African Books

Wonderful books for my two grand children. They both loved the book and it helped them to understand their own lives. Thanks from Bonnie, Jabez and Janayah.

This story points out the confusion of a child who was born from two people of different races. By some of the people who know them, this child's mother is described as being white while his dad is described as being black, and therein lies the problem. When the child looks at himself, he doesn't know exactly WHAT he is. There just doesn't seem to be a word for his color, and color must be the most important thing since that is all he has heard about his parents. The whole problem here seems to be that people who know them don't describe his parents as kind, smart, caring, loving, etc. They choose to take note of ONLY their color, leaving the child in a sort of nothingness since there isn't a color that fits him - although there is SO much more than color to take note of in any person.

***** To me, Am I a Color Too points out that we should all strive to be absolutely colorblind and that we should resist putting color labels on people. Why? Because all people are human beings, and they should be judged ONLY by their deeds.

I hope that this beautifully illustrated book will help to teach the oneness of all people to parents everywhere. If that happens, the parents can then teach the wonderful concept of being colorblind to their children, thereby stopping the cycle of only seeing and describing people by what their color is on the outside.

This is a wonderful book to enjoy with your child. It is a moving and poignant story that could possibly affect change for a whole generation. Wouldn't that be awesome? *****

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson of Huntress Reviews.

Everyone should read this to their children. It should definitely open up the lines for communication.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends AM I A COLOR TOO? as a big picture book, superbly illustrated by Gerald Purnell, on a touchy subject: how to explain the "race" of children borne of "mixed" parentage, when "Other" seems so dismissive.

Here, young Tyler wonders why we focus on the color of our skin rather than the person inside. Through his eyes we explore the common labels of Black & White, & if we come in, see, smile, sing, dance in all colors of the rainbow, why do we separate people, like shoe boxes, into only two?

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (8/06)

A young boy questions why people look first at another's color rather than the important aspects of being human. This "Christopher Award" winning book is educational and beautifully written. The verse is light and cheerful. The illustrations are beautifully done. "Am I A Color Too?" is a question many children must ask themselves. They hear one person called black and another called white. They look around them and see a rainbow of people as they walk down the street. Heidi and Nancy Vogl do a wonderful job of presenting color to our children

"When I think of all the people,
All those faces in my sight,
If people are really colors,
They must be more than
Black or white."

People are more than black and white, as this book successfully points out, they dance in color and they smile in color. This book should inspire us to look at each other as humans and to cherish those things that make us special.

I recommend this book for young children. It has a delightful message that they will learn from. If we all looked at each other without seeing color we would love each other for who we are.

This book captures one's attention quickly and pulls you into the soul of Africa. Through Marc, a main character, I was able to have my own safari in Africa. The knowledge portrayed through him and by the author really was captivating and well written. It sparks one's imagination and curiosity about a world so completely different than our own! It is as if your taken there and actually experience the dangers as well as the beauty! I have a whole new appreciation for Africa and her people, and I have never been there, but now want desperately to go! A love story mixed with danger and uncertainty in the wild are great ingredients of this, a great book! A must read! I look forward to Christy Carroll's next book with much anticipation!

I was given this book as a gift. Picked it up one day, and couldn't put it down. Loved the fact that the chapters are short and beckon you to go to the next to see what happens. As I read this book, I visualized it as if I was watching a movie. It has great feeling, appeal, is emotionally moving. I had to put it down before the end, afraid of what might happen to the characters. Anticipation was one of the factors that kept me reading. You want to get involved, and you wished and hoped for Julie all the way till the end. Left me wanting Christi's second book. This book is classy, no trash, a definite re-read. Hope you will love it as much as I did. I would love to see it as a movie.

This book makes you feel like you're in Africa and experiencing everything that happens in the book! There is a cool trailer at http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7GcAhRMd1c check it out.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down! Christy Carroll is a great writer. I fell in love with the characters and learned so much about beautiful Kenya. I was sorry when the book ended and I look forward to Carroll's next book.

This is a great book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. It is very well written and the plot is very exciting. I want to travel to Africa after reading Amboseli Wimbo!! I can't wait for the next book by Christy Carroll.

