African Books

Dominique & Trinidad's story was one of almost losing, and find love again. I am glad they were able to work through their differences. I won't give away the story, I encourage you to read the book. I am a big Altonya Washington fan, and have read all of her books. This one and "Admission of Love" are my favorites!

Trinidad Salem loves his wife, Dominique, very much, but when he
learns of a secret she had been keeping since they've know each other,
Trin felt deeply betrayed and angry-so much so, that he demands a
divorce. However, before anything could be resolved between them, Dom
was presumed dead in a tragic plane crash. Totally devastated at the
loss of his wife, Trin turned to his work and sought out professional
help to deal with his anger and bereavement. Then about a year later,
Trin receives some unbelievable news - Dom is alive! Ecstatic, Trin
immediately rushes to her side only to learn that Dom has no memory of
him or their marriage. Because. Not about to let a second chance at
his marriage slip through his fingers, Trin begins to court Dom,
hoping that one day soon she will regain her memory and they could
resolve the issue that threatened to tear them apart.

Dominique awakens in a hospital with no recollection of who she is or
how she got there. And, then a handsome stranger appears claiming
that he was her husband and that they were very much in love.
Attracted to him from the start, Dom allows herself to be romanced by
Trin. However, her newly found happiness is short-lived when Dom has
a minor head banging accident that causes her to regain her memory.
Now, Dom realizes that before her amnesia, her marriage was on a
downward spiral and very close to a divorce because of a secret from
her past.

Is all hope lost or will Dom and Trin be able to mend their broken
marriage before the point of no return?

The plot in Remember Love circles around two main issues - secrets and
anger. The heroine was keeping a secret that caused major destruction
to her marriage which leads to the hero unable to maintain control
over his rage and being on the verge of expressing a violent behavior.
Although, Dom should not have kept the secret, I could totally
understand the reason why she chose not to tell Trin. She knew Trin
would be heartbroken and she did not want to cause him unnecessary
emotional pain and heartache. Nevertheless, she never would have
imagined his reaction to be as such. And, if the secret from her past
wasn't a big enough conflict, Dom's job as an investigative reporter
caused even more havoc on their relationship, because Dom's new
assignment was to investigate the company where Trin was the CEO.
Yikes! There are some sexual scenes throughout the book, but they are
vanilla and gently described. Remember Love is AlTonya Washington's
debut novel and I found it to be a pleasant, enlighten read.

Nikita Steele
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

ALTonya Washington is a very complete writer, and provides her readers with the full monty; in that she develops her characters completely, leaving no loose ends. This gives her stories, and the people who read them, a feeling of caring and, also displays the skills she has as a writer. I recently discovered this author, and subsequently ordered three more of her books on the spot! I found the same trend in each book! ALTonya has a reader in me as long as she stays true to this writing style.

This review applies to: Remember Love
A Lover's Dream
and
Love Scheme

I loved this book; could not put it down. The characters, plot, sex scenes were well written. I could not put it down until I finished and when I did, I wished for more to read. This is definetly a keeper for my personal library. I am looking forward to more from this author.

I enjoy very much, the strong and the weak part about these two people was enjoyable read, this is a great story.

I came across this book while basically just browsing many different topics. I had read "Black Boy" and "Native Son" many, many years ago, and had kind of lumped them in with books by other black authors like "Invisible Man" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain". However, having fortunately had my consciousness raised significantly since the late 60's, I decided to read this biography - there was another biography by Margaret Walker, a former friend of Wright's, but it seemed a little bitter and so possibly not as objective. I noted right away this was what I call a "two bookmark" book - one for the text and one for the footnotes at the back (I much prefer footnotes at the bottom of the page but realize this is sometimes too awkward and voluminous). The story evolved of a man whose life somewhat overlapped with my own, beginning with his wretched and impoverished childhood in Mississippi, spent mostly with his mother and brother after his father left and started another family. Richard's family was incredibly poor, in a poor black section of a poor town in the poor state of Mississippi. Other adjectives for Mississippi at that time, and for years to come, spring to mind, like "brutal", "racist to the nth degree", "lynching addicted", "determined to maintain a questionable (and certainly not enviable) "white way of life" by harsh infliction of Jim Crow laws. However, the young Richard Wright had great artistic intelligence, as well as an exceptionally mind, and a dream for his life from which he would not waver. He could no longer live in a State where his inferiors were seen to be his superiors. He moved to Chicago ("up North") with an aunt while in his teens and was disappointed and horrified by many of the conditions he found there. There were minimally more opportunities for Negroes (as they were called at that time, also "coloreds") and "race-mixing", while widely frowned upon, was accepted in certain circles. Richard was introduced into the Communist Party, and thus began a decades old love-hate relationship with communism. Yes, he got many good opportunities to exercise his writing abilities through the Party's many literary outlets, but he resented its stifling nature and in-fighting. Eventually, he felt he had been duped by the Party and he also felt he could no longer tolerate the obvious infiltration by the FBI and CIA, who were beginning their paroxysms of anti-Communist hysteria at that time, wasting millions of tax-payer dollars scrutinizing and harassing ordinary and innocent citizens, particularly those involved in the arts and in civil rights. This hysteria, of course, culminated in the insanely megalomaniacal frenzy known as "The McCarthy Era", after the fixated, parapolitical, ranting Senator who gave this era its name. He also progressed through work he did under the auspices of the WPA. He had some close writer friends and developed close friendships with his agent and his publisher, and lived a fairly social life (although he most loved to be by himself, writing), mostly through activities in the Party, the WPA and earlier, at the Post Office where he was temporarily employed. He also lived for quite some time in New York, which was a little more progressive; however, he encountered instances of racial prejudice there, as well. His first big book, Native Son, was a huge success considering white America really didn't like to have more than one big Negro writer at any one time. Black Boy followed. He also wrote many short stories and essays. He married precipitously (actually his second choice) because he felt he should be married and have children. After considerable passport problems, he moved his family to France, where he felt much more at home, despite France's somewhat straitened circumstances following WW II. Richard Wright was keenly aware and interested in matters of a political nature, and particularly as they affected "people of color", which included also citizens of the oriental countries, Africa, Muslim countries, etc. He also traveled to Spain and some of the Nordic countries. He was fascinated by people and their reactions to their circumstances in life. He maintained close correspondences with many of the literary figures of the day, both black and white, and counted them among his close friends. In his personal professional life, he was incredibly focused and hard-working. Most of his books were required to be extensively edited by his publisher, often up to over one-third of the original book. However, he took on these tasks with diligence, resignation and hard work, as he realized that a book that doesn't sell is basically just a home decoration. During his life, he wrote fiction, biography thinly disguised as fiction, short stories, songs, plays, non-fiction travel memoirs, books of political and historical theory and, toward the end of his life, haikus. He and his wife had two daughters but eventually his wife and children moved to England, while he remained in France to write. Even when they all lived together, he often traveled for six months to a year at a time by himself researching and writing. Needless to say, he and his wife grew emotionally apart - his weakness for other women didn't help. Instead of bemoaning this turn of events, although I'm sure she did in the beginning, Ellen Wright turned to publishing, with the help of Simone deBeauvoir, a friend originally of Richard's but then later, Ellen's very close friend. His later books, written in France, did not do as well, with the possible exception of "The Outsider". His publisher and agent speculated that perhaps he had been overseas too long and was not aware of the changes that had taken place in the U.S., and particularly in Mississippi, where his stories took place, making his books dated. Paradoxically, his books that took place in France and Spain were panned as not being familiar enough to him. He never gave up, however, despite ill health that had plagued him off and on since adulthood and which had become worse in his later years, culminating in a truly scary course of treatment by his German doctor. His untimely death was a blow to the millions of people who would have been enriched by the books still in him, and of the books unpublished at this death. In particular, I would have loved to have read his book about Africa. Richard Wright was a writer of uncommon intelligence and research habits, with a gift of seeing into the hearts of people. He wrote equally well about the white races. He also comes across as a fairly loyal and interesting friend, as well as a loving father. Even in hard times, he provided for his family, despite his basic estrangement from Ellen, his wife. His untimely death was a loss for all readers, but his legacy lives on, as I, for one, fully intend to read (and in some cases re-read) every book I can find by Richard Wright. This was a fairly long book, with voluminous footnotes, but I can honestly say I was never bored, and there were never parts I felt I had to skip over. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to "meet" Richard Wright, the man and the author.

