Book Description
When Legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked sports columnist Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, Posnanski had to think about it. From that question was born the idea behind BASEBALL AND JAZZ. Posnanski and the 94 year old O'Neil decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country in hopes of stirring up the love that first drew them to the game. This book is just as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. In a time when disillusioned, steroid–shooting, money hungry athletes define the sport, Buck O'Neil stands out as a man that truly played for the love of the game. Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O'Neil loved almost as much as baseball: jazz. BASEBALL AND JAZZ is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man's heart.
Customer Reviews:
Buck: Almost too good to be true.......2007-09-23
Like many baseball followers, my admiration for Buck O'Neil can be traced to Ken Burns' documentary on baseball. How a black man could live through the era in which Buck lived with the attitudes he has is beyond me. (I am white, not American but lived in the US in the 60s and 70s.) Mr Posnanski's book is is a little too sugary, uncritical and unprobing for my liking. I cannot but help to think that with a little probing there is probably bit more to Buck's attitudes than is presented. However, if you want a feel-good book about this topic, this is the dream book.
On the road with Buck.......2007-09-10
A splendid collection of stories, told by one of our most valuable citizens, and conveyed by a very talented listener and writer.
I Knew Buck O'Neil.......2007-08-24
A great read of a great human being, and baseball man. I would see Buck several times a year in the '80s at the Detroit Tigers, Joker Marchant Stadium, when he was a scout with the Kansas City Royals. He was a pleasant a man you could ever meet. I am pleased to have known the man, even if only those brief moments I was able see and to talk to him.
Buy this book, and read a great tribute of this man and to the Negro Leagues of the past.
A year in the life of Buck O'Neil.......2007-08-23
I found the book very readable and never really got bored with it. I would have liked more in depth stories from when Buck played and managed. Most of the reminisces were short and sweet versions. All and all, I did enjoy the book and consider it a good book, not a great book.
Hmmm..........2007-08-08
I can't help but wonder if the 22 reviews -- all giving this book 5 stars -- are some of the author's closest friends. I am not saying I didn't like the book, but the writing was drab. Through the first few chapters, I got it, Buck O'neal was a good man. So, I'm just saying that the stories were not told in a way that made me connect with Mr. O'Neal --he was just a nice guy and then he died. There are a few editing errors as well, which made it confusing. I am by no means a critic of writing, but I just don't see the amazing book everyone else here did -- anyone agree with me?
Book Description
I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD: A COVENANT FOR OUR CHILDREN (Brand Nu Words February 2007) takes the reader on a lyrical journey leading to a child'ss understanding of the fundamental principles set forth in the New York Times bestselling book, THE
Customer Reviews:
Putting it in Action.......2007-05-02
So often we hear of various theories behind the problems our communities and society face. Unfortunately, many of these theories never seem to make the leap from theory to practice. I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD is a wonderful book that seeks to operationalize Tavis Smiley's Covenant with Black America for even the youngest members of our society. Author Charisse Carney-Nunes uses a poetic style to present the overall themes of the covenant and then follows up with general information about the Covenant with Black America. In addition, she provides easy to understand explanations of the various covenant issues as well as examples of how children and families can put the issues into action. For example, the "Covenant issue" Strengthening the family includes suggestions such as being honest, eating dinner as a family, and living the life you dream.
Mixed media illustrations really add to the depth of I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD. By including artwork as well as photographs, the artwork catches the attention of readers and draws them in. The poetic language is fun, engaging, and easy to remember. The explanation of the covenant is done especially well and really breaks down complex concepts into language children can understand. Suggested activities at the end of each section not only help children understand the concepts in concrete terms, but also provide ideas for moving the theories into practice that can easily be accomplished. I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD is a book that should be in every child's library, but especially in the libraries of African-merican children.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
An important lesson to parents.......2007-03-27
Like Carney-Nunes' previous book Nappy, I Dream a World for You is a beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully constructed book designed to teach African American children to love and value themselves. What I love most about this book, however, is its message to the parents. I Dream a World for You tells of the world parents have the right to dream for their children, and I hope inspires and empowers us to seek to create that world. Carney-Nunes continues to write what both children and their parents most need to hear.
Must be on every child's bookshelf.......2007-02-14
This is a wonderfully creative book, and a must read for all young children. Whether a pre-reader or a fluent early reader, children will love this book. It introduces a set of values to children that will hold them in good stead for a lifetime. Most important, my kid loves it!
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America is a five-year plan to make Black America a prosperous and empowered race that is self-sufficient and competitive as a group by the year 2005. In this book, Dr. Anderson obliterates the myths and illusions of black progress and brings together data and information from many different sources to construct a framework for solutions to the dilemma of Black America. In PowerNomics: The National Plan, Dr. Anderson proposes new principles, strategies and concepts that show blacks a new way to see, think, and behave in race matters. The new mind set prepares blacks to take strategic steps to create a new reality for their race. It offers guidance to others who support blacks self-sufficiency. In this book, Dr. Anderson offers insightful analysis and action steps blacks can take to redesign core areas of life - Education, Economics, Politics and Religion - to better benefit their race. The action steps in each area require new empowerment tools that Dr. Anderson presents - a new group vision and a new culture of empowerment - tools designed to counter, if not break many of the racial monopolies in society. Vertical integration and Industrializing black communities are other major concepts and strategies that he presents in the book. He places a great deal of importance on building industries in black communities that are constructed upon group competitive advantages. A the same time he announced the release of PowerNomics: The National Plan, he also announced that he has established several models of the strategies he proposes in the book. PowerNomics: The Plan, is infused with Dr. Anderson's trademark creative thinking and answers questions such as: - Why are blacks the only group that equates success with working in a White corporation, government or the entertainment industry? - How did power and wealth - businesses, resources, privileges, income and control of all levels of government get so disproportionately distributed into the hands of White society?
- Industrialization brings many economic benefits to the geographic locations where it occurs. Why has Black America never been industrialized and how can it be done? - Why do visible blacks and black leaders avoid blackness, identifying the focus of their work instead for people of color, minorities, women, gays , the poor, Hispanics, and other immigrant groups? - What enables a constant stream of immigrant groups to politically, economically and socially dominate blacks? - In politics, how is it that blacks can be monolithic and loyal political supporters yet their group receives no quid pro quo benefits? - In his first book, Black Labor, White Wealth, Dr. Anderson examined history and showed how racism has locked and boxed blacks into a near permanent underclass. Picking up where Black Labor, White Wealth left off, PowerNomics: The National Plan is the missing link between the historical analysis of problems facing blacks and the strategies needed to correct those problems. Dr. Anderson's books are a phenomenon in the publishing industry. His work is distinguished because he has turned books that are serious, non-fiction, and heavy on black history, into best-sellers. PowerNomics: The National Plan continues that pattern. It is an astounding work.
