Book Description
James Brown has always been a fascinating, controversial figure. From his humble childhood in Georgia, he went on to change the face of American music with hit after hit on the R&B charts. And while he was a courageous public figure in a time of national strife and adversity, his personal life took many destructive turns, leaving a long and difficult path of redemption ahead of him. For the first time in well over a decade, he speaks candidly and at length about his tumultuous, incredible journey.
James Brown moves beyond his music and his much-publicized legal troubles to delve deeply into the highs and lows of his life.
Customer Reviews:
A Memoir Told by Mr. Brown As Only He Could Tell It..........2007-03-10
I have read several memoirs of famous people and this one has been the best! Marc Eliot provides an awesome 37 page introduction that covers Mr. Brown's life and career. It is obvious that Marc Eliot has much admiration and respect for this complex, yet extra talented "Man's Man" (a term that Mr. Brown uses in the book that was meant to be a compliment).
I have always been a fan of James Brown, but had never known much about his personal life. Once the disconsolate news of his death hit the media on December 25, 2006, the television and papers were chock-full of positive and negative things about Mr. Brown. His fourth wife or companion rushed pell-mell to the media upon his death and caused an embarrassing blitz which has happened to him before and in this book, Mr. Brown provides a logical and probably factual explanation for the previous incidents.
Mr. Brown was the first singer to own his personal private jet and record a live album with no separation of tracks. Life's lessons taught him that the one in power is the one who makes the money and that is usually one who works for himself. The lesson learned is "power" not "rich". James Brown states in the book that Elvis got 75% of his style from him (p. 50). Little Richard discovered James Brown and his Famous Flames and is also responsible for his success.
This memoir contains so much personal and professional information. Mr. Brown gives the reader an inside look into "the good, bad, and ugly" of the music business. The indept overview of the music business that kept most artist broke, the payola scandal, and his radio station ownership experience. Things that he discussed in this book was probably quotidian for his inner circle. However, he did not have to reveal as much about his thoughts, feelings, and life to the public. That is why this is a memoir told as only he could tell it and I appreciate him leaving this book behind for generations to come.
He discussed his affiliations with the United States President and the struggles that ensued to get approved to perform in Vietnam. Not only does the reader get political and business info from The Godfather of Soul, but then he flips to the lighter side of loving cowboys and the western movie channel. Mr. Brown has Apache American Indian in his bloodline (p. 54). The details about his relationship with his birth mother was another sad chapter in his life, but he rose above it all.
Reading this book gave me the feeling that Mr. Brown was actually talking to me, sharing his wisdom, philosophy on life. My dad and James Brown both said, "At threescore and ten and counting, I have lived all the years that God allotted me" (p. 259). Mr. Brown lived his life to the fullest, he kept his pride and integrity no matter what adversity he encountered on his life's journey. The only thing this book left me hanging on was expecting his comments on the singer Lynn Collins and more details on the black movie soundtrack from the 1970s.
In summary, if you are looking for a book about James Brown that is apropos... this is it.
By:
Pam Jarmon-Wade
A Well-Deserved Honor Long Delayed........2006-08-24
It's about time James Brown "feels good." In his hometown, he has been forgiven and made icon status which he should have had all the time. Born in Augusta, Georgia, he achieved fame with his style of music and his talent; however, his strict discipline at home (a Southern thing, all men in the South acted that way) got him bad press and as a result he had to do some jail time. Many people turned their backs on him and the right people did not come to his defense.
We had a James Brown in a small town where I lived in lower Middle Tennessee. He told me how he could get into the echelons of the music world when he made the appointment using his own name. He was a music producer, he said, but they were expecting the larger-than-life singer. When a young genius moved to the country near that town, he wrote a letter to the editor asking why we don't even acknowledge the birthplace of the "Godfather of Soul." Those of us who knew the local James Brown had a good laugh, so I called the young fellow and told him that our James Brown was never a criminal, had actually run for Mayor two or three times; he said that the singer's hometown was listed in the Guiness Book of Records as being where we lived. I checked and he was right! So I wrote to that publication to let them know they were using the address of the wrong person. They replied to me that every year they sent out mail asking if he still lived at that address. He did! He was James Brown, but he was not THE James Brown. I wonder how many others have done the same.
