White Books

This is a great "opposites" book. The young-cat, old-cat transition is facinating to me, but my son loves the cat that leaps out at you (out-cat, in-cat). He laughed really hard as I had that cat pop out about 10 times in a row.

Now, if I want to get him to go into his room, I say "Black cat, white cat", and he heads straight for this book. He can barely say anything yet, but he loves this book!

Do you want a book that will captivate your youngster or one you know? This book will do it. The pop up demonstrating "High Cat Low Cat" are some of the best I have seen in the last 12 years. Not only do they open & fold with ease, you can turn the page quickly and not worry about the pop-ups getting caught or torn. The fold out sections of the book are equally as wonderful; "Black Cat White Cat" goes from a serene black cat looking at you to a surprised expression on the black cat as the white cat jumps out to chase a red ball. The pull tabs are easy to operate (a minor miracle in it's self), and yield a round of giggles as the "Young Cat" becomes "Old Cat" with the widening of the face, and the jowls of the cat poof out. Delightful way to approach opposites!.

I bought this book for my nephew, and I almost kept it for myself.

The illustrations are very clear, and well thought out. The pop up dynamics are just precious. This should not be a book that would get rough-housed around. Some of the pop ups are quite delicate.

My nephew is 4 and enjoyed it immensely.

I saw this book in an educational toy store several years ago. I had no children at the time and put it back on the shelf; a few weeks later I returned to buy it just for me, but it was gone. Since then I've actually had a child who is now 18 months old, and I have seached many a book store shelf and even looked here on amazon before with no sucess. One bookstore recently told me it was out of print and could take several months to get. Now that I've found it here I'm ordering it immerdiately! And I urge anyone else reading this review to the same. It is an amazing little book!! You won't be sorry!

"Black cat, white cat. Day cat, night cat .... "

Chuck Murphy has done it again, giving children and parents a little work of art disguised as a pop-up book.

Three manipulatives are fold-out, four are operated by tabs, and three automatically pop up with the turning of a page in this fun and creative introduction to opposites, each concept illustrated by felines. A delight for children and adults.

Anthropologies are a great way to review various books - fiction and non-fiction - in a specific category. "Black Like Us" opened my mind to new authors (such as Richard Bruce Nugent) that I would have never inquired about. I suggest this anthropology to anyone who is wants to know more about LGBT African-American novelist. The best thing is that the book is divided into chronological parts. The introduction to each part - Harlem Renaissance, Contemporary Writers, etc - is a must read. You get a history lesson, excerpts and brief bios of each author and time period. A MUST READ.

The popularity of African American same gender loving (SGL) fiction in this new century owes much to the wordsmiths of the previous one hundred years. Twentieth century black lesbian, gay and bisexual authors of fiction began writing in codes as complex as underground railroad communiqué, stepped tepidly out of the closet during the Harlem Renaissance, sought Eurohomocentric inclusion as late as the early 1990's, then burst out in full proud Africentric glory in the last half dozen years prior to the new millennium.

Black Like Us charts this evolution deftly. Although its editors-college professors and editors of works that meditate the writings of Huey P. Newton, Gore Vidal and Bayard Rustin-suggest a work heavy on academics, Black Like Us goes beyond its inferred pedigree.

From the turn-of-the-twentieth century writings of color-conscious Alice Dunbar-Nelson (Paul Lawrence Dunbar's lesbian ex-wife) to the unselfconscious pride and Africentricity of major SGL contemporary celebrities E. Lynn Harris, James Earl Hardy, and Marci Blackman, we are treated to 36 fascinating biographical sketches, each followed by telling writing samples.

Richard Bruce Nugent, the most identifiably gay writer of the Harlem Renaissance, is aptly represented by an excerpt from his hauntingly beautiful "Smoke, Lilies, and Jade" (1925) while Baldwin is wisely showcased by an excerpt from "Another Country" (1962) instead of the obvious "Giovanni's Room."

Langston Hughes' 1963 short story "Blessed Assurance" is a joyful glimpse into the life of a `brilliant queer' church boy while E. Lynn Harris breaks ground and gives voice to contemporary closeted and "questioning" African American gay and bisexual men who strive for self-acceptance in an excerpt from his debut novel "Invisible Life" (1991).