Why has it taken a half-century for a really good writer to produce a biography of Richard Wright? It had not seemed "natural" until Hazel Rowley's new book.

Far beyond crippling "racial," political, and professional cliches, Rowley has crafted easily the most comprehensive, insightful and balanced life of Wright. Her prose and understanding are unaffectedly live and clear. Her feel for Wright's accomplishment, the range of the man's life and times is superb! Her book is an enriching pleasure that ought finally to compel honest recognition of this unique American genius.

Many biographies have been written about Richard Wright but this remarkable book gives you a fresh perspective on this man who turned the publishing world upside down with his book Native Son. Unlike the other books written about him, The Life and Times focuses on the personal life of Wright and how over the years he developed as a writer.

Rowley takes us to his home state of Mississippi where we meet Richard Wright as a boy. Raised in a fundamentalist religious family in the midst of poverty, Wright was a true outsider who was not understood by his family or friends. His migration to the north (Chicago) unfolds a new world for him where his writing abilities are recognized and nurtured.

You see a Richard Wright who embraces individualism and won't allow the Communist Party or any other organization to dictate to him how to write. As time goes on Wright takes the step of permanently leaving the United States by going to France. It is there that he finds a freedom never felt before in America.

I enjoyed this book and was surprised about many facts concerning his personal life and writing career. Wright's psychological development and philosophical stances are intriguing. At times he is an outspoken voice against racism but ends up making compromises in his work and personal life. Towards the end of his life, Wright becomes suspicious of those around him. He alienates himself from his family and friends.

Rowley shows us the complexities and humanity of a man who went from poverty to fame and then on a downward spiral into spiritual poverty. What was it that made this man tick? The author does an outstanding job in answering that question and putting him in perspective of his day and time. This is an outstanding book that deserves to be in the libraries of every reader.

Wright undoubtedly is one of the most interesting figures in American literature. He was among the second generation of post-slavery African Americans and received only the most rudimentary education in the segregated South, but went on to be one of the most celebrated literary figures of his time, trading wits with Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre at the height of the French existentialist movement in Paris. In 1941 the eminent sociologist Robert Park summed it up upon meeting Wright, asking simply "how in hell did you happen?"

Rowley's biography is well written and thoroughly researched, and the subject matter is a fascinating one. Wright is probably more interesting as a personality and sociological phenomenon than he was as a writer (it's been argued that Native Son was his one and only true work of genius) but the story of his life makes for riveting reading. Wright's life is a study of contrasts and ironies. He grew up in the injustice and grinding poverty of Jim Crow Mississippi, spent time as a Communist immersed in Marxist doctrine, and after achieving fame and fortune went on to live in bourgeoisie luxury in post-war Paris surrounded by impoverished White Europeans.

This is an excellent biography: thorough, well referenced, and compelling. I give it four stars instead of five simply because it is somehow missing that element that is present in the best of biographies which allows the reader to look into the motives and inspirations of the subject. Rowley includes a lot of facts about Wright's early life (his influences, who gave him his first books, etc.) but I never felt like I understood the reason that this particular Black youth from the Deep South ended up reading Mencken, Chekhov, and Maupassant in his spare time and dreaming of fame as an author. In short, I'm not sure that Rowley's biography succeeds in answering Robert Park's question.

Overall, however, this is an outstanding book. Rowley is an objective and unbiased biographer. Rowley covers not only Wright the author, but also the age in which he lived. Wright was a truly original voice in the history of American literature, and was among the fist to bring the Black experience to American readers. He deserves to be remembered, and Rowley does a fine job of telling the story of his life. Highly recommended.

Richard Wright is a major American author and, as such, deserves a major biography. Up until now, this has not happened.

Sure, there have been previous attempts. Friends (Constance Webb), enemies (Margaret Walker), and scholars (Michel Fabre) have all had their turn, but only Hazel Rowley's account, RICHARD WRIGHT: THE LIFE AND TIMES, can be considered definitive.

The fact that Wright is the subject of a major book in the 21st century is in itself marvelous. Too often, Wright has been dismissed since his death in 1960 by critics, readers, and other writers. That a major publishing house (Henry Holt and Company) would even put out Rowley's work is a testament to the revival of Wright in literary circles.

And Rowley has provided us with a wonderfully balanced account. She recaps the triumphs (NATIVE SON, BLACK BOY), and is not afraid to include the faults (Wright's weakness for casual affairs and his indulgence in psychological babble in later works). What emerges is a portrait of a gifted outsider who managed success in spite of an almost crippling self-doubt.