Customer Reviews:
Release The Power.......2006-07-10
PowerNomics should be required reading for every African American book club, community organization, church, and family. The book embodies tenents set forth from Marcus Garvey to Elijah Muhammed to DuBois and Washington. If you believe that "God helps those who help themselves," PowerNomics is an action plan to achieve self-sufficiency.
This is truly Black America's second Bible.......2006-05-24
Before I read this book, I had not one clue how bad we as African Americans had it. This book truly opened my eyes. The statistics that were presented would make Dr. King literally cry. We have gotten so far behind other nationalities that it is literally pathetic. Claud Anderson's vision if implemented can really change the course that us as Blacks are on. This book should be in every Black American's household.
Live on your feet or die on your knees.......2005-10-15
Mr. Andersons' book provides a thorough examination, diagnosis, and best possible cure for what ails black america. Not poor whites, hispanics, arabs, jews, gays, or white women. You owe it to you and your family to at least check out the facts of this examination and then decide.
White america has always put their modus operandi in our face; this is our society, these are our rules, do the best you can with what we decide to give you; don't bother me while I make my money. If you do, the police will handle you.
Here is Black americas' call to focus on what should have been the legacy of civil rights - economic empowerment.
Economic common sense!!.......2005-04-10
A continuation of Black labor White wealth, this account is a program of action for those interested with the implimentaion of the economic model based on Powernomics and the fascinating industries available for exploitation within certain communities. Additionally this addition has updated stats and excellent examples of programs designed to help control-preserve community economic development and culture as well as history...to protect communities from outsiders with their own interests thru ethno-aggregation and consolidation urban communities can learn to impliment basic protective procedures. Fascinating far reaching analysis, that should be of interest for those areas facing population displacement thru gentrification. If developed properly this Powerenomics plan can serve areas well into the next century and beyond.
This book has changed my life........2004-10-29
I have been a self-proclaimed conscious person for 5 years now.
I began with reading black history studying ancient african civilizations and traditions. When I found out about Ancient Kemit and Kush and the African connection to the Hebrews I honestly believed that the major problem we had in this country was lack of self-knowledge. Even though I still beleive that to be a major issue, I know now that the force that keeps us down is ignorance of a different type. It is the ignorance of how a Democratic Capitalist system truly works that keeps us at the bottom. It was and is the ignorance of our past and present leaders who push and promote intergration when it's obvious it has failed us. And finally it is each and every black individuals ignorance when he moves out of a black community when they become middle class, diluting our voting and economic base. But now i have no excuses I now know what is going on around me. If you want to know buy this book.
Book Description
In this "honest and searching look at the perils of growing up a black male in urban America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Washington Post reporter Nathan McCall tells the story of his passage from the street and the prison yard to the newsroom of one of America's most prestigious papers. "A stirring tale of transformation."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The New Yorker.
Customer Reviews:
What is up the profane language?.......2007-10-04
I was not to moved by this book. I asked my son to read it out loud to me and of course he paused the majority of the time because of the profanity in the book. Young black men have a tendency to grow up around profane language and circumstances that are not accomodating to their life and the writer should have took into consideration that if their are a lack of black male role models for young males that makes them seek something or someone that they can relate whether that is good or bad. The title "A young black man in America" with this type of language is promoting profanity which promotes mental negativity and the lack of need to broaden their language and keep a limited vocabulary. This book is a written confirmation that not only should you think before you speak but think before you write. Their is not enough respect among young males to begin with and the writer can relate to them without nurturing their profane vocab or disrespectful mentality. We need writers that have a positive impact on the reader and not one that promotes the typical behavior I see from most young black males.
Good book that tells it like it is.......2006-06-25
Follow the life of Nathan Mc Call in this book, see how America works through his eyes. This book was thought provoking, eye opening and sad.
You feel for Nathan and what he goes through but you don't really end up liking who he is as a person. This book allows you to see what it is like growing up as a black male in America.
Education, jail, work, crime, children, friendships with white people. This book is open and honest and I recommend it to anyone who wants to begin to try and understand and see what it is like growing up as a black male.
It certainly opened my eyes!
Walking in other shoes.......2006-06-20
This book hurts to read. So much pain in so many lives. But what McCall does is put you in his shoes--this is no easy task for someone who is both white and female. It opens a huge door of understanding. It is not a book for the immature or the fearful. I read some of these reviews and wondered, "What book did they read?" Definately not light reading. Powerful, frightening, enlightening. Needs to be read.
The reality in the race relationships in the United States .......2006-04-25
I have read this book over and over and I still find parallels in the life of Nathan McCall and my own life. Mc Call calls it as it is, the society that we live in is not leveled and only one group that gets all the privileges. That there is no recognition that the success of the whites was made on the backs of African Americans that worked for free, and gave that wealth that even today whites get to enjoy. To many people who think that racism is a thing of the past this book is a revelation and goes deeply into the inherit truths of racism and its consequences. Many people think that black teenagers are "ready" for a life of crime, but the truth is that a hypocritical racist society has designated a path for those teenagers, to see a prove of this just look at school systems in white and black neighborhoods. It is like we are living under two separate states, same flag, same country but different standards of living and I'm not talking about 1862 or 1963, I'm talking about 2006. This book is very powerful with a strong sad message.
Suburban Shakedown.......2006-01-21
Nathan McCall shares his personal story as a "wild child" of color, becoming a man in a racially prejudices country; his crimes and imprisonment, gang warfare, street smarts and wisdom, and finding his way to truth and sanity.
Not diminishing responsibility for his own life choices, McCall's story is very real and honest. It challenges America's institutional establishments of prejudice and cruelty, illustrating the imbalances in a white dominated world.
I loved it!
Average customer rating:
- wow
- Not the best edition to have
- Searching for Humanity
- Read it for the second time!
- Hearing Wright's Life and Our Own
|
Black Boy (The Restored Text Established by The Library of America) (Perennial Classics)
Richard A. Wright
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Black Boy (Cliffs Notes)
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Native Son
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ASIN: 0060929782 |
Book Description
With an introduction by Jerry W. Ward, Jr.