Now, finally, he is getting the treatment from Augusta he deserved forty years ago, a statue, a music festival, and a street named after him. To top it off, the arena there will be named after their favorite local resident. It's time to give him back his pride. What he did is what most Southern men did and got away with. Being a celebrity, he had to pay the price for being born in the South.
I'm a big JB fan....but............2006-07-22
I am a GIGANTIC James Brown fan, I have 100 albums, 130 singles, I've met him 5 times, seen him live over 100 times since 1971, had lunch with him in NYC, and I am the 'Paul' in the JB section of Gerri Hirshey's nice history of soul music NOWHERE TO RUN, but if this book was written by James Brown or if he even had much to tell the writer, I'll eat my refrigerator. It is so full of errors that it is laughable. One of the most glaring errors was when Mr. Brown 'supposedly' said, "SAY IT LOUD was where funk started" or something to that effect. That is so ridiculous. James Brown would NEVER say such a thing! Any student of funk knows that COLD SWEAT was the quintessentional funk piece and it is not even mentioned in the book!!! The style of Mr. Brown's sentences that are attributed to him sound NOTHING like him. I have no idea why this was put out. The other 'autobiography' written over a decade ago was more relevent and much better written, THE GODFATHER OF SOUL by JB and Bruce Tucker. Someone, (Alan Leeds?) needs to write a 600 page comprehensive biography of Mr. Brown with much more detail.
Literate, valuable work.......2005-07-02
This book still does not address many areas I find interesting in James Brown's career but I find it a natural companion to the three other JB books in my collection: Cynthia Rose's "Living In America: The Soul Saga Of James Brown"; Geoff Brown's biography "James Brown"; and ofcourse, the Brown/Tucker "The Godfather Of Soul - James Brown". All three dig deep into this metaphysical musician's mind but this one has a stronger narrative, a bit less guarded: his late '80s fall is described in a more contrite way, for example. His scientific study of his audience is perhaps something new in his dialogue - but he broaches the subject of how music motivates women in a different way than it does men, then immediately moves on to the next thought. This subject should have been expanded upon (especially for those studious fans who remark that even by 2005 standards his live albums contain some of the most overt sexuality, obviously directed at the female fans, ever recorded), but he drops it like he does "Mother Popcorn" on stage these days - the audience sits forward to enjoy something very unusual, one of his most engaging opuses rarely revisited, then falls back after about 45 seconds. Similarly, his admonitions to contemporary rap/hip-hop artists are eloquent but must be deemed a bit self-righteous: there is alot of rough, "adult" content in his catalogue which can't be explained away as "art". However, fans can trace his development into more "cerebral" music, with more and more sensitive ballads and socially-conscious tunes being produced from the late '60s on.
I was happy to read his description of Little Richard's assistance in his early career, but a bit disheartened when he suggested that Penniman was basically a Rock and Roll raver - I find it hard to believe that this publication brought out his true feelings about his Georgia neighbor - the influence is quite obvious and not just on "Chonnie On Chon". Another depressing ommission is with Marva Whitney, his popular lead female vocalist from c.'67 to '70. A recent documentary reveals that Marva traveled To Vietnam with the star but here he simply says that he was only allowed to travel with a small part of his musical backup.
Despite the above concerns, with this book James Brown has shown the literary world that he is a writer. Ofcourse this was obvious to the musical world - just listen to "Don't Be A Drop Out", "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing", "The Man In The Glass", "I'm Not Demanding", "It's Christmas Time", and "Peace In The World".
A hard-hitting memoir exposing the 'real' James Brown.......2005-04-10
The story of soul star James Brown has been covered elsewhere before - but nowhere else does it have the authority of Brown's own words. I Feel Good : A Memoir Of A Life Of Soul tells of his childhood growing up black in the segregated South, of his involvements in the music world, and his success at creating a new funk style within the soul world. Brown's later struggles with the law and his own psyche are all detailed in this hard-hitting memoir exposing the 'real' James Brown at last.
