Races Books

Julie Landsman creates words for what most of us think and feel. As an educator of educators, this book was hugely helpful in giving me words to help teachers see the importance of teaching a multicultural perspective in the classroom.

I found this book to be very practical, open, insightful, but above all, honest. It was a hard first semester of Education classes for me, however, after reading this assigned book, I felt not so much inspired, but informed. There are students and situations Mrs. Landsman speaks of that education classes and textbooks can't show or teach you. There are experiences and emotions she shares that really tie the book together. Just because you aren't a teacher--or aren't just yet--for me, I personally felt as if I learned more just by considering myself: my own views, my own understanding, and especially just how many roles a teacher can play and what a significance each role holds. My best suggestion for this book: while reading, keep an open mind. You may be surprised at what you find within yourself.

This book is a must read for all teachers. As an African American teacher, I was impressed with her clear understanding of how she fits into the big picture. With the many students of color that are going through the K-12 system, teachers often are not forced to look at race issues. She avoides many of the common cliches, but is very direct in her view. She is also hopeful for the future, despite any negative experience that she may have had with a person of color. If you are a teacher in an area where you have even one student of color, READ THIS BOOK. If you have no students of color, READ THIS BOOK.

I read this book in one sitting, and was immediately drawn to the fluidity of Landsman's writing as well as her disarming honesty. She is aware of her responsibilities as author, narrator, and "character" in her story, and she uses her words and observations wisely. The students you meet within this book are vividly drawn and any reader, no matter their background, will be able to identify in some manner with the complex layers of identity each one has. Read this book not to discover the "answer" to race relations in the United States, but to peel back your own layers and uncover what has been constructed and what is real.

This is a raw and heartfelt book that turns over some rocks en route to the truth. This tells the story of a white teacher, someone who grew up with certain priveleges, and how this person is forever linked to the world of a black man in America. Heartfelt stories of racism, prejudice, and also hopeful, courageous and positive stories as so many of these young blacks overcome these obstacles and lead productive lives. This is a tremendous book for our time that deals with race and especially important to those of us who may not understand or appreciate how the average black person in America lives and what he/she is forced to go through in America.

The conservative, european-american movement's declaration of the end of white supremacy in this country requires the kind of challenge offered by "Whitewashing Race". This book offers every fair-minded reader an opportunity to judge the realities that still persist as a consequence of 250 years of chattel slavery, 100 years of complete segregation, lynchings and restrictions on work and educational opportunities. The efforts needed to create a truly non-racialized culture in America are far from over.

It presents information in such a way that you are at the very least, forced to consider what they've presented. As a self-identified "African-American" who considers himself a conservative, I think this book does a great job of presenting the foundation of how the problem of race still exists and presents pragmatic ideas - however controversial - that are far better, in my view, than maintaining the status quo.

If those who on principle oppose these ideas (specifically, the conservatives this book spends a lot of time lambasting) would come out with substantive data to disprove what this book says, the race debate would become a lot clearer and would bring us closer to realizing a better America for all.

For anyone interested in how the politics of race are presented in today's world (affirmative action, prison sentencing, etc.), this book is a definite must-read. The authors analyze the conservative's overly-simplistic view of race as being based simply on whether a person exhibits overt prejudice while ignoring the larger implications of accumulated wealth and advantages enjoyed by whites from years of legal discrimination.

The authors poke holes in much of the misinformation coming from the conservative side of the aisle, and reveal just how sinister and permeating racial bias still is in America. Grab this book, a good cup of coffee, a high-lighter, and become updated on the dynamics of race in 2003 America.

I read this book hoping to find some ideas about the status of race in post civil rights America. Although I found the book helpful and infomative, I do remain highly concerned that the issues the book addresses seem static. The authors do offer a lot of statistics and concise ideas to help understand the problems concerning race in America.

The attack on the racial realists and conservitive views on race really caught my attention. I find the arguements in this book far more convincing. I struggled to articulate how the conditions of American culture create a negative experience for blacks, but this book articulates the message clearly. I find myself reading and hearing arguments about race with a new understanding.

Should one send political scientists to do a historian's job? That is the question one has to ask about this book compiled by a consortium of political scientists, in response to the "racial realism" of today's right-centrist consensus. This consensus, argued by such authors as Jim Sleeper, Tamara Jacoby, John McWhorter, The New Republic and the renowned historians of American immigration Stephen and Abigail Thernstrom, argue that racism is not really a problem in American life. To the extent that African-Americans are disadvantaged it is because of their own failings or, somewhat more tactfully, the failings of the black politicians and the guilty liberals they (overwhelmingly) support.

