African Books

I purchased the book "The Art of Jonathan Green' with the desire to capture and keep some of the southern charm felt and beauty witnessed on a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina. The book is simply amazing from cover to cover. It is one to be displayed so that all can be captured by the beautiful imagery that reaches from beyond and through each page and touches the soul.

of color and of life. His vivid paintings make you feel glad to be alive

It is given to particular artists to do the impossible. Claude Monet paints light. Andrew Wyeth paints time passing. You can hear Jonathan Green's paintings. In "Bessie Mae", he paints not only the singer, the song itself springs from the canvas. "Silence With The Birds" transfixes the mind, making common imagery so new that you may as well have just been born. Green belongs with those rare artists whose work leaves you seeing and feeling the world in a new way. You can spend an hour with this book, go for a walk and see fresh grace in the movement of the human body, sense something new in your step. All that and more, you will find in this book. There is in every painting the identifiable signature and the present quest - something that goes to your belly, and makes you whole. This is world-class art, visionary, accomplished, redemptive. Green's work expresses the spirit of a people who endured hundreds of years of brutal oppression, created the greatest religious songs in the language and fought a revolution without guns. Here is love, made visible. As in Rilke's poem about Apollo: 'You must change your life."

Last month I went to Charleston, South Carolina for the first time and discovered the art of Jonathan Green at Gallery Chuma. If I could be a piece of art, I would be painted by him. The art is shown in chronological order and the evolution of style through his career is evidenced. There is one color plate per page so each piece is easily viewed. All are in color. The art section is prefaced by three lyrical, thought-provoking chapters about the artist, the relationship of Gullah heritage, African American aesthetic, and his art as an expression of the layers of experiences mixed cultures bring to humanity. One chapter mentioned the flowing movement in the artwork which is also what first piqued my interest. I just can't help but wish that all that is good in the world of Jonathan Green's art could be in everyone and make our world a better place.

a beautiful book of green's work
if you are a fan of his artwork--this book is an excellent compilation in both presentation and accompanying text

I've read many books on hedgies in preparation for buying one, and this is the best. We got our little guy from Dawn who has never given us any bad information about raising a happy and healthy hedgehog. She spent a lot of time with us, so we'd have the right hedgie for our family and really knows her stuff. So many books have bad informtion in them. If you're thinking about adding one of these little characters to your family, this is the book to read before doing so.

Dawn's book was one that i happened upon while looking for information on having a hedgehog as a pet. As I did more research I found so many books available that have potentially deadly information in them.

I found several breederes in the USA that will not sell a hedgehog to a new person before they have read this book. It is an easy read, with good information. It also has very cute pictures. If you think you want a hedgehog, READ THIS BOOK FIRST!!

Hedgehogs are still considered "fad" pets by many, and several of the books available on the market today reflect that by providing information that treats these charming, intelligent animals as disposable pets. Dawn's book systematically goes through most aspects of hedgehog care, speaking with expert knowledge and true affection for these animals. A novice hedgehog owner, or someone considering bringing one home for the first time, will get a lot of valuable information from this book.

I highly recommend.

Required reading for all hedgehog owners! This book was written by a successful, knowledgeable, hedgehog breeder and her vet. They know their stuff. The information is accurate, helpful and fun to read.

This book had a lot of great information, especially considering it was published in 95. There was a lot of information that even experienced hedgie owners will find useful. There is background/history information on the hedgehog that I hadn't read before. Well written and a good book overall.

This book is very fun and imformative. It gives us information, but in a fun way...I recomend this book to anyone under the age of 13, and who enjoys history...if you get this book in school, dont be scared it is fun!

I love the writing in this series, it's such a pleasure to read, I wonder why are so many other textbooks so boring?

I'd love to give it five stars, except that there are recurring themes I find grating - some of her "fan club for the US government" stuff is just in totally inappropriate places. For instance, "American slavery was a horror. We should never pretend it was anything else. But the American system of government lets us correct mistakes. When you study history you see we usually do. Of that we can be proud." Gag me with a spoon, slavery was not abolished until more than 240 years after the first slave was delivered in 1619! Hakim does such a great job of fairly telling the story, why ruin it?

