Black Books

This book and CD are a wealth of knowledge. As a person of African descent, hearing how these persons were treated in a county supposedly for freedom and equality, not only was a horrified but very angry.
I will NEVER forgive this coutry for the ill treatment and hardship that racism and bigotry ahs and still is causing.

I am currently a high school student that read part of this for a Civil War class and let me say this is one powerful book. With people who were the slaves themselves tell you their stories, you learn alot about the antebellum period. I would recommend this book for any mature person due to the fact that some of these stories show the true horror of slavery.

This is a must have, must read, must hear book. With the sixty-nine minute recording of the actual slave interviews from the 1930s, we have the only known recording of the actual voices of actual slaves telling their story. Hearing their voices is like being tele-ported back in time. The book itself also examines those same interviews, primarily through "Weevils in the Wheat: Interviews with Virginia Ex-Slaves."

Teachers and speakers will want their students and audiences to hear these voices. They give voice to the voiceless and bring alive these heroic survivors.

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, and Soul Physicians.

For several years I've been reading powerful thought-provoking slave narratives. This is probably the most moving due to accompanying tapes of slaves discussing their thoughts and conditions when they were slaves. This book and tapes should be used in every high school American and World history classes. I recommend this book to everyone above the age of twelve. If you want to begin educating your children earlier about American history, specifically slavery have them read K.J. McWilliams books; The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave. They are based on slave narratives such as this one and include many interesting photos as well as additional information.

this is a Must for all to have.The Books&tapes show the RawNess and Emotions of Americas Worst NightMare that still Haunts Her.the Voices run Deep down your skin.until SLavery is Properly Discussed and Dealt with America will continue to be a Land of The Unknown.a Must Have Book.

As a white middle class generation x'er, I knew nothing of the Black Panthers or Huey Newton that was based on personal knowledge or experience. What I had heard was that they were radical, dangerous, and hated white folks. That seemed overly simplistic, so I decided to look into the black power movement for myself. Of all the books I read on the movement (Malcolm, Eldridge Cleaver, SNCC, Soledad Brother, etc...), Revolutionary Suicide was the best.

First off, Huey is the best writer of all the writers I read on the subject. That includes both the primary books and the secondary interpretive books written by historians. Huey's writing reflects his life philosophy, he lives for the people and therefore writes for the people. He doesn't seek to impress the reader with a fantastic grasp of the english language. He writes simply and matter-of-factly, much as a good journalist does. This to-the-point writing style more engrossing than any of the other books I read on the movement.

Second, Huey, unlike many other movement leaders, doesn't look to hog the glory for himself. He is very upfront about what he was responsible for and what he collaberated on with others. He passes the glory around liberally (some would say too much) to spread the power to the people.

Finally, this book will give you a primary understanding of who Huey P. Newton was and what he was really about. Did he hate white people? Did he advocate armed revolution? Was he a murderer and thug? Read it for yourself.

If you want to attempt to get into the mind of Huey Newton, then read this book. Reading his autobiography gave me a view of the Party I have never felt. This gave me an understanding of how and why the organization was started and also some insight on the life of Huey. You will defintely have a different view of the Party once you have read this. So read, read, read, and keep reading, and educate yourself about this incredible man and organization.

This book is one of the first and only unaltered accounts of the Black Panther Party by somebody who was in it. The book is in Huey's compassionate voice. This book dispells rumors about the BPP Huey set the record straight. This is my favorite book of all time its a book for the ages.

What can I say, that hasn't already been said? Huey P. Newton was a very complex individual, and I find myself reading a section over a second time to digest what was written. It's worth it no doubt. When you start to read this book, you will not be disappointed, Newton sheds light on even personal matters like falling in love, and views on family. This is great if you want specifics on Mr. Newton himself, and not just the BPP as a whole.

If you're going to study the Black Panther Party, you of course must check out a story of its preminent leader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. He gave me an understanding what it meant to be a radical Black activist during the 60s and 70s. It meant that you had to be courageous, committed, and five steps ahead of the cops, the FBI, and informants.

Of course, now, this is Huey's account of the Party. While his is seriously important, the works of other Panthers and scholars who are now publishing works about the Panthers must also be studied. For now that I'm reading a biography on another Panther leader, Geronimo Pratt, I'm very interested in understanding more about the political split that took place in the BPP. Why did Huey expell Pratt from the Party? Why did Eldridge Cleaver turn out to be so reactionary? I look forward to reading other books on the Panthers to answer these and other questions.