This book argues that this fundamentally optimistic view is wrong. They are right to say so and their book is very detailed and comprehensive (the Thernstroms in particular are repeatedly criticized). Still the book is not perfect. The book makes an error in numbering its footnotes in chapter five. It also incorrectly says that until recently there were no African-Americans elected from North Carolina since Reconstruction (one in fact was elected in 1898). The style is not very engaging, it consists mostly of summaries of papers in economics, political science, sociology and the other social sciences. The result is a certain dryness and abstract quality that could use more historical analysis (the treatment of unions is somewhat superficial). The discussion of racism is not the most thoughtful available (and little is said about Latinos). Nevertheless one should not ignore its points. "Racial realists" argue that racism is not a problem because only a handful of people would support racist attitudes in opinion polls. There are several problems with this argument. Aside from the fact that people do not necessarily volunteer their support of unpopular ideas, it turns the concept of racism and racist harm into a question of pure malice. If there is none (or if it somehow "rational") there is no racism. One might ask why showing discrimination should require showing malice, when other torts merely require showing negligence? Also it is a non-sequitur to argue that if whites are not malicious, blacks and/or liberals must have screwed up. Moreover, rephrasing the question can lead to rather different results: in a 1980 poll only 5% supported segregation, but only 40% supported a law stating that a homeowner could not refuse to sell because of race. The authors go on about how in the post-war period African-Americans were discriminated in social security legislation, GI bill benefits and housing segregation. We also relearn about the insufficiently notorious effects of urban renewal and automation.

What is best about the book are the statistics it provides showing consistent racial gaps, even when corrected for class, age, income or any other variable. For example 53% of mortgages in black Chicago middle-class neighbourhoods are from sub-prime lenders, whereas only 12% of mortgages in white neighbourhoods are. African-Americans are 25% less likely to get mammograpy screening, notwithstanding age or income, while a 1985 Massachusetts study showed that whites underwent significantly more corony surgery than blacks. 61% of basketball players were black in 1996-97, but 81.5 % of coaches were white; 52% of football players are black but in 2001 nearly 97% of head coaching positions were white. During the 1990s in Los Angeles, Latinos make up 41% of the population, but only 6% of the jurors. It is often said that spiralling illegitimacy is the key reason for persistent black poverty today, but the President's Council of Economic Advisers has noted that the poverty gap would have fallen by only a fifth had there been no changes in black family structure since 1967. Likewise the Thernstroms et al have argued that high black youth unemployment is the result of their demand for excessive wages. Yet studies have shown that their length of employment is not correlated with wage demands. The gap between black and white test scores has infuriated potential university students. But the correlation between scores and success is somewhat weaker for women and Asians. Another questionable use of data by "racial realists" is their concentration of Berkeley in the 1980s. There the white graduation rate within 6 years was 88% but only 59% for blacks. But in 28 other colleges the white average was 86% and the black average 75%. Might this not say more about the problems of particular universities than an inherent cultural failing of African-Americans?

We also learn about a third wave of criminology scholarship and we learn how only 26% of the gap between blacks and whites drug offences in Pennsylvania is the result of the higher arrest rate among blacks. Even after making every allowance Georgia blacks are five times more likely to get life sentences for drug offences than whites. We see at every stage of the arrest process, from scholars such as Madeline Wordes, George Bridges, and Michael Leiber, a clear bias against African-Americans. Although the prospect that somewhere, somehow affirmative action might hurt white men has haunted the conservative imagination, only 4% of 1990-94 sex/age discrimination suits were launched by white men, (yet they file three-quarters of age discrimination suits). Oddly enough, racial realists have blamed blacks for inadequate black representation. Supposedly they won't vote for whites. Yet in the past few decades only 0.5% of white majority districts elections have chosen a black representative. And whites have shown great reluctance or active hostility in voting for blacks in prominent elections in Chicago, Philadelphia and California. The authors conclude with sensible suggestions for reforms in education, stronger civil rights protection and an improved welfare state.

this is one of the best books i have ever read. you will love it. the insights are unbelievable. i reccomend it to everyone who wants to learn more about themselves and see things in a better light. this book has given me hope for the future. i especially reccomend it for high schoolers
who are struggling with their sense of self-worth and anyone who has struggled with romantic relationships.