This book introduces four cultures : the Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, the Nubians and the Hittites. The author accurately presents aspects of these civilizations such as history, geography, architecture, clothing, food, religion, writing and labor. Children will enjoy themselves and become part of these ancient worlds by easily following the instructions of the activities. These include constructing a boat, cooking ancient food, creating clothes, and writing on clay. All in all, it is a fun and informative book for children ages 9 to 12.

this is a great book for children. there are lots of fun activity's as, well as alot of info. your children and you will find many interesting things to do. if you have children you will want to buy this book.

This is a gem of a book.As an educator and child psychologist(and parent!),I welcome this exceptional addition to the literary field.Though its defined audience is 9-12 I found ANCIENT EGYPTIANS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS;AN ACTIVITY GUIDE full of ideas and interesting facts.I admit I did not attempt the activities,but the text itself is exceptional--thoughtful and beautifully written as well as meticulously researched.Broida concentrates on four ancient neighboring cultures revealing what their lives were like.The activities give the child an opportunity to become part of these cultures, greatly enriching the reading experience.Let's hope this is only the first of a series.Congratulations to a talentd,innovative and intelligent author.

We use "Our Young Folks' Josephus" as our primary history spine which mentions all these cultures as they relate to Israel. What I like best about this book is that it covers cultures that are often not well represented in other books of this type, particularly the Nubians, Mesopotamians and Hittites. There are many craft activity guides available for Egypt, but nothing that I know of for these other cultures. The crafts are really well thought out and a lot of fun to do. They also have a lot of real learning value and are not just play. Our family highly recommends this book for the study of Ancient cultures.

So much more interesting than a textbook for our homeschool study of ancient history! This book covers not only the familiar Egyptian civilization but also several lesser-known yet equally important ones to whom we owe a great deal. For example, the Babylonians gave us our first written laws; the Sumerians gave us writing and the first real cities; the fierce Hittites discovered how to work iron. Children will remember what they learn in this book because the text is accompanied by recipes, crafts, and other activities. I recommend the Hittite Hummus myself.

When you want to cubble up to a great book, try those written by Dorothy Elizabeth Love

I really enjoyed Then Came You although, romance novels is not my ususal pick. I read Ms. Love first book Whisper's In the Night which I thoroughly enjoyed and I was anxiously awaiting her next novel. I was not disappointed! Ms. Love has a unique style of writing that just pulls you into her characters life. I can honestly say it helped to ignite some flames in my relationship that were dying.

I can't wait to get the book to read. I have checked many book stores here and currently I have been unable to find the book in stores. Most of the book stores will have it October 3rd.

I read Ms. Love first book, Whispers in the Night and it was excellent. Ms. Love has such a way with words. I am an avid reader and many authors don't have a good plot, but Ms. Love books gives the complete package.

If "And Then Came You" is anything like Ms. Love first book, then I know that I will be up all night reading it. I was not able to put her first book down until it was completely read.

Ms. Love, keep on producing these excellent novels and I will keep on purchasing them.

May God continue to keep you in His care and Guide you.

Ms. Lee

those words best describe the great mind of Dorothy Elizabeth Love.like her last name she puts alot of Love into her work.very detailed&full of insight.this book takes feelings&relationships into a whole different area.you come away looking in the mirror at yourself.the mark of a great story teller.i look forward to reading more of Ms.Love's work in the future.i just got the book&it's very uplifting.check it out.

I really enjoyed Chi and Parker. Parker was an entreprenuer who had visions. He always saw visions about people he was in love with. He saw the woman he was going to marry get hit by a car two days before their wedding. After that incident, he decided he would keep his feelings under wraps.

Parkers mother had an accident and ended up in the hospital. There is where he met the beautiful Chi Addams. She was his mother's doctor.

Chi was the single mother of a son with sickle cell. Her mother was helping her with her son while she worked late. Chi didn't want to be attracted to Parker, but it was inevitable. Parker was persistent, sweet and very handsome.

There are a large number of African American with Sickle Cell traits or disease. I have friends that have lost love ones to the disease. My own grandfather had the trait.

