5 comments about The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage).

1. We are so luckly that Barack Obama cares enough about this country to run for President. After reading this book it is easy to see why he is so popular today. To me, his message is simple. America should be the envy of the world and lead by example. It's time to practice what we preach.



2. I think if more people who truly professed "not to know him" would read this autobiography, they'd learn a thing or twenty.



3. Politicians crank out lots of books like this when we get near election-time, so one can only expect so much. That being said, TAoH was a decent read and helped allay some concerns I had about our probable next president. While it seemed to lack focus at times, it did come across as more authentic and genuine than other books of this type. That, alone, makes it worth reading.
   
   Recommended.



4. Obama is the man baby, the next president in 2008! This book is GREAT, and everyone should read it. Sorry my review is not a novel like everyone else.



5. I enjoyed listening to Obama's first book on CD, "Dreams of My Father." I respected how honest he was about his struggles of growing up, being raised by a white mother and grandparents, but appearing black to others. Dreams of my father was about his childhood and early adult years. Now that the election is close, I wanted to know more about his political positions, so this was exactly that.
   
   I view myself as a logical, sensible person, so I connected with this book. The story gives a good historical overview of politics from what we could read in textbooks, in addition to the inside scoop and a veiwpoint from someone with a law degree, professor and U.S. Senator.
   
   I'm a pediatric nurse, so I am very aware of the greatness and downfalls of our medical system. People may not believe the stories like he told; the man who had been a foreman at the closed steel plant, lost his health care coverage, was willing to and would be forced to sell everything so his son could get a needed liver transplant. For middle-class America, those stories are plenty.
   
   This book was on the dry side compared to Dreams of my father, but it was about politics! It was more interesting than any other poliitcal book I've read. Barack was just as open about the stuggles and the issues he pondered. He genuinely wants to make the best choices and really consider the impacts of decisions.
   
   He has my vote.

5 comments about Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.

1. This amazingly frank memoir bares the soul of a confused and deprived, then ambitious and determined, man of his times. The multi-racial, multi-cultural, migratory experience of Barack Obama both reflects and defines the post-modern secular society that the United States has become in the 21st century. This masterfully told tale transcends the senator's own life to illustrate the trials and pain of the racial divide that persist both here and abroad. It portrays the chronically sad consequences of tribal and colonial history for Africans, Europeans and Americans.
   
   By turns troubling yet hopeful, morose yet humourous, depressing yet inspiring, this book probes your emotions and challenges your worldview. Obama weaves an incredible tapestry of characters, places and moods with language more befitting a poet than a politician. His look inside himself is as deep and penetrating as his thoughts about the human condition. Although not everyone will agree with his conclusions, no one can deny his convictions.



2. This is typical shameless garbage that the criminal elite use to promote themselves and their underlings. And don't be ridiculous and think that slick BHO even wrote this book. None of our phoney, criminal, deviant, controlled "leaders" ever write any of the shameless books that are attributed to them. Why do we continue to be so naive and foolish? Why do we continue to think that we live in any sort of democracy?
   
   What can be said for sure about BHO is that he is an attractive man who can spew forth what is written for him in an eloquent manner. Oh, and he has nice white teeth. That's it folks, and I could care less what Oprah and all those little Hollywood turds gush about him, because BHO is a manufactured cut-out of a candidate who will be completely controlled by all the usual suspects. But, don't think just anyone could do what BHO does. He has a small army of helpers creating his image, dressing him, booking teeth whitening appointments, and white washing his past - especially on the internet. He has obviously had quite a bit of training in public speaking, but not just the "normal" type that you and I might sign up for. No, no. What he's been well trained in (as was Clinton, Reagan, and many others) is neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and subtle hypnotic/subliminal speech patterns. Of course it also helps a great deal that everywhere he speaks is "specially wired" for sound, which affects the audience in ways they probably couldn't comprehend or believe. This type of frequency manipulation of brain waves and body rhythms has been perfected for well over 2 decades. But, that's getting off topic...
   
   In regards to this book, ... *** news flash *** After having spent about 5 minutes writing the above, I pushed "publish review" to get the process started and went for about a 3 minute bathroom break and then returned to finish writing, and when I returned there was already 3 "not helpful" votes registered for this review in that very, very short time frame. And you say you don't believe that a small army of "trolls" patrol the internet trying to misdirect and neutralize on behalf of the criminal elite??!!
   
   Anyways, the amount of misdirection, inconsistency, undocumented statements / claims, and total shameless introspective pyscho mish-mash in this book is gut wrenching (in a bad way). But for a sane person searching for the truth, here are some questions to ponder: where was his father born in reality? how many wives / offspring did he have? as a "poor goat farming" family, how did he get the expensive initial education that he did? what are the connections to the Ford Foundation and the Rockefellers? where was BHO's mother born and why is there no records for the first 10 years of her life? if she was schooled in Lebanon initially, why? why can't the BHO Team produce a birth certificate from the State of Hawaii if he was born there? why did the BHO Team finally release a "document of live birth" that was shown to be a forgery? where was BHO born then? why was BHO's "maternal grandfather" working for the Rockefellers? why is there essentially no evidence that BHO went to Columbia University and why does he refuse to release transcipts in order to prove it? what is the connection of Indonesia to BHO really? And these are just a few questions a great researcher by the name of Don Nicoloff brings up in his writing for the Idaho Observer.
   