This book, first and foremost, addresses issues of self esteem, a topic relevant to everyone, especially those of us who have been living in America for the last five years. Dealing with the swirl of political misdealings and global crisis brought on by an American government that leaves little to the imagination and forces its constituents to fend for themselves concerning national identity and ethical conciousness, Dr. Lee's book cuts to the quick. It's a practical understanding of marginalized people and the history of oppression we've inherited, regardless of the so-called milestones of democracy; emancipation, the women's rights, the civil rights movement, and the still struggling gay pride movement. Lee makes it clear that the "rights" and "pride" we think we've attained, though progressive, remain unresolved to a large degree and personally impacts us in ways we were heretofor unaware of. This isn't a book to read in one or two sittings, its a life long companion to daily existance.

There are countless self help books flooding the market, but few are specific to the current needs and concerns of the broad African American community. There have been numerous significant studies researching the subject of whether, and to what degree, Black Americans still suffer from the self-hatred engendered by years of enslavement and oppression. Yet none of those studies has anything to offer the average Black American who is functioning with the normal problems of living of the modern world.

With more than thirty years of experience as a psychotherapist, educator, Yoruba Priest, and student of African practices and traditions, Dr. Lee presents practical and simple KEYS to unlock the remaining psychological and physical chains that impair healthy functioning for African Americans. Acknowledging the "Nigger" in Us All picks up where Harold Cruse's Crisis of the Negro Intellectual and Franz Fanon's Black Skin, White Mask left off more than forty years ago. In presenting a book that informs with living examples rather than with theory, New African KEYS offers the reader 12 interconnected KEYS developed to arm Black Americans or anyone else with tools for individual and group self improvement. Dr. Lee emphasizes that the work of individual transformation has to include work toward changing the world, but all of this "work" must be done in a playful and compassionate way. The book also provides a major critique of our current approaches to relationships based on romantic love and suggests an approach that offers the possibilities for deeper and more satisfying intimate relationships.

The book initiates a re-investigation of the history of Africans in the Americas and examines the adverse effects that this history has had on the African self. Dr. Lee exposes why the concept of the "nigger" was created and advises African Americans not to repeat the destructive mistake that White Americans made by creating some scapegoat in order to feel good about themselves. He makes the diagnosis that all humans individually and collectively have "good" and "bad" qualities and potentials; and he prescripts unconditional self acceptance as the only prescription to prevent the scapegoat trap. This concept of unconditional self acceptance that Dr. Lee calls - ASHE - is a simple and ancient, yet revolutionary concept. The KEYS are offered to assist in the internalization of this concept that can also assist in the development of alternative coping mechanisms. Dr. Lee's goal is to empower readers to do battle both individually and collectively with the strains of living within our sexist and racist society. More importantly, he attempts to empower readers with the keys to change their world.

While I admit to a real problem with the title of this book, I would wholeheartedly recommend it unreservedly for the depth of understanding that the author unfolds in his exploration of the history of Africans in America. He has shown with brilliance, the shattering damage that this history has done in varying degree, to the psyches of Africans (black folks) of all hues, born and living in America.

Learning, internalizing and practicing the 12 keys to self-acceptance first, and then the acceptance of others as outlined in this book, is absolutely essential if we as a people are to re-emerge as the true descendants of a people who gave civilization to the world. In the current America of no-holds barred materialism, militarism, war and racism that it exports all over the world, perhaps a transformed black population in America can lead to the transformation of the nation and the world.

This book comes highly recommended!!!

If you enjoy hearing true tales of wild heroics this book is for you. I read it page after page and laughed as the author so vividly drew me into each scene with these crazy Iditarod pilots.

Some of the stories are incredible and it really makes you want to go to Alaska to encounter some of this wild west dog sled fanaticism.

Don't miss this one...it is very enjoyable. Worthy of passing on to someone else after it's read.

I purchased this book for my father, for Father's Day, and it turns out he has a personal connection to one of the book's subjects. I could not have been more pleased! He has been reading it voraciously and enjoying every page. Dad's are always hard to buy for and it's great to hit the nail on the head once in awhile.