I liked the way Chi decided to take control of her own life, instead of allowing her mother to run it. The way she handed her son's father who had been absent all the boy's young life.

Parker is also in the book Whispers in the Night. Which is a book about his sister Patricia. Good Job Ms. Love.

This is an informative & well crafted read that allows the reader to glimpse the grace, strength & determination of a family - especially & specifically the women of this faimly - that held them together on 'Hare-Track'/'The Place'/'Down Home' and consequently continues to be the foundation of what is now 5 generations removed. This book does an excellent job of allowing all who read it to experience the sense of family pride that I have known all my life. (Well done Cousin, well done.)

This is a wonderful read. Beautifully written, and a fascinating bio of an exceptional woman whose life spans a time of crucial transition in American history. Everyone should read this book.

Another Way Home takes the reader through a time that first seems long gone, but surprises with its current influence and meaning. At first blush the story tells of the societal strictures of the South against mulattos. Gradually, the reader realizes that the book is actually about the development of identity and the hurdles society puts in the path of individuals. The book becomes less about the tensions of black and white, and more about the importance of solid values, courage and self-confidence. Ultimately it is these three critical traits in Day Rone that enable her to create the life she wants with the man she loves, and to raise a gifted family of solidy rooted individuals. Day Rone shares everything with my Sicilain grandmother and my husband's Irish mother -- proving that we are more like one another beneath the skin than we are different. The book engages from the first page because it speaks to every family. Beautifully written, imaginatively presented, and too true to be fiction, it makes for an entertaining and moving reading experience. It's a book worth reading so that we do not forget the struggles of the past, and also so that we can see the strong women who shape our own lives.

Another Way Home, by Ronne Hartfield, works for me on three levels: 1) it tells the ever-interesting story of a woman (Hartfield's mother) who grew up a mulatto in the segregated South, then passed for white in Chicago; 2) it is a strong and powerful tribute by Hartfield to her mother, beautifully and lyrically told; and 3) it moves from the personal to the universal, reminding us all of the family continuum we are born into and the remarkable people our parents often are.

This book is a history lesson told through personal anecdote. As it wends its way through Day Rone's journey from South to North, the reader is given an up-close look at the celebrations, achievements and tragic loss of a remarkable American family. Celebrating Day Rone's life will lead you to want to celebrate your own family, too. I strongly recommend this book.

Why isn't this on the best seller list? Ronne Hartfield's family history is beautifully written, covering not only her family's transition from Mississippi to Chicago but black history as well. I grew up in a white neighborhood in Chicago. This book let me step into a parallel universe! Hartfield also covers women's changing roles over a century. The loving relationships among family members are a model and inspiration for all of us.

I was surprise that a non-black person could actually have the courage and the sensibility to write an unbiased history of folks of African descent. My spirit was touched by the plight of my ancestors and their ordeal after slavery. The government promised them their 40 acres and a mule. However, very few of them receive anything to start their free life.

Without land and the tools to work it, they would be at the mercy of the former ruling elite, slave owners, and other whites that had the inkling to exploit them.

Image being freed from centuries of brutal toil, physical, emotional, and sexual exploitation with no resources to start your life in a society that despised you and those in your image? The author does an excellent job. I must commend him.

What made me laugh is the response of the whites to the changes in the blacks when they learned they were free and the union army was in the neighborhood. They dropped their masks and showed them their true face. Don't they know their survival was dependent of keeping their mask in place? I am reminded of one of favorite poems.

We Wear the Mask by Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Preach brotha preach? This poem always tries to bring down the spirits on me. I have to fight it. If I am in a public place, I don't want the Holy Ghost get on me. Smiling. This is one of those books that touched my spirit. It stayed with me for a long time. This is the mark of good writer. Though it is a history book, it is not a bore, with dry facts. It is written like a novel.

I give this book a five star, and highly recommend it.

This book is gives an excellent synthesis as to how freedom was experienced in various regions of the South after 1863. One of the finest books within the historiography of American slavery and freedom. Litwack goes to great lengths explaining the freedom experience, the failures of the Freedmen's Bureau and the hesitations ex-slaves felt after 1863. A must read and must have for anyone interested in slavery, its aftermath and Reconstruction.