Book Description
"Probing deep into four hidden histories... the material released should dispel any notions of 'lone nuts' or coincidence... These articles cut a clear path through the thick jungle of disinformation that has grown around these events and expose the truly hideous teratomas that thrive and bloom under the canopy of 'national security.'"-New York Press
Customer Reviews:
Very Good, but ULTIMATE SACRIFICE the best book ever .......2005-12-13
Good, but ULTIMATE SACRIFICE the best book ever
While I thought this book was worthwhile in many respects, ULTIMATE SACRIFICE is simply the best book ever on the JFK assassination.Still, worth your time.
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA
Very investigative!.......2005-01-05
Probe Magazine has always fascinated even lone nut theorists.
The reason why is because it was an extremely investigative Magazine.
James DiEugenio, Lisa Pease, etc have been known for their tireless investigative research into the true circumstances surrounding the death of America's 35th President.
Now, you can read the wonderful articles that the Probe writers worked on concerning the conspiratorial Assassination of not only John F Kennedy, but also the suspicious assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Some have said that perhaps these assassinations werent merely isolated events, but that they were all connected in some way.
This is not far fetched when one considers that Bobby Kennedy was shot within a week after he said "Only the powers of the Presidency will reveal the true circumstances of (JFK's) murder" or words to the effect.
Also J Edgar Hoover, who clearly must atleast be suspected in the murder of Martin Luther King Jr, was THE man in charge of the "investigation" of JFK's death.
Also Hoover hated Bobby Kennedy with a purple passion.
It may be true that the same establishment that felt threatened enough by JFK that they decided to kill him, may have killed his Brother to remain in the shadows that they had hid in since '63.
And Martin Luther King Jr, had, at times, made the same enemies, that the Kennedy brothers had.
One cant help recognize the eerie similarities between Lee Harvey Oswald and James Earl Ray.
Whether these assassinations were related or not, this is for certain: This book will really make you think about these assassinations, if you havent before.
This book is so interesting, you will want to read it and reread it again and again.
My head is spinning and my heart is aching.......2003-12-28
Not only is this the best book about the assassinations I've read, but these are the best reviews I've read on Amazon. No stone is left unturned and I weep for the past and fear the future. I will NEVER trust the media to tell the whole truth again. After returning this to the library today, I will buy this book for my collection. Thank you to the authors.
Essential Reading.......2003-07-26
Besides the furious establishment media counterattack, Oliver Stone's JFK lead to the release of long surpressed documents and evidence and the re-flowering of research and publishing concerning JFK's assassination. Probe was the best journal to come out of the post-JFK enlightenment. It is now, sadly, defunct but Feral House has published an anthology of Probe's best articles, some revised and expanded, along with some new work. The Assassinations is edited, as was Probe, by James DiEugenio and Lisa Pease. James DiEugenio is the author of Destiny Betrayed: JFK, Cuba and the Garrison Case, and he also provides a commentary track on a recent DVD reissue of Stone's JFK. The anthology covers the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X with over half of the 677 page paperback volume dedicated to JFK.
Some of The Assassinations highlights:
John Armstrong's research into the "Two Oswalds." If you've been a student of the Kennedy assassination for 37 years, your mind is seldom blown. Enter John Armstrong. Armstrong's argues and offers proof of two Oswalds walking among us since childhood.
Lisa Pease on the CIA's Prince of Darkness, James Jesus Angleton.
James DiEugenio and Bill Davy on the Garrison investigation. Some researchers avert their eyes when Garrison's name is mentioned. No such embarrassment here. Clay Shaw's perjury and his CIA connections are revealed in detail.
John Newman on Oswald and the CIA.
Dr. Gary Aguilar's brilliant analysis of the magic bullet. Aguilar is your best guide through the briar patch of medical evidence. No tangles or scratches, guaranteed.
An essential section on the media's complicity in the cover-up, with an emphasis on the Garrison investigation.
The clear and highly readable writing in this anthology is based on meticulous research into the recent disclosures of long suppressed documents and other evidence. Although the fresh material is shocking it is also, in a sense, liberating. You see behind the lies, the propaganda, the disinformation. You don't have to be a longtime student of the bloody politics of the sixties to appreciate the many riches in this volume. The Assassinations is an essential addition to the literature on our secret history. [This review is adapted from my longer review in The Anderson Valley Advertiser (May 21, 2003)]
This is not a book for conspiracy buffs.......2003-06-20
"The Assassinations" is one of the very few books which present a comprehensive and well-organized look at the *big* picture. It is a volume which deserves the attention, not just of people who are convinced that the assassinations of the Kennedys, King and Malcom X were not the work of "lone nuts", but of everyone who is genuinely interested in the recent history of the United States. Whether you are convinced, skeptical or simply curious, this is the book to read if you want to find out the facts, not the latest spin from the mass media.