The works and lives of Alice Walker, Countee Cullen, Audre Lorde, Melvin Dixon, Thomas Glave, Jewelle Gomez, and Shay Youngblood, to name a few, are tightly presented in 555 potent pages.

Although a book as ambitious as this should be applauded for its rich historical, cultural and anecdotal detail, the omission of Penny Mickelbury, noted contemporary lesbian author of 8 popular out-of-the-closet crime novels, is glaring and baffling.

Nonetheless the SGL 36 showcased here, their carefully selected literary samples, and their equally as fascinating lives and times, comprise a work both vital and entertaining.

This is a bookshelf requisite for both hetero- and homosexual appreciators of Black Literature and culture in deference or even indifferent to sexual nature. It will gather little dust.

Black Like Us is a must have for those who love history and literature--gay, straight, black, white or otherwise. The introductory essays alone are worth the price of admission. B.L.U. is an instant classic.

Black Like Us should be on every bookshelf of people of color. I was born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn; my affinity for the Harlem Renaissance period is strong even today. Each chapter is divided from the1900�s � 2000, and they are appropriately named. A small biography is placed before the excerpt and what book it was taken from.

Devon W. Carbado sectioned the book into different time periods.During the Protest Era a quote jumped off the pages at me "To be white male in America and realize your gayness and find out your opressed is a very different thing than being oppressed all your life as a woman of color." In Harlem during the 1920�s we witnessed a cultural firecracker with books like never before. I wonder how many of those books were written from Wallace Thurman's boarding house at 136th Street called the �Niggerati Manor?� There is an American Folk saying; if you want to keep something secret from black folks put it between the covers of a book. Nowadays that is not the case. With titles like Black Like Us and The Greatest Taboo by Delroy Constantine curiosity is winning. Black Like Us makes me feel proud of the many literary giants included in this work, empowering and sending us love.

It is the stories and quotes from this book that will keep Black Like Us as a reference tool on reader's shelves for years to come. Julie Blackwomon offers an excerpt from Voyages Out 2 titled "Symbols," a short story that reflects Julie's own life. She makes a very intriguing statement, "coming out of the closet is more than just a "gay thing" It is my hope that authors like these in Black Like Us help to cease the homophobia in the gay and heterosexual African American community. I thoroughly enjoyed this treasure and how it examines literature.

In this world of the politically correct parry, it's good to know that the folks at Cleis Press do not suffer from the "me too" school of publishing. With BLU, readers are taken on an omnibus of writers that expand traditional boundaries of race and sexual preference. And it's about time. If you care about expanding your consciousness and folks who seek to shed light where there was none or little, then get a copy of BLU and get on the bus.

After years of reading George Pelecanos, James Lee Burke, John Harvery, George V. Higgins, Raymond Chandler, Ross Thomas, and others who can turn a phrase while inducing me to turn a page, I've finally started reading Ken Bruen. "Blitz" introduced me to a world so sloppy and hungover it feels as real as anything the aforementioned writers have created.

Here's the 3rd person narrator on Brant, one of the protagonists: "Brant considered asking her for a ride but she looked the deep type. She'd have issues and want to talk after. He hated that." Sharp, politically incorrect, perfectly believable. And the killer, who decides to create his public persona as a vicious murderer who only takes out cops? A complete, drunken screw-up.

Bruen is the real deal. The most exciting thing about finishing "Blitz" was knowing that he's written a shelf and I'm just starting him.

Once again I am drawn into the gritty world of the London crime scene. In Ken Bruen's books, I am never sure who is more vicious and criminal, the serial killers or the police who are searching them out.

This book has our serial killer going after the police starting off with a traffic warden and aiming toward the protaganist himself, Ken Brant. We have all of the usual police who we got to know in previous books including Brant (of course), Falls, Roberts, the incompetent Super with his "golden boy - snitch" McDonald. Alas, we no longer have my favorite, Lisa since she killed herself in McDead.

This book may be a little rough for many readers and it might be hard to follow by people who have never been exposed to the peculiar language that is spoken in South London (some say that it is English, but I would not swear to that).

...he'd probably ask Ken Bruen to write his scripts.

Ken Bruen's "Blitz" is a rock `em, sock `em, no-holds-bar brawl of violent men and hard women on both sides of the law - an in-your-face tale told from the wrong side of London.

