her around and trying to recruit her.
One of the best books i've read.......2005-10-19
I think this series is so much better than the maediator one by meg cabot!!It's very suspenseful and it keeps you wanting to read more and more!
Book Description
There are many heroes of the civil rights movement—men and women we can look to for inspiration. Each has a unique story, a path that led to a role as leader or activist. Death of Innocence is the heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring story of one such hero: Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till—an innocent fourteen-year-old African-American boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and who paid for it with his life. His outraged mother’s actions galvanized the civil rights movement, leaving an indelible mark on American racial consciousness.
Mamie Carthan was an ordinary African-American woman growing up in 1930s Chicago, living under the strong, steady influence of her mother’s care. She fell in love with and married Louis Till, and while the marriage didn’t last, they did have a beautiful baby boy, Emmett.
In August 1955, Emmett was visiting family in Mississippi when he was kidnapped from his bed in the middle of the night by two white men and brutally murdered. His crime: allegedly whistling at a white woman in a convenience store. His mother began her career of activism when she insisted on an open-casket viewing of her son’s gruesomely disfigured body. More than a hundred thousand people attended the service. The trial of J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant, accused of kidnapping and murdering Emmett (the two were eventually acquitted of the crime), was considered the first full-scale media event of the civil rights movement.
What followed altered the course of this country’s history, and it was all set in motion by the sheer will, determination, and courage of Mamie Till-Mobley—a woman who would pull herself back from the brink of suicide to become a teacher and inspire hundreds of black children throughout the country.
Mamie Till-Mobley, who died in 2003 just as she completed this memoir, has honored us with her full testimony: “I focused on my son while I considered this book. . . . The result is in your hands. . . . I am experienced, but not cynical. . . . I am hopeful that we all can be better than we are. I’ve been brokenhearted, but I still maintain an oversized capacity for love.” Death of Innocence is an essential document in the annals of American civil rights history, and a painful yet beautiful account of a mother’s ability to transform tragedy into boundless courage and hope.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A Story Poignantly Told In The Voice of A Loving Mother.......2005-07-29
Mother Mamie Till-Mobley will forever be remembered as a paragon of love, forgiveness, and indomitable strength. This moving memoir was told as only a mother could tell it with both tenderness and the maternal fervor that is so distinctly and universally "Mother." She paints for the reader a portrait of who Emmett was from the time of his birth up to his brutal death, and beyond. For the manner in which this 14-year-old boy was murdered so affected the consciousness of this nation that Emmett became a symbol of how hatred and racism in America not only doesn't exempt Black children, but demonstrates that they are so disposible as human beings that crimes against them go unpunished. The Emmett Till tragedy will forever serve as a shameful commentary on race relations in America, and how the sin of racism has left a permanent stain on the very flag that we say represents "liberty and justice for all."
Mother Mobley gives the reader delicious slices of her own backstory: her close relationship with her mother, her religious upbringing, and the demise of her first marriage (to Louis Till, Emmett's father), and subsequent marriage to Gene Mobley. The book draws you into the life of Mamie Till-Mobley and her family; the love and dedication shown to her by her own mother is almost tangible. The essence of who she was comes off the page. Throughout the pages you can sense her warmth, gentleness, and her strength. From the very beginning of the book, the reader gets to know Mamie as a woman of great strength and stoicism for early on her husband, Louis Till, was lynched while on a tour of duty in the U.S. Army. She goes on to raise her son alone for a season, teaching him responsibility and strict moral values. He turns out to be an obedient and responsible son who loves and respects his mother and grandmother.
The most moving passage was when Emmett's body is shipped back to Chicago. Mother Mobley along with members of the Black clergy, go to Union Station to retrieve her son's remains. She describes in detail the look of the ghastly box that held her 14-year-old baby; the awful stench that emanated from the box; and the emotion that she felt during this horrible juncture. You could feel the wrenching agony of this mother's soul when she describes her screams at the sight of the terrifying box that held her child. She, the funeral director, and her other relatives were ordered by Mississippi law officials not to open the box or there would be consequences. Naturally, this mother ignores this insane command vowing to pry the box open herself if need be. Once Emmett's body arrives at A.A. Raynor Funeral Parlour, Mother Mobley (against the strict admonition of law authorities)meticulously examines the body of her son. So grotesque were his remains, the funeral director suggested a closed casket service. However, Mother Mobley insists that her son's battered and monstrously bloated body be put on display for the world to see. She decribes how she started the examination of Emmett at his toes, and inch by inch she painstakingly worked her way up his thighs, middle, chest, ears one of which had been cut off, his pertruding tongue, and eventually to his enormously swollen head. She decribes his knees with reminisces of how they had been when he was an infant. She decribes her relief that his manhood hadn't been severed for castration was the all-too-familiar calling card of a lynch mob. She exercises grace and modesty when she examines his private parts, explaining how "Emmett would have a fit if he knew [she] was looking at him like this." She had such a connection to her son that even while examining his corpse, she respected his privacy as would any other mother of her adolescent son.