Quite simply this is my favorite book of poetry, this is a must own for any real slam poetry fan

This is the best poetry collection I have ever read! The poems are vivid, rich in language, and in creativity. I never wanted the book to end. I found the poems to be very entertaining, abstract and profound. This poet is definitely a metaphoric genius.

This book was a gift for a close friend of mine and in his words, he has loved it. The words speak volumes to him and it's been great to see him this happy over something simple as a book of poetry. I recommend anyone that wants to read some really deep poetry should buy this book.

I first saw Williams on [television] in a documentary called "Slamnation" and from that point on I was hooked. I immediately rushed to find out as much as I could about this literary God send. His poetry makes you want more, not just from him but from yourself. It truly inspires me, it gives me energy and a drive to just face the world head on. The book may be thin in size but it is packed full with an awesome power that will quake your spirit. If you are wondering what your next read will be then this is it!!!!! Over and over again.

This is an example of poetry in its purest, untampered state. If you have ever wanted to read good poetry, this is the book to read.

This book was the best, motivational sista to sista book I have EVER read! This will be my Christmas gift to all my family and friends! This book moved me to become a better oriented adult in my life and marriage! I LOVE IT!!

beautiful work to compliment "Black Women For Beginners"
it was one of a kind.

This book include essays from all types of women, about everyday problems that women go through. You can learn something from each of the ladies included in this book. The two essays that most stand out for me is To a Son of a Dear friend by jean Buchanan, it's the sad letter to the author's late best friend's son about growing up with his mom. I am just tryin to live Holy by Pamela Shine is about a 40 year old virgin tryin to find love. I think everyone will love this collection of essay, and relate.

I'm a 21 year old African American woman and I picked up this book at my campus bookstore. I started reading it and could not put it down. I had been looking for something that I could relate to and this was exactly the book. It took me through a range of emotions and eventually brought me to a better place. It was like I had lots of aunts, cousins, grandmas, and moms giving me advice. I'm buying one for all of my friends this Christmas.

A beautiful, oftentimes tear-jerking compilation of some of the most poignant personal essays of black women's triumphs over life's tragedies and the things that make them appreciate life and give them a reason for living. This book will definitely encourage all of us to believe that things will only get better with time for no pain lasts forever if we truly believe.

I highly recommend it!

This book proved invaluable for a discerning woman who is tired of the roadblocks to finding true love. Sometimes women in the desperation to fall in love, often fall into a "hole". Then they have to dig their way out of the heartache of dealing with men/women who are not really looking for love, but are always on the make ready and willing to take advantage of that lovelorn person.
Deborrah Cooper tells it like it is!!!
If you want the bare bones truth get this book.

I bought this for my daughter - hoping she would see herself in some of these situations. I don't know if I or she will like it as much as the reviewers did that got me to purchase it. It seems quite logical in it's stories- but I know that young girls and I suppose boys too can become very controlled by someone that likes to manipulate the relationship, and control it. I hope she will read it and at least gain some strength/insite into new relationships.

SUCKA FREE LOVE by Deborrah Cooper, answers everyone's questions about how to avoid dating's most common and hurtful pitfalls. Writing as Ms. HeartBeat, she gives advice to those who have fallen into bad situations. Some of the questions are only two sentences long but she gives detailed answers on what has gone wrong and how to change the situation. Her answers are serious, yet many of them are downright hilarious. Cooper tells a lady whose man won't work to toss him out - her exact words: "kick his broke, no job havin' behind out..." Answers such as this had me rolling on the floor. I found myself wishing I had had this book as a reference when I was in the dating game. It might have saved me much grief.

The book is a collection of letters from those seeking advice and Ms. HeartBeat's answer, sometimes serious, sometimes a blow to the stupidity of the writer's actions and sometimes just funny. It was always upbeat with solutions available. It was surprisingly easy to read and very entertaining. The last chapter was a questionnaire so the reader could find out where they stood on the relationship chart. It's a great book.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZS Reviewers

I'm not the kind of guy who normally reads self-help books, but when a friend asked me to give her my opinion of it I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did.

This book is hilariously funny & entertaining while also being highly instructive in how to avoid or deal with everything from gold diggers to child molesters to stalkers. I often found myself nodding at the responses to the letters, and thinking, "I could have written that!".

Word to the wise...

Don't start reading this book on a work or school night because you won't want to put it down. It's a real page-turner!