Book Description
Inventing Modern America profiles thirty-five inventors who exemplify the rich technological creativity of the United States over the past century. The range of their contributions is broad. They have helped transform our homes, our healthcare, our work, our environment, and the way we travel and communicate.
The inventors profiled include such well-known figures as George Washington Carver, Henry Ford, and Steve Wozniak, as well as unsung technological pioneers such as Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of Kevlar, and Wilson Greatbatch, inventor of the first implantable cardiac pacemaker.
Inventing Modern America is designed to create excitement about invention through the personal stories of these American scientists, technologists, and researchers. It is accessible enough to engage high school students yet wide-ranging and interesting enough to appeal to anyone who has ever wondered where microwave ovens and traffic lights come from.
The book was developed by the Lemelson-MIT Program for Invention and Innovation, whose mission is to inspire a new generation of American scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
Customer Reviews:
Great Way To Inspire Young Inventors!.......2003-02-26
If your child is heading off to higher education, or is just looking for a book that has some great information for a middle to high school book report, a parent can't go wrong with the book "Inventing Modern America: From The Microwave To The Mouse" by David E. Brown (2002, MIT Press, 209 Pages).
One of the features that grab the reader right off the bat is the fact that the book centers upon modern innovations, such as that friendly little gadget that makes home computer use such a joy--otherwise known as a `mouse'. Another great inclusion is the contributions of Black inventors, such as Dr. George Washington Carver and Garrett Morgan. No, we are not talking about just a `paragraph or two', we are talking about royal treatment of each of the inventors contained within its covers--including glimpses at other inventions by featured inventors.
Of course, to a real info-junkie, the book is too short. However, it does provide a lot of inspiration to those who have the talent and the drive to invent. It is an encouraging work, as it talks not only about the successes of each inventor and innovator, the book is full of diagrams, photos, and pictures of many other inventions by those selected for discussion.
If you are looking for a book to encourage and uplift your future inventor, you can't go wrong with presenting a copy of this work to your son or daughter--or even as a gift for yourself, if you have that hidden desire to want to create a better mousetrap; or even improving upon something that already exists. It is a reference book that will keep on giving, and inspiring long after its purchase. I highly recommend it.
Mike Ramey
Best book ever!.......2001-12-03
this was the best book i have ever read in my entire life! it really made me think about were all this stuff we use in our everyday life comes from. 3, no 4 thumbs up!
Best book i ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-12-03
this was such a cool book. i mean, i never really thought about the beginnings of these famous things before, but now this book got me thing. 3 thumbs up!
Book Description
Plagued by the suicides of both his siblings, heir to alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, and economic ruin, novelist James Brown lived a life clouded by addiction, broken promises, and despair. Beautifully written and limned with dark humor, these twelve deeply confessional, interconnected chapters address personal failure, heartbreak, the trials of writing for Hollywood, and the life-shattering events that finally convinced Brown he must "change or die."
Customer Reviews:
Los Angeles Diaries.......2007-09-13
I quit reading fiction some years ago. Now I read only true stories -- or so they claim. It's gotten so I can sense when the writer is BSing me. When a friend reccomended Los Angeles Diaries, I knew it was patched together from truth.
These days any Ivy League poseur with a cocaine habit somehow feels entitled to write a memoir. Before they do, they should read Los Angeles Diaries.
James Brown writes about a the America that flourishes on the edge of the brown sodium light of city streetlamps. He's writing about the America of wide boulevards and dispossesed kids forced to create a world for themselves because their parents are too self-absorbed in Hollywood dreams, and the poison when those dreams come true. He writes of what happens when those kids become adults and mutate into the same world of fantasy and bitter fate.
Brown is an amazing writer. His style -- short, sweet like a punch -- obviates the need for comparison, but he's the son of Bukowski and Fitzgerald writing from a motel room shared with Raymond Carver.