Remember the days when Lawrence Sanders was bringing crime fiction to the masses with NYPD's tough Captain Delaney and gripping crime drama like "The First Deadly Sin?" Well, carve up Sander's pedestrian prose with a broken-off beer bottle, run Captain Delaney through the gutters for some edge, strip out any regard for political correctness or social redeeming value, and you'll start getting a feel for Bruen's brand of raw drama on the mean streets. There's no genius in the story - a maniac decides to declare open season on London's cops, and starts indiscriminately killing them. In tracking down the murderer, this is not as much a police procedural as it is a character study in misfits and miscreants - and that's just the good guys.

This is black prose that finds beauty along its jagged edges - a searing journey through vicious deeds and twisted minds that builds to an unexpected and cynically satisfying climax. Ken Bruen is the real deal - if you're hooked on Lehane, Child, Huston, Rankin, or Gischler and haven't added Bruen to your reading list, don't wait another day.

Blitz is the name of a sadistic killer who begins bumping off London bobbies. Tell the truth, I loved BLITZ. I loved the main cop characters, Detective Sergeant Brant and Chief Inspector Roberts, and hope they show up in another book. This is an alcohol-saturated book: it seems all the characters are up till 3 am boozing and look like hell the next day at work. What fun! Wouldn't we all like to be like that, throwing our health to the wind, devil-may-care like. No, probably not. But it is somehow liberating to live vicariously through such tough, hard-as-nails characters. In our overly PC age, when smoking a cigarette is a fineable offense in many places, it does the soul good to see people being free to make mistakes even if only between the covers of a novel. Living badly should be a choice, not a crime, in a free society. Brant and Roberts live badly and are tough, funny and likeable. Ken Bruen has written a series of novels with Jack Taylor as the protagonist which I haven't yet read but have received good reviews. BLITZ is my first Ken Bruen book. Tell you what, mate, it won't be my last.

Call it "Irish Noir," "Post-Modern Noir, " or whatever other adjective or descriptive phrase you can come up with; it matters not one bit. There's noir ... and then there's Ken Bruen. Blitz is the sequel to Bruen's The White Trilogy, a series of novels that introduced us to the cops in the South East London squad. A more dysfunctional collection of police officers would be hard to imagine. This time around, their loyalties, their training and what's left of their fragile sanity will be put to the test as they attempt to collar a sociopath who is out there killing cops with a hammer. (Leading Bruen, of course, to insert an irreverent reference or two to the Beatles' immortal "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Would you expect any less?). The killer, nicknamed "the Blitz" by London's rabid tabloid press, is a total `nutter. As the novel progresses, the reader is left with the sneaking suspicion that this whack-job is probably going to get away with his crimes and maybe even make a few pounds selling his story to the highest bidder. The fact that you are tempted in that direction, however, is dead giveaway that the author has something else entirely up his sleeve.

What Blitz lacks - relatively speaking, that is, compared to some of Bruen's other novels - in terms of sheer primal energy and visceral impact, it more than makes up for by means of a subtle and not-so-subtle sense of humor that is as grim and as dark as it gets. It's not that Bruen has become domesticated. It's just that his technique has become more sophisticated over time. Indeed, the author's implicit indictment of society is all the more searing because it is couched largely in such outlandishly humorous terms in this novel. You'll laugh your arse off in places while reading this book. Five minutes later you'll realize that what tickled your fancy was definitely no laughing matter a' tall. And five will getcha ten that's what the author bloody well intended in the first place! So strap yourself in and grab a motion-sickness bag. You're in for a wild ride through the sights and sounds of a London that will never, ever make the pages of any guidebook.

Read the entire text of this review in MYSTERY NEWS (October/November 2004)

Most religious Jews keep a copy of Psalms nearby. The biggest problem is that poetic Hebrew is hard, and if you pray in the original, it becomes difficult to follow many psalms and know what they're saying.

This is where Artscroll comes in and does what they do best. They take a good idea that someone else has and improves on it. I never particularly like to Metsudah books because the print is a little small (in the pocket size editions) and it takes a while to get used to reading vertically (you only have a few words on a line). This is not the case with the Artscroll interlinear books; your eye goes down the line as you would in a regular Hebrew book, but you have the translation of the phrase directly below. The only thing that's different is that you turn the page more often.

I have since bought the Weekday and Sabbath and Holiday prayer books for myself and the High Holiday prayer books for my son (I'm going to get him the others within the year). I recommend for anyone who is not fluent in Hebrew.