Mamie Till-Mobley's story takes the reader on a journey of love, tragedy, and forgiveness. This woman's faith is evident in the pages of this book. She relies on her faith and is able to forgive the vicious beasts who mutilated her boy. She forgives a country and a justice system that not only acquitted these killers, but reprehensibly subjected her to ridicule and various indignities during that farce they called a trial. And she forgives a president who shows cold indifference when she turns to him for help after having exhausted all legal channels trying to get justice for Emmett. Her strength knew no boundaries. In her later years she dedicated herself to mothering the children of others by first becoming a public school teacher, serving as a church mother in her local church, and establishing a drama group for children. She traveled the country speaking out against hatred and violence. Her healing came through the avenue of giving and not allowing this tragedy, painful as it was, to cause her to withhold her love. She never gave up the fight to get justice for her son; she was in her eighties when she departed this life in January 2003, and she fought for Emmett until the very end. She showed the tenacity and the depth of a mother's love--a love so great, only God's is greater. She was a remarkable woman--a remarkable mother. This was a remarkable story.
Heartbreaking but wonderfully written........2005-07-15
Mamie Till Mobley is the mother of the Civil Rights Movement. I wish I had been able to give her a hug. This book should be required reading in every History class. I hope that the recent exhumation of Emmett's body will find evidence to bring some kind of justice to this most horrific tragedy.
Truly a Death of Innocence.......2005-05-20
I could not put this book down. My heart and soul wept for Mamie and her Mother. I felt as though I lived alongside them when reading each and every paragraph. I found myself living amongst them in Argo, Illinois. Watching each and every move they made from the moment of Emmett's birth to his death. This was such a very sad time for America. I still cannot comprehend how two grown men could be filled with so much hate that they would murder a child over an alleged whistle. Emmett grew up in Chicago with no fear at all. I thought about his last moments in Mississippi. Was he afraid? Did he think they would have let him go back to his granduncles home? This was truly a sad time in history and Mamie Till-Mosley suffered until her death at the loss of her son. I am happy that they have reopened Emmett's case and the 6 people still alive will be punished. He did not deserve to die this way. This book is a must read for every able bodied American to see how hate can destroy. Mamie fought each and everyday. Her speaking engagements throught the country. She refused to let Emmett's death be in vain. The next time I visit Illinois, I will make it a point of driving down Emmett Till Road. This book is a must read.
Worth the Money.......2005-03-22
I read this book over the weekend and I could not put it down. It's one thing to read a book from someone who puts together a story of what they heard what happen but to read a story from Mamie Till on how her son was murdered and to feel her pain is something totally different. She was a brave woman to do what she did and to write a book about her young son. Wonderfully written.
A Triumph Of Love Over Hatred And Despair.......2004-12-15
Have you ever picked up one of those books that is of such quality and intensity that you just couldn't put it down no matter what? Well, I just read one. And that was "Death Of Innocence" by Mamie Till-Mobley, mother of murdered teenager Emmett Till. I can't tell you how hard it was to not put this book down. Mrs. Till-Mobley tells in engrossing detail the path her life took after August 28, 1955 when, while on a vacation to visit relatives in Mississippi, Emmett Till (or "Bobo" as he was affectionately known) was kidnapped from the home of his great uncle and subsequently tortured and murdered. Mrs. Till-Mobley goes on to describe how she struggled to turn her own personal tragedy into a drive for freedom, dignity and understanding for everyone no matter the race, creed or color of the individual. She also describes the place that her faith in God had in enabling her to move on. It also shows what can happen when mankind allows its passions to overule its reason and common sense. I'd just like to conclude by saying that I enjoyed this book immensely and I would recommend that everyone with even an ounce of compassion to read this book with an open mind and an open heart. You'll be glad you did.
Book Description
"As gripping a true-crime book as you're likely to read all year....Read[s] almost as if [it] had been written by Tony Hillerman."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
In Farmington, New Mexico, a town that borders a Navajo reservation, the tensions between whites and Native Americans reached an all-time high in 1974, when three white teenagers brutally tortured three helpless victims to death. Their punishment by the court was light, but in this extraordinary true-crime story, the curses of the Navajo on the boys may have wrought justice where the laws of the white man would not....
Customer Reviews:
as good as its' review.......2003-05-04
I read a review of this book some years ago when it first came out. It sounded like a fascinating story so I made a mental note to keep an eye out for it at the book stores. Time went on and I still hadn't come across it so I ordered it off Amazon.com. When I got the book I was a little aprehensive at first. The subtitle, "A True Story of Murder and Magic in Indian Country" made me wonder if I was going to get the facts or the myth. When I started reading the first few pages, I was worried that I was going to get a skewered perspective of the events. As it turned out, none of my concerns were realized and, instead, I got an excellent review of a sordid event in recent history.
The main events of this story take place in the early 1970's. Three Native Americans were brutally murdered by three White teenagers in Farmington, NM. The author introduces us to the story through his own eyes as he discovers the tense aftermath of the murders and the reaction to the light sentencing that the youthful murderers received. Although just passing through Farmington, Rodney Barker finds himself suddenly involved in the turmoil. The events are etched in his mind and, when he dicovers more about it some years later, he decides to investigate the whole story.