Another place I found disappointing was the perpetuation of the myth that the first settlers at Plymouth were called "Pilgrims" and that the Europeans started Thanksgiving. She has a box on Thanksgiving saying the story of the first Thanksgiving is a "real turkey", lists some other European Thanksgiving celebrations, and then neglects to mention that the Indians had been conducting Thanksgiving celebrations at harvest time for generations. I'd love to see someone do such a great job TELLING the story, who could also not perpetuate those irritating little false stories that schoolchildren are always taught.

Gosh, this doesn't sound like the positive review I inteded, but I see others have already told the good stuff. It's wonderfully well written!

I just borrowed this book from the library and now plan to buy the whole set. As a home schooling parent, I am always struggling to find quality materials and this series is just that. Hakim's books are easy to read and comprehend. Most importantly, they give a realistic view of history, not the politically correct one so often taught.

As I teach my children U.S. history, I want them to know that, yes, the white people were sometimes violent and unfair to the Native Americans, but some Native Americans were that way too. Before the Europeans came, they kidnapped and killed each other. I want my kids to know the whole truth and these books are very fair. No matter what the race, some people are good and some are not.

I highly recommend these books for teaching history to children and even adults.

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791).

Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation.

One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony.

However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her ability to anticipate and answer questions that students might have (e.g., why the Indians were not enslaved). I can easily see why this series is popular with parents who are home schooling their children. The book is richly illustrated with dozens and dozens of historic paintings, etchings, drawings, maps, engravings, and assorted reproductions. The margins are crammed with interesting facts, definitions, and quotations, and features on topics such as Land Green and Africa: The Unknown Continent are sprinkled throughout the book. The After Words this time around are devoted to cartography and has some superb examples of 16h- and 17th-century maps. It is easily to see why this series has impressed so many people and why Hakim is able to get such good responses from young students who are used to getting their information from computers and the Internet.

"Making Thirteen Colonies: 1600-1740" is the second volume in Joy Hakim's "A History of US." The first volume covered how the first Americans crossed over from Asia to become Indians and the first Europeans, mainly the Spanish but also the French and English, began settling the New World. This volume focuses on the narrow string of settlements established by the English that became the thirteen colonies whose people began moving westward and who also started to question the relationship they had with England (there is a small amount of overlap between this and the next volume, which covers period of American history from 1735-1791).

Hakim begins with a preface that looks at the vast mixture of ideas that were brought over from the Mediterranean world and took root in the Americas. Along with the first chapter, which talks about the comet that appeared in 1607 as a portent of great changes for the world, this preface sets up several key themes that will be revisited throughout this and future volumes. "Making Thirteen Colonies" has 42 chapters and it the book is divided into five main sections. The first (chapters 2-12) tells how English settlers came to stay by establishing the first permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The second (chapters 13-23) looks primarily at the Puritans arriving in New England, although Hakim also touches on what was happening between the Indians and the Spanish in the southwest. The third section (chapters 24-30) tells about the mid-Atlantic colonies, most notably New Amsterdam/York and Pennsylvania. The fourth section (chapter 31-39) returns to the South, looking at not only Ole Virginny but also the two Carolinas and Georgia. This unit also looks at the Triangle Trade and other considerations that united the four southern and nine northern colonies. The final section (chapters 40-42) is a transitional unit, that looks at how the colonists began to move westward and the stage was set for the period of history that would make those thirteen colonies into a new nation.

One of the great advantages to writing a ten-volume history of the United States is that unlike most standard American history textbooks "A History of US" is able to clearly establish the unique identities of each of those original thirteen colonies. I recently finished reading an excellent series of books, each of which was devoted to an individual colony, and Hakim ends up being closer to those volumes than she does the standard textbook. Consequently, in addition to the traditional stories about Pocahontas and John Smith in Jamestown, William Penn and the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the Salem witch trials, Ben Franklin as the quintessential American, and Daniel Boone finding routes through the mountains, Hakim establishes an individual identity for each colony.