Every book, without exception, I have purchased from Mesorah Publications has been exquisitely bound and in excellent condition. If you are a serious student of the scripture, each and every book is a must-have. This particular book on the Psalms is more than wonderful. I already had purchased a book on the Psalms from this publisher, but this one has a direct translation under the Hebrew word, which I truly believe gives it an extra dimension of language in which to understand the author's intent. It is an invaluable study tool of a book in the scripture that is oft quoted but little understood.

This is the product of your dreams! Honestly. I don't understand hebrew, and going back and forth between English and Hebrew makes me feel less than smart. Reading this book is like understanding Hebrew... like putting on a pair of glasses when you were previously blind and didn't even know it. The interlinear approach actually makes you smarter. The more you read it, you will actually recognize words more quickly with frequency and actually learn hebrew WHILE you are davening. This is a way to make your prayers heartfelt and meaningful. I actually know people who understand hebrew who still use this book simply because the size of the type (in the pocket size book ) is SO user friendly. I used to go to shul and struggle to follow along. This book of tehillim and other interlilnear books have helped me to find the place where I belong spiritually. i can't recommend this book highly enough. Try it and buy it.

I first ordered from Amazon The Book of Psalms in the Schottenstein edition ISBN 1-57819-558-6 as I was looking for an edition in English and Hebrew, with a hard cover, with good paper that would give me good service for many future years. I liked the idea of an interlinear text with the English translation of each Hebrew word under each Hebrew character, but unlike the interlinear Greek-English New Testament Nestle/Marshall, published by Bagster 1958, the Schottenstein edition does not have an English translation on the side, or underneath, similar to the King James' translation of the Greek. This edition by Schottenstein is wonderful for someone with a reasonable knowledge of Hebrew who can basically read it so that it can be appreciated both academically and/or interiorize it with spiritual effect. I regret that I have no understanding of Hebrew,and could not find in the mere translation of the characters anything that satisfied my need for the language and poetry of the original on which to support my spiritual needs -
So, I then searched for just a translation of the Hebrew text into English only, in a hard cover, containing only the Psalms, and easy to carry with me at all times. It seemed that there were only two possibilities on Amazon. First, The Book of Psalms, the King James
Version, published by Dover Publications 1993 ISBN 0-486-27541-8 in a soft cover. I thought maybe I would have it bound, but that can present problems in opening the book easily. I ordered it, only to now discover that the paper is of very poor quality which will soon discolour and tear.

At the same time I ordered The Book of Psalms - A New Translation to the Traditional Hebrew Text published by The Jewish Publication Society ISBN 0-8276-0630-3. One Amazon reviewer commented that it is said by some to have mistakes in translation and literary value. I was very disappointed to read this as a friend of mine who is a Rabbi had told me of this translation planned, for what we Christians call, the entire Old Testament; it is said to be planned to take many many years and be a definitive work of Rabbinical scholarship. I have the deepest respect for the veracity of Jewish scholarship, so I have written to my Rabbi friend to ask him his opinion, and the opinion of other Rabbi, of the degree of inaccuracy; style is a personal matter. However, on examining the text and making a comparison with the King James Version I am very pleased to have the Jewish Publication Society edition. In just a short examination of both texts I like the text and style of the JPS edition. If I change my mind later I will correct this review! Apart from which, the volume is a sturdy hard cover edition, easy to carry, somewhat larger than the Dover Publication, and on good paper and with a good font and print setting. I look forward to using this edition very much and very often. On the basis of all I have said above I recommend that anyone who does not read Hebrew fluently, and basically is looking for a Jewish translation of the Psalms for daily practical use in English, to use this JPS edition: Psalm 90 - O Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation, KJV Lord thou has been our dwelling place in all generations, JPS - God restores the lonely to their homes, sets free the imprisoned, safe and sound, while the rebellious must live in a dry land, KJV - God setteth, the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Both are beautiful, but the words of the JPS, for me, leap into clarity and with an ease of comprehension. I shall carry this text with me and read it every day, and when it is in tatters I will simply replace it. For a commentary I will use the Anchor Bible text.

This is the Psalter that I leave on my night stand for daily use.

The exceptional quality of the large clear print makes this work a delight to read. Artscroll has also developed a unique method of printing an interlinear text so that the English never seems to intrude into reading the Hebrew - and yet it is there in case you cannot remember the meaning of a particular word.