Few populations in history have gone through the dramatic changes that African Americans underwent at the end of the Civil War. People who had suffered slavery for generations suddenly found themselves free, a welcome yet uncertain status that required considerable exploration and adjustment. Leon Litwack's book examines this transition, concentrating on how freed African Americans perceived freedom and how they shaped the conditions of their freedom in the aftermath of the Civil War.

For many African Americans, change began with the Civil War. Slaves in areas occupied by Union soldiers would be liberated from bondage, while many African Americans took up arms as the war went on. The end of the war and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment meant freedom for African Americans, freedom to live their lives as they wanted. For most, the first step was finding their scattered families and coming to terms with their time as slaves. Freedom also meant discovering a new identity, especially with regards to their former masters, as African Americans now had to deal with whites in new ways both socially and in the workplace. Finally, African Americans faced the challenge of creating a new society free of the restrictions of slave life, which led to the establishment of modes of religion, politics, and the press to serve their particular interests.

Litwack's book is an indispensable study of African Americans in the aftermath of emancipation. Based on a wealth of primary sources (including the invaluable collection of oral interviews conducted by the Federal Writers' Project during the 1930s), he argues that no set experience defined how African Americans dealt with freedom. What emancipation demonstrated was the interdependence that existed between African Americans and whites, an interdependence that did not end with freedom but was shaped by attitudes and tensions that remained from the experience of slavery. The result is a book that is essential reading for any student of the era, as well as for those seeking insight into race relations in America today.

During the Civil War and the years of reconstruction which immediately followed, blacks experienced an interlude of optimism and hope from the harshness and repression of slavery. It was a time of great social upheaval and former masters and slaves were forced to adjust to a new order. In, "Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery, "Litwack writes of slavery's aftermath with a slave's point of view from contemporary accounts, diaries, and interviews conducted under the Federal Writer's Project. We learn how blacks perceived and experienced freedom.

Freedmen articulated their independence in many and varied ways, but fundamental to being free, was having one's own land. Former slaves soon found that land was not easily acquired despite their newfound freedom. Powerful forces conspired against them. Their fate became tied to plantations, working in the fields, just as before but now as contract laborers.

The new relationship as planters and laborers kept blacks from exercising the full range of privileges which should have belonged to them as citizens. Land ownership should have meant independence and self-sufficiency to former slaves. In slavery, they had worked the land and harvested its bounty but they were not the beneficiaries of their labor. With emancipation the idea of owning land "remained the most exciting prospect of all." (399) It epitomized the meaning of freedom.

The expectation of land redistribution, "forty acres and a mule," was ill founded and unrealized. The success of "such experiments [that] took place at Davis Bend, Mississippi, where blacks secured leases on six extensive plantations...[and] repaid the government for the initial costs, managed their own affairs, raised and sold their own crops, and realized impressive profits"(376)was an aberation. Any lingering hope that the government would redistribute land were dashed when on May 29, 1865, President Andrew Johnson pardoned former Confederates and permitted them to reclaim confiscated or occupied lands. Thereafter the Freedman's Bureau and Federal troops enforced the restoration of lands to their former owners. Not only was redistribution denied to freedmen, but fundamental legal rights were limited as well.

What did freedom mean to an emancipated slave who had never experienced it? According to Litwack, "newly liberated slaves adopted different priorities and chose different ways in which to express themselves, ranging from dramatic breaks with the past, to subtle and barely perceptible changes in demeanor and behavior." (292) Initial uncertainty about what to do gave way to "the urge toward personal autonomy"(293), which meant leaving the plantation or farm. To move about is so fundamental to our society today that we take it for granted, but to an emancipated slave it must have been nirvana. In contrast, former slave owners emmitted "cries of ingratitude and betrayal [that] were repeated with even greater vigor and frequency than during the war, compounded this time by the feeling of helplessness." (301)

Movement was an act of freedom, but one which swelled the black populations of nearby towns and cities. Shifting racial etiquette and ostentatious behavior served to harden racial sentiment. Disputes over public space occurred on the sidewalks, streets, and on public transportation. "Almost every white man remained convinced that only rigid controls and compulsion would curtail the natural propensity of blacks toward idleness and vagrancy, induce them to labor for others, and correct their mistaken notions about freedom and working for themselves." (305)

The planter class wanted freed slaves to understand that they must either work for whites or starve. Crops had to be planted and harvested and they had to know there would be labor to do the work. Black Codes were written so whites could control freedmen for their economic need. Fortunately for freedmen, Black Codes were short lived. But never-the-less the sentiment which created them continued and enforcement persisted where the Freedmen's Bureau did not put a stop to them, or where blacks had no recourse for appeal.