However, the main strength of this series is how Hakim engages young readers, the same way you would expect a "real" teacher to do in a "real" classroom. This shows up primarily in her ability to anticipate and answer questions that students might have (e.g., why the Indians were not enslaved). I can easily see why this series is popular with parents who are home schooling their children. The book is richly illustrated with dozens and dozens of historic paintings, etchings, drawings, maps, engravings, and assorted reproductions. The margins are crammed with interesting facts, definitions, and quotations, and features on topics such as Land Green and Africa: The Unknown Continent are sprinkled throughout the book. The After Words this time around are devoted to cartography and has some superb examples of 16th- and 17th-century maps. It is easily to see why this series has impressed so many people and why Hakim is able to get such good responses from young students who are used to getting their information from computers and the Internet.

The jacket cover read really well but the writing was rather dry. I didn't care for the dialog going back and forth. It is a great story not written that well.

This tender memoir shows us a side of society that exists in many African countries but is seldom portrayed--the upper middle class. I found it refreshing to read about the lives of Africans of means who aren't embezzlers and tin-pot dictators or blood-crazed war lords bent on carving out a kingdom from the flesh of their victims. Helene Cooper's family certainly had its share of flawed characters, but their lifestyle wasn't vastly different from Americans in similar economic circumstances.
Their fates, of course, were very different and her handling of the impact of the turmoil in Liberia on her family gives the book some serious drama.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read. It presents a "new" "African American" experience that we need to hear more about. Like Obama, Cooper is an African American who arrived at that "label" in a unique way. Her book highlights yet another path and, boy, am I glad she wrote about it. Thank you Helene. When's your next book coming? I'll be waiting.

Helene Cooper's memoir of growing up in Liberia is one of those books that you just can't put down. I was pretty groggy there for a few days after reading late into the night!

Because I grew up in the U.S. at the same time as the author, I was captivated by the stories of her girlhood. Nancy Drew, green eye shadow, Barry White, velvet upholstery... even singing Blessed Assurance endlessly. It all sounds so familiar, and yet, that's where the similarity ends. Guns and war, soldiers and strongmen, rapes and executions. We who grew up in the relative safety of the U.S. in the latter part of the twentieth century can barely form mental images of the scenes she describes.

The professional reviews of this book say its tone is flat. I don't agree. I like the factual, unsentimental tone of the book. The author is reporting her life, in all its glory and its ugliness. If she maintains a certain reserve, or a little distance, for her sanity's sake, she sure has the right. God bless her just for surviving.

When the book ended, I was left with the question of whether Ms. Cooper ever went back to Liberia after her visit to find her sister Eunice. I looked up her recent bylines in the New York Times and enjoyed reading her articles. An epilogue about her continuing relationship with the country would have been a welcome addition to the book.

If I could rate separately for editing, I would. Ms. Cooper's editors failed her. In another edition of the book, I would hope they would fix such silly errors as using "who's" instead of "whose" and spell names consistently (Mommee/Mommy). In many places, information is repeated; in two successive paragraphs, for example, the family cook is described as grumpy and irascible. It detracts from the book in a regrettable way.

But not to end this review on a grumpy and irascible note. I loved this book and I suggest you read it along with Lawrence Hill's Someone Knows My Name: A Novel, which is based on historical events and tells the story of a woman who was enslaved in the South but who returns with the colony of African-Americans who founded Sierra Leone after the Revolutionary War. It provides another colorful look at this part of the world.

This was a great memoir. I loved how vivid the story was. It feels as though you are really living her life. Great for an interesting and informational read.

Rémi Bouchard is a self-assured, attractive, intelligent African-American young woman who owns and operates Gillespie's, the most popular jazz/supper club in the trendy South Beach section of Miami. But Rémi's friends know her as a sexy, aggressive dyke, a regular at a local private club catering to lesbian S&M devotees, as well as a woman never to miss a chance for such an encounter, even keeping a fully-equipped "playroom" off her office at Gillespie's.

At the wedding of her best friend, Dez, Rémi makes a decision to try to form a relationship with an older woman to whom she has been attracted for many years, but has been hesitant to approach. The problem is that Claudia is not just significantly older, but Rémi has no basis for concluding she might be interested in a lesbian relationship, or is attracted to Rémi in any way. Then there is the fact that Claudia is Dez's mother, who practically raised Rémi after her mother abandoned her in Miami to return to her rich husband, who would not accept Rémi's sexuality.