One extremely minor criticism is that the interlinear often uses a relatively dynamic-equivalence approach. It might have been more helpful if the interlinear was a bit more woodenly literal.

If you love the psalms - you must have this edition!

Who needs this book:
If you are beyond learning how to sail (ie. which ropes to pull and how to hoist the mainsail).
If you want (or need) to go faster.
If you want to enjoy sailing, not wrestling your boat.
You sail or crew on a beach cat!

What do you get from it:
Learn what makes your boat "go" or slow.
(Painful) Mistakes, and how to avoid them.
How to "think right" (hard to explain) in theory so you get it right on the water!

Catamaran Sailing for the Nineties. It may sound dated in this millennium, but you would definitely be missing out on some excellent info if that deterred you from buying this excellent value for money book.

Rick and Mary have a great writing style. They somehow know how to take complicated theoretical problems and conjure up images in your mind. Some books are dry and theoretical, not so with this one! Because of their graphinc writing style, you can almost see exactly what they are explaining unfold in your head. Perhaps it could be a bit too much for an absolute beginner, but after a season of sailing, they too should be craving for more speed and control!
There are also a lot of diagrams to help those that need help visualize what is going on.
All in all, I am convinced that anyone (who does not already have a cupbourd full of olympic gold medals) that reads this and tests it out on the water will be a better sailor for it.

This book has all the info i was looking for in an easy to read format.

Hi folks,

First of all I'll have to confess that I haven't read the whole book yet, but it's a must-own book for beach-cat sailors. This book is the closest you can come to the beac-cat sailors bible.

The book has covered such a great amount fo material in an easy and explaining way, with humour as a common agent. The don't's and musts of catamaran sailing is marked with fat types so you'll easy remember wath to do or what you must never do xD .

For crew the text is often sumed up so it's easy to scum the text.

I'll say, at the end, the book is worth every penny for experienced sailors as for newbeeies. Have fun :)

I got this book a week after I entered my first race. I had raced monohulls before but this was my first cat race. Lots of amazing tips for any level. Read this before your next race and you will be sure to pick off a few more compettitors..... I learned a lot and can use the tactics and techniques every time I go sailing wether I am racing or not. I would strongly recomend this book.

Rick White is the master of communicating how to sail a catamaran. This book mirrors his seminars and videos. I think the video series might even be an even better starting point for most catamaran sailors because much of book is about how-to activities that should be visualized and practiced.

this is the possibly the best Arcadia/Images of America book I've seen from the series. The selection and quality of the photography (mostly historic photos) is wonderful, and the captions tell a great story of Chicago. I find myself often thumbing through it over and over to look at the photos. Highly recommended!

I grew up in Chicago but have been in San Francisco for 23 years now - this book had some great photos and descriptions that brought me back to the very streets I grew up on.

Plus, after being somewhat obsessed with Devil in the White City, it was great to finally see some photos of what that actually looked like (photos that I thought were sadly lacking in the original book).

The paperback format makes it easily consumable and very gift-worthy.

Hard work went into this book! Both the text and pictures were extremely thought out. Would like to see the author expand and put out more books on Chicago classical architecture as the city is loaded with great classical buildings. For the price the book makes a great gift item.

This novel was not only informative as a historical referrence of Chicago's history, but I used it as a guidebook while plotting what sites to see in this wonderful City!

Impressive how David Stone was able to collect photos of the White City faster than Google could. The photographic research is apparent. Narrated neighborhood to neighborhood by someone who has obviously contemplated his native Chicago. This is one worthy history lesson.

Also makes a complementary sidedish to The Devil In The White City. Here are the photos you were dying to see of the Fairgrounds while reading the murder mystery.

I grew up in the Mid Atlantic, but spent my summers in the bush. This book brings back fond memories.

Unfortunately, now the wilderness that I grew up with is being harvested for "big mac" wrappers. Yes, it's true. McDonalds is the customer of the timber harvests in the North Woods. McDonalds is destroying the "Canadian Bush" of "crazy white man" for burger wrappers. Progress?