Legal rights were further restricted when " Union commanders moved quickly to expel former plantation hands from the towns and cities, to comply with the request of planters to force their blacks to work" (375) and by passage of vagrancy laws which applied only to blacks. Once under control and returned to the plantations, restrictive "voluntary" contracts served to keep them there. Even where labor was scarce, the former slave could not effectively exercise his rights. What bargaining power he had to reject a contract was limited. If he held out too long, he could be evicted, and he still had to support himself
somehow. "Although the freedmen's Bureau recognized his right to contract elsewhere, it insisted that he contract with some employer; if not he could be arrested for vagrancy." (443) His options were very limited.

Having no land and without full legal rights, freedmen could not pull themselves up from the aftermath of slavery and achieve the promise of freedom. That freedmen in the South slipped back into a condition of semi-slavery after the civil war has effected race relations and politics ever since. The following paragraphs focus on other issues which returned freedmen to the land under conditions almost as bad as they had experienced before the Civil War.

One would think that with the establishment of the Freedman's Bureau, passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitutional, black's independence would be assured. But these actions represented problems of reconstruction on a national level. The Freedman's Bureau was the first large scale Federal relief agency with a broad mandate to assist blacks in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery but in response to the Black Codes, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act over a presidential veto. The 13th Amendment granted citizenship to persons born in the United States and was a result a long battle between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress on the roll and the scope of federal power. The 14th Amendment affirmed the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act and went further to protect the rights of citizens. The 15th Amendment forbade the states from denying voting rights to former slaves on the grounds of race and color."With some justification, white Southerners accused the north of hypocrisy in seeking to impose upon them the racial equality which most Northerners would have abhorred." (260)

From the freedman's perspective, emancipation was a time to be jubilant in spirit, with a hopeful outlook and upbeat mood. But if self-ownership meant freedom to a former slave, it represented an economic loss to their former masters. While there was no recompense given for the loss of value to white owners, there was no payment given to freedmen either for their work as slaves. If what it meant to be free had to be experienced to be learned by former slaves, being without slaves had to be experienced to be learned by whites. "What most whites found difficult to accept was not so much the freedom of the slaves as the determination of ex-slaves to act as though they were free." (338) In the end old compulsions led to a new dependency to get back the agricultural labor system they were used to.

It would seem self evident that to survive people would have to work together in the south. The planters owned the land and needed laborers to work it. Freedmen had no land and needed work to survive. How the problem resolved itself was not very satisfactory. Without any political power, blacks were at a disadvantage. Not owning land and with curtailed legal rights, blacks were vulnerable to exploitation. The old model of plantation operation was there to mimic under new circumstances. "To listen to the former slaveholder, emancipation had changed only the method of compensation, not the basic arrangement, not the mutual understanding that had underlain the old system." (337)

The problem was how to get the people back on the land? The movement of blacks on the road was unsettling to whites. All these people were moving about and not in the fields where they belonged! From a government standpoint the Union Army and the Freedman's Bureau had a stake in keeping order. If there was not enough work for everyone outside of farming and people were not on the farms, that meant a huge welfare problem. Thus to the controlling agencies maintaining order under reconstruction meant getting blacks back where they belonged, on the fields. The old dependency of the plantation system returned with blacks depending on whites and whites depending on blacks. The old system wasn't fair and the new system didn't turn out to be too much better. As one old former slave put it when speaking on Lincoln (and freedom) "'Lincoln done but little for the Negro race and from living standpoint nothing."' (449)

The only hope blacks had for effective emancipation was with the North through reconstruction. But, there were no clear cut ideas that emanated from Washington: no prescient leadership and no determination to see the issue through to its end. The two federal entities that were most evident throughout the south were the Union Army occupation forces and the Freedman's Bureau. Blacks looked to them for help, but, in general, the only conclusion that can be reached is that what help was received was inadequate.