At the same time, Rémi must deal with an unscrupulous rival club owner, who will go to any lengths to take over Gillespie's. And, last but not least, Rémi gets an unexpected visit from her younger sister, Yvette, who tries to persuade Rémi to visit and reconcile with their mother.

A very well-written, engaging erotic novel, with outstanding character development, enabling the reader to identify with each character's motivations and agenda. Much recommended five stars out of five.

Rémi Bouchard is the owner of the hottest restaurant and jazz club in South Beach. Rémi's wealth and notoriety allows her to indulge in no strings attached flings. But these escapades are starting to wear thin. When Rémi goes to her best friend's wedding, she finds the perfect woman. The problem is that this woman is supposed to be off limits. Rémi ponders the situation and decides to take a leap of faith and go for it. But pursuing this woman could lead Rémi down a path of seduction that could prove to be costly in the end.

Hungry For It is a steamy and intoxicating novel by Fiona Zedde. Zedde gives readers a bird's-eye view of the South Beach club scene. The character development in this story was wonderful. You will see Rémi transform from having frivolous one-night stands to wanting to be in a committed relationship. You will also feel the emotional struggle that Rémi goes through as she exposes her heart to a potentially risky relationship. There is also some family drama thrown into the mix that makes this a well-rounded novel. Hungry For It is sexy and inviting. Fiona Zedde once again turns up the heat.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban-Reviews

This book was one of the greatest I have ever read. I finished the book and right away started to re-read the book. The second time was even better then the first.

I love the story and the plot it was creative, nicely paced, and sexy! Everyone will want to date someone like Remi

I really liked this book. I eagerly waited for its release after reading Zedde's previous works. Had I not read "Every Dark Desire" already, I would have rated this one a five star. Technically, there was nothing wrong with the book. I liked and looked forward to learning more about the two protagonists, which I did. I would have enjoyed seeing more interactions with the rest of their friends as opposed to just being the two of them and what is going on inside their heads. I understand that the changing nature of their relationship and their relationships with the supporting character from its prequel makes that almost impossible to do, but still I was disappointed. I wanted to see more of Victoria and Desiree along with the rest of the gang, but I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I look forward to reading another Zedde novel in about a year or so. For anyone who hasn't read any of Fiona Zedde's novels I recommend "A Taste of Sin" and "Every Dark Desire" along with this book, which is something of a sequel to "A Taste of Sin". She's a wonderful and fresh author whose works would be a additions to any library. Hope this helps.

This book was a great read, I think I read it in two days. Very interesting plot, read it for yourself.

I Just got through reading the book for the second time,and it
was just as good to me the second time as the first.
I will never understand the disparagey in the verdicts.To me the one that was most guilty got off scott free, while the least
guilyy got the worst punishment.That militarry justicefor you though.

The reviews of Gary Solis's SON THANG are entirely accurate: the book is a masterpiece of historical research and sharp, incisive, nuanced writing. A gripping and depressing read, the book examines not only the singular horror of the Son Thang massacre (and in that it is a refreshing alternative to the incident as presented in Oliver North's white-washed memoirs, and Randy Herrod's self-serving BLUE'S BASTARDS), but also the decline in morale and professional standards during the waning days of the Vietnam War. That this decay almost overwhelmed the draftee-filled U.S. Army is an accepted fact. That an institution as proud as the Marine Corps (an institution which had upheld its highest traditions at places like Con Thien, Hue, Khe Sanh, and Dai Do from 1965-68) was also dry-rotting during the 1969-70 period is not as well known. Though a proud Marine veteran himself, the author is willing to look such ugly truths square in the eye, and SONG THANG is all the better for it. The Foreword by BrigGen E.H. Simmons, USMC (Ret), is also fascinating.

A very interesting book.The author was not afraid to put the blame where it belonged. I wonder how many more such incidents happened in the time we were in Nam.As a Nam vet I know to well what it was like to be in a situation where you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. Hind sight is always 20 - 20,but sometimes our boys were put in a situation like that and were killed if they didn't take the nescesary steps. I am not condoning any senseless killing, but when it is kill or be killed you do what you have to do.