I enjoyed reading the experiences and advice given in this book. Ms. Cooper's take no prisoners, real-talk was disarming and, I think effective! So much so that I bought a copy for my college aged, single daughter and she wants to give copies as gifts to her male and female friends. She said she can see some of them in the letters of this book.

It's been a long time since I've seen such pertinent advice given in a way that is sometimes humorous, sometimes gritty, but always on point!

I'd HIGHLY recommend this book! Outstanding read!

Glen Yeadon, author of Nazi Hydra in America, had this to say about The Transfer Agreement:

I found it very boring--it was steeped with internal Jewish politics and very little about the actual negotiations with the Nazis or the actual deal and its results. It is geared to Jewish historians and only vaguely to the war and the Nazis... I liked IBM and the War against the Weak - both were good and I bought this one on the strength of the other two. It tried to remain neutral rather than to place the blame on the Zionists. For example, there was no mention of the Zionist who helped load the trains in Hungary to Auschwitz, who was hanged in Israel in the 50s. That type of material was neatly sanitized by omission.

This was an area of World History that I had no clue about prior to reading this book. This is indeed a tragic story of the plight of Jews in Europe during Hitler's regime. This book was so suspenseful I simply could not put it down. Black does an excellent job of engaging the reader and does not reveal the details of unfolding events until the last moment. Simply WOW!

As person who is not Jewish I think it is important for everybody to learn the lessons of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. However, equally important is that there were greedy and ideology zealots that contributed to the growth of the Third Reich via the Transfer Agreement, i.e., Sam Cohen and even Hoffien and Landauer. The Transfer Agreement was just that a business arrangement to transfer German Jews to Palestine in return German exports would be bought through Zionist entities to ensure the economic growth and wealth of Palestine. Moreover, what was incredibly stunning was the ability of the 18th Zionist Congress to go against the international boycott movement by suppressing the Revisionists- strong arming them into abandoning their ideology.

This makes me wonder what would have happened if the boycott prevailed and the Third Reich "cracked"? Would there still be a Germany today? Would we even have had the Holocaust? I know it may sound harsh and I am sure I will be labeled an anti-Semite because of this, but the reality is according to Black, the Zionists contributed significantly to the rise of the economic and military might of the Third Reich.

This book is simply a phenomenon in and of itself. It completely forces one to reshape how they view events during that time period. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about a different dimension of relationships between the Third Reich, German Jews, and Zionists. This will definitely throw you off and have you thinking for days. Definitely one of my top 10 books of all time.

Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling!

I cannot praise the author, his research, his explanations and his writing enough for this singular tome. Like other reviewers have said, the reader goes into this book, whether Jewish or not, with their mouth open at the incredibility of this occurence. It's easy enough in hindsight to make judgement calls about what the the leaders of the Jewish community world-wide should have done about Hitler's rise to power. However, given the economic situation of the time and the Reich's strategems to place all blame for Germany's economic hardships on the Jews throughout Europe, it's hard to determine that even had the massive boycotts been organized and on schedule, would they have work? And even more important, if Hitler was ousted due to the economic stranglehold on Germany,who or what would have taken his place? And would that have been any less devastating for the Jews in Europe.

There are few obvious heros and anti-heros in this book, except for the Nazis as being the ultimate in villains. One man paid dearly for his attempts to save European Jewry...with his life. It was not conclusive as to whome the assassins were and who put out the price on his head. It's all too easy to blame the reactionary groups, but there are obvious questions about whether his death was one of convenience so that blame could be placed by the leading group of Mapai at the door of the reactionary Jewish groups.

Sam Cohen was a businessman through and through. His reasoning to press The Transfer agreement was purely motivated by money, and not the need to either save European Jewry or to establish Israel as a separate state. It is this 'selling' of the agreement by so many that is so mind-boggling. So many were willing to take the wealth of German Jewry (and later the funds that were supposed to be used to save the lives of Jews who had no homes or businesses to return to) and use it to set up a home in Palestine...it's beyond my ability to pass judgement on these men as to their motivation, yet I am not certain I could possibly decide to shake the hands of these men. The fact that there was a need to set up a Jewish state, and that there was all this money to fund its establishment is beside the fact. At no other time, was any other method even considered to rescue the millions of Jews trapped, even the children...this is so reprehensible as to curdle anyone's blood.

And though this happened, our countries, including the U.S. and Britain were equally at fault for closing immigration quotas, even though they knew what was going on in Germany. It was easier to merely close their eyes and ignore The Holocaust, until it became obvious that no one was safe from Hilter and his cronies.