Then there's the drugs and the suicides and the meetings with Hollywood executives and the snipers and the crazed freeway runs and the cold nights detoxing alone in a lost room on the edge of a South Dakota reservation.
The Los Angeles Diaries takes you places that you won't want to go. But once you're done, you will be changed.
Strange thing. He's very popular in Europe. Somehow the Brits and the French see something original, something so American that Americans have trouble seeing it.
Want more info: Go to YouTube and check out the video of a CNN profile. Search under "Los Angeles Diaries."
Just get past the gaudy lead paragraphs.......2006-11-05
Linked stories of Brown's attempts to write, teach and stay married (while the siren songs of booze and cocaine call him toward self-annihilation) alternate with tales of his childhood in San Jose and Hollywood-Echo Park. We learn of his fleeting security with a sometimes beautiful mother, who burned down a local apartment building and preferred prison to a psychiatric diagnosis. We learn of his lifelong attempt, through writing, to make artistic sense out of such unshakable memories as that of his drunken father urging him to dance by speaking a gorgeous, vicious fiction. ("Dance, your mother's coming home tomorrow.") We see Brown laid desperate enough by Hollywood ambition that he sits through a sniper attack at a studio to get his pitch meeting. We meet the pedophile whose attention Brown almost accepts despite knowing what it is. This is one of many instances that reveal the hair's breadth by which Brown has, so far, survived. For we also see Brown's brother, a promising actor, shoot himself when he can't stay clean. Years later Brown's sister, after a couple of promising starts in AA, gives up too.
Brown's implacable honesty makes for some immortal, gut-punch moments of writing. ("For a while it's like old times, sitting around the kitchen table with my brother and father getting wasted on a hot afternoon.") In one transcendent passage, Brown juxtaposes the loss of his siblings with the primal gravity of a course-correcting season he spent with his dreamer Dad: "The kid who shoots heroin, robs and steals is getting drowsy, his father's voice slowly fading, and when I fall asleep and wake up thirty years later as a middle-aged man, I realize that this brief time I spent with my father has much to do with why I am still here and my brother and sister are not."
I felt that presence, like a rock you barely cling to in rushing water.
The book's only real flaws are in the frame. The intro attempts to haunt us with derivative, stylish images of the Santa Ana winds, and it's a pretentious, false cliché. Brown's voice there sounded like a narcissistic drunk (sorry), and I wasn't buying any of it. (One devastating childhood memory of ashes in place of snowflakes might have worked better at the end.) The rest of the book is so dangerously honest that I felt an uneasy privilege reading it. From about the third page on, the realization builds that he's committed not to lie to readers about anything--a choice we have to take as sacred and thank him for it.
A Modern American Tragedy.......2006-06-06
"The Los Angeles Diaries" continue the tragic story begun in the book "Final Performance". dealing with the author, James Brown's
ability to cope with the issues of a tumultous childhood, which contributed toward the suicides of his older siblings Barry (a rising TV/movie star of the 1970's) and Marilyn.
The first part of the book describes the frustrations of the author (a college professor) at his ill-starred attempts to sell screenplays to Hollywood, and the familial way of handling disappointment with drugs and alcohol. Interspersed throughout
are vignettes (told in flashback) of his childhood, some sentimental, some chilling.
Brown also relates the difficulty of maintaining a sober facade before college professors and students(well acquainted with the
drug scene) who view him cynically.
One bright spot is the hilarious narrative of Jame Brown's attempt to mollify his angry wife with a pot-bellied pig as a peace offering.
The Machiavellian porker is named Daisy, and Brown's problems
burgeon in direct proportion to Daisy's expensive appetite -
and expansive girth.
Man and pig butt heads; in a contest between man and animal,
the animal will win hands down because it has "cuteness" on its side. (The end of the chapter is a riot...)
The second half of "The Los Angeles Diaries" is depressing, describing the downward spiral, and subsequent suicides of
Brown's brother, Barry, and his sister, Marilyn.
By the end of his life, Barry Brown was out of control: impersonating a police officer (a character from a movie) and
drinking compulsively. He shot himself to death at age 27.