Professor Gary Solis' "Son Thang: An American War Crime" is an excellent account of the courts-martial of four Marines for the murder of 16 Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam War. Drawing from the transcripts from the courts-martial, the appellate record, the historical record, and interviews with many of the participants, Solis - a Vietnam veteran who served as both a military prosecutor and military judge in the Marines and who now teaches military law at West Point - gives a complete picture of the story as only a true insider can.

Although this book is history, it reads like a novel. Solis brings the tension of the battlefield and the drama of the courtroom alive in this book. And he also brings alive the legal maneuvering before each court-martial as the prosecutors, defense counsel, and - in some cases - civilian defense counsel, all "prepared the battlefield" before each court-martial.

As a former practitioner of military justice, Solis understands the nuances and intricacies of military justice, staff work on a division staff, and the actual role of commanders in the process. He methodically explains how military justice works in a deployed environment (the rules are the same, but there are many "real-world" problems such as witness production and transportation that can threaten an otherwise sound case).

Finally, Solis also gives glimpses of the bigger picture of the Vietnam War in 1970: the USMC manpower problems with Project 100,000, law of war training issues, the moral problems dealt with by Marines facing women and children fighters, etc. And, after telling the full post-trial stories of the convicted Marines (that went on for over 10 years), Solis wraps up with some conclusions about what went wrong, what went right, and suggestions for improving the military justice system (which are especially relevant now that we are again trying important courts-martial in deployed environments).

"Son Thang" is an outstanding book and a very easy read. Anyone interested in the Vietnam War, military justice, or in trial work in general should read it.

"Son Thang" is both an important work of legal scholarship and a compelling, well-written story. Col. Solis documents, step by step, exactly how the Marine Corps treated its own suspected of war crimes in Vietnam-they were quickly tried, and if convicted, imprisoned. There were no coverups and no excuses. Marines accused of killing non-combatants were swiftly brought to book and the chips allowed to fall where they may. Here, it appears that several of the Marine Corps prosecutors were out-lawyered by civilian attorneys. That doesn't matter; a trial is, after all, a contest. What matters is that the Marine Corps had-and has always had and will always have-the will to try those accused of atrocities.

In F.D. Davis's dark novel, In the Beginning, Adam Omega propels this thrilling tale of creatures-of-the night. You have never met a man, excuse me, a vampire like Adam Omega. Reading this, Adam would say, `Yeah, lady, get it right. I am a vampire!' Adam is different from Anne Rice's Lastat and L.A. Banks's Rivera.

The story opens in 1005 A.D. Adam is a priest and gives up his priesthood to marry the love of his life, Eyanna. The local townspeople believe her be a witch because of her ability to heal. Already alienated from his God yet not entirely from his faith, Adam volunteers to be turned into an immortal to save his wife from being burned at the stake. To his horror, events turn against him. What happens next sets the stage for the rest of Adam's eternal life.

Davis brings the story into today and Adam is still grieving over the lost of Eyanna. He believes that the mortal lady Eve that he meets in church (yes, in church), is Eyanna reincarnated.

Eve is also frighten of Adam, believes him to be evil. Her emotions swing between love and hate for the vampire. (Is hate a ramification of love? I wonder.) But that does not deter Adam from his quest to reclaim his wife through Eve. His confusion about Eyanna and Eve turns into a nightmare for Adam and Eve. She may well be Eyanna's reincarnation. Eve's quest to save Adam and strengthen her wavering belief in God aligns her with Eyanna. But will she lose her soul in this quadrilateral perplexity? It becomes a battle of wills and faith, Adam's being the strongest and Eve coming very close behind. I could go on but will stop here. You decide.

I was totally involved with In the Beginning. The issues are clear: true love is forever, faith is shaken and best of all, even immortals have a soul and a sense of right and wrong.

If you are willing to suspend your logic, you will enjoy this interesting tale of love. Looks like F.D. Davis has a vampire series on her hands. I look forward to more from Adam Omega.

Minnie E Miller
Author

In the Beginning was great. No sweet and light vampire. This guy is in control and cuts no slack. He's long since lost his conscience. I can hardly wait to find out what happens when he goes back for the girl.