This story is just so incredible that I wish there was some way to make it into a movie that does the story justice. I don't suppose that is a possibility. But it is a tremendous story that needs to be included in European history, as it's impact was great. Edwin Black did a fantastic job. (...)

Researchers have recently unearthed `directives' sent from Heinrich Himmler to Dachau, and Mauthausen concentration camps to the effect that all inmates were to be bathed in showers providing insecticides, their heads cleared of hair, their heavy garments that bore Wool Collars were to be burned outright. The reason for such directives was to prevent lice, and leprosy from spreading among all other inmate prisoners.

Gypsies, Polish, Slavs, Soviets (Christians and Jews) who had been incarcerated during the war and routed into the five main Concentration Camps, {which had been established throughout the years 1933 to 1939}, were in their majority suffering lice parasite, notably on youngsters. Himmler ruled "they should be showered in insecticides twice per week in order to remove the nits attached to their hair - difficult to remove without specialized products."

Many inmates were homosexuals' prisoners of war, suffering from venereal diseases - transmissible. This parasite was widely spreading at the time Germany was lacking enough doctors to take care of the prevention process or even to guard against casual means of transmission.

Most doctors were preoccupied with war related engagements; on their priority list was first and foremost to take care of injuries from battles, research, and the last was to worry about concentration camps per se, unless in absolute emergencies like `fear that certain virus might not be contained and would be causing widespread damage'.

In very few pages of this book did the author speak of Concentration Camps - dispersed on ten pages? Even there he did it casually in the context that ""workers were rushed to construct a mysterious political concentration camp at a pastoral village called Dachau...."" """Every train entering Denmark was crowded with German Jewish refugees..""" indicative that the `Transfer' from Germany to Palestine (in transit through neutral Europe - France had fallen by then) gives credence to this book.

Perhaps written books on the `Pogrom' will soon be revisited and be traced back with more up to date material on these most fateful human tragedies of WWII.

Truth be told is the best book i ever read it is very heart warming and can really graps your attention...she is...a significant writter...it is great book to pick up even if your not 25 or older

Ms. Skerritt was my teacher two years ago- and I still see her around. She really is awesome, I'm so proud to be able to say that I know her. Go Ms. SKERRITT!!

This book has it all: it's modern, funny, sad, serious, progressive; it's just simply "great"!; I look forward to its sequel! I used it in my class and the students not only identified with its content but, on the whole, they loved it!!
She has set a new trend for future novelist. Superb!

"Truth be told" is largely the story of second semester freshman Kahlila. She is a strong, independent and mature woman, particularly for a first year college student. Kahlila has a host of good friends, including old friends from high school who are attending the same college and new friends including her roommates Robyn and Desiree.

Kahlila's life is going good as the story opens. She's a popular, self-assured student who has a great friend in Desiree and a well-liked boyfriend Tariq. Things start to change for Kahlila once she enrolls in a Black Collective Responsibility class. A socially aware individual, Kahlila soon has the ear of the professor as she injects well-thought comments into the class. She also has the eye of the course's teaching assistant, the older and wiser David.

Though David is also involved in a relationship, he and Kahlila begin to develop a friendship as they are chosen to work together on a summer program for local high school students.

The novel explores their burgeoning friendship, as well as taking side journeys into the lives of Kahlila and David's friends and acquaintances.

The novel got off to a slow start for me and took me a couple of weeks to finish, though I usually finish a book in a couple of days or so. Although it accurately portrayed college life for many students, the raw language and great detail provided about the social lives of the students were drawn out in parts. Ms. Skerritt uses a variety of literary tools to inject uniqueness into her story telling - these included the opening tool of switching between narrators and was followed by the use of e-mails, letters, poems, and song lyrics. While such tools can add an interesting element to stories, I think she used too many, too often in this book.

Although the story of Kahlila and David was interesting and well develop, too many side stories were introduced but not thoroughly investigated or concluded for my likes.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting, if long, tale of the lives of African-American college students geared for teenagers to young-adults.

Truth Be Told tells the story of Kahlila Bradford as she evolves through her second semester of college at Franklin University. Kahlila is intelligent, beautiful and socially responsible. She has several good friends-Robyn, Desiree, and JT, as well as a popular boyfriend, Tariq. The only thing that Kahlila seems to be missing is passionate, unconditional love...then she meets Dave.