I like adventure books, especially those that deal with northern flying. This title clearly fell into that catagory. The autor gave us a perspective of the Iditarod race that only a pilot could. As a pilot who has flown in Alaska I found all of his flying information to be accurate. But best of all the book was very well written. The author has polished his work. The chapters are all very readable and fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone whose interests run along the same lines as mine do; flying, Alaska, adventure and the Iditarod. My only complaint is a complete lack of pictures.

Ted acquaints the reader with stories that could only come from being a pilot himself. Having done some flying in the Alaskan bush, I became acquainted with the author and know of his intense love of the subject. I recommend readers also read "The Eye of the Rainbow", Ted Matson's first writing. You will have a greater respect of the Alaskan adventurer.

What a beautiful and fascinating book! For anyone at all connected with the art world or with an interest in portraiture, this book is required reading. Greenfield-Sanders is a master of his genre, and presents a true and engrossing cross section of the people who shape and have shaped our culture over the past twenty-five or so years. His vision is direct and brilliant in its simplicity, and this group of photographs will be one of the most important of its kind for the twentieth century and beyond. In short: get this book!

A monumental undertaking to create so many great images. This book belongs in everyone's collection.

I'm in one of the group shots in this book, so I'm an interested party, but even if I weren't I'd have to say that these are the definitive portraits of so many of my contemporaries (both famous and not or not yet famous) that a collection of them is long overdue. The printing and binding quality of this book, and its "bonus material" (essays, chronology, etc.), also help make it a necessary addition to any self-respecting art library. Five stars.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is one of the great photographers of our age, and this extraordinary book of portraits places him among the true geniuses of the medium. These are more than great pictures; they expose the vibrant truth of their subjects. The portrait of William Burroughs, for example, is possibly the most brilliantly revealing study of a writer ever made. It is a shocking, even terrifying, achievement, because it reveals more of a man than one would have thought possible. This profound book is a journey in the deep forest of the human soul.

I found this book, in first edition and excellent condition, at the Oakland Library book sale. I paid $3.60 for it and consider it one of the best bargains I've gotten in terms of value. This book needs to be read by anyone attempting to understand black culture, the effects of commercialism and the Disneyfication of our cultural heritage.

Told in a very personal way by a journalist who became fascinated by stories of an enclave of black upper-middle-class families and the society that grew around them in the days before desegregation, it also speaks volumes about our heritage as
Americans, white or Black.

If I got nothing else out of this book -- and I assure you, I did -- Rymer managed to explain as I had never heard it the reasons for the antagonistic, in-your-face angry Black youth that are the
hip-hop nation. In his view, white consumerism created them in search of something "authentic" to grind up and feed into he maw of the commercial pop exploitation machine. He likens them to
the minstrels of old, acceptable, even desirable, stereotypes to keep us from noticing that, at the core, we are all really very much alike.

I can't recommend this book enough. There are passages that may bring tears to your eyes, as they did to mine, eyes jaded by years as a white police officer usually working in non-white
neighborhoods. This is a book that will change the way I look at culture, history and America. May it do the same for you.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

On one hand the book is very well written by an author who is obviously very intelligent. (He had me feeling intellectually challenged from time to time, and I consider myself to be a pretty bright person.) He presents, again and again, extremely thought-provoking ideas and profound comments about modern society. And in presenting his biting analysis of today's society he provides glimmers of hope that things can be changed for the better.

On the other hand, I found this book to be very depressing. The descriptions of the sins of the past, in the form of slavery and racial segregation and violence against blacks, are chilling. Today's problems, with lingering discrimination and the commercialization of American society, are also saddening. Sometimes I took a break from reading because the book made me so unhappy.

"American Beach" is a collection of four stories, three short ones and one quite long one. All but the last story are based on Amelia Island on the east coast of Florida next to the Georgia border, where the towns of Fernandina Beach and American Beach are. (The last story is based in Eatonville on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida.) And all but the first of the four stories has racial conflicts as a primary theme.

But Mr. Rymer makes it clear that today's racial problems, serious as they are, are not the biggest problems faced by blacks or by American society in general. He sees big business and it's influence on everything to be a greater source of apathy and alienation and disenfranchisement and environmental destruction.

In the view of Mr. Rymer, unbridled capitalism and the "culture of the corporation" are breaking down the values that the founding fathers stood for and that many generations of Americans up until WW II fought for, such as democracy. As an example he tells about the Disney-owned town of Celebration which proclaims itself to be the reincarnation of the old-fashioned American town, but which requires residents to sign a contract in which they let Disney operate the town without them, the residents, having any significant influence!