The Freedman's Bureau objective of returning former slaves to the land, facilitated the move back to a plantation system. Blacks had little hope for justice. "The ways in which a local Bureau agent or provost marshal considered the grievance of a freedman differed markedly from the deference paid to a prominent planter." (384) While supposedly free, now the black remained a second class citizen.

As reconstruction came to an end, the New Orleans Tribune used an appropriate term to refer to blacks under restrictive regulations as "mock freedmen" (377) effectively summarizing reconstruction's lasting effect. What came next was a system of debt peonage which kept blacks tied to the land with little chance of improving their condition. Sharecropping satisfied black laborer's desire for at least the feeling of having his own land. The planter provided the land and implements in exchange for half of the crops. But somehow the books didn't balance at the end of the season and the sharecropper or tenant remained in perpetual debt to the landowner.

Reconstruction came to an end because it was contrary to too many people's interests and blacks did not have enough political power to keep it going, at least to insure the achievement of true freedom. Without land and full legal rights, black political struggle was postponed for generations.

Anyone with a serious interest in the Civil War should read Been in the Storm So Long. Litwacks's work is more than just black history; it explores the principle cause and consequence of the war. Unlike many general histories that preceded it, "Been in the Storm" relies heavily on primary sources. War-era diaries and letters of whites, Union Army records, Freedman's bureau reports, and Depression-era interviews of former slaves and their children, provide most of the material. The outrage of southern whites who watched trusted slaves pick up and leave when freedom came, echoes throughout the book. So too does the uncertainty of the era. Some blacks may have dreamed big, but most just wanted freedom, security, and opportunity. Though some lasting gains were made, the struggle for full freedom would be much longer.
Certainly, "Been in the Storm" is the place to start for Emancipation reading. Though the coverage of early black politics was not as strong as in Eric Foner' Reconstruction, I know of no equal for the early social consequences of Emancipation.

I have yet to read this book. But the book is in good condition.

I received the book two weeks ago and finished it in four days. This is a well written, very informative insight into the life of Dr. Shabazz. She was a powerful woman, who did her best to protect her daughters from the evils of the world. Some might say that she sheltered them to much, but who can tell a mother that she's being overprotective of her babies? Against all odds she survived, her support system was outstanding, her vision was remarkable. I enjoyed every moment of this book.

This book gives a lot of insight as well as details from Betty's perspective. At times you feel like you're reading from an autobiography.

This book is not only an informative and revealing biography of one of America's hero's, Dr. Betty Shabazz. This is also a historical biography of a remarkable woman. Most informative is the likeness and kinship many woman can identify with especially struggling mothers, aunts,and grandmothers who find themselves trying to raise young boys alone. Often without the assistance of fathers, grandfathers, and positve male role-models.

Hers not only is the story of being Mrs. Malcolm X, Dr. Betty Shabazz, but also tragically grandmother/mother/counselor to our often time rebellious and misunderstood young black males searching for their fathers and father figures.

But in the mist of this tragic situation her family can and must relish in the life of this remarkable, remarkable Queen Mother Betty.....

Mr. Rickford gives us just that in this important piece of literature.

Nisha Watson
Durham, North Carolina

I would of never in my mind think that a person could write this kind of book it is almost like Betty Shabazz is saying tell my story Tell them I feel really glad that I purchased this wonderful work All women should read it

If you want to be the person who really "discovers" something, this is it. Everyone would love to say they knew a big star as a kid and knew that they were going to make it big. This is your chance to say I was reading Melanie Williams back in 2007. There is something in the book to touch your soul no matter what you feel deep inside... you will find some poems that make you feel that she is talking about just you.

I had the pleasure of reading much of this book before it was every published. This author will make you feel your soul, reflect and most of all make you proud to be a woman. Enjoy the journey!