Black Boy is a classic of American autobiography, a subtly crafted narrative of Richard Wright's journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. An enduring story of one young man's coming off age during a particular time and place, Black Boy remains a seminal text in our history about what it means to be a man, black, and Southern in America.
"Superb...The Library of America has insured that most of Wright's major texts are now available as he wanted them to be tread...Most important of all is the opportunity we now have to hear a great American writer speak with his own voice about matters that still resonate at the center of our lives."
--Alfred Kazin, New York Time Book Review
"The publication of this new edition is not just an editorial innovation, it is a major event in American literary history."
--Andrew Delbanco, New Republic
Customer Reviews:
wow.......2007-09-29
This is my all time favourite book ever. I'm sure there are literary drawbacks to it somewhere; but overall I think its an amazingly well written book. Poignant, stark, and unfathomable. Reading it made me so hungry, you wouldn't believe.
Not the best edition to have.......2007-09-15
Much as I love and admire this book--a must-read in American literature--this is not the best edition to have. Wright originally wrote the book in two parts: "Southern Night," about his experiences in the South; and "The Horror and the Glory." His original title for the two-part book was AMERICAN HUNGER.
When it was selected as a primary selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club--a great honor at that time, which tripled the sales of the book--he was asked to remove "The Horror and the Glory" and just publish the first section, "Southern Night." That was the book he retitled BLACK BOY. It is a pure memoir of his life as an aspirational but deeply alienated black growing up in the South.
Recent editions of the book have restored "The Horror and the Glory" to the text, and you might think this is a good thing. I don't think it is, in this case. That section purports to continue his memoir with his experiences in Chicago. However, unfortunately--and ironically--the Book of the Month Club editors were right from an artistic standpoint. "The Horror and the Glory" is completely different in tone. It largely recounts Wright's involvement in the Communist Party of the 1930s, and is deeply enmeshed in party politics. It embodies Wright's own feelings of devotion to Communism and Communist ideals even as it recounts his repudiation of the party.
I have nothing against Wright having been a Communist per se; my objections are not political at all but purely artistic. This second part of the book has none of the directness and immediacy of the first part; it is far less entertaining, and much more of a chore to read. Actually, the first part of the book (about two-thirds of its length) does indeed stand alone as a cohesive, coherent narrative. This is how it was issued, and, actually, it's how it should be read. The second part merely dilutes the artistic impact of the first part, rather than adding to it.
"The Horror and the Glory" was published originally in a motley of smaller articles, in the Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere. The issues it raises--internal Communist party politics and their relationships to the John Reed Clubs and their associated writers' groups--are somewhat interesting historically, but dated and ultimately irrelevant. It feels very much like commentary on facts and events you're expected to know about, but don't.
I suggest readers either purchase an edition that is true to the first edition, and contains only what in this edition is called "Southern Night," or else consider just reading the first part and letting the second part go. I think it's a better book the way it was originally issued.
Searching for Humanity.......2007-06-26
Richard Wrights autobiographical book is all the more remarkable in so much that it exists and was written by a man born to fail by society and given every hinderence to his thirst and love for life and reading.
Wrights book never becomes mawkish or pious.It simply tells it how it was;deep south society at the turn of the century and the black peoples place in it. Wright is open about his own failings-taunting jews, his childhood alcoholism-but there was no escape for him no matter how hard he tried to get ahead. A painful scene comes when young Wright thinks he is 'getting ahead' by selling newspapers to have a wiser black head point out he is actually selling ku klux klan literature. His love for books is hampered by the law banning blacks from libraries.
He comes across liberals who try to help him, but there is only so much anyone can do in a society swamped by prejudices.
The sad end is when Wright traveled up to the north; Chicago, where 'Blacks are free' The memoir ends here, but further reading of Wrights work-and that of his admirers and contemporaries such as Ralph Ellison-makes you aware that this was just another myth.Yes,life wasn't as oppressive as the south, but the 'liberals' liked the blacks to stay in the 'black belt'(a favourite term of Wrights) and used all means at disposal should they get 'Uppity'.
Wright inspired Ellison and Baldwin amongst others, but I feel sure he must have inspired MLK as well, as all Wright ever really wanted was human dignity for all mankinds peoples.
Read it for the second time!.......2007-04-25
This book is an early years autobiography of Richard Wright, the famed and accomplished African American author. I read all of Mr. Wright's books when I was in junior high school and wanted to share them with my teenage daughter. In doing so, I picked up "Black Boy" and couldn't put it down until I read it again.
Richard Wright was raised in the South in the 1920's. He experienced the hardships, poverty, and racism of those days and relays these experiences descriptively yet simply in the book. The reader can can see and feel the events without being bored.
"Black Boy" is a quick one- or two-day read, and I recommend it highly. I also highly recommend one of Mr. Wright's fictional novels, "Native Son."
Hearing Wright's Life and Our Own.......2007-04-05
Peter Francis James's performance of Richard Wright's autobiography brings many of its aural qualities our ears, qualities we may not notice in a silent reading of the book. These CDs enable both the visually impaired and the sighted to enjoy Wright's classic and to ponder why after sixty-two years the book still provides insights about American culure.
Book Description
“I Have a Dream,” Dr. King intoned. In English class, we were just starting to learn about similes and metaphors and figures of speech. Those concepts weren’t immediately clear to me as Dr. King talked about “symbolic shadow,” but …I understood the power of symbolic language.
Over the next several weeks, I spent hours studying that one speech…King’s speeches touched me so deeply and profoundly that, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I found myself crying. I wasn’t sure what those tears represented: maybe his words touched the pain and hurt and humiliation I was still feeling; maybe my tears stemmed from the new confidence and purpose his words gave me. Maybe I felt an empathy with my people whose history of suffering and survival was coming alive to me for the first time. In part, they reflected my pride in the courageous brilliance of a leader outspoken in conveying our purpose and passion.
I see now that King influenced me on several levels: First, he showed me that words have meaning—they aren’t arbitrary—and words are powerful. He showed me that words can carry the force of love. He also showed me that one man can make a difference. He himself had made that difference….Despite evidence to the contrary, King believed that things would get better. Every day that I read his words, they moved me like a powerful sermon. They changed my life and emboldened my ambition.
—From What I Know For Sure
From the man who catapulted The Covenant with Black America to number one on the New York Times bestseller list comes a searing memoir of poverty, ambition, pain, and atonement. Celebrated talk-show host Tavis Smiley describes growing up in an all-white rural community in Indiana and the impact it had on his life.