In chapter after chapter, Rowley describes not only Wright's experience; she manages to incorporate the context of the experience as well. This journalistic tactic is especially rewarding in the passages describing Wright's travels to Spain and Africa in later life (his reactions *to* those travels make sense in the narrative as well). In fact, the book's only flaw is the quick wrap-up; I would have liked to read a summary of Wright's influence, and a few lines about his family today, in the closing.

But this is a small problem compared to what Rowley has achieved. Here, at last, is a clean, readable account of a neglected but nevertheless important figure in American literature. It is to be hoped that the book spurs renewed interest in the actual works of its subject.

If you are serious about understanding power, and healing in community. This is a good book to read.

An absolutely fabulous book, which reads like a novel. Malidoma brings a lot of wisdom, and really get's you thinking. The contents of the book has it's application to life, but certainly also to leadership and the corporate world. If you only want to read one of his books, I definitely recommend this one.

I cannot stop reading Malidoma Patrice Some's accounts of his life and the lives of the Dagara people of Burkina Faso. The strong linkages between community, spirit, rituals, and individual growth are compelling and very engrossing. I first read "The Healing Wisdom of Africa: Finding Life Purpose Through Nature, Ritual, and Community," with awe and a realization of the connections that my own people lost when my ancestors were transported from this part of the world by slave traders.

However, Malidoma, through works like this one, opens our eyes to the possibilities that all is not lost to us, and that even in this modern westernized culture, there are ways in which we can begin to make some of those connections again, through the way we relate to community and our loved ones.

I found the chapter titled "a ritual sampler:The funeral and language of grief especially interesting and thought provoking.

I can hardly wait to read more of your books Malidoma. Thank you.

This man has considerably more skill both as a thinker and as a writer than the average philosopher, or anthropologist, or even 'New Age prophet'. He really lays everything bare, like it or not, about the advantages of living in a subsistence community (as against our modern society). And further, he explains how the rituals work which those folks use to maintain links with the spirits of their ancestors, as well as with the earth and with each other.

Malidoma's brief but cogent exposition on the reasons behind how animal sacrifice works would flay apart the average modern-day monotheist's supposedly reasoned rants against such practices.

His chapter-length analysis of the Dagara's typical 3-day funeral ceremony is probably the most cogent dissection and analysis of a societal function that I have ever read, and coming from a true insider makes it that much more accurate as well as poignant, and believable. There's not a wisp of mere speculative cogitation coming from this man.

This book opened/cleansed my eyes and my soul about African culture at least as much as Gary Snyder's 'Earth House Hold: Technical Queries to Fellow Dharma Revolutionaries' did as regards Asia, way back in 1969. I tend to think that those who approach this discussion with an open mind and heart will find themselves changed in very profound ways, not necessarily painlessly, but possibly, very thoroughly, and for the better.

I met Mr. Some and his wife, and worked with them for a couple of hours around 12 years ago at a Michigan Medicine Wheel Gathering hosted by Sun Bear and his Bear Tribe. He is all that he seems, and then some. His laughter and sense of humor have almost a madcap quality that seems to reach far into the Otherworld, maybe even stemming from there. Yet he still feels to be very localized/grounded in the world of flesh and bone, as if the two (this world and the 'next') are not all that remote from each other. He's fun to be around, in addition to being bathed with a glow of dynamic, benign power.

Malidoma Patrice Somé, author of Of Water and the Spirit, describes a broad spectrum of ways in which rituals can be helpful. His perspective is that of a shaman trained in the West African Dagara cultural tradition, now living and teaching in the US. He eloquently shares his experiences of powerful shamanic healing practices.

For Somé, rituals are potent interventions on many levels. At the social level they are forms for expression of religious beliefs, or communal celebrations. Rituals affirm our connection with our community. A healing ritual may draw together relatives from the immediate and extended family, as well as from the community at large.

"Where ritual is absent, the young ones are restless or violent, there are no real elders, and the grown-ups are bewildered. The future is dim." (p. 12)

Industrial society has lost much of its awareness of rituals.

"Indigenous people are indigenous because there are no machines between them and their gods. There are no machines barring the door to the spirit world where one can enter in and listen to what is going on within at a deep level, participating in the vibration of Nature. Where machines speak in place of gods, people are hard put to listen, even more hard put to vibrate with the realm of Nature." (p. 17-18)

Healing rituals, properly performed, are tools to achieve specific healing effects. People performing the rituals may enhance the power of the rituals through their innate gifts for healing, through their learning in apprenticeship the ways of a shaman, and through the assistance of various natural energies and spirit assistants.

This is a book to be savored, rich in healings on many levels.

This is more than a book to me, Sassafras, Cypress and Indigo opened doors in thought and creativity in me that I wasn't aware existed. These three taught me things of my culture, (after all, I am a Geechee), men, family and love. This book is your Mama's cooking, Christmas morning, sprituality outside your door, and the man you've been looking for, all in one place. I have cried with this book, written poetry with this book, loved with this book. I know that I should probably go into the storyline, the characters, and all that, but the only thing I really want to say is, BUY THIS BOOK! Read it and be prepared to love it.

This is my first time reading anything from Ntozake and I am very impressed with her writing. I like her literary style, content and excellent character development. I like the magical, mythical, poetic, familial, spirtitual and culinary elements delivered in this book. Highly recommended for avid readers of black authors...excellent for you library.

this book left a lasting impression on me, and as I was just reminded of it, I wanted to excite other people's interest in a joyous read. after and while reading about the lovely 3 sisters, my daughter and I invented 3 puppets and called them by the sister's names. Perhaps I remember and recommend this book because it is one you can enjoy with an adolescent.

A gift from Mama, one from their dead Father, and one from Santa, each found through a kind of scavenger hunt by clues left for each child under the Christmas tree, and each savored by the individual Child privately, free of "rivalries, jokes, and Christmas confusions."

What a marvellous, inventive Christmas tradition. If I had family, I would initiate this idea. The Christmas chapter is my favorite in this whole book. I also enjoy the recipes scattered throughout the book! I've tried a few and they're great!