Marilyn Brown attempted to wean herself from alcohol and drugs, but past demons prompted her one night to climb onto the railing of an overpass, then fling herself to her death in the dry riverbed below.
The book ends on an optimistic note; while in South Dakota, James Brown resolved to go cold turkey, or die - he made it.
But - his two books ("The Los Angeles Diaries" and "Final Performance") are touching memorials by the survivor to the siblings who didn't make it...
A new American classic.
Good..........2006-05-26
Might as well read this book, it is a quick read. I found myself disappointed however. It entertained me verily while I was reading the book. I was happy I took the time... Still, now, a while later, nothing of the book sticks with me. This especially disappoints me, being memoirs of a survivor of a dysfunctional and somewhat abusive household... As I come from the same background. I was really hoping part of the book might haunt me in a way. However, with nothing bad to say about this book, I might have to attribute my disappointment to my own expectations moreso than a fault of Mr Brown.
Terrific concept, terrific execution.......2006-03-10
There are a number of things going really right for The Los Angeles Diaries, but none moreso than Brown's conception of his memoir - each chapter a different essay detailing a different discrete portion of his life, so each chapter will jump back and forth a decade or two. It could be disjointed, but instead it's the notion of one consciousness getting out exactly what it needs to for our understanding and letting us crane our necks a bit to fill in the details. This works because James Brown is a writer of such fierce conviction that the notions carry over from one section to another, the reality of his experience connected by spurts and sources of identity, linked by the fierce honesty of his experience. If you're like me, this is hardly the first "addiction memoir" you've picked up (it's practically a genre in itself), but it's especially distinct by a narrator who doesn't "hit bottom" in the typical fashion; Brown is a man always on the fringes of total oblivion managing to salvage himself. It makes for an unforgettable, even inspiring read, but it does leave a couple giant questions - notably, how was the ultimate breakthrough allowing him to remain clean so different from his others? He'd discussed other times he spent days or weeks without drugs or booze, what made this book's ultimate conclusion so distinct? It's abrupt ending won't answer that question, which is tantalizing, but it will leave you with an indelible picture of hope, and a gloriously specific, scrappy image of survival.
Amazon.com
The autobiography Godfather of Soul was originally published before James Brown's late-'80s brushes with the law, so those looking for the man's thoughts on his drug problems and subsequent incarceration will walk away empty-handed. Seekers after the fine blend of social responsibility, cranked-up ego, and pronouncements on his own music and its place in the world, however, will be amply rewarded. Fascinating tidbits--from the claim that Elvis Presley once hoped to record with the JBs to the story of being able to find only white and Asian kids in a last-minute recruiting effort for the shout-along on "Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud"--abound. But you probably guessed as much of the auteur of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," Live at the Apollo, and "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto." --Rickey Wright
Book Description
A man of many names: The hardest working man in show business, King of the one nighters, Soul Brother #1, the sex machine ... but everyone knows who they mean. James Brown: The Godfather of Soul. Since his first chart-topper in 1956, he's outlived, outlasted, and outperformed all rivals. He is the funk-and-soul innovator and rap's driving spirit. His dazzling stage shows are legendary. Now James Brown tells his own story, just as he plays his music: loud, proud, and soulful. From his dirt-poor childhood in an Augusta brothel to wealth and world fame and his recent incarceration, James Brown takes a unique look behind the closed doors of poverty, segregation, politics, and the music industry. With photo inserts, brilliant anecdotes about Little Richard, Elvis, Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Tammi Terrell, Michael Jackson, and many others, plus a new updated introduction and epilogue and an exhaustive discography.
Customer Reviews:
Get on the Good Foot Y'all!.......2007-02-28
James Brown was a true innovator. Nobody can take his genius away from him. He has passed on to occupy the ancestral realm. Remember the ancestors are always with us, you simply have to invoke their names.
I recommend this book for any James Brown fans or casual reader of history.
a very good read.......2006-12-27
RIP to the Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother #1, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. This been a great blow and to all of us James Brown fans here. This book was the one I needed to keep me focused. Just read it all the way through earlier this year. Very strong, uplifting and powerful. James Brown was the Hero, the Legend, the American Pioneer. He wasn't just an entertainer or a hit maker or an artist, he's a man that have overcome alot on what's happening in the world: going thru poverty, business, the Civil Rights Movement, the world, loss of jobs, politics, way of culture, way of living, and a way to express ourselves thru a meaning of religion, life, hunger, soul, pain, and suffering. The Man had it all. Boy I'mma miss him and his talent. His spirit always captures us thru this day. GOOD GOD!!!