Tavis Smiley grew up in a family of thirteen in a small trailer in Indiana, where money was scarce and the sight of other black faces even scarcer. One of only a few African American kids in his high school, he grew up feeling like an outsider because of the color of his skin, his Pentecostal religious beliefs, and his family’s economic circumstances. It was the love and support of his family that sustained him. But that trust and support was shattered when his father, in a moment of rage, beat him with an electrical cord, sending him to the hospital. Tavis was placed in foster care for a time, and it took him years to bridge the emotional chasm between him and his parents.
Nothing, however, could quench Tavis’s fierce inner drive to succeed. His remarkable speaking ability made him an oratorical champion in Indiana and offered him a pathway to a different world. Determined to fight for the underdog and for African American rights, he entered the political arena, moving to Los Angeles to work in Mayor Tom Bradley’s administration. Later, he embarked on his career as a radio commentator, discovering that it was an ideal way to influence public discourse on the issues of the day. Now with his own show on PBS, he remains committed to bettering the lives of all Americans; he’s especially acclaimed for his work on behalf of people of color and the underprivileged.
An honest, deeply moving self-portrait of one of America’s most popular media figures, What I Know for Sure should appeal to readers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Learned Something New.......2007-10-15
I didn't follow Smiley's career and knew nothing about him besides people being so outraged when he was fired from BET, so when I saw this book in the library, I immediately scooped it up. I wanted to know what all the hype was about. This was an extremely interesting read explaining Smiley's work ethic, family ideas, and network strategies to become the successful journalist and talk show host that he is. His upbringing as a child was typical of a heavily devoted Christian family, but I was caught offguard by the trailer park home. That was something new for me because I'd never read a story about a Black family living in a trailer home. I grimaced through the hardest childhood memory for him primarily because I don't believe in slavery-influenced tactics to discipline a child and because I think the most harsh way to punish a person is to confront them when you are mad. I felt Smiley's anger for him while continuing to read. The book also covered his college years, governmental goals and internships, and his stubbornness to succeed. My only con for this book was that he briefly gave an overview of an outburst he had with NPR, which sounded surprisingly similar to his finger wagging for Bob Johnson. I wonder if those two did not work well together because they were too much alike, especially when repeatedly reading about his bullheaded logic in getting any job, internship, and respect. I am very curious how outside people may view him because by the book being influenced from his stories, there seems to be a slight bias. Other than that, great read. I'm going to check out his other work as well to get a better feel for his take on political issues.
Historical and Relevant.......2007-09-11
I applaud Mr. Smiley for his detailed account of African-American stories and the way that he connected them to Historical events. He, in this book, successfully gave a description of how so many have grown up in Urban America.
An Enjoyable, Enlightening Read.......2007-06-29
Tavis Smiley writes an enjoyable, enlightening, easy-to-read story of his upbringing in middle America. Though at times fighting against a sometimes harsh upbringing in a committed Christian home, Smiley's work repeatedly hearkens back to the lessons he learned in that very home. He teaches how anyone can move beyond negative life experiences, be they in the home or in society, to a place of meaning and success in life.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Soul Physicians.
A Good Read.......2007-06-28
I truly enjoyed this book. I totally agree with another reader...the chapters are not unnecessarily bogged down with additional information which made the book very easy to read. His story is very encouraging and is a testament that there is no obstacle you cannot overcome if you have the faith and determination Tavis displayed in this book.
Although I may not have had the heart to make some of the moves he did i.e. (taking an unpaid position away from home with no means of income) look where he is today...God Bless him!
Much Ado.......2007-06-22
I admire Tavis, think he is an insightful interviewer and enjoy his show very much. However, his book was a disappointment. There's no THERE there. Poorly written, thin on substance--he doesn't really DO anything. Although I have sympathy from the scars he obviously still bears from his abusive and sheltered overly-religious childhood, he comes off as whiney and superficial. I and some of my book club members liked Tavis a lot better before reading his shallow memoir.
Amazon.com
One of the greatest of American stories has found its great chronicler in Taylor Branch. Beginning with Parting the Waters in 1988, followed 10 years later by Pillar of Fire, and closing now with At Canaan's Edge, Branch has given the short life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the nonviolent revolution he led the epic treatment they deserve. The three books of Branch's America in the King Years trilogy are lyrical and dramatic, social history as much as biography, woven from the ever more complex strands of King's movement, with portraits of figures like Lyndon Johnson, Bob Moses, J. Edgar Hoover, and Diane Nash as compelling as that of his central character.
King's movement may have been nonviolent, but his times were not, and each of Branch's volumes ends with an assassination: JFK, then Malcolm X, and finally King's murder in Memphis. We know that's where At Canaan's Edge is headed, but it starts with King's last great national success, the marches for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Once again, the violent response to nonviolent protest brought national attention and support to King's cause, and within months his sometime ally Lyndon Johnson was able to push through the Voting Rights Act. But alongside those events, forces were gathering that would pull King's movement apart and threaten his national leadership. The day after Selma's "Bloody Sunday," the first U.S. combat troops arrived in South Vietnam, while five days after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the Watts riots began in Los Angeles. As the escalating carnage in Vietnam and the frustrating pace of reform at home drove many in the movement, most notably Stokely Carmichael, away from nonviolence, King kept to his most cherished principle and followed where its logic took him: to war protests that broke his alliance with Johnson and to a widening battle against poverty in the North as well as the South that caused both critics and allies to declare his movement unfocused and irrelevant.
Branch knows that you can't tell King's story without following these many threads, and he spends nearly as much time in Johnson's war councils as he does in the equally fractious meetings of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Branch's knotty, allusive style can be challenging, but it vividly evokes the density of those days and the countless demands on King's manic stoicism. The whirlwind finally slows in the book's final pages for a bittersweet tour through King's last hours at the Lorraine Motel--King horsing around with his brother and friends and calling his mother (in between visits to his mistresses), Jesse Jackson rehearsing movement singers, an FBI agent watching through binoculars from across the street--that complete his work of humanizing a great man forever in danger of flattening into an icon. --Tom Nissley
Timeline of a Trilogy
Taylor Branch's America in the King Years series is both a biography of Martin Luther King and a history of his age. No timeline can do justice to its wide cast of characters and its intricate web of incident, but here are some of the highlights, which might be useful as a scorecard to the trilogy's nearly 3,000 pages.