One of the author's claims is that cultural poverty can be worse than economic poverty. Blacks are especially hard hit by cultural poverty, having lost their roots when they were abducted from Africa. Black attempts to create their own culture often resulted in their best creations being usurped by the dominant white society and their less fortunate attempts being ridiculed by the whites.

But American society in general lacks roots, being a melting pot society. Added to this is the rise in the power of the corporations, who can transform functioning towns into ghettos on the edge of holiday resorts for the rich, and can commercialize and thus de-fang every kind of cultural protest. Bob Dylan becomes Muzak and street gangs and gun-toting rappers become movie fodder and hit entertainers.

Consumer capitalism has turned culture and even history into proprietary products, merchandise for the masses. And very few, other than Mr. Rymer and a few of the people he writes about in "American Beach", have even noticed the danger.

Highly recommended.

PS. I read the hardcover book, which has the subtitle "A Saga of Race, Wealth, and Memory". The paperback edition has the subtitle "How Progress Robbed a Black Town--And Nation--Of History, Wealth, and Power". I'm guessing both subtitles were dreamed up by the publishers' marketing departments in attempts to sell the book to people who want to read about American race conflicts. Shame on them.

Rennie Petersen

Having just finished "Slaves in the Family" by Edward Ball when I came across this book, I was struck by a completely different slice of black history and the black condition. Here is the story of the great-granddaughter of a black millionaire who leads a very privileged life, attends Oberlin college, has a fairly short but successful career as an opera singer in Europe, and then returns home to see her mother die, the family fortune dissipate and her world fall apart. It is also a plea for historical preservation and environmental protection. A very poignant and yet inspiring true story. I sang with Marvyne Betsch in the College Choir at Oberlin, and can still hear the unique dark timbre of her voice after forty years!

I bought this book because I grew up hearing stories about the "black" beach near Jacksonville and about the beach lady, MaVynee Betsch, and because I attended Spelman College under the extraordinary leadership of Johnetta Betsch Cole and could never believe "the beach lady" was her sister. Their family history is amazing, and timeless. My mother's side of the family is native to northeastern Florida. Rymer's undertaking to expose the world to the richness of these people is laudable. I learned so much about my history and the history of the place where I'm from that I'd never known. I took the book home with me (FL) for the holidays and my family was so deligted to learn so much about home, and to get reacquainted with the familiar things once known, that we had to go out and get additional copies of the book. It will be a standard in our family for years to come. In short, it is compelling and quite informative. To read this book is to get a true appreciation of a people and their glorious,on-going struggle. I highly recommend American Beach.

This book is a wonderful read and it lets the world know what those close to Kortney already know.

Received this item very quickly. Wonderful book! I met Kortney this weekend at a memorial motorcycle ride--what an amazing individual that has risen above! I look forward to reading the rest of the book!

RIP Dave!

The Kortney Clemons story is one we all need to hear: What happens to the people we send over to Iraq who come home busted up? Clemons and his co-writer, Bill Briggs, prove that there is hope, but neither of them hold back in showing how much work is involved putting a life back together. With vivid detail and edge-of-your-seat style, they tell a story that is at once unique and universal. The human capacity to suffer, endure and overcome never ceases to amaze me, and for anyone who needs a reminder, "Amped" is a great read.

I read this book because my friend Bill Briggs is the co-author. He's the "with" in the byline. So, full disclosure. I read this book with wonder and amazement because it has a you-are-there feeling start to finish. Put your politics aside. Take a break from thinking about rising gas prices and put yourself in the moment with medic Kortney Clemons on tour in Baghdad. The opening sequence in this book is brutal. It's real. It's about a real human being with a distinct personality and interesting background doing "routine" things as part of the war in Iraq. Do your mental eyes glaze over at the phrase "roadside bomb?" That will never happen again. The scene is powerful, moving and told with compelling detail. It all seems to come down to the little things, the difference between life (Clemons) and death (three soldiers) just inches away. From battlefield to hospital and the decisions about how to manage with one leg, "Amped" is about a journey deep into the soul. Again, the detail is what makes this book, the honest self-analysis. Along the way, the history of the purple heart, the background on paralympics, and plenty of science about amputees and their future-world, high-tech artificial limbs. When Clemons confronts his demons, he is straightforward and unafraid to reveal his torment. Along the way, you will learn about prosthetics and the science and art of restoring a stride to a human being. Clemons was born with a powerful sense of self-determination and strong moral code. The bulk of "Amped" is about his quest for dignity and self-worth, through powerlifting and running. Clemons brings a mountain of pride to every challenge, but the most moving parts are when he opens up to friends and coaches for advice. Think you're having a rough day? Think the soldiers in Iraq are a bit faceless, think there aren't real people in Baghdad doing what their country asked of them? Read "Amped." Think about the difference between life and death, think about Clemons' challenge to return to the world he left and admire one powerful human spirit, facing every challenge and running in the moment. Highly recommended for all returning soldiers. Clemons shows the path to mental and physical well-being.