I'm not going to analyze this book and try to guess at what the author was trying to do. Seems to me only the author could do that, anyway. All I can do is review this book based on what I got out of it. Besides a new Christmas ritual and some great recipes, what I got out of it was, a beautiful story about a mother and her three daughters, each with their own unique gifts: Sassafrass the weaver, Cypress the dancer, and Indigo the voodoo priestess/midwife. Their mother, Hilda Effania, wants the best for her girls, but she knows they each have to make their own way in the world; and when at the end of the story her three grown girls are reunited in the celebration of the newest member of the family, she lets them know that no matter what, they can always come home. I think this is a beautiful message, and I'm surprised this book hasn't become a movie by now. Not that being on video would improve the story, far be it; in fact, most movies based on books are so intent on sensationalism that it ends up being nothing like the book (think Waiting to Exhale). It's just that, if done right, it could become the type of touchy-feely message film that Touchstone films or even Hallmark should have jumped on long ago.

This is my favorite book, and I don't own/enjoy a lot of fiction. I've had this book about ten years now, my book has a better cover, and I enjoy pulling it down every Christmas just to read the Christmas day story again and again.

I'm seeing some references to this book as reading for grade schoolers. I think that may be a mistake. I wouldn't recommend this book for a young (prepubescent) child; the drug scenes and the passages involving sexuality are a little intense, I think, even though today's children are a lot more worldly about such things thanks to cable!

One of the best books I have ever read. From the first page I was drawn into this world completely and never looked back. One of those rare books that I was devastated to have end, and moped around for months afterward with nothing to read because I knew nothing would be able to equal it. Miz Shange's lyrical prose is incomparable, beautiful and devastating in it's ability to make an intimate connection with the reader. I consider it a 'Must' read.
If you ever have a chance to see Ntozake Shange read in person, which I have, don't miss the opportunity. She is as rare and wonderful as her writing.

Originally brought this book for my pre-teen daughter because she read all the books in the "Carmen Browne" pre-teen series. I read this book first and decided it was not for pre-teens. The story lines are too mature for her now. Because the stories are true to life and well written, I plan to save them for her to read later.

Mrs. Moore has an excellent way of addressing real life issues and demonstrating how young people can make God honoring choices in each situation. By the way, I read the next book too!

Book #3 and what can I say, the list goes on with issues that our youth are faced with in day to day life. Shows the true way to cope and deal with those issues, and not lose your faith. What will Payton encounter next? I anxiously await the next book.

African-American teen Payton Skky is back in full force in SAVED RACE, the third book chronicling her misadventures and life lessons. It picks up where SOBER FAITH left off. Payton is anxiously awaiting her high school graduation, but as the commencement festivities kick off, she is quickly distracted by other issues in her life.

While taking a drive with her sleazy yet endearing ex-boyfriend Dakari, Payton encounters racial discrimination on a level previously unknown to her. Dakari is pulled over for speeding and then roughed up by an obviously prejudiced white police officer. Payton is horrified, and the event sets the tone for the rest of her summer.

Payton's problems only get worse when she learns that Pillar, her beautiful bi-racial cousin, will be spending a good deal of the season with the Skky family. Pillar has always rubbed Payton the wrong way --- and she's not sure if a bi-racial teen will easily fit into her close-knit circle of African-American friends. Soon, Payton is wildly jealous of her cousin, thinking she has garnered the attention of the two loves of her life: ex-boyfriends Dakari and Tad.

As the story progresses, Payton's racial struggles continue to affect her everyday life. A shocking incident serves to bring Payton and Pillar closer together, but Payton continues to struggle with anger and resentment resulting from prejudice. The novel comes to a close when Payton moves into her dorm room at the predominately white University of Georgia. She has mixed feelings upon learning that her roommate, Laurel Shadrach, is white. However, they quickly realize that they have something very powerful in common, which finally might break down strong racial barriers --- their love of God.

SAVED RACE is a quick read but most definitely not a light one. No matter from what perspective one reads the book, it is bound to provoke strong emotion. As a white reader, I often resented the fact that most of the few white characters were portrayed in an over-the-top fashion, as prejudiced and close-minded. I was also often annoyed by Payton, as she seemed to be actively looking for even the smallest signs that others were discriminating against her. However, author Stephanie Perry Moore does redeem herself by adding two positive white figures towards the end of the book: Laurel and star football player Jett Phillips.

It must be noted though that this novel is geared primarily towards young African-Americans. I'm sure that had I shared any of Payton's experiences, I would have been able to relate more to her story and better understand her predicaments.

Although feelings about this book ultimately may vary according to race, the story is very powerful, provokes important questions, and calls for personal introspection about underlying racial tension.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

After being saved for almost two years now, I just wish that I had these books back in my time. The teens growing up in this day and age really need Christian books like this to relate too. Even though I am in my mid 30's this book has really been a God sent. I have even started my teenage cousin, who is now a sophomore in high school to read this series. This is a type of book that can lead to great discussion sessions with a teen group.

This is great book. I got finished reading it in three hours!!! Let me tell you;I could not put that book down. I can't wait untill I get "The Sweetest Gift". "Staying Pure","Sober Faith",and "The Saved Race", are all very exciting books for young teens of any race.I understand Payton and her way of thinking,the experiences that she goes through can relate with every day life.

ANOTHER DISGUSTING STORY OF UN KNOWN american HISTORY, ABOUT AFRICANS BEING DENIED JUSTICE BASED ON THE WORD OF white TRASH. NO, ALL PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY ARENOT BIGOTED IDIOTS, BUT UNFORTUNEATELY, ITS THESE MALCONTENCTS THAT CREATE AND INJUSTICE SYSTEM THAT MANY WOULDN
T WANT TO MAKE WAVES. ANOTHER BOOK FOR SCHOOLS TO HAVE AS REQUIRED READING.

I read Scottsboro until the small hours of the morning, then woke early to finish it. The novel is a stunning achievement. It is so very real: I felt myself in Manhattan in the 1930's in newspaper offices and then in the jails and streets and courthouses of Alabama, and in Mrs. Roosevelt's private rooms in the White House. I felt the characters with visceral intensity as if they were brushing my sleeve.

The novel is told from the points of view of two utterly different women beginning in the Great Depression of 1931: Alice, the young upper class reporter living modestly on her trust fund who "has outrage to spare" for the nine black young men called the Scottsboro boys who are wrongfully accused of raping two white, semi-prostitute girls; and Ruby, one of the girls, terrified, living in the worse squalor, suspicious of everyone, almost willing to sell her soul for a pair of nice shoes. This former mill worker vacillates back and forth between lying in terror that she was raped; then rising as a semi-educated, flaunting heroine dressed gorgeously by supporters and speaking all over the country in defense of the boys, and then cravenly lying again in her old age, desperate for approval and money. It is the clash and sympathy and odd relationship between the woman reporter who has beautiful shoes and this beaten-down mill girl who holds the fate of the nine young men in her hands that is the remarkable center of this remarkable novel.