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Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63 | |
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May: At age 25, King gives his first sermon as pastor-designate of Montgomery's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. |
1954 |
May: French surrender to Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu. Unanimous Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board outlaws segregated public education. |
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December: Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott, which King is drafted to lead. |
1955 |
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October: King spends his first night in jail, following his participation in an Atlanta sit-in. |
1960 |
February: Four students attempting to integrate a Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter spark a national sit-in movement.
April: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is founded.
November: Election of President John F. Kennedy |
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May: The Freedom Rides begin, drawing violent responses as they challenge segregation throughout the South. King supports the riders during an overnight siege in Montgomery. |
1961 |
July: SNCC worker Bob Moses arrives for his first summer of voter registration in rural Mississippi.
August: East German soldiers seal off West Berlin behind the Berlin Wall. |
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March: J. Edgar Hoover authorizes the bugging of Stanley Levinson, King's closest white advisor. |
1962 |
September: James Meredith integrates the University of Mississippi under massive federal protection. |
April: King, imprisoned for demonstrating in Birmingham, writes the "Letter from Birmingham Jail."
May: Images of police violence against marching children in Birmingham rivet the country.
August: King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech before hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington.
September: The Ku Klux Klan bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church kills four young girls. |
1963 |
June: Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers assassinated.
November: President Kennedy assassinated. | |
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Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65 | |
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November: Lyndon Johnson, in his first speech before Congress as president, promises to push through Kennedy's proposed civil rights bill. |
March: King meets Malcolm X for the only time during Senate filibuster of civil rights legislation.
June: King joins St. Augustine, Florida, movement after months of protests and Klan violence.
October: King awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and campaigns for Johnson's reelection.
November: Hoover calls King "the most notorious liar in the country" and the FBI sends King an anonymous "suicide package" containing scandalous surveillance tapes. |
1964 |
January: Johnson announces his "War on Poverty."
March: Malcolm X leaves the Nation of Islam following conflict with its leader, Elijah Muhammad.
June: Hundreds of volunteers arrive in the South for SNCC's Freedom Summer, three of whom are soon murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
July: Johnson signs Civil Rights Act outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
August: Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorizing military force in Vietnam. Democratic National Convention rebuffs the request by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to be seated in favor of all-white state delegation.
November: Johnson wins a landslide reelection. |
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January: King's first visit to Selma, Alabama, where mass meetings and demonstrations will build through the winter. |
1965 |
February: Malcolm X speaks in Selma in support of movement, three weeks before his assassination in New York by Nation of Islam members. | |
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At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 | |
March: Voting rights movement in Selma peaks with "Bloody Sunday" police attacks and, two weeks later, a successful march of thousands to Montgomery.
August: King rebuffed by Los Angeles officials when he attempts to advocate reforms after the Watts riots. |
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March: First U.S. combat troops arrive in South Vietnam. Johnson's "We Shall Overcome" speech makes his most direct embrace of the civil rights movement.
May: Vietnam "teach-in" protest in Berkeley attracts 30,000.
June: Influential federal Moynihan Report describes the "pathologies" of black family structure.
August: Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act. Five days later, the Watts riots begin in Los Angeles.
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January: King moves his family into a Chicago slum apartment to mark his first sustained movement in a Northern city.
June: King and Stokely Carmichael continue James Meredith's March Against Fear after Meredith is shot and wounded. Carmichael gives his first "black power" speech.
July: King's marches for fair housing in Chicago face bombs, bricks, and "white power" shouts. |
1966 |
February: Operation Rolling Thunder, massive U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, begins.
May: Stokely Carmichael wins the presidency of SNCC and quickly turns the organization away from nonviolence.
October: National Organization for Women founded, modeled after black civil rights groups. |
April: King's speech against the Vietnam War at New York's Riverside Church raises a storm of criticism
December: King announces plans for major campaign against poverty in Washington, D.C., for 1968. |
1967 |
May: Huey Newton leads Black Panthers in armed demonstration in California state assembly.
June: Johnson nominates former NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court.
July: Riots in Newark and Detroit.
October: Massive mobilization against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. |
March: King joins strike of Memphis sanitation workers.
April: King gives his "Mountaintop" speech in Memphis. A day later, he is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. |
1968 |
January: In Tet Offensive, Communist guerillas stage a surprise coordinated attack across South Vietnam.
March: Johnson cites divisions in the country over the war for his decision not to seek reelection in 1968. | |
Book Description
At Canaan's Edge concludes America in the King Years, a three-volume history that will endure as a masterpiece of storytelling on American race, violence, and democracy. Pulitzer Prize-winner and bestselling author Taylor Branch makes clear in this magisterial account of the civil rights movement that Martin Luther King, Jr., earned a place next to James Madison and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American history.
Customer Reviews:
Thank you, J. Edgar .......2007-05-27
This is the third book in Taylor Branch's masterful series on Martin Luther King and his times, but don't feel you have to read the first two before picking this one up. I read the second volume, Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65 (America in the King Years) before the first, Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63 (America in the King Years) and managed to survive. Each book stands on its own as a masterful work of historical scholarship and dramatic narrative.
One difference for me is that this third volume is the first in the series that records events I can actually remember. It is astonishing to think of how dramatically America has changed in my lifetime, and how much of that change is the result of Rev. King's courage. In a recent biography of Alexander Hamilton it was suggested that Hamilton may have been the most important American who had never become President, and he was more important than most Presidents. A similar case can be made for King.
Rev. King is obviously central to the book, but the book offers vivid portraits of his colleagues Andrew Young, Julian Bond and the ever ambitious Jesse Jackson; rivals such as Stokely Carmichael and partner/rival Lyndon Johnson as well as Bobby Kennedy.
During the time described in this book, the Vietnam war escalated to such a level that it overwhelmed the civil rights story as the central news story of the day. King grappled with the issue, and with taking on a President he regarded as the "best civil rights president in history". His conflict between his obligation as an advocate of non-violence to speak out against the war and his civil rights work at home make for some of the most compelling reading in the book and show how it tore the movement apart. Newspaper columnist Carl Rowan is seen blasting King for his criticism of the U.S. Army, which was (and perhaps still is) the most effectively integrated institution in the country.
It is impossible to read this book, especially the sections relating to Vietnam, and not reflect on the current circumstances in Iraq. The most startling difference is in the character of the central players in the White House. Johnson's grappling with the issues in Vietnam, struggling to find a solution to stop the killing before eventually realizing the only possible solution involves him standing down, is a startling contrast to our current smirking, self-centered, political hack of a commander-in-chief.