Reads like a cloak and dagger thriller at times. This is a riveting account of the end of apartheid and the birth of democracy in a society that should be, by all rights, engaged in civil war at this time. Instead, Ms. Waldmeir gives us the reasons, historically and diplomatically, as to why this amazing transition took place in relative peace. She tries to give a fair representation of the roles of all the major players in this incredibly complex real life drama. I found the writing to be very insightful as an academic work while at the same time it was told as the dramatic, tension filled drama that the story truly is.

Anatomy of a Miracle: The End of Apartheid and the Birth of the New South Africa
This book came on time and was delivered directly to my place of residence within two days. So far this book is worth more than just an assignment for class. This book also helps me to see another side of conflict that most people may never see in their life time; unless they live within a collective culture where group needs are put before the individual self.

This is surely the most informative book to have been written on the subject of South Africa since the end of the white regime. Ms Waldmeiris a superb writer, with a perceptive and self -deprecating wit.May she write heaps more. Dermot Ros

Anatomy of a Miracle is one of those history books you never forget. It does such a good job putting you there. You feel like you are at the meeting between Mandela and DeKlerk. This is history at its best. Anyone interested in Current Events or the History of South Africa and its transformation from Apartheid and White Rule to One Man One Vote and Democracy needs to read this book. I had no idea that Mandela and the South African government had been in negotiation long before Mandela's release. I also had no idea how well Mandela used his ability to speak Afrikaaner and his knowledge of Afrikaaner History to while negotiating to end Apartheid. You see the challenges DeKlerk, Mandela, and all of South Africa had to overcome. And they did. This is a short book, but after reading this you will become an expert on the events that led to the end of Apartheid and the beginning of Democracy in South Africa. This is a great book.

This is a wonderful little book, with spirit. For the best "how to" on holding a dialogue on race, I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Its lays out some great ideas to organize meaningful dialoge around how we perceive and respond to race related issues. The ideas and recipes are simple, fun, and motivating. Getting beyond the surface dialogue of race in this country is critically important. This book gives us some great ideas on how to get started.

I am so glad that I found this book. I have had many conversations about race, but almost all of them never went beyond the surface. People are so afraid to talk about this very important topic. The Anti-Racist Cookbook turns conversations about race into deep, meaningful experiences. I was really pleased with the results of the first conversation I organized using this book.

All I can say is that it's about time for this kind of book.

Race relations continues to be an important, pervasive, and difficult social issue in this opening decade of 21st century America. Co-authored by Robin Parker and Pamela Smith Chambers, The Anti-Racist Cookbook: A Recipe Guide For Conversations About Race That Goes Beyond Covered Dishes and "Kum-Bah-Ya" basic information on the problem of race relations and the authors' approaches and philosophy. It then goes on to provide practical, applicable information on how to organize and facilitate a small-group discussion on race. There are separate chapters devoted to focusing on an individual's cultural background and early messages about race and ethnicity; the different emotional experiences of race in everyday life and what work individuals can do to improve race relations; conversational oriented intervention strategies that individuals can use to combat prejudiced comments or statements that derail interracial understanding. The Anti-Racist Cookbook is ideal for community activists and non-specialist general readers with an interest in helping themselves, their families, friends, neighbors, and communities in successfully dealing with race relations issues.

The definitely guide to Derby. This offers much more explanation and information than the online documentation provided by Apache. But what do you expect... it comes from the minds at IBM themselves.

However, unlike most of IBM's publications and documentation, this is actually readable and informative. You don't have to wade through a series of unknowns and missing pieces of the puzzle in order to figure out what IBM was trying to actually get at.