What I am most impressed by Mrs.Williams poems, is the truthfulness and the straightforward invitation into her sincerity. The deeply thoughtful maturity of
her poems is instantly apparent.

Reminiscent of Jill Scott but on a whole nother level. This author has poured her soul onto the pages of this book and gotten so deep I felt like I was drowning in the cool blue waters off the shores of an unknown paridise. I could dive into the depths time and again and feel the sense of this woman's life, her sadness and pain, her joy's and triumphs. Ms. Melanie Williams must bleed ink for the poetry she has compiled for us in this treasure of a book. If you like deep feelings and truly heartfelt poems you've come to the right place.

I really enjoyed this compilation of poetry because it allowed me the opportunity to reflect on my on life in so many ways. The author did a wonderful job sharing heartfelt experiences that we all can relate to. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will inspire you on so many levels. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Allison, what a wonderfully twisted mind you have. Readers beware: You will experience unexpected jolts of naughty pleasure when you least expect it. Bad girl Misty from Double Dippin' is back and she's still yearning for Shane's big juicy lips. She uses her childhood friend and lover, Brick to pay the bills and keep her living the glamorous life. It's an unconventional lifestyle, but it works for Misty and Brick. Until Dane comes along. Dane looks so much like Shane, he has Misty clenched up so tight, her thong gets tangled. She's sprung and that spells trouble for Brick. The big ol'henchman from Double Dippin' becomes a likeable character after you find out what he's been through and the lengths he'll go to remain in Misty's good graces. Big Juicy Lips is another Allison Hobbs masterpiece.

Remember Misty and Brick from Allison Hobb's Double Dippin'? Well, they're back! Misty is still controlling the mentally slow, Brick as she prostitutes him for money. Her thoughts are always on ways to make more money and find a man who reminds her of her dead lover, Shane. She is successful at both. She starts a website featuring Brick that increases her income and she meets Dane who is an exact replica of Shane - even down to his big, juicy lips. She wastes no time inviting him into her home and the bed she shares with Brick. Will this arrangement work or will Brick let Misty know he's had enough?

Allison Hobbs has an imagination that is out of this world. I know when I pick up one of her books, she will entertain in her own twisted and outlandish manner. BIG JUICY LIPS: Double Dippin' 2 is well-written and the plot engages and drives the reading experience. There was never a dull moment. The characters were well-developed because she provides enough background information to fully understand them and their flaws. She also does a good job of providing enough information from the first book so readers can jump right in. Fans of Ms. Hobbs won't be disappointed.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

sex*u*al: of, pertaining to, or for sex, occurring between or involving the sexes.

de*vi*ant: a person or thing that deviates or departs markedly from the accepted norm.

de*ment*ed: crazy; insane; mad.

Freak: a person who has withdrawn from normal, rational behavior and activities to pursue one interest or obsession

Big Juicy Lips: an amalgamation of the four definitions. I'm not even going to try and be cute with this one. Allison Hobbs brings the sexy pain with this one! I don't know where of HOW she thought of the character Misty, but I don't wanna meet this chick on the streets!! There is a special place in hell for her and her ilk.

Allison is already one of my favorite authors and this just makes me love her more.

This book is so HOT it needs to come with a warning: CAUTION not for the weak and easily offended!!! Allison maintains her place as my FAVE author. No one does it like Ms. Hobbs!!

This novel is laced with humor (Ashy cashy had me dying lol)and pure freakiness. I loved it to the very last page.

Misty (and Brick from Double Dippin') is back, Misty has to stay fly and she has to do it courtesy of Brick. Misty treats Brick worse than dog crap. Brick however does not mind, he loves him some Misty. Brick does anything for Misty. Including selling his goods to males and females, courtesy of Misty's internet freak web site. Misty runs an online "dating" service that caters to sickos, in the closet homos and downright freaks!!! Brick is her main bread winner.

Misty meets a Dane, a dead wringer for Shane (Misty's love from Double Dippin') and loses her mind while falling madly in love with this pretty boy. Dane has those big juicy lips Misty can't help but love. Misty tries to get others involved in her sex business so she can stay fly.