My family and I spent 10 days every summer fishing in Sioux Lookout for many years. This book is fascinating reading. It brings back vivid memories of both the beauty and the dangers (if you are not careful) that this area holds. I am very familiar with all of the territory Richard Morenus describes. Abram Lake is gorgeous and the sunsets are out of this world. Many things hit home for me in reading the words of Morenus. He describes, for example, the squalls that can suddenly come up and churn the lakes into a navigational nightmare. (Something I experienced first-hand when one tried to push us UP the Abram Chutes with TWO anchors.) Morenus takes you through his adventure in a day by day account as he learns first hand how to cope with the elements. My most enlightening remembrance of the book is when he recalls being laughed at by the locals over his choice of "cold weather garb." Summers are one thing in Sioux Lookout. Winter is an entirely different animal. If you have been to the area, this book will give you a greater appreciation of it, especially since it was written during a period when there were but a scant few camps and lodges serving the chain of lakes. If you have not been to the region, this book serves as a window into a world and time where cell phones, faxes, emails and "package fishing tours" had yet to be invented. You can almost feel the cold crisp air as he describes an October morning outside his cabin. Even if you have no intention of actually going there, this book is great reading for a rainy day.

I used to live in Canada in the early 1970's & a Canadian friend of mine gave me this book to read & to keep back then. This is a wonderful story that I have read more than once & have shared with other friends here in NZ. Even if you're not a 'bush' person this is an uplifting story of a life a world away from big city chaos & true human spirit. And you'll fall in love with his dog! Once you start reading this you wont want to put it down. A truly remarkable book & worth what ever you have to pay to get a copy of it today! (Sorry i wouldn't part with mine..)

I have been to the place that Ricard Morenus' book is based on. Once you have been there and then read the book, your vacation to the wilderness takes on a whole new meaning. This book talks about his struggles as well and the serenity of the bush. Reccomend a trip to Winoga lodge (site of story) to experience the wonder of the wilderness at its best!

We own and operate Winoga Lodge in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. This is the island that Richard Morenus lived on while he was writing this book of his trials and tribulations while living in the bush. His cabin is still here, along with his table, bed, Morenus' picture with Billy, and a few other things that still remain here. One of the tables was crafted by him out of his shipping boxes. When you look underneath it has his writing, showing his new address and his old. This island still has people come to it looking for a trace of him and his faithful dog, Nik. It seems that there is a true connection to this book once people have read it and they just want to feel his magic of the bush.

We do have the book for sale at the island that is a re-print. It's a reading must for anyone who loves the bush. It will take you back in time to a simpler lifetime. Morenus will hold the attention of people who usually don't read, because they love his island and the story of his life so much.

This important work should not have disappeared from bookstore shelves, and should be on every thnking person's reading list. By the way, it is also a pleasure to read as Harrington is a gifted storyteller, the mark of a firs-rate reporter. Walt Harrington talks frankly of those differences in style which often separate, perplex, and offend us. White and black social styles are different, but we can deal with that.What we seem unwilling to confront, in our social policies and our private assumptions, are the much larger and harder-edged gulfs between economic classes. Harrington's realization that poor blacks and whites have more in common with one another than with the wealthy, and his analysis of barriers to individual success put up by economically stressed communities, as opposed to racially segregated communities were brilliant. I find myself constantly rethinking my own work in education and in community building based on his work. This book is a must read for every college sociology class, political science professor, and business school graduate.Some publisher out there must recognize the worth of this book. Everyone who has read it is ready to give a copy to at least 5 friends! We can all hope Oprah discovers this work and puts it on her list so that it will gain the audience Harrington deserves.

Walt Harrington has provided America with one of the best accounts of race and racism in this county. Through many interviews with black people around the country, Harrington provides a vivid picture of race in America. His most important point is that all black people do not share the same views on politics, economics, and racism. The only ciriticism that comes to mind is that his book is too optimistic. Harrington insinuates that one day racism can be overcome. This comes after countless off-the-collar, racist comments from various white people he meets (one from a young boy playing basketball). While we must continue to try, white racism seems an insurmountable obstacle.

Every so often you are impacted by a compelling act, word or deed. Crossings gave me much to think about. There are dozens of books I have read and they mostly have left my memory bank. Not this book, it made a lasting deposit. E-mail me about Birmingham Pledge: attempt to end racism.

I have always been very interested in the role of race in our society. There is no real answer to the questions of its importance, but Harrington does an exceptional job in giving his readers nonbiased, objective research. He travels the country interviewing many different African Americans in different socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, and lifestyles. It is incredibly interesting reading about their different beliefs on the subjects he brings up, and their openness to discuss these things also intrigues me. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about race, whether it is your own, or one you want to know more about.