This will not only help you define and work with Apache Derby, but also make your applications lighter, faster and easier to deploy.

Apache Derby is a very promising package that is being freely offered, as both source code and binaries. This book is an aggressive promotion of its virtues. The authors stress many things about Derby, or its IBM sidekick, Cloudscape.

Derby addresses a persistent need amongst many Java programmers for an easy to use SQL database. Often, a Java programmer has only cursory expertise in coding for a full database like IBM's DB2 or Oracle. Best usage of these often requires you to be a DBA.

By contrast, Derby comes as a Java JAR file, and can be plonked into your programming environment just as any other JAR file. The book explains in depth how to then interact with Derby, at the level of your Java source code. You can see that you get a pretty powerful engine. Including features like stored procedures and user defined functions, that let you optimise for speed.

Speaking of speed, that is perhaps the biggest possible drawback of Derby. It is run as Java bytecode in a jvm, which is not quite as fast as a package compiled into native binaries. The book seems to deprecate this aspect, but you should be aware of it.

You might find Derby useful enough that you don't have to migrate to a full database like DB2. The book stresses that the code you write to interface with Derby will also do for DB2. There is a potential problem here for IBM, if it loses DB2 business to Derby. But maybe it feels that if it never promoted Derby, then sooner or later, an equivalent product would come along.

Obviously, to use Derby, you still need to know basic SQL statements. And some understanding of how to develop related tables to hold your data. The text is not meant to teach you these skills.

The first chapter also makes various cogent points about the advantages of using Derby. With sometimes unintentional hilarity. A passage says the intent is not to besmirch Microsoft. But despite this pious protestation, it proceeds immediately to do just that. By opining that Microsoft's SQL Server has a 5 year lag between upgrades - Server 2000 and Server 2005. While Derby has source code available, and a much faster cycle for introducing new capabilities.

Apache Derby is the only open source, pure Java RDBMS database and APACHE DERBY-OFF TO THE RACES comes from IBM's own database experts and tells how to make the most of Derby and its commercial counterpart IBM Cloudscape. Learn how to support development efforts, install Derby on both Windows and Linux systems, how to understand how programming languages interact with them, and build sample applications step-by-step: everything is here to learn the fundamentals and troubleshoot virtually any problem.

If you've ever been curious about using or integrating Apache Derby (or IBM Cloudscape) into your project, here's the book you'll need... Apache Derby - Off to the Races by Paul C. Zikopoulos, Dan Scott, and George Baklarz. Very well done...

Contents: On Your Marks... Get Set... Go!!! - An Introduction to the Apache Derby and IBM Cloudscape Community; Deployment Options for Apache Derby Databases; Apache Derby Databases; Installing Apache Derby and IBM Cloudscape on Windows; Installing Apache Derby and IBM Cloudscape on Linux; Managing an Apache Derby Database; Security; SQL; Developing Apache Derby Applications with JDBC; Developing Apache Derby Applications with Perl, PHP, Python, and ODBC; "Your Momma Loves Drama" in JDBC; "Your Momma Loves Drama" in Windows; "Your Momma Loves Drama" in PHP; "Your Momma Loves Drama" in Perl; "Your Momma Loves Drama" In Python; Web Site Contents; Apache Derby and IBM Cloudscape Resources; Troubleshooting Hints and Tips; Index

Derby is one of those technologies that has remained "under the radar" for awhile. The Cloudscape database from IBM was released to the open source community under the name Derby, and basically those two packages are the same core code. Cloudscape has a few more add-ons and support from IBM, but if you learn one you learn them both. The authors do a very good job here in helping the reader to understand the architecture and benefits of having a small-footprint embedded relational database system in your application. The start of the book lays the groundwork very well, and establishes the "why" of Derby. But rather than remaining a high-level overview, they dive into the core of the software, showing how to install it, work with it, and how to secure your data. The real value comes when they take a sample ticket application ("Your Momma Loves Drama") and shows how Derby can be integrated the application in a number of different languages. Even if you don't necessarily know Perl, PHP, or Python, you should be able to follow along enough to extrapolate how the concepts can be applied to your platform of choice. After reviewing this book, I've got some ideas on how I'd like to play around with this...

A very solid addition to your programming bookshelf. Between this book and the online resources, you should have everything you need to master the Derby/Cloudscape software.