Another contrast with our times is to realize that in many ways, King's civil rights work in the South was a campaign against terrorism. We are so busy patting ourselves on the back with the idea that "it can't happen here" we forget that our history includes numerous homegrown terrorist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan. In general, the book recalls a time when people could look to the federal government to be a problem solver.
Finally, a word of thanks to J. Edgar Hoover, the paranoid cross dresser who seems to have tapped half the phone lines in America during his interminable time as director of the FBI. (Okay, so the book also recalls a time when the feds were an active part of the problem - it is a full, nuanced portrait of a complicated time.) The fact that Branch was able to rely on first hand conversations for so much of his material clearly added a lot to this remarkable book.
Death & Transfiguration .......2007-03-15
This third and final volume of Branch Taylor's trilogy is of all the three the most unambiguously tragic. At times, reading the previous two volumes, I was so heartbroken at the succession of tragic setbacks in the movement that I wondered when and where the great, decisive victories against segregation ended. And ACE is of all the three the one with the most devastating setbacks. It leaves one to ponder if the Civil Rights Movement eventually achieved its immediate goals so sweepingly precisely because the white power structure finally recognized --so to speak--that those goals were compatible with its continued flourishing.
For readers interesting in buying this book: bear in mind that this trilogy is to all intents and purposes a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is NOT a hagiography; Branch frequently mentions the roiling emotions and infidelities of MLK. When contemporary observers remark that a particular appearance or speech fell flat, Branch says so. Perhaps Branch knows this narrative technique is more effective at inspiring admiration than unalloyed praise would have been; perhaps not. But in truth, it's difficult to imagine any sensitive reader not being filled with wonder that such a moral giant like King could even exist.
Rather than duplicate the effort of the other reviewers (particularly the excellent review by G. Bestick, posted below on January 24, 2006), I want to comment on something that has not been addressed by the others. I believe the single most important theme in the trilogy was the exposition of King's doctrine of "nonviolence." I use quotes because "nonviolence" is such an inadequate word to describe the doctrine. Elsewhere, Branch alludes to King's opposition to "enemy-ism," in which King rejects lines of reasoning that culminate in demonization or vilification of one's adversaries. First, King's doctrine acknowledged the common humanity of all people; humans deviated in different paths of moral conduct depending on reasons that are compelling--perhaps irresistible--at the time. Perpetrators are also victims. Second, the resolution of injustice through violence was untenable; the oppressor in any relationship would always win any challenge that employed violence, if for no other reason than because the victorious liberator would become a new oppressor. Third, the practice of nonviolence required unusual discipline and courage, and King was able to transmit the latter through the force of his oratory.
In POF (please see my review for that, also), the rival doctrine was belligerent posturing as practiced by the Nation of Islam and by the segregationist authorities. The upheaval of the '64 elections tended to reflect the loss of face of an earlier generation of white elites, and their replacement by redneck "enforcers." While the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) remained true to the principles of nonviolence, a major ally, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) repudiated nonviolence in favor of Black Power. The new SNCC was utterly ineffectual and quickly vanished. The Black Panthers was doomed from the start with its scorn of all "white" ideologies and its lack of any coherent replacement. New converts to the ideology of self-defensive violence like Charles Evers could not even bring themselves to target known killers; Byron de la Beckwith, universally known to have murdered Ever's brother Medgar, was never threatened by the SNCC.
White supremacist violence now became endemic; before, there were exceptional cases such as the 9/15/63 bombing of a church in Birmingham; but cases of ambush and murder proliferated dramatically after 1965. The destabilization of white supremacist violence now challenged the very survival of American institutions and Southern police forces increasingly intervened against their former Klan allies.
Looming over everything was the Vietnam War, which for King was the most urgent injustice he faced. Johnson hated the war (Stanley Karnow's *Vietnam* confirms this) but was unable to accept defeat in it; King was unable to compromise with a known evil, and the most conservative 60% of white American public opinion dreaded facing up to an unbeatable foe. Frustration and ambient racism further stimulated conservative support for the war, while the fiscal woes inflicted by the war extinguished every remaining trace of Johnson's Great Society. The failure of progressive initiatives, when void of King's own nonviolent doctrines, was universal and inevitable. At the time of his death, King was not so much defeated or even overwhelmed, as he was offset in a floodtide of squalid reaction.
After King, the depressing deluge; and after that, his stunning achievements, like a field of tulip bulbs, bloomed amid the receding glacier. But the triumph of nonviolence was like the glimmers of lightning in a summer electric storm, flashing without warning in random corners of the sky.
Must read for students if the civil rights movement.......2007-03-03
If you are a student of the civil rights movement in particular or the 1960s in general you must read Taylor Branch's book on Martin Luther King. The book guides you momement by moment through King's hardfought but peaceful successes at Montomery & Selma and throughout the South and as the movement moved north with less than peaceful outcomes in Watts, Detroit, New Jersey, etc. Very interesting and insightful read.
must read for all americans.......2007-02-18
this is one of the best history books i've ever read. in fact, it transcends the history genre. canaan's edge is first and foremost about one of the most courageous men in american history -- martin luther king jr. of course, king didn't lead the 60's civil rights movement by himself -- branch's book shows the courage of many people known and unknown.
it also casts other historical figures in a new light. primary among these, for me, is lyndon johnson, who comes thru in these pages as a brave supporter of civil rights, whose civil rights record was eclipsed by his mistakes with the vietnam war. beautifully written, moving, filled with people and powerful vignettes, this is a must read for all americans.
Bringing Reality to History.......2006-12-06
For many who were young during the turbulent 60s, this era has a mythical feel to it. Great figures have been romanticized, whether it was Kennedy and Camelot or Martin Luther King, Jr. and "I Have a Dream." Taylor Branch has found a way to bring reality to those tales. He refuses to glamorize his subject; refuses to sanitize his main character. For an epic look at a story smack in the epicenter of American history, "At Canaan's Edge" is the place to stand.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.
Book Description
Written by highly acclaimed historian Gary B. Nash, this book presents an interpretive account of the interactions between Native Americans, African Americans, and Euroamericans during the colonial and revolutionary eras. It reveals the crucial interconnections between North America's many peoples—illustrating the ease of their interactions in the first two centuries of European and African presence—to develop a fuller, deeper understanding of the nation's underpinnings. Coverage explores the interaction of many peoples at all levels of society, from various cultural backgrounds and across the centuries; African-Americans as active participants in the cultural process, drawing upon the work of African and African-American historians; the origins of racism, tracing the development of racial attitudes and the mixing of people across racial boundaries; Indians as much more than victims, reaching beyond the Europeans that "discovered" North America to explore the society that had already been here for thousands of years; profiles of the various European colonizers, examining French, Dutch, and Spanish settlers and comparing their treatment of enslaved Africans and Native Americans with that of the English. For those interested in Colonial American History.
