Jackson Books

I am a living decendent of Josiah Henson. He led a terriilbe but fullfilling life.

I am a decendent of Josiah Henson. I attended a family reunion in Ont. Canada in August 1999. Any decendent having information on Josiah Henson or interested and attending the next family reunion please contact me at my e-mail address.

josiah henson was used as a model for harriett beecher stowe's uncle tom. however he was very different from uncle tom. he was very proud, ambitious, driven by his convictions, and was very creative in efforts to improve himself, his family, and the lot of escaped slave families in canada. he wrestled with his strong christian faith, his pride, and his rather dishonest masters. but he persevered in inspiring fashion. among his achievements were cooperative effort to establish a manual labor school, a sawmill, learning to read from his oldest son, becoming an accomplished methodist preacher, and marketing black walnut lumber in boston and england. the bishop of canterbury asked him which university he had attended, and josiah henson replied "the university of adversity." his children must have been one of his best endeavors, and i suspect that this is reflected in the title of the book.

Syracuse New York

My brother happens to be gay and I got him this book for christmas. He LOOOOOOOVES it. He says it's one of the best books he's read in years.

Just my two cents.

Forty-seven black gay male writers speak boldly about who they are and the world they live in in this outstanding collection of poetry, prose, essays, and fiction. Edited, compiled, and thoughtfully prefaced by best-selling novelist E. Lynn Harris, Freedom In This Village is both vital and entertaining as it dazzles with a myriad of rich literary styles and re-challenges with thought-provoking, soul-stirring discourse.

How wonderful it is to revisit Exxex Hemphill, regarded the premiere black gay poet in America at the time of his death from AIDS related complications in 1995. His bitter/beautiful five-part poem about love and lust in the ghetto, "Tomb of Sorrow" (1989), represents him here: "Gunshots ring out above our heads,/ a few of us are seeking romance,/ others a piece of ass,/ some--a stroke of dick./ The rest of us are killing./ The rest of us get killed."

From James Baldwin's excerpted swan song "Just Above My Head" (1979) to Randy Boyd's infuriating interracial fiction excerpt "Walt Loves The Bearcat" (2004), we are treated to, shocked by, and enthralled with the literary profound and profane.

Marlon Riggs' 1991 essay "Black Macho Revisited: Reflections of a SNAP! Queen" is a powerfully on-target indictment of black America's distorted view of Black Macho and it's relegation of black male homosexuals to Negro faggotry and minstrelsy, while editor Harris closes this volume with trademark pop lit (What I Did for Love") that dangles enough to hold promise of a new series wide open.

Marvin K. White's "FOR COLORED BOYS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED S-CURLS WHEN THE HOT COMB WAS ENUF" (1990) still retains its sass and sting. Don Belton's 1994 interview "Where We Live: A Conversation with Essex Hemphill and Isaac Julien," conducted on the heels of Marlon Riggs' AIDS related death, is a conversation around Riggs' film "Black Is...Black Ain't" which exploresd the nexes of black identity and masculinity and features appearances by Hemphill, bell hooks, Michelle Wallace, Cornel West, and Angela Davis.

Novelist/journalist James Earl Hardy, founder of the Afrocentric gay hip-hop romance genre, is representred by an excerpt from his classic "B-Boy Blues" follow-up, the satisfying but lesser "2nd Time Around" (1996), Vega by his gentle 1989 poem "Brothers Loving Brothers," while Carl Alan Johnson's 1993 "Post-Nulcear Slut" still reads as fab-nasty as ever.

This collection is too rich to ignore, too diverse to fully assess in this small space. Suffice it to say that this is a keeper to be visited often.

Finally, I must echo the sentiments of a previous reviewer. Reading these wonderful pieces, knowing that so many of the authors have been taken away from us by AIDS--Hemphill, Riggs, Joseph Beam, Steven Corbin, Melvin Dixon, Gary Fisher, David Frechette, Craig G. Harris, and Assoto Saint--is a sad reminder that we have been given limited access to these brilliant minds. So let us cherish this book for its rarity as much as for its insights, illuminations, and artistry.

E. Lynn Harris should be commended for this tremendous undertaking and achievement.

I just started reading it (smile) but am compelled to write the following...If you are a lover of Black Gay Male Literature then this is the book to purchase.

Freedom In This Village: Twenty-Five Years of Black Gay Men's Writing edited and and with an introudction by E. Lynn Harris.

I happened (smile) to be coming from The Abbey during my time home in Los Angeles last week when I passed A Different Light Bookstore. I went in and displayed prominently was this book and of course, I had to have it, and so I bought it, and anticipated reading it once I completed "The Last Dream Before Dawn."