F.D.Davis (Dyanne Davis) continues to astound this reader! I would never have thought she would write such a great paranormal book! And not because she doesn't have the talent because she does! The character of Adam I grew to hate and to love....is he a reflection of us as a people? Have we become "vampires" in that "feed' and take without regard of each other, are oblivious to the human condition? Eve's character reflects something in us all....our need for forgiveness...for redemption. She fights the good fight as we all try to do. This book definitely gives food for thought, much like LA Banks Vampire Huntress series also does. But vampires is the only thing these two authors have in common. This book is definitely something that nightmares are generated from! I cannot wait for the next in the series. Let's see where Adam and Eve take us this time!

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. All I knew was that the summary on the back caught my interest. But I am glad I gave it a shot because this book is absolutely great. I couldn't put it down. I just had to know what happened next. My emotions were raw. In one instance would hate Adam and the next I would be on his side. Eve's character was well developed. She was introduced as this average and meek woman but as the story progressed she transformed into fighter who stopped feeling sorry for herself and just rolled with the punches. I can't wait until the sequal is released.

IN THE BEGINNING takes everything you've ever been told about vampires and puts them all to the test. Adam Omega had gained a sense of heightened power over the time that he had spent exploring the world trying to find a love that would replace his first. But, what happens when Adam tests all of the rules he made for everyone to follow?

Adam gave up a lot to be with his young wife, from walking away from the church to becoming what he was to save his young wife, but when she took her love away from him he was beside himself. So when he meets Eve Moses and discovers who she really is, he has no choice, but to revisit his past. Eve grew up being told she was evil and to overcome that evil she had to make amends with God and live a life of goodness. However, what is meant to be will prevail because of karma. When Eve becomes Adam's weakness, those around him find themselves in a battle against those who have chosen to go against Adam. With good intentions in his heart, Adam realizes that sometimes being good isn't enough.

F.D. Davis takes you on an adventurous ride as you read about Adam's love and his determination to have his lover for eternity. While the book has a slow start, by the sixth chapter you're hooked until the end. Davis definitely has won me over on Adam Omega and I can't wait to see what's next.

Reviewed by Missy Brown
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Great entertainment from the the first to the last page, even if you aren't a jazz buff. Mr. Crow was a bassist and he must have heard most of those anecdotes on the grapevine.

I love every moment since I read this book. This book would take u on forever even if u're a craver for jazz music. It tells all the details from Wynton, Duke, Miles, Hirt, Coltrane, Bird, all of 'em right here on 1 book. Go get it or u'll miss out a world of good music.

For anyone into jazz, if you don't have a copy of this book, you're in for a rare treat. Wonderfully captures the essence of jazz and jazz musicians. Great stories, unique personalities, and guaranteed a laugh a minute. Caution: Don't read it while you're eating and/or drinking...you'll probably choke to death. Thanks for a very special book Bill!

I bought this book for my son, whoÕs a musician, but I heard him laughing so much as he was reading it that I asked to borrow it. Even if youÕre not a musician, or even very knowledgeable about jazz, this is a really entertaining book. Almost every chapter has at least a couple of laugh-out-loud lines. It also gives you a good feel for what the lives of jazz musicians were like Ð the camaraderie and competition, the inventiveness, the struggles over money, the often terrible working (and especially recording) conditions. There are also poignantly funny stories about problems with drugs and alcohol, and even about the racial prejudice that musicians had to put up with. My favorite story in the book was about Bessie Smith storming out to confront a group of Klansmen gathering outside the tent where she was working. Peppering them with curses, she ordered them to "pick up them sheets and run." They did. Great woman. There are lots of great women (and men Ð mostly men) in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a little bit about them.

A - "About half a beat behind the drummer." Or. Q - "How can a jazz musician end up with a million dollars?" A - "Start with two million." Or. Q - "What do you call a person that likes to hang around with musicians?" A - "A drummer."