Customer Reviews:
Don't believe the poor reviews.......2005-03-25
First of all, I can see where some would find this book boring- that is if the reader has no interest in American History. But this begs the questions- why would such a person pick up this book to begin with? For class maybe, but I imagine every student of history has read a difficult book or two. This one simply doesn't qualify. As far as books I've had to read for school, this was pretty easy to get through.
This book is not a primary source. If you are looking for such a thing, look elsewhere. This is a well-researched account of life on the early American frontier, and the interaction between different cultures.
Someone makes the claim further down that this book makes the Europeans look really bad. I disagree. This book does a fine job of looking at this time period from multiple view points. There are moments when the Europeans will come off badly, but almost any group has it's moments throughout history where it's not going to be a shining example of how to live your life. Aside from which, as this book points out, the Europeans are not one single group and the different European groups looked at within this book (The English, Dutch, French, and Spanish) all had different relationships with the various indigenous peoples of what would become the eastern United States. This book also takes a look at slavery and the origins of that horrid institution in the Americas. It is often fascinating reading and certainly doesn't deserve the one star reviews it's received.
So boring!.......2003-02-25
Like a few others on here I could not read this book. It did help me fall asleep though, lol. Anyone who's looking into reading this book, Id suggest checking it out of the library before you buy it.
..........2002-09-04
This is by far the worst book I have ever needed to read for school ever. When I attempted to read this book, I must've fallen asleep at least 10 times and I haven't even got past the first 2 chapters. I have no idea what my teacher was thinking when he saw this book. If it was a choice, I would choose negative 5 stars for this waste of paper and ink. It is, hands down, a boring book with absolutely not point at all except to critizice the immigration of the early Europeans. It almost seems like Nash couldn't give about the Europeans coming over here. Well, I would be quite upset if they didn't come over here, unless it would have prevented the publishing of his redundant, afwul book.
Exploring Nash's argument.......2002-02-05
RWB by Nash attempts to present a more accurate picture of colonial society. However, in the end, I believe Nash fails to do any real justice to his examination of this society's underpinnings. Essentially, Nash abandons this pursuit very quickly into the book and deals mostly with the facts of the era. Additionally, Nash's views seem all to decidedly Neo-Progressive. He simply will not concede a point or discuss a point, which does not fit this mindset. Another perhaps more disturbing issue is Nash's like of primary sources throughout his work. The majority of his sites are from other historians' works. But before you think of moving on and passing this work up understand a few basic things about it. First, by no means am I questioning Nash's historical ability or accuracy. Second, this work provides a novice student of history and excellent foundation to start to build an understanding of the Colonial Period on. Moreover, Nash's analysis though I find fault with it is still holds water in the historical community through refinements and redefinitions of his point. I suggest that any one seeking to get a handle on the Colonial period or start a study of this era should start here. However, do not read this work and take it as anything other then a meager beginning; instead, use it as a stepping stone to branch out into other works by Winthrop Jordan, William Cronon, Edmund Morgan, Bernard Bailyn, and Laurel Ulrich.
A View From All Angles.......2000-08-29
Gary Nash scratches beneath the surface in his analysis of the deomographics of colonial America. He skillfuly reveals the interaction between Europeans, native Americans, and Africans in the years preceding the American Revolution. Nash brings an important missing element to the mix by exploring how native American and African cultures affected European society, offering a refreshing look race relations. For once, readers are given a glimpse of the proud and unshakable cultures of these two exploited peoples.
Red, White & Black compares race relations between several different cultures and regions. Nash not only spouts statistics; he helps the reader to understand why certain peoples fought and why they formed alliances during this volatile period in our history.
Amazon.com
From 1991 to 1994, Keith Richburg was based in Nairobi as the Africa bureau chief for the Washington Post. He traveled throughout Africa, from Rwanda to Zaire, witnessing and reporting on wars, famines, mass murders, and the complexity and corruption of African politics. Unlike many black Americans who romanticize Africa, Richburg looks back on his time there and concludes that he is simply an American, not an African American. This is a powerful, hard-hitting book, filled with anguished soul-searching as Richburg makes his way toward that uncomfortable conclusion.
Book Description
In “the most honest book to emerge from Africa in a long time” (USA Today), a black american correspondent for the Washington Post reports on the horrors he witnessed in Somalia, Rwanda, South Africa, and other troubled African nations-and reflects on his own identity. Map; updated with a new afterword.
Customer Reviews:
disturbing.......2007-03-29
this is a very disturbing and frightening account. While I agree with the authors premise of "straight talk", I do not agree with the pessimism.
I grew up in Africa and it has its own unique beauty. Africa is not for everyone though, black or white, only certain people can appreciate it. Africa has many problems, and many of them cannot be blamed on western or European nations. They are africa's problems so africa must find its own solutions. I agree with the author that african dictators have committed terrible atrocities to their own citizens
Richburg seems to focus on the extreme negative sides of Africa, rwanda war, somali civil war, war in the congo. But they were people in other parts of Africa who were equally shocked and revulsed by those wars. I am african but I do not think even I could manage to keep myself together if I had seen 3 different civil wars in three years. You do not have to be a non-african to be affected.
Basically you cannot make generalizations about Africa. In my whole life in africa( more than 25 years) I have never seen anyone killed, never, I have never seen anyone fire an AK47. Petty theft is a part of life that you get used to, what do you expect when folks live on less than $1. just keep your wallet in your front pocket. And if you do not want burglers to rob your home just have a large family with plenty of extended relatives- too much to handle for burglers, life goes on.
I disagree with the authors pessimism because around 80% of all african countries have mulitiparty democratic elections. Liberia elected africa's first woman president. Africa is largely entering its second round or phase of multiparty democracy as the terms of most two term presidents have ended. Malawi, tanzania, zambia, south africa have all entered this phase. Nigeria is about to have its first transition from one elected leader to the next.
It is known there is a stigma about africa amongst many of African descent. Because of the "poverty" and lack of development many would like to distance themselves and not be associated with Africa. I can understand that, its a personal choice. But I think that is what is at the heart of this book. This book is very anti-african, for a man who spent 3 years in Africa and did not integrate well with africa and felt like an alien- well I think that says alot.