I started reading this book last night on the 2 train (New York City) and while I was reading "About The Contributors" a combination of anger and sadness came over me and one that at this time I cannot capture but it was more to the fact that we need books that celebrate us...Black Gay Men

I was saddened by the number of men who died of AIDS related illnesses and was like what are we doing, what am I doing, to honor these men who made it possible for me to be one that to some degree has a bit more "freedom in the village" than they did.

As I was looking through the "Table of Contents" I saw some familiar names and new names that I look forward to reading.

We need or rather I feel we need books like this on the regular as there are so many voices as one is not merely enough and also cannot tell all our stories.

I implore you, each of you, to rise and have your voices heard and if you are a lover of Black Gay Male Literature then by all means purchase this book if not for you then for someone else.

With that said, I have some reading to do (smile)...

This book should be mandatory reading for any course about the civil rights or black arts movement of the 60s. Freedomways magazine, edited by Esther Cooper Jackson, chronicled the entire civil rights and black arts movement with insightful analysis, critique and articles. Includes work by W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Angela Davis, and other legendary Black poets and writers who first started out by publishing in the magazine. Also, it provides interesting research on the struggle for social, civil, and political rights here in this country and abroad. A must read as many of the articles within the "Reader" have never been published elsewhere.

this is a Great book that covers so much Historical important information.a wide view of knowledge of the struggle all here.a must have.books like this cover so much.

From 1961 to 1986, Freedomways published the words and thoughts of the leaders of the freedom movement; yet few modern Americans have heard of the publication. Esther Cooper Jackson and Constance Pohl's Freedomways Reader gathers key writings from the pages of the various Freedomways booklets, charting the struggles for racial equality and providing an oral history of black freedom struggles, from reports of the Freedom Riders to short stories.

From Hell To Jackson Hole: A Poetic History Of The American West is a memorable book of original poems cherishing the history and spirit of the American West. Color photographs of artworks celebrating the Old West are occasionally interspersed among the moving, free-verse narratives that give life and memory to an era. Adah Isaacs Menken: Toast of San Francisco, she wowed the West/playing Mazeppa, the Cossack prince lashed/birthday naked to a wild stallion's back/in punishment for some illicit love./She filled the stage with frenzies of the flesh.//Many men damned her; most fell at her feet/and gave her gold or shares of mining stock.//Once, in Virginia City, Mark Twain came/to call at her hotel. She sipped champagne/and fed her lap dog brandied sugar cubes./He spoke in riddles of her pretty hands.

This is the book that John Mark Eberhart in his Kansas City Star review calls "one of the most illuminating histories of the American West you'll ever read" and one in which Michael L. Johnson "has taken what many consider to be a humble subgenre of American verse--so-called 'cowboy poetry'--and turned it into literature of the highest order." He's right as Roy Rogers riding on the white-hat side of law and order!

I keep this book out where I can get at it during the day so I can read a page here and there. It's filled with poems both long and short (e.g. Haiku).

The most treasured thing about this book is the appendix which lists sources. I can thus read further about the intriguing characters which are the subjects of the poems.

Paris truly has an affection for Garbo, which sprung from researching his subject matter. The most entertaining bio of Garbo, honest, but not trashy.

Paris has done a great job in shedding light on the reclusive Garbo. It probes into her life, but is not needlessly intrusive. Endlessly fascinating.

Barry Paris' life of Greta Garbo is an extraordinary biography in many ways. First, it tells the story of one of Hollywood's most enigmatic and legendary icons without resorting to hyperbole or the sort of highblown psychobabble so many other, lesser writers would have stooped to. Second, it is meticulously researched and tells Garbo's story honestly, responsibly and thoroughly, including her mysterious days as New York's Most Famous Recluse. Finally, it delves deep into the heart of what made, and continues to make, Garbo one of the enduring figures in 20th century popular culture. Paris reveals the woman behind the dark sunglasses--and she turns out to be much more interesting than one might think. Garbo, it seems, was a woman of vast contradictions, who ultimately became the victim of both her own compulsive need for privacy and her vast emotional ambivalence. This is the biographical art at its finest, and highly recommended.

A wonderful, wonderful book. Please reprint it. I would buy 11 copies!

Since I grew up in cowboy country during the late 40's and early 50's, I loved stories about children growing up on ranches and Indian children. As an adult, I shared this book with my own students, discussing with them not only how the way of life in the West has changed, but how attitudes and beliefs about minority groups, such as Native Americans, has changed. The pictures in this book are delightful. The stories and poems about everyday life in the West long ago provide a basis of interesting discussions in the elementary social studies classroom.