Mr. Barker does a very good job in telling the story and trying to do so from all available perspectives. He is sensitive to the Navajo's point of view and goes to great lengths to bring that perspective to the reader. Yet, despite his partisan introduction to the story, he seems to have done a pretty good job of getting the "Anglo" perspective as well. There are times when there doesn't seem to be a reasonable response to some of what has happened. Yet the author often brings us just such a response. He follows the lives of the perpetrators and we find ourselves actually starting to care about them in their later lives. He leaves not with answers but with an awareness instead.
People not familiar with the tension of communities that border Native American reservations will find these events hard to believe. For that matter, so will those who do live in such communities. I read a Native American columnist once who said that the worst racism against Native Americans can be found in those communities that border reservations. Mr. Barker's book is an example of that statement at its' worst. Unfortuanately, while it makes us aware of this problem, it leaves an emptiness as we look for a solution to the problem. Why was it that the teenage activity of "rolling" intoxicated Indians in Farmington was allowed to happen? Was the author's explantion of the problem overstated or was the community's response to it understated? I live near an Indian reservation and I can attest to stereo-typing and tension between the races. However, it is nothing like the description of the situation in Farmington. Thus I am wondering about many things as a result of reading this book. The success of this book is that it has made me thing about things that need to be thought about.
one of the best non-fiction books I have read.......2001-04-08
Very well written, gripping, and entertaining despite the gravity of the subject matter. Well worth reading.
the Broken Circle.......2000-04-11
The book has been interesting since its inception.The author conjured it from a mass of interviews during a summer some years later. Granted, the book is haunting, tragic and disturbing. The text, failed to understand the horror and confusion of the Anglos. I am well aware of this. Ronny Haynie, 3601 Sunset Ave. 1974....Farmington, New Mexico
the Broken Circle.......2000-04-11
The book has been interesting since its inception.The author conjured it from a mass of interviews during a summer some years later. Granted, the book is haunting, tragic and disturbing. The text, failed to understand the horror and confusion of the Anglos. I am well aware of this. Ronny Haynie, 3601 Sunset Ave. 1974....Farmington, New Mexico
Compelling story of racial tension in Navajo Indian country........1997-05-13
Set in Farmington, New Mexico during the early
1970's, this book tells the story of a brutal triple
homicide committed by three white teenagers
against local Navajo Indians. Almost as cruel as
the crimes themselves, was the fact that the boys
received extremely light sentences. This book
sets forth the moral dillema of this tense period of
Southwest history in light of the cultural differences
which existed between the Navajo way and the
non-Indian world. The book is fast-paced and hard
to put down. Perhaps most interestingly, the book
tells a true story. If you enjoyed the movie, Incident
at Oglala, you will love this book
Average customer rating:
- one sided garbage
- Very Good.
- The best
- Outstanding!
- THIS IS THE MOST ONE SIDED BOOK I HAVE EVER READ
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Skinhead Street Gangs
Loren W. Christensen
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
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Binding: Paperback
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Blood in the Face: The Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads, and the Rise of a New White Culture
ASIN: 0873647564 |
Book Description
Written from a cop's view, this book explains who the skinheads are, who their targets are, why they are so violent, how and where they operate, what weapons they favor and what danger they pose to society and police.
Customer Reviews:
one sided garbage.......2002-01-02
This book only briefly explains the SHARP skins..( anti rascist skinheads) but throughout upholds the image that all skinheads are rascist..making it seem that only a few are non rascist...this is wrong. The original roots of skinhead culture were anti rascist who believed in pride and support for the working class , family , friends , beer , and standing up for whats right. This repeats over and over "skinheads are violent individuals who believe in destroying culture different than their own"..this is just the media's attempt to destroy the skinhead name. Throw it in the fire with all the other hype books.
Very Good........2001-05-31
This is an excellent tome for understanding the under workings of Skinhead street gangs. The book delves into Right-wing (Neo-Nazi), Left-Wing (SHARPS, Anarcho-skins) and non-political skins.
Written from by a police officer that's been in the middle of it since darn near day one, this book is true to it's description of being a "crash course" into this violent underworld.
If you want to be informed, check it out.
The best.......2000-01-06
... Skinhead Street Gangs is the most complete book on the subject. In his new book, Gangbangers, Christensen writes more on all factions of skinheads. Both books are excellent and I recommend them to cops, parents and others who work or live around gangs.
Outstanding!.......1999-07-20
This is a one-of-a-kind book, like no other one on the subject on the market. It's mostly about racist skins but there is plenty about antiracists, too. It's not a historical read on the subject, but rather a book that provides an in-depth insight to how skins think, act and what they want. I recommend it to students writing a paper, police officers and community folks. Those who haven't liked the book are those skins of a particular set who feel they have been slighted.
THIS IS THE MOST ONE SIDED BOOK I HAVE EVER READ.......1999-07-07
Not only did Loren Christensen totaly forget the traditional skinhead, or the roots so deeply embeded in the working class. He forgot to mention that these misled youth are not skinheads at all, its just a title that the media and himself like to pin on these kids because they dont know much more than that. I wouldnet have even gave this boo one star but thats as low as i was allowed to go.
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