Dave Robinson is a Teacher Assistant for Kahlila's Black Collective Responsibility class. When the two are chosen to develop a summer program for underprivileged kids sparks fly and their connection is undeniable. The only problem is Dave is already in a committed, long-term relationship.

Rachel Skerritt has written an excellent debut novel that accurately depicts college life and first love. The characters are so well developed that by the end of the novel, they are like old friends. The story was crisp and had several socially conscious sub-plots such as teenage pregnancy, race relations, interracial dating, labeling and stereotypes, loyalty, and giving back to the community. This novel is so versatile that both teens and adults young and old can enjoy it. I highly recommend this novel and look forward future works from this author. I definitely hope a sequel is in the works.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This was a fine book. It tells tales from the origins of Okinawan martial arts. It reflects an extremely positive philosophy for karate specifically and martial arts in general. It's well written and entertaining.
Unfortunately, as history, it's quite weak. The almost utter lack of dates & times and something less than a linear chronology just take away from this aspect of the work.
I do recommend it, but be aware that while it tells wonderful and fascinating stories and contains a powerful and compelling point of view, it just is not a good reference book for any sort of history of Okinawan karate.

Kims book provides the reader with some very colorful tales and great historical background on Okinawan karate and its earliest fighters. The book is well written and well sourced. IT's not so deep that you get lost between the pages, although another chapter or two would have been nice. Kim provides some great insights into karate's ethics and philosophys, which many could learn from today. Although first published almost 30 years ago the information is still a reliable source for todays karate-ka.

I enjoy Sensei Kim's wiritngs. This as a matter of fact, was the first book I had ever read by him and to this day I still enjoy reading it again and again from time to time.

This is a great book if you want to hear the tales of the founders of karate. If you are looking to this book however to be a fact based history book then this is not for you.

This book is truly a great insight into the philosophy and ethics of the true karate-ka. Too bad Mr. Kim did not write this book himself. Shame on you Mr. Kim for not following the path of truth and honesty. For taking Eizo Shimabukuro Senei's journal and notes you have dishonered yourself and your family.

This book is a must have for any family. I have shared with family and friends many of the poems such as Learning to Read by Frances E.W. Harper page 26. It is so inspiring in times that require a reminder of how important education is and how much sacrifice has been made for us to have it! I enjoy reading it to my 2 year old and 3 year old because I am learning so much at the same time. I think this book is so important to have that I am now including this with my gift for every baby shower!

Read this book! It is a wonderful celebration of race, culture, and heritage. It has some of everything and is a great resource. It covers all different types of values and approaches each from different genres. I use this book every time I do a research paper because it touches everything that has worth.

Steven Barboza has done a wonderful job! It's the kind of book you can pick up again and again! Very entertaining and thought-provking. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! A real find!

This book has everything that is traditionally and newly important to the African American. Not only are some of the leaders of literature included, but there are essays from leaders in all fields, science and technology, medicine, law, religion and education. All too often when the world gets its views of who our representatives are, it is none too flattering, I give accolades to Mr. Barboza for changing and challenging that. This book is sad, funny, inspirational and eccletic. One could not ask for a better read.

The book is like a library of our people's trials and tribulations. A collection of poems and stories that will inspire you to do great things. African Americans come from royalty and we can do anything because we are doers and achievers. I wish every "American" could read this book, perhaps African Americans wouldn't be looked down upon. I learned so many things that our people had accomplished that are not taught in school, but should be known and should be printed in text book form.

This book is now being used a bedtime ritual for my children. This means that each night I read a story or poem from the book to them, "about them (African Americans)". About their creativity, their inner strength for survival, their ability to do anything they want to do, about their ancestors that were forced to travel from afar, about their people who invented items that we use today, about their people that broke the color barrier, about their people who walked for freedom, about their people who used the pen to fight their battles, about their people who were forced to feign ignorance in order to survive, about their people who prayed and had faith that God would free them from bondage, about their people who loved each other and encouraged each other, about their people who stepped out there on faith.....

This book is awesome!

This book has inspired me to go back to school which is the least I could do after seeing what my people endured just to give me an opportunity to "step out on faith" "act accordingly" "mind my manners" "represent my hood" "believe in myself" "reach for the stars" and broaden my horizons. For they paved the way through sweat, tears, backbreaking work, picking cotton, washing Missy's clothes, raising Missy's children, eating in the backroom, riding in the back of the bus, being treated as second class citizens.

Thank you, my people past and present.

Thank you Steven Barboza (Editor) for having a vision and seeing it through.