Thanks for all the hardship and legacy you put us into, Brother James Brown.
Interesting From Start to Finish.......2005-12-28
I bought this book a couple of years ago, and once I began reading the first page I couldn't stop until I'd finished the whole book. The things that JB had to go through as a young boy, it's a wonder he didn't wind up on death row, or in an early grave. It's a good thing that he turned his attention to music, and put all he had into it. Even though he was never really raised by anyone, or had a real family life he was able to make his mark in life. I'm glad that he acknowledges the power of God, and he knows what God can do. I enjoyed reading this book. This is a must read for everyone.
It hooked me - An Amazing Read.......2005-08-29
What a life. What a personality. I have enjoyed this book enormously: You get the feeling that this is James Brown telling you his extraordinary story in a long and fascinating conversation. He talks about his music, his personal life and troubles, his philosophy, and, what I think is most thrilling, show business and stage performance.
My main goal in reading this book was resolving a personal doubt: Was he the genius behind his records, or was it Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley or his producers? After reading the book and listening to his records with lots of new insights, I have little doubt that the main driving force (although not the only one) in his records was himself. What Brown says about his music, where it came from, how it was made, what he intended to say, really made me discover many things in his records! For instance, if you have 'Live At The Apollo (1963)' (one of Brown's best albums) or have listened to it, DON'T MISS what he has to say about it -and play the LP again. I couldn't stop laughing for almost a quarter of an hour.
On another hand, I was also wondering: Is he a ruthless, egotistic and authoritarian character, as he is sometimes portrayed? In the book, JB openly and candidly talks about the discipline in his band, prison, guns, Black Power, and politics; and, paradoxically, in the end I finished with the impression of having received a lesson in confidence in man, tolerance, faith and spirituality. Soulful singers like him or BB King really have something to say about life-not only in their records.
On a last note, I think the (co-)writer Bruce Tucker has structured the book very well, hooking you from the beginning until the last page. As usual, it is better to avoid beginning with the prefaces and forewords, and leave them for the end. Only a little information about musicians in the sessions would have been welcome -although it is true that it's not the scope of the book.
Definitely worth reading it if you are a James Brown fan, and also very commendable if you are interested in music in general.
The greatest entertainer in the world!!!.......2003-09-08
I'm 34 I had listened to some James Brown manly the hits. I had the oppertunity to see his show a couple of months ago. It was fantastic. I started getting some of his other albums like the big payback(my favorite) I must tell you I'm hooked I can't get enough of that sound. I finished this book today. It was awsome his takes on things are so down to earth. If you're down with Mr. Brown than you gotta read this.
Book Description
When the Supreme Court decision to desegregate public schools was handed down in 1954, the course of American history was forever changed. Here are personal reflections, stories, and poems from ten of today's most accomplished writers for children, all young people themselves at the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Included are Michael Cart, Jean Craighead George, Eloise Greenfield, Lois Lowry, Katherine Paterson, Ishmael Reed, Jerry Spinelli, Quincy Troupe, Joyce Carol Thomas, and Leona Nicholas Welch. With a compelling introduction by editor Joyce Carol Thomas and stunning pastel artwork by Curtis E. James, this collection celebrates the hard-earned promise of equality in education.
Customer Reviews:
Not bad for adults!.......2005-10-01
This book is a collection of essays about the Brown decision. It is not the story of Linda Brown that I was hoping for. Current juvinile authors tell of their own experiences during that period. It's interesting.
Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone, Ed. Joyce Carol Thomas.......2003-11-21
One of the most moving and memorable reading experiences that your child will have is "Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone," edited by the celebrated children's author, Joyce Carol Thomas. Cover-to cover, from the commemorative opening of this volume of stories and the stirring introduction by Ms. Thomas, to the very last story, this is by far one of the best anthologies that has been written for young people. In Jerry Spinelli, Eloise Greenfield, Lois Lowry, Quincy Troupe, Katherine, Joyce Carol Thomas, Michael Cart, Ishmael Reed, Jean Craighead George, Leona Nicholas Welch, you will find some of the finest writing in a single volume.