Outside of this, a large cast of judges, lawyers, reporters, the poor, social reformers, jailors and the condemned make a fascinating and complex story of miscarried justice which played out over thirty years of the last century.

A great book! Buy it and read it!

I had heard of the Scottsboro Boys and the tragedy that surrounded them when they were accused of assaulting two white women in 1920s Alabama. I was excited when Scottsboro: A Novel by Ellen Feldman was chosen as my local book club selection for June. It became apparent however, that this story had a different slant, that of the lives of the two women who accused the men of rape; what drove them and what motivated their lives. Feldman took literary license by adding a fictional character, Alice, a journalist, while all other characters in the book were real life figures.

Ruby Bates and Victoria Price were two women riding the trains dressed as men. When a brawl between young black and white men broke out, afraid of the possibility of going to jail, the two women committed an act of deceit and lies that would forever alter the lives of, not only the nine young black men, but their own, forever. Ruby and Victoria were what was known as "poor white trash." Poor, ignorant, uneducated and mired down by hard living, this was an opportunity for them to get some respect. They were revered as the pure and desirable white women that needed to be protected from the dangers of the feared black man.

The nation was thrown into a tailspin by a crime that never occurred and the ILD, a Communist organization took up the cause, besting out the NAACP whose members' middle and upper middle class backgrounds caused class differences and therefore a distance from the poverty-stricken, country, unlearned Scottsboro defendants and their families. This case, that went before the Supreme Court, became a battle between the backwoods, uncultured, racist Southerners against the charismatic, Jewish attorney, Samuel Leibowitz and arrogant, pseudo liberal "Yankee" Northerners who defied and defiled Southern customs and traditions-- traditions that could hang a black man for the smallest infraction.

Feldman, the author of at least two other fictionalized accounts of real events, Lucy and The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank depicted the "Scottsboro Women" as victims of societal ills, such as poverty and lack of opportunities, not unlike the Scottsboro Boys. Although Victoria held unto her lie of being wronged until her death, Ruby, under Alice's tutelage, recanted and reaffirmed her story over and over which brought about appeals to save the men's lives. Although this was a hard read for most of my book club members; we wanted to know why was it important for Feldman to write the story from the point of view of the accusers, we however, came away appreciative of the intricacies and complexities of this tragedy that has gone down in American history. This infamous case charted new legal statutes, one being, defendants are entitled to proper legal counsel. I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading fiction against a backdrop of historical events and figures.

Dera R. Williams
Marcus Book Club(Oakland)
APOOO BookClub

Thirty years ago I saw the TV production "Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys": this made a strong impression on me. So when 10 days ago I was browsing E. Bukowsky's reviews and saw this book I went out and grabbed a copy. What you get is a powerfully-told tale that will stick with you long after you've finished the book. It's a story of courage, cowardice, political expediency, prejudice, hypocrisy, and a truly evil perversion of justice. The time and place may seem remote now, but it's only true that a few things have changed: legal lynchings still exist, and too many people are happy to sacrifice others for political gain.

The two storytellers are Alice Whittier (fictional), a reporter from New York, and Ruby Bates (real), one of the two women who claimed that they had been raped. Other characters include the twelve victims (those falsely accused of rape), prosecutors, judges of various stripes, Sam Lebowitz, and Communist Party members. Interests were decidedly mixed. At several points in the story, some of the people from New York ask each other "Would it be better for the Cause if the 12 are saved or executed?" The prosecutor wants to ride the case to the Governorship of Alabama. Judge Horton (at the first retrial) is a man of integrity. One of the doctors who examined the women tells Judge Horton that the women were not raped, but if he testifies his career as a doctor will be finished: he never testifies, and there's a fascinating question of whether we should judge him as courageous for telling the judge (which few at the time would have done) or cowardly for not testifying, even at the cost of his career. We are also left to ponder a situation where the Alabama Supreme Court rules, consistently with almost all of the white establishment in the state, that the word of a white woman--even a part-time prostitute--is sufficient evidence in and by itself to execute a dozen black men.

One of the courageous people is Alice Whittier. Not only did the courts of Alabama not let women on juries, in cases like this they were not even permitted in the court itself: an exception had to be made in the case of a female reporter. Whittier is spat on, threatened with lynching, and even arrested and hauled off to another town for intimidation. But Whittier is fictional: this leads to the question of whether there were any women reporters actually present. There are moments in the book that seem surreal. After the first two trials (as I recall) the prosecutor approaches Leibowitz with an offer of a deal: he's willing to let about half of the accused go free if he can execute the rest. Ponder that for a bit. This seems to suggest that the prosecutor doesn't believe that the accused are actually guilty--but that to say so would mean that he didn't believe a white woman, and he would commit political suicide: he needs some executions. Also, if you feel that the book is about bygone times, and we've gone way beyond such things now, you'd be kidding yourself--we still have ambitious politicians who are willing to ride executions to higher office, and we still have executions where the only evidence is the word of a single person. Political courage seemed rare back then, and it often seems as rare now. So you get a powerful story here, compellingly told, and still relevant today.

The case of the Scottsboro boys is well documented. On March 25, 1931, nine black youths were riding the Alabama Great Southern freight train when they got into an altercation with a group of white men. After the nine "Negroes" (some of whom were in their early teens) got off the train, they were summarily arrested for raping two white women. In her semi-fictionalized account of this incident and its aftermath, Ellen Feldman provides the shocking details of a shameful episode in our nation's history, putting the events into their political, cultural, and economic context. She demonstrates the noxious effects of anti-Semitism, misogyny, and racial prejudice in the Deep South, and incorporates the stories of some of the individuals who played key roles in what would ultimately become a cause célèbre.

There are two first person narrators. One, Alice Whittier, is a product of Feldman's imagination. Whittier is a tough and ambitious journalist, as well as a feminist with leftist leanings. Her reporter's unerring instincts lead her to believe that her work on the Scottsboro story might boost her career. As Clarence Norris, one of the defendants, said, "For lots of folks, us boys was nothing more than rungs on a ladder." He made a good point, since lawyers, judges, "do-gooders," Communist party members, and other hangers-on shamelessly exploited the defendants and their accusers for their own ends. Meanwhile, for years to come, the nine men would suffer both emotional and physical torment.