A must read.......2007-03-02
I read this book when it first came out. It is a fascinating, gripping and honest portrayal of the author's experiences in Africa. Some of the images it painted in my mind are still with me, such as the scene of the bodies flowing down the river from the upstream genocide.
Africa is a big enough and important enough place that everyone should read this book to get a dose of the reality that is Africa.
I noticed a strange thing with the few critics that did not like this book. Every single one of them resort to psycho analyzing the author. They theorize that he is traumatized and not in his right mind, or he is suffering from self hatred and self doubt and that, more than his actual experiences, explains the book. To me it is certainly ok to dispute or disagree with an author if you don't like his book, but is it necessary to attack his mental health if you dont't like what he reports? It reminds me of the tactics of the Soviet Union where dissenters were declared mentally ill and put into institutions. What is it about all these folks who are offended about his reporting on conditions in Africa that make them want to attack the author's mental health? One of the reviewers even went so far as to call him a "murderer" and "traitor". One reviwer who even claimed to have been a friend in college used the mental health approach to undermine his work. Some friend!
When I read the book I saw a brilliant reporter at work and detected not a hint of mental illness or psychosis. Read the negative reviews for yourself and help me get a grip on this strange approach to critisizing this book....I've never seen anything quite like it....at least not since the decline of the Soviet Union. Is this a new trend?
A brilliantly-written book that bravely bucks conventional wisdom.......2007-01-17
Richburg's book is both immensely important and immensely readable. His command is majesterial. He marshalls facts and personal experiences to substantiate the twin arguments that are at the book's core: (1) that modern-day Africa is a place of almost unimaginable violence and dysfunction, and (2) that black American identity has wrongly tried to establish an unquestioning affinity with that troubled continent.
Truth is always in short supply, particularly at the nexus of race, identity and global politics. Richburg's book speaks with a precision and intelligence that inform, provoke and ultimately enlighten his readers. Highly recommended.
"There but for the grace of God we go"-excerpt from the book.......2006-10-26
It's one of the best and most gripping book I've read. It's a very vivid account of someone on the ground of what really happened in Africa in the early nineties. ..very honest, passionate , and angry.
I must admit, in the first few chapters I thought, here's a very intelligent black man whose circumstance shielded him from the discriminating lot in America. As you read on, you would come to admire this man for coming out victorious, successful and grateful amidst the discriminating environment he grew up with.
I've recommended these books to my friends-regardless of whether they think America owes them anything or not.
A Black Man confronts his worst fears, his identity:.......2006-09-16
Keith B. Richburg was the Washington Post's Africa bureau chief from 1991 to 1994. In his memoir "Out of America" Richburg's tale of Africa is interesting. He describes himself as a man torn between two worlds. First he copes with living as a black man with Euro-centric tendencies and second, he refers to him self as a black man who doesn't quite fit in an Afro-centric world.
Many reviewers have labeled Richburg a self hating black man because of some of his statements. Many Blacks who've read the book were offended. I guess some of his views could be construed in a negative manner when perceived from a racially myopic standpoint, and I quote, "Thank God my nameless ancestors, brought across the ocean in chains and leg irons, made it out alive. Thank God I am an American." To properly ascertain why Richburg made this comment the reader has to comprehend the horrors that he's witnessed. A Case in point: the atrocities in Rwanda. In chapter 5, "Thy Neighbor's Killer," in reference to the Rwandan massacre Richburg states that, "I first saw the bodies floating down the Kagera River from Rwanda into Tanzania. They floated down the river and over the Rusumo Falls." What has to be ascertained is that during the 1994 campaign the Hutu massacred the Tutsi. Belgium lost control of the territory and the Tutsi were in league with the Belgians while the Hutu became second class citizens. The Hutu in a jealous rage perceived that the Tutsi were the enemy and in a sense they were since they represented the years of sanguineous oppression that the Hutu experienced, which sparked their recalcitrancy or insurrection. However, this doesn't justify the Hutu's barbarous acts.
The overall point that Richburg was making was that he's glad he wasn't involved in this gravitas situation. I think most people would have the same response if they had experienced this atrocity.
In chapter 3, Richburg takes a journey through Somalia. He begins his tale quoting a U.S. intelligence official, "Somalia has ceased to exist. And right now, nobody cares." Richburg covered the 1992 atrocities in Mogadishu which lead into the United Nations' mission "Operation to Restore Hope" which was a complete failure. Later the U.N. succeeded in alleviating the famine conditions in the country. But in the end the U.N. retreated and the country has been in a state of entropy ever since.
Moreover, Richburg delves into the issue of economic strangulation. His inquiry was, "why has East Asia emerged as the model for economic success while Africa has seen mostly poverty, hunger and economies propped up by foreign aid?" And Richburg's answer, "corruption is the cancer eating at the heart of the African states. It is what sustains Africa's strongmen in power, and the money they pilfer, when spread generously throughout the system, [this] is what allows them to continue to command allegiance long after their last shred of legitimacy [is] gone." One particular case was Zaire president Mobutu stashing nearly $10 billion in overseas bank accounts, while ripping off state-run corporations. The African people are not receiving the funds necessary to run their countries. According to the World Bank,"Africa is home to the world's poorest nations." African children's mortality rate is abysmal. Children are most likely to die before age five and most adults don't make it beyond age fifty. The book gives many answers, unfortunately the answers given are uncomfortable ones, and may not be what the reader wants to read. But the bottom line is that the truth hurts.
Also, the book briefly alludes to Liberia's late 1980's free fall and the maniacal Valentine Strasser's ascension to power. The fact that in 1993 African American leaders such as Coretta Scott King, Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan attended a summit meeting between Africans and African Americans organized by the Reverend Leon Sullivan (who is an anti apartheid activist) leaves something to the imagination.
The question that was raised during the summit was a legitimate one. How come black leaders are so quick to call for social change in America under white suppression but waffle around the issue when it involves black suppression on black people in African countries? It's just something to ponder on, but remember be circumspect when contemplating on the issues brought up in this book. Don't read this with a reactionary point of view. You'll do yourself a deserves then.
This book should be read by a wide readership because it is so thought provoking. Many Blacks need to take an internal journey of the self and contemplate the true meaning of ethics and justice, then and only then will all Africans taste freedom.
Richburg succeeds in taking the reader through his personal journey, but if you are looking for an academic perspective then look elsewhere because this is his story, his experience. If you want to learn more about Africa this book will lead you in the right direction, but academia it is not.
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