52 Stories and rhymes by Kathryn and Byron Jackson with over 100 pictures by Gustaf Tenggren (1948 copyright by Simon & Schuster). This is a 96 page, 10 x 13 inch Giant Golden Book with exceptionally good rhymes, stories and artwork. The two page illustrated poem, The Wildcat's Picnic was a favorite bedtime read aloud for my son. Using a family on a ranch as the main characters the 1-2 page stories are often told from the viewpoint of the little 6 year old boy named Jon, or his similarly aged indian friend Little Bear or his sister Susie. Some story titles: Cattle Rustlers, Ghost Town, The Calico Colt, Prairie Fire, The Tornado, Lazy River Ranch, Calf Branding, The Square Dance, Snowbound, The Totem Pole, The First Buffalo, Three Little Indians, Indian Housecleaning, The Nice Tipi, The Stampede, etc. There is a Chinese cook named "No Pow Wow, on a ranch also populated with Daddy and Mother, Grandpa sister Susie, and various ranch hands. This is a wonderful bedtime story book especially for 4-9 year olds. Many stories teach virtues, or reflect common values. A beautifully done book. I wish Applewood Books would take it on as a reprint project.

Man, I love anything with crazy visions in the sky - particularly the first chapter of the Biblical book Ezekiel - but the vision in this book is a neat thing to read about too. I just don't get why the buffalo was referenced at the end. Must be a Native American custom to end all stories with some mentioning of a buffalo.

I'm sorry to say I still like non-sacred dogs more than sacred dogs, but I have a very good reason for doing so. Sacred dogs are much more expensive.

I loved this book when I was little, and I still love it now. It's great to see that it's still around. It's a wonderful story with even better illustrations for children and adults.

Children and adults will enjoy the colorful illustrations and tale of how the Native Americans acquired the horse. Lovely!

The AGI Glossary is a key reference for any professional geologist. In many cases it is faster to find a reference in the glossary rather than search the internet, and often the explanation in the AGI glossary is more complete.

This is a great x-mas or b-day gift.

Garry

Glossary of Geology, 5th Edition

This is an excellent and very helpfull book on geological terms. Includes almost every known term and includes all possible usages of these terms. Absolutely nessesary for any geologist, students in geology and any related specialist as well.

I've used various editions of this book throughout my 35-year career as an engineering geologist. This is THE definitive geological dictionary in the English language (and I suspect any other language). Nothing else comes remotely close.

This book doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it says on the cover - a glossary. No fancy colors, pictures, tables. Just the facts, clearly explained, in an attractive, easy to read font.

Any office that employs professionals who rely heavily on geology needs this book in its reference library. And just in case you think that the Internet has made books like this obsolete, think again. Nothing online matches the comprehensiveness of this major work.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about this fascinating and persecuted genius who shaped the best ,IMO, recordings of the Stones career. I'm glad I got to know him a little better through this!

There are many opinions and contradicting 'first hand accounts' about Brian Jones life and death. The only choice a serious fan has is to compare and contrast a good sample of the books available. While Bill Wyman's book may be more detailed, 'Golden Stone' is many steps above the average teeny-bopper fare available on Jones, and is a necessary additon for any real B.J. enthusiast.

Very interesting book on the life and mysterious death of Brian Jones.

Details of his sons is provided as well as insight into Brian's parents (who thought no girl was good enough).

As the very intelligent son with a very promising future, the story of his rejection of school and authority this book details the hardships of his home life and his parents who were expecting a great academic career for their son.

When Brian does begin playing blues in London, his parent are surprisingly supportive because Brian seemed to be a loner and not one to be before an audience.

It looks upon his life with compassion, and that is why I love this book.

This excellent guide for "dummies" is sadly out of print. I loved it when I first read it years ago, and was thrilled to recently meet Mary Jackson, the author, in person. When I told her how sad I was to not be able to buy more copies for friends, she told me that all is not lost, and that most of the info in Greaseless Guide has now been reborn in her other book, Car Smarts.

If you loved Greaseless Guide but can't find it because it's out of print, try Car Smarts instead!

This is a great book if you know next to nothing about cars but you own one. Very well explained and not a struggle to read for the beginner. Gave me a handle on terms and what they mean and how to find your way around the repair shop. Should be curriculum for life skills class for everyone.

I'm sorry to see this book out of print. I purchased copies for each of my children and myself. Jackson clearly explains the essentials you need to know in order to talk to your mechanic and understand what is important and what is not. A must for those of us who just want our cars to run with as little personal involvement as possible.