The other narrator is Ruby Bates, a pitifully poor seventeen-year-old mill worker who is functionally illiterate. Ruby's close friend, Victoria Price, persuades her to give false testimony. In the Jim Crow south, all-white male juries ignored the glaring inconsistencies in Ruby's and Veronica's statements. The first trial and subsequent retrials occurred against the backdrop of the Great Depression, a time of crushing poverty when sixteen million Americans were unemployed and two hundred thousand young people under twenty-one wandered from place to place like hoboes. For the downtrodden Ruby and Victoria, sudden fame transformed them into overnight celebrities. Strangers bought them new clothes and showered them with attention. For the first time in their lives, they felt important. Victoria was the more hardened of the two (she "had a mean streak a mile wide") and never did recant her statements. Ruby, on the other hand, came to regret her lies; she worried that because of her sins, her eternal soul would "go to torment" in the hereafter.

"Scottsboro" is a beautifully realized portrait of an era when lower class white people were so browbeaten that they vented their frustrations on those who could not fight back. "Scotsboro" is a tragic account of a terrible miscarriage of justice. It is also an engrossing tale about a principled journalist who dares to expose the truth, no matter how unpopular it makes her. There are a few lighter moments when Alice takes time out from her hectic schedule to pursue her romantic interests. In addition, Feldman adds color to the narrative by vividly describing FDR's ascension to the presidency at a time when Hoovervilles dotted the landscape. The country gained two leaders when FDR took office; his wife, Eleanor, became a driving force for equality in her own right.

Ellen Feldman consistently enlightens and entertains us. She also forces us to take a hard look at ourselves. If during a period of intense racial hatred, we had been on a jury judging the Scottsboro boys, would we have had the courage to acquit them? Or would we have yielded to the pressure from our local community and taken the path of least resistance? Feldman's evocative dialogue (written partly in southern dialect), absorbing plot, and touching depiction of the plight of the most vulnerable members of our society make this an unforgettable work of historical fiction.

The SELECTED POEMS of LANGSTON HUGHE by Langston Hughes is exactly what is implied by the title. Absent from these "selected poems" are the more radical and controversial poems written by Hughes in the 1930s. After Hughes was forced to testify before the anti-Communist committee to defend himself, he shied away from the radicalism that so entranced him and other Afro Americans who saw socialism as an better alternative to Jim Crow.

In this selection of his poetry, there is no chronological order to the poems. Rather, they are divided into sections representing a specific theme. Here, Hughes was trying (?) to imitate Walt Whitman in arrangement. "Afro-American Fragments," "Feet of Jesus," "Shadow of the Blues," "Sea and Land," absent is the poem written for the Jamaican sailor Ferdinand Smith, SAILOR ASHORE, "Distance Nowhere," "After Hours," "Life is Fine," "Lament over Love," "Magnolia Flowers," "Name in Uphill Letter," "Madam to You," "Montage of a Dream Deferred," and "Words Like Freedom."

The last section of poems reveal Hughes as a patriot which he actually was in life. Hughes believed in idea of the real USA and what the nation could be without prejudice. The poems I,TOO, DEMOCRACY, AFRICA, CONSIDER ME, REFUGEE IN AMERICA, FREEDOM TRAIN, THE NEGRO MOTHER and so on in this section are indicative of a patriotism despite injustices.

For those interested in a more comprehensive ouvre of Hughes poetry, I strongly recommend the COLLECTED POETRY OF LANGSTON HUGHES edited by Arnold Rampersad and associate editor David Roessel. It contains the most up to date work by Hughes and "all" his "known and published" poems. I purposely emphasized "known and published" because according to some academics there is said to exist unpublished poems of Hughes written to a black male lover that has yet to surface.

Langston Hughes is the poet of black America. His work captures the aspirations, hope, joy, tragedy, anger, and pride of many blacks past and present. But, he is also a poet for the working class man, black and of any race. There is a reason his poems have been translated into many languages and continue to inspire. The other reviews here capture some the essential essence of Hughes spirit.

"Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" is a rich selection from several decades of this poet's work. Hughes (1902-1967) is a poet of many moods and voices. His work is at times mournful, humorous, sensuous, or ironic. Many poems capture the rhythms of African-American vernacular speech. A number of narrative poems tell stories of Black life, and a number of his best poems feature female speakers. He also writes poems of social protest that deal with the anti-Black violence that has plagued the United States for so much of its history.

The poems in this book are divided into several sections. One of my favorite such sections, "Feet of Jesus," contains poems which evoke the prayers, preaching, and religious songs of African-American churches. "Madam to You" contains a number of poems in which Alberta K. Johnson tells her story. A strong-willed entrepreneur who often challenges authority figures, "Madam" is one of the most delightful characters in African-American literature.

The other sections of the book contain many of Hughes' most memorable poems: the sensuous "Midnight Dancer" ("Lips / Sweet as purple dew"), "Mother to Son" ("Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"), "Theme for English B" ("I am the only colored student in my class"), and "I, Too" ("I, too, sing America. / I am the darker brother").

The lines I quoted from "I, Too" may call to mind Walt Whitman's great American poem "Leaves of Grass." Indeed, I consider Hughes to be one of the great 20th century poetic heirs of Whitman, and "Selected Poems" is a magnificent testament to Hughes' passion and vision.

Langston Hughes' poems makes my knees knock. There is a little thrill with each poem, like I'm landing in a vat of buttermilk, and splashing happily about. With the subject matters he dares tackle one would think it'd be more realistic to walk away from a deluge of his work in deep depression.

Not so.

Instead I walked away with a dreamy smile and knocking knees. His ability to cull the beauty from the horror is...is...is

I'm wordless.

I had read several Hughes poems before buying this book, but I will admit that I had no grasp on the extent of his talent. These vivid poems were chosen by Hughes personally before his death in 1967.

They do so well to paint a picture of the time he lived -- of the blues, of love, of passion, of choices. He writes about faith and protest in a way that will move you.

I have read all of the poems exactly as they are placed in the book several times. I think I keep going back to them because this is poetry free of pretense -- it is grounded in reality and in sorrow.

Independent of age, of your ethnicity, and of your literary grasp, you will enjoy these poems. Simple and superb -- read them out loud.