Jazz Anecdotes by Bill Crow is much more than a collection of jokes skewed towards a jazz musician's cattywhumpus view of the world. It's even more than a collection of colorful war stories about life on the road, playing lousy clubs, and trying to keep a band together. It's really an insider's look at the world of jazz, and a wonderful one. If nothing else emerges from this book certainly one learns that only love could keep a jazz musician playing, given the obstacles of this lifestyle.

Fact and myth seem to bob and weave through these tales, which is perhaps appropriate. I am a little uncertain about Lester Young's claim that he started playing the sax only after giving up on the drums because he noticed that when a gig was done and girls were milling around the bandstand, the sax players quickly packed up their horns and left with girls on their arms while the drummer desperately tried to pack up and when he was done - left empty handed.

Jazz Anecdotes is rich in content, interesting for novice and aficionado alike. The careers of great individuals and the storied histories of seminal bands are examined in detail. What's fun is that some of the "legend" is worn off, replaced by the person. Jazz truly is America's greatest contribution to world culture, we should all be proud of it. It's worth remembering that the music is not a monolithic entity but an organic, dynamic thing - the product of a diverse and eccentric group of splendid individuals. Bill Crow's book takes you inside that world.

Jesus comes to the congregation at the Sweet Pilgrim in a most unusual form. The book is very entertaining and, at the same time, very inspirational. A good quick read.

The Librarian at the local library recommended this book to me. She stated that she has read it many times. I had not heard about it and decided to check it out immediately. It is such an enjoyable and light read, as well as thought provoking.

Now, my co-workers want to read it.

I consider it as one of the best books I've read in 2004.

Highly Recommended!!!!

This novella just makes you feel good...I hope to see more fiction work from Clayton Sullivan. I have ordered his other non-fiction books, but this remains his best. I hope he publishes more fiction work soon.

This book made me laugh out loud more times than I can count. And in the end it made me cry because the writer was so absolutely right! Unfortunately, I lent my copy to a friend who lent it to a friend -- and now no one knows where it is. I want it back because it's the kind of book you read over and over, and catch new levels of meaning in each reading...and you can finish it in one sitting -- rare indeed!

"Jesus and the Sweet Pilgrim Baptist Church" is one of those rare books that hooks you as an entertaining novel before you realize that it is really a thought-provoking social/religious commentary. It is a gripping story of hatred, racism, forgiveness, redemption, and faith. As a parable, it is something that Jesus him/herself would have been proud to tell.

I listened to it on tape while in college, and I'm thrilled to see that it is being re-released.

Herald Loomis says this to his estranged wife in the final scene of this play, set in a 1911 Pittsburgh boarding house.

The play was first performed in 1986, and it is part of August Wilson's ten-play tetracycle about African-Americans in Pittsburgh during each decade of the 20th century.

Charles S. Dutton and Delroy Lindo played the role of Herald Loomis in the early productions of this play. Loomis is a 32 year old man who is looking for his wife, whom he lost touch with after he was put on Joe Turner's chain gain in Memphis for seven years.

Seth Holly is the 50 year old owner of the boarding house in which Loomis and his daughter stay (along with Holly's wife and a number of other residents). Seth is both practical and skeptical (of people, banks and society): "Anybody liable to do anything far as I'm concerned." (2.1)

It's a story about identity and relationships. Bynum, the 60 year old mystic who lives in the house, sums it up well: "Seem like everybody looking for something."

Herald Loomis is looking for himself.

We lost a great playwright when August Wilson died a few years ago. And the greatest contribution to theatre was the chronology of 10 socially critical plays. August Wilson's plays contained a lot of dialogue, with great monologues, that drove the plight of African Americans.

As Joe Turner is from the second decade of storytelling, you can begin with "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" which takes you to the world of black musicians in the 20s. Explore the chronology of August Wilson.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone is about the disconnect from slavery and the search for their identity and place in America.