I absolutely loved this book. What a journey? As an African Canadian I've had a long fascination with the history and lives of my brothers and sisters to the south. When I was very young I would pore over my father's old Ebony magazines from the 60s absorbing all the knowledge I could about people who I found incredibly complex, strong, loving, generous, heroic....The many stories of courage, achievement and triumph made me very proud. Walt Harrington's book has allowed me to continue my fascinating journey. Today I have many African-American friends who are often astonished with my knowledge of their history and culture. Harrington's book is one that every American should read. Mainly because it's not a book about African Americans, as much as it's a book about America. Every chapter is a journey into complexities of American culture and it's people. They say that the best stories are true - this book is living proof of that. The fact that Harrington is white, makes this journey all the more interesting. Him experiencing things for the first time that we as Black people have long been privvy to is often funny (in a sad way). There are many examples of the accepted ignorance that white privilege creates. However, we find Harrington asking himself questions that would be so easy to sugar coat with a great white liberal response, but he instead answers with the unexpected - brutal honesty (what you suspect he is thinking, but would never say). Some of Harrington's experiences and stories scrape the depths of despair (Chicago projects), while others show the will of a people (Oklohoma cowboys). Harrington is generous in his writing style, recreating Black people's lives and experiences with the greatest detail and vividness. Walt, thank you for your commitment to expanding your horizons and allowing others to be part of your journey - I enjoyed every minute of it. This book is one I look forward to revisiting.

This well-researched book includes the a "Cultural Poisoning" self-test. The idea is that with the help of the book, one can move from a state of being Culturally Poisoned and onward to a state of Cultural Literacy and even to a Zone of Optimal Development.

This book is very useful for people of all races and backgrounds.

I must commend brothah Aunk for his scholarship. "DoubleSpeak in Black and White", a book which has been obviously put together with much thought, and investigation/research, in those areas concerning some of the particulars in providing specific tools for those of us who have not had much success in articulating concerns relative to understanding much of what has been passed down to us here in the western civilizations. Yes, I said "tool". 'Doublespeak" can certainly be considered a "tool" or a handy guide of the present and future. For those of you who have not had time to read "doublespeak", I would highly recommend that you do.

"DoubleSpeak" addresses areas of concern pertinent to what our understanding of not only the culture we live in, but also, how we view ourselves as "Africans" in a world colonized by "antihumanist". [An American who is in favor of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness for some] as written by brothah Aunk.

Brothah Aunk cleverly coins the term "AIDS" [Acquired Information Deficiency Syndrome] as a descriptive diagnosis of some of the ills or dis-ease we manifest [unknowingly most times] due to programming and conditioning via the various institutions set up here in the west and other parts of the world. [educational, political, religious, ect.] For example Aunk refers to some of the strains of AIDS as WorldView AIDS, Medical AIDS, Image AIDS, Geography AIDS, American History AIDS, Melanin AIDS, ect.

As you will notice these phrases have been sectioned into small groups of information assisting you in your understanding of Cultural Illiteracy and Cultural Poisoning. [See Aunk's "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" for further details on cultural literacy...cultural poisoning] "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" is a tool, which is able to provide us with concise terms and information relative to each of the strains of AIDS, which in some cases may have affected our ability to communicate information, and to be able to recognize the "mis-information in each of the strains of cultural AIDS. I would also like to point out, that in the context of the book, you'll also find very interesting models and illustrations, which provides you with a visual of important points in the book. Aunk provides several models of the Aunk illustrating it's many functions as used by the ancient kamitians. Fascinating photos and descriptions of melanin, even more interesting are the various step by step models of achieving Cultural Literacy and on to cultural harmony, final phase!...fantastic job Aunk!

Finally, after reading Aunk's DoubleSpeak in Black and White", I have become conscious of certain terms and phrases I had been accustomed to using, which once it had been brought to my attention, via Aunk's book, I realized I had to make certain changes in how I communicate cultural ideas. I was able to recognize how some of what I may have said and how I said them, may have, in essence, been perpetuating Cultural Poisoning. In a time where "race" issues have been the highlight of much our societies discussions, it is certainly good to know that we now have a concise reference guide/tool that can help us to be able to bring to political forums on "race", terms and phrases which can be used universally in articulating our views in a way that everyone present can understand/comprehend, thus providing us with the opportunity to be well on our way to resolving some of the "race" issues in America and abroad.