Langston Hughes wrote poetry of exquisite pain and beauty throughout his life. His poetry can be sparse and rhythmic. It evinces visions of cities, the south, churches and deep muddy rivers.

Hughes touches on every subject important to life in 20th century America: family, friends, race, religion,love, music, prejudice and poverty. Each poem sparingly provides an image in words. Together these poems represent the great work of a true artist of the American Poetry.

One of his most popular and poignant poems is Harlem. It contains such beauty in his phrase - "a dream deferred" and such power in his words or does it explode?

I recommend this highly to anyone interested in modern poets and poetry.

Many young adult books cannot be compared to the technique and writing style of Lori Aurelia Williams. In her sequel, Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues, Williams gives her characters conflicts in which many readers are able to relate to, or can understand based on human emotions. Williams heroine, Shayla, is a bright beautiful young lady who has a strong sense of self and faces many problems to determine her self worth. I would recommend this book to any and everyone, espcially young adults, because its a comming of age book and many young people can relate to Shayla's problems.

In this sequel to When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune, Shayla's father has a baby daughter with his new wife. The baby is born on Shayla's birthday and has Shayla's eyes. As Shayla is learning to accept the new baby, Gift, she is also dealing with Kambia, who is getting threatening messages from someone while she is trying to recover from what happened before. Also in the midst of everything, Shayla meets a boy named Lemm. Lemm is a gentlemen who does a lot of sweet talking, and really likes Shayla, but he has real problems too. This is a great book, and anyone who liked the first book will really like this one too.

this was a great book, just as good as Lori Aurelia Williams's first book. it focuses on friendship and growing up. shayla must deal with some really difficult issues. her father has a new baby that she fears will take her place and someone begins sending Kambia packages that remind her of her childhood, sending her into her own little world for hours at a time. i can't wait to see what else williams writes.

Shayla Fox's life seems to take turn after turn for the worse. First, her estranged father left her mother for good. Then he remarried a woman Shayla does not like in the least. But worst of all, he has a new daughter named Gift --- a daughter born on Shayla's birthday! Shayla feels as if she has nothing of her own any more, not even a special day. Her grandmother, her sister, and her mother all try to help Shayla. Grandma Augustine is a wisecracking wise woman. Although Shayla feels like her drama is unbearable, Grandma Augustine constantly reminds her to be thankful that she is alive and whole and smart. Grandma Augustine knows that Shayla can be melodramatic and so she gently tells her grandchild that her life, like most people's, will be filled with a little rain, but it's up to Shayla to make sure her sorrows don't turn into a big, overwhelming storm.

A girl who does have a stormy life is Shayla's best friend Kambia. (Their friendship was detailed in author Williams's first book, WHEN KAMBIA ELAINE FLEW IN FROM NEPTUNE by Lori Williams.) As this second novel opens, Kambia's life has only gotten more complicated. A year prior, Kambia was found wandering, alone and amnesiac. Adopted by the Dreyfuses, Kambia is caught in a search for her identity as well as having to find a place for herself in the world. Shayla must help Kambia heal, even as anonymous notes and packages start to plague her friend and bring her to the edge of sanity.

In another subplot, Shayla befriends Lemm, the new boy at school who's lost most of his family in a tragic accident. Lemm struggles, feeling as alone and hopeless as Kambia and Shayla. Lemm also has severe problems with substance abuse, and even as Shayla tries to gain some control in her life, she finds she wants to help Lemm with his issues. Most of the time Shayla feels as if she's caught up in a world full of problems whirling about her, just waiting to reach out and snatch her.

SHAYLA'S DOUBLE BROWN BABY BLUES presents a harsh picture of contemporary life in the African American community. The families are strained nearly to the breaking point but held together by a web of women. These woman show their strengths and vulnerabilities while keeping life going, despite upheavals, dangerous events, and secrets from the past. Women like Grandma Augustine carry with them the promise of a brighter future, even when that promise seems to be withheld by violence and uncertainty; they never allow hope to become totally eaten away. By sharing her enduring strength with her granddaughter, Augustine demonstrates that it is possible to bear the shocks of life and, in time, overcome them.

This isn't the kind of book you can say you enjoyed; "enjoy" simply isn't the right word. But it does tell a powerful story in tight well-crafted prose that lingers in the mind and in the soul long after the story has ended. Lori Aurelia Williams's characters are so solid, they seem as if they've been hewn out of rock instead of the airy stuff of imagination. It's the kind of book that makes you want to hold your own family just a little nearer, just a little dearer. See for yourself.

--- Reviewed by Cassia Van Arsdale

Shayla is young, black, and feels that now that her father's new wife has given birth to a baby (born on Shayla's own birthday!) that she has been replaced in her father's affections. Shayla can't even confide in her best friend, Kambia Elaine, because of not wanting to diminish Kambia's own happiness at finally being part of a loving family in her own right. Nor can Shayla confide in a new friend, Lemm, when she discovers that he has his own troubles and tragedies that he is trying to keep secret. Lori Williams' Shayla's Double is a superbly written, emotionally articulate novel of unconditional love, human heartbreak, and family relationships. Highly recommended for young listeners 10 through 18, this 10 hour, 30 minute Listening Library unabridged production is flawlessly produced and aptly narrated by heather Alicia Simms.

In my humble opinion, the history delineated in this writing should be taught in classrooms across America and beyond! I learned so much about the evolution of citizenship, religion in the USA, and music of all genres from this book. I was left feeling that I owe such a great debt to so many who suffered and sacrificed so much that I can enjoy life in this country. The privileges and the luxuries we bask in have deep roots enlivened by much blood, sweat and tears. So much was made clear, especially where it pertains to different music artists, their styles of delivery and their associations with other genres of artists.

I grew up loving both Rev. C. L. Franklin and Clara Ward. I was glad to learn that they loved each other, as Aretha Franklin also attests.