The setting for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" takes place in a boarding house where owners Seth and his wife operate with strict rules for the many transients. Joe Turner is NOT a character in the play, but a man who enslaved Harold Loomis, the main character, for years. Now Loomis tries to find his wife. This is a wonderful story with folklore, blues, spirituality, search and identity, which is metaphorically referred to as a "song". ......Rizzo

August Wilson, a Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright captures the essence of the African-American experience of slavery, migration, and the quest for an identity. These themes are part of the written slave narrative, from which the African-American literary tradition was born. In "Joe Turner's Come and Gone", Wilson brings the struggle of migration from the agricultural South to the Industrial North to light; set in the early 1900's when this great migration had just begun. The quest for self/an identity is one of the many scarring ramifications of slavery, and the result of namelessness. Wilson, is able to capture this central theme through religion, allegory, and music-Jazz/Blues. The quest for ones identity is rooted in the metaphorical use of the quest for a song. Songs mean different things for different people; they touch people in different ways. Why? Because each individual is unique, each individual has a song, an identity. With the historical culture of the African-American, and its connection to Music, this collaboration of rhythms and imagery proliferate the importance of this quest to life. Wilson, like Toni Morrison, offers his work as an illustration of the Blues Theory of Art-the idea that music has the ability to reach deep into the soul, and pull from it the raw feelings that may otherwise be unreachable. Music goes to the core of ones being, and helps the healing process. With Loomis, this was evident in the search for his song, his identity, it was all part of the restorative process, yet a consequence of America's greatest shame-Slavery. I must say that "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" in a wonderful way, using symbolism, folklore, and like Jazz, a non-written form of art, serves as an anchor and captures the heart of the African-American experience.

The title "Joe turner's Come & Gone symbolizes the American socialized system of oppression. Joe Turner is "the Man", Joe Turner is jail, and oppression. In this play, Herald Loomis has been detained by Joe Tuerner for seven years. Upon his release he searches to find his daughter and his wife while all along he has been searching for his inner self.
Bynum Walker is a "Rootworker", one who practices unconventional spiritual worship. He lives in the boarding house an tells a story of a shiny man who has the secrete of life. This secret that he refers to, the secret of life, symbliizes the meaning of all in existance and most impoprtantly the knowledge of self. Joe Turner, "the Man", "the system", and American society have stripped, robbed,and raped the African American of self. It is this quest for idenity that Herald Loomis searches for within himself. This same quest is also found in all of the other characters in the play as well. Those that come to the boarding house are unstable and have not found their true selves. Even Seth and Bertha, the owners of the house also quest for their idenity. They have a better financial system than the others, but they are stil timid when they encounter white America. Seth constantly states the rules of the boarding house. He proclaims to operate a clean, safe, and respectful house. He feels that any other behavior would call too much attention to him and his home. Resulting in white American society to take oppresive actions against his achievements.
Joe Turner's Come & Gone is an excellent concept that spiritually looks at the concept of knowing ones-self. August Willson's use of quest for idenity among all his characters allows the reader to unmistakenly find a connection with their own secret song to sing.

"Joe Turner's Come & Gone" is the first play of Wilson's that I've read. I finished the play the week before his death. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, many have obviously already recognized the quality of Wilson's work. "Joe Turner's Come & Gone" won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1988 with L. Scott Campbell winning the Tony as Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Bertha Holly. Set in a Pittsburgh boardinghouse in 1911, the play is part of Wilson's cycle of plays. Seth Holly is a no-nonsense man who does not allow any shenanigans. His wife Bertha cooks and tries to soften Seth's hard edges. Seth makes dustpans and coffeepots out of metal for travelling salesman Rutherford Selig, who is the lone Caucasian in the show. The show is populated by a series of characters including Jeremy Farlow who is a young guitar player who longs for a girl. Molly Cunningham and Mattie Campbell fill the bill. Herald Loomis is an ex-convict who was incarcerated because of Joe Turner. He got out of prison and found his daughter Zonia. (I think I remember the character was named after Wilson's mother.) Herald, as his name might imply, has a spiritual mission to locate his wife. Loomis employs the peddler Selig who makes extra money by finding people whose names he records as he makes his rounds selling his wares. Angela Bassett played Martha Pentecost who has changed her name from Martha Loomis and is eventually reunited with Zonia. Bynum Walker is also a mystical character who has stories of the shiny man. The play's action flows together organically with great tension and humor. The otherworldly mystical elements imply both spirituality and superstition. The play is an interesting reading experience that makes you wish you'd been able to attend one of the 105 Broadway performances! Enjoy!