   Here's my personal take: BHO



3. Out of all the autobiographies I've read of prominent men and women, and particularly those wih political ambition and desire for high office, I don't think I've ever read anything as frank and straightforward as this book of Obama's. Writing about oneself is difficult for most people most of the time, and here, describing one's childhood (or bi-racial childhood as Americans often say) involves displaying whatever conclusions you've reached as you assenbked your emotional and intellectual self, in different parts of this country, and in Indonesia, and that must surely have been profoundly difficult.
   
   Considering the high level of education Obama's achieved, that the book is written well should be no surprise. But what is so amazing about all this is that currently the election campaign of Obama's Republican opponent is attempting to encourage the voting public that there is an impenetrable veil of mystery surrounding candidate Obama; mystery about his morals, his political affiliations, his religious obligations.. It seems obvious to me that anybody in this country or this world could find the man revealed with maximum clarity simply by reading this exceptional book. The latest Republican hocus-pocus is nonsense. It depends on the shameful racist tradition that says no white person can ever accept any level of intimacy -- certainly not an equitable one -- with any person of color, and that understanding would be a breach of caste.
   
   We will be reading this splendid book for many years, both as adults and as students and children. It will become a young people's library classic.



4. ok first off I am not in favor for Obama's political ideals, lets just get that out of the way now. This Book was Sooo Boring. I wanted to know more of the man, and what better way the by his own words. I think I found out more stuff about him before he was alive. He talks about the great life of his family and the web of emotions connected to the race differance between his father and the mothers side. He also goes on about the "true love" connection of his father and mother ...BEFORE HE WAS CONCIEVED... sorry but if I was to write a book of my own life and the connection I had with my father, I'd might start with my earliest memory. He talks of stroking of hands and gazing of eyes like he was there. People might call this filler and/or juicing the story up, I call it packing a troubled past up with white lies to make it look presentable.
   Saying that I find much of his ideals and "black" reactionary remarks in the book racist and selling out the "we can do it" idea to a self-victimizing hate speech.



5. This is the most compelling story that really resonates with me. Barak Obama's life connects with a little bit of everyone no matter your race or background. In his book, Barak Obama articulates the near and distant relationships specifically with his grandparents and estranged parents, which ultimately shaped his character to what it is now; open, inclusive and inspirational. After reading this book, I knew that this was no ordinary man. If an ordinary man he is certainly destined for extraordinary things. He is genuine and open about his past even the troubling part he tells about his youth. You Must Read! I was spell bound, once you start reading you won't stop until finished. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

5 comments about Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together.

1. Outstanding book! While my book club members had mixed reviews on this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a strong spirituality/religious message, which I mostly set aside. What was compelling to me was the cross-cultural relationship between the two authors, and the power of moving beyond initial assumptions to develop a relationship that transcends race, socioeconomic status, background, and privilege (or lack thereof). It's a true story about what happens when circumstances unleash the best in people, and what's possible when we consciously move beyond our biases and assumptions to really get to know others. It is also a testament to how little we really need to get by. It reads like fiction, and to know that it's a true story makes it that much more intriguing.



2. This book profoundly impacted both my husband and me. I have recommended it to many, many friends. They have also responded with rave reviews. This true story reveals how living beyond yourself can change our world, one life at a time.



3. I loved this book. It shows the power of God and how he can transform lives. I could not put it down once I started reading it. It really opens your eyes to look at people from the inside instead of the outside. No matter what we look like, I think we all have a story to tell. Some more powerful than others and it is obvious from this book that you don't need to be rich or have a college degree to be one of the most giving and insightful people there is. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to have their heart touched.



4. This book, a true story co-written by a homeless man and an art dealer, deals with incredibly important social and moral issues in a relaxed but intimate way. Your views on homelessness, suffering, forgiveness, and faith will be challenged and sharpened by reading this book. Understanding gained by reading this book can be life-changing for you, as well as the world.



5. This book is a fast read that was hard to put down until I reached the final page. It is the first story I have read in which authors with extremely different techniques alternate chapters, yet blend together a fascinatingly true story of love between human beings from opposite ends of the social spectrum. It tells of lost and found, pain and healing, solitude and relationships, and rising out of the ashes of dispair into the realm of hope. It is a spirit lifter.

5 comments about The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood.

1. Helene Cooper has given those of us who've never been to Africa a brilliant account of what happened there, despite all the good will of the founders. Their dilemma is not unlike that of the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the story should make us hesitate to colonize people on land that is not ours.



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



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



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



5. Helene Cooper's memoir of growing up in Liberia is one of those books that you just can't put down. I was pretty groggy there for a few days after reading late into the night!
   
   Because I grew up in the U.S. at the same time as the author, I was captivated by the stories of her girlhood. Nancy Drew, green eye shadow, Barry White, velvet