This handy tool..."DoubleSpeak" can certainly be considered a universal reference guide for not only us but our children and those of other ethnicities as well, present and future! Let's provide a brighter future for generations to come, become Culturally Literate! Also I would like to recommend that we all take time to take the "Cultural Poisoning Self Test" [see Aunk's "DoubleSpeak in Black and White"] in conclusion...I would like to say th-ankh you brotha Aunk for all the positive energy you invested in not only your book...but in "us" as well. For caring enough to provide us with such a valuable tool, which by the way, in developing "our" own schools in the future and for those of us who teach, this book can be used as an excellent reference guide for teaching adults and children in schools, or wherever it is you teach...Aunk's book, "DoubleSpeak in Black and White" comes highly recommended by me!... ....in keeping the cypher in motion... Omniversal love and respect to all!!

"... If you and I would just realize, that once we learn to talk the language that they understand, they will then get the point. You can't ever reach a man if you don't speak his language. If a man speaks the language of brute force, you can't come to him with peace. Why goodnight! He'll break you in two, as he has been doing all along. If a man speaks French, you can't speak to him in German. If he speaks Swahili, you can't communicate with him in Chinese. You have to find out, what does this man speak? Once you know his language, learn how to speak his language. He'll get the point, there will be some dialogue, some communication, and some understanding will be developed." El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X)

I have "zero tolerance" when it concerns overtly racist white folks or patronizing white folks who call themselves "liberal." I cannot afford to waste my valuable time explaining the concept of a "just" society to those who supposedly advocate and practice it. I am a part of that generation, born into segregation; weaned into integration; now traumatized by the intransigence of white supremacy. It took me a long time to adjust, but I am clear now. Maybe if I would have had Rudy Aunk's book, "DoubleSpeak in Black and White," when I was younger, I might have become clear sooner and saved myself the heartache.

It is only appropriate that Aunk starts his work in the context of America's last chance to begin any type of racial healing, President Clinton's failed national discussion on race, a plan that I have had very personal experience with. Aunk underlines the reasons why I, and the rest of the country, had difficulty with this discussion-we came to the conference table unprepared because we did not speak the same language. Aunk makes a critical point that if the medical and sales profession can standardize speech within those professions, then the same can be done to raise the ''language efficiency' in our discussions on 'race'. Aunk even offers standard definitions to many of the terms surrounding 'race' in order to begin the standardization process.

From there, Aunk traces the roots of this unpreparedness as being grounded in the cultural poisoning that has taken place since our childhoods. Not convinced of the level of your poisoning? The book even has a very enlightening self-test, if you are not afraid to face the truth!

Need validation of Aunk's position? All you have to do is look at the results of the National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey. This study surveyed over 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the United States and found that American students scored next to last lowest score. It is frightening and unfortunate that no one has put forth any "clear" plans to do anything about this except Aunk and a few others. Prevention is a central theme of the book, however, Aunk offers clear solutions for today's stalemated issues. For example, Aunk's commentary of the educational voucher controversy should offend no one, especially if they are really about teaching the children.

Aunk then goes about the task of exploding popular myths and other miseducation while offering an action plan that will help us de-toxify and empower ourselves with cultural literacy.

Probably the greatest concept Aunk puts forth in the book is a question few dare, in this culture of obfuscation, to ask. That is, "now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

Aunk's book is definitely a must read for those individuals not afraid to explore the possibility of creating another mindset. I think this book should be used as a primary textbook for the millions of institutions in the United States and the Western world responsible for "Diversity" programs. Certainly, the book should be required reading at my job, however, the whites and blacks are severely poisoned, close to cultural death

By Tolbert

I am a European American young woman. My relationships with African Americans at school and work, was not where I wanted it to be. I read DoubleSpeak in Black and White, most of the info was new to me, and has made a big difference. Aunk is right, detecting Cultural Poisoning, and deleting these negative programs from your bio-computer is easy, once you know how. I have recommended this book to everyone in my family, and highly recommend it to YOU!

I am an African American educator. I use to be defensive about my culture. I used the information in DoubleSpeak in B/W to move from cultural defense to cultural offence. As an Elder, I now enjoy helping others do the same.

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