Joyce Carol Thomas has managed to gather together this very fine ensemble of writers and asked them to remember where they were when the Brown vs. Board of Education decision was handed down by the Supreme Court. They have all written stories worth reading over and over again. A full range of emotions, are expressed in these pages-anger, despair, hope, humor, sadness. These writers speak very forthrightly about racism, segregation, and injustice. They speak candidly about their own fears, loss of innocence, and their own hope for the future. They speak about the work that we still have to do as a society to bring full equality to every person. They also speak about our miserable failure at doing so. This is one of the strongest aspects of this collection-that it never condescends to its intended audience. The editor and the writers rightfully expect that their young readers have the maturity and the intellectual capacity to be able to embrace the varied truths and emotions expressed in this book. A volume like this requires that kind of trust between writer and reader. And, this makes this book one of the very best that I have read.
Editor Thomas has brought together the right mix of writers, who with grace and clarity, provide a very unforgettable reading experience for our children. Ms. Thomas' own poem "Stormy Weather" is no exception. It is one of my favorites. And, last but not least, is the exquisite artwork of Curtis James! You'd have to look inside the book to really see how beautiful his work is!
Thank all of these writers and illustrator, Curtis James by buying "Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone." Read it to your children. Read it with them. It's a magnificent read for adults, too! It's required reading for all of us.
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Chris Brown (Hip Hop)
James Hooper
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Chris Brown Poster, 23" x 34"
ASIN: 1422201775 |
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- A simple yet moving story about a lost and injured dog
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The Market Square Dog
James Herriot
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
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Book Description
The storytelling magic of James Herriot has become a warm, joyful part of our children's lives. The Market Square Dog is his tale of a friendly stray dog who comes to beg in the Darrowby village square-and goes without a home until the local policeman saves the day.
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A simple yet moving story about a lost and injured dog.......2006-12-03
James Herriot was one of the best writers of stories involving human interaction with animals. In this case, a dog appears at a market in a British city. It is frightened to the point where it cannot be touched, yet it is clearly gentle as it quietly begs for food. The main character, a veterinarian that is clearly Herriot and a policeman try to approach it but fail.
Then, on a day when Herriot and his wife are going out, a policeman brings the dog to his place. It is badly injured with a broken leg and other cuts and bruises. Working together, Herriot and his wife mend the wounds and the dog then goes to a kennel. However, no one ever comes to claim the dog, which saddens Herriot. Finally, the dog is arrested, which was the term a policeman used. He had adopted the dog and the last scene is where the policeman's daughters are petting the dog.
This is an excellent and heart-warming story that children will love. Herriot writes with a simplicity and directness that stimulates your emotions. You find yourself caring for the dog and hoping that it manages to find a loving caring home.
Book Description
Echoes from a Distant Frontier is an edited, annotated selection of the correspondence of Corinna and Ellen Brown, two single women in their twenties, who left a comfortable New England home in 1835 for the Florida frontier. Moving with two aunts and a brother following the deaths of their parents, the Brown sisters settled near the village of Mandarin on the east bank of the St. Johns River, just south of present-day Jacksonville. These two articulate and literate women, both aspiring authors, wrote of their experiences and observations to family members—most important their brother Mannevillette Brown, an artist who lived in various European locales and eventually in Utica, New York.
Within a month of their arrival on the shores of the St. Johns, the frontier erupted in Indian war. The Browns witnessed the terror and carnage firsthand, and their letters paint a vivid picture of the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). Their letters and those of their correspondents also contain astute observations about everyday life in a time, place, and society for which a very limited record remains.
Resolute and independent, the Brown sisters eventually married men who were actively engaged in the conflict—an army officer and a surgeon attached to the army. The sisters corresponded from the many places they lived during their fifteen-year residence in Florida, including St. Augustine, Newnansville, Fort King (Ocala), Pensacola, and Key West. Both as transplanted New Englanders struggling to survive in America's southernmost frontier and as wives of southern-born men, the sisters provide valuable insights on their social and domestic circumstances and on a largely undocumented region of the South.
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