"Singing in a Strange Land" is very valuable as a sketch of this highly successful, complex legend. It was a compelling read that prompted me to read biographies of two of the most famous supporting characters, Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. For chronicles of these I read, and highly recommend, "Got to Tell It", Jules Schwerin's unsparing bio of Mahalia and "How I Got Over", Willa Ward-Royster's portrait of her gifted sister Clara Ward. Besides the priceless info about Mahalia and Clara, these biographies provide further details about C. L. Indeed, one of the vignettes in "Got to Tell It" (a conversation between Mahalia and Aretha about C. L.'s alleged drug use) paints a portrait of C. L. that leads me to suspect that daughter Erma Franklin's cooperation with "Singing in a Strange Land" was possibly conditioned on Salvatore's silence on some matters. Notwithstanding details of C. L.'s life unavailable elsewhere, and whatever self-exposure a preacher betrays in his sermons, "Singing in a Strange Land"'s shortcoming is the reader is left in the dark about C. L.'s thoughts and feelings. This is not the author's fault as Salvatore repeatedly refers to C. L.'s reticence to speak about personal feelings -- particularly about his early life in the Jim Crow South. Accordingly the reader is forced to draw inferences about the man, many of which may be unflattering due to the minister's impious personal life (e.g., his wife's decision to leave the philanderer though it meant painful separation from four of her young children).

I enjoyed reading the book not only to hear about black history but to read about my daughter's history. Alyssa Ellan Smith who will be turning one on 1/4/05 will always have her history of her family in a book. Her grandmother Carl Ellan Kelley a remarkable woman who overcame many roadblocks in her life looks into Alyssa's eyes. Alyssa is a blessing to us but in an eerie feeling to look at Alyssa is to look at C.L. Franklin. From her eyes to her chin to the smile on her face she is an identical to her great-grandfather. We hold up pictures of the two and put them down in amazement. The book finally told the truth of Carl Ellan Kelley she was only a child who because of shame was raised by her grandparents who raised her to be a wonderful person. Thank you C.L. Franklin for giving us the gift of life our Grandmother and mother a woman who inspires me.

If you live in America, particularly its big cities, you need it. If you lived through any part of the 20th century, you need it. "Singing in a Strange Land..." is a timely witness of the life of Rev. C.L. Franklin as an intersection of many apparently unrelated roads. Most interestingly, it gives insight to a time before Rev. Franklin was thought of as "Aretha's daddy". It chronicles the era when she was "the Rev.'s singing little girl".

Aside from the strictly biographical aspects of this volume, there is much to reward those interested in subjects as diverse as the show business of gospel music, Detroit municipal politics, the civil-rights movement and even the growth of the Black community in Buffalo, NY! But, it it is a true pageturner, because Mr. Salvatore's writing never bores.

Now dear reader, I am no expert on literature or scholastic research, but like the man in the museum looking at a Picasso, " I know what I like". I like this effort by Mr. Salvatore, and I believe you will, too. Don't miss it!

Readers interested in both black church music and black history will relish Singing In A Strange Land: C.L. Franklin, The Black Church, And The Transformation Of America. More than just a biography of C.L. Franklin, Singing In A Strange Land uses Franklin's background to explore both African American religion and musical development in America. Salvatore spent eight years extensively researching, including interviewing Franklin's associates, to develop a winning biography which includes so much more than civil rights history alone.

In Slim's Table, Mitchell Duneier describes and analyzes social interactions among a culturally diverse group, based on his observations and interviews conducted with regulars of the traditional cafeteria "Valois" in Chicago. The customers are mainly older black men of the lower working class living in the nearby ghetto, but also include members of the white population, younger age groups, and members of the middle-class. Duneier shows that his impression of the black men's identity differs greatly from the negative stereo-typical image, but he also admits that his findings are not representative and, therefore, cannot be generalized.
Duneier divided the book into four parts, starting with observations on the micro level and ending with considerations in more general terms on the macro level. Part One, "The Caring Community", focuses on the social and emotional relationships between the regulars of the "Valois" cafeteria. Illustrated by a variety of examples, the reader receives an insight into how the value system of the black lower working class is shaped by a strong sense of tolerance, friendship, responsibility, and respect for others and themselves. Subsequently, Duneier points out the black men's attributive roles and images, then compares them to his own findings.
After a description of the "Valois" cafeteria and its significance for the regulars, Part Two, "The Moral Community", deals with the standard of respectability expressed by members of the black lower working class about their own class and the black middle and upper classes. The discussion includes the thesis that not only the economically successful members of the black middle and upper classes can function as role models but that the morality of the lower working class can be considered exemplary for the black youth as well.
Part Three, "Membership in Society", focuses on the position of the African American population in a white society. Referring to the particular setting of the "Valois", it is reported that the interactions between black regulars and members of other social groups, especially white people, seem to be free of any racial prejudices. Although it is obvious that these positive interracial relations at "Valois" do not reflect reality outside, inside they help both blacks and whites achieve a source of mutual respect, leading to a better feeling about themselves.
Finally, in Part Four, "You're White, He' Black, I'm a Sociologist: Who's Innocent?", Duneier asks who can be held responsible for the long-lasting negative image of African American men of the lower class. In this context, he refers to the innocence that members of the white population feel and express about their negative depictions. Moreover, he criticizes the superficial manner in which journalists, as well as sociologists, investigate and oversimplify the black culture.
Mitchell Duneier sees his book at the beginning of a new tradition which will portray the African American people in an appropriate and truthful way. His sensitive, respectful, and credible representation of the black male regulars at "Valois" as an exemplary community suggests the necessity of redefining the identity of the black ghetto-specific masculinity.

Whether its your major, for an intro class, or just for fun, everyone can walk away with something from this book. Its written well, and really makes you think about our society.

Whether its your major, for an intro class, or just for fun, everyone can walk away with something from this book. It written well, and really makes you think about our society.

Last spring I took a course from Mitchell entitled Urban Sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara. Mitchell would read us exerts from the book and I found it very intriguing. This summer I decided to purchase the book so I could have my very own copy, it's great! The men Mitchell writes about and talked about in class seem to be on my mind; these men are normal men, making the streets their home. I enjoyed their humor throughout the book and Mitchell's too. I highly recommend this book and highly respect Mitchell. I can't wait to read his other book entitled Streetwise.

I've read other sociological works on inner city residents and was invariably disturbed by the soulless way in which the subjects were portrayed. No doubt, the authors of those works would defend their method as being objective and showing rigor. However, at some level, the objectivity becomes stultifying and numbing.

Duneier cuts through all of this by portraying real people as human beings for whom he cares deeply. At the same time, he is able to pull back from the personal stories and draw conclusions that are intellectually sound. One feels a deep sense of pride in the men whose lives are profiled in Slim's Table and a lingering sense of regret that they seem to be a dying breed.

This book is the rare work that appeals in equal parts to the intellect and the soul.