Along the way you are introduced to a colorful cast of characters: Misty's mom Miss Thomasina, Monroe, Felice, and Ashy Cashy (lol). After finishing this book all I can say is WOW. Your jaw is gauranteed to hit the floor when the ish finally hits the fan!!!!

Five stars is not enough for this one...this one is off the charts!!!!

Love will have a person doing all sorts of crazy things. Imagine being the sole bread winner, doing things that would curl the toes of some but get you twisted looks by others, all in the name of love. How about going as far as putting your best friend and kinky sex partner to the side for a man who reminds you of a love you once had but lost, all in the name of love. Misty will go to the extreme to have the man of her desire in Allison Hobbs' Big Juicy Lips.

Misty and Brick are friends with benefits since childhood. Over the years, Brick grows to depend on Misty to show him the love he never received as a child; and in appreciation for all she is doing, he supplies her with all the money she needs to keep up her expensive lifestyle. Doing whatever she suggests as long as they stay together, but when Dane comes along, things start to change for all parties involved. Dane reminds Misty and Brick of a love they once shared, but unfortunately that love died, and Misty is not about to let her second chance slip through her fingers.

Misty is always trying to make sure her next dollar will be bigger than the last, she is always coming up with some kind of crazy money making scheme. Starting a Web site with kinky pictures of hard and long; big and juicy; only proves to be very profitable, and demanding. Needing help she figures Dane would be the perfect man to help her make millions and keep her satisfied in the bedroom.

Dane looking for a way to start making some real money, realizing how much Misty is feeling him, he uses it to benefit himself. Walking around with his hidden agenda, Dane has no clue what is in store for his future.

All the clichés about what goes around comes back around and karma rings true in Big Juicy Lips by Allison Hobbs. Besides all the jaw-dropping twists, Ms. Hobbs has hot and steamy sex dripping from the pages. This fast-paced, drama-filled book will have you puckering your lips and shaking your head at times. I recommend Big Juicy Lips to anyone who likes erotica and or hustling with a twist.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

We are at a critical crossroads in the socioeconomic evolution of our society. Technological advancements are changing the way we live, work and play faster than ever before, and now--more than ever--we need someone to guide us. Authors Timothy L. Jenkins and Khafra K. Om-Ra-Seti step up to the challenge in their book Black Futurists in the Information Age....According to the authors, the key to taking advantage of this paradigm shift is KyberGenesis--the futuristic beginning of a major industry movement for scientific and technological development in the black world.

I consider Black Futurists a must read for anyone interested in learning how technology will effect our world in the future. This forward thinking book sheds light on existing and forthcoming technologies and how they will profoundly impact our everyday lives.

For Black Americans, Timothy Jenkins and Khafra K Omrazeti have performed a very important service. With an insightful foreword by former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, Jenkins and Omrazeti have combined their considerable talents and insights to create the case for black Americans to advance into the future using their intellect and technology to create new and untold opportunities for Black Americans. The book is well researched and draws upon the work of successful black technologists and scientists who in the past, leapt ahead of their time to make important contributions to the world at large. This book is easy to read and will serve as an excellent foundation for understanding how we arrived where we are, and more importantly it highlights some of the challenges Blacks will face in the future unless current leadership undergoes a change in consciousness.

BLACK FUTURISTS IN THE INFORMATION AGE is a must read for anybody interested in communications technology. The authors give a lot of information on all the latest technological advances. Probably more than you ever want to know but all the things that you need to know. It discusses how African Americans need to get ahead of the curve and expand their information to the African Diaspora. While there are many disadvantages that African Americans must necessarily face in this country such as the assault on affirmative action, a disinterested market in terms of targeting African Americans, unemployment, redlining in housing and loans, poor schooling opportunities, there are many up-beat reasons to continue pushing forward to make sure that we are not left behind. Concrete ideas for technology savvy are given which is a major plus. Also included is an overview of the change in FCC rules and deregulations.

For the technologically uninvolved it is a tough book but one that helps explain the new world in a reasonable, understandable format.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Black Futurists in the Information Age is a wake-up call to Black people. It is a jolt toward the realization of the role they can play in the technological age. It is a look at past and future contributions to technology and information, and more specifically how these contributions will effect us all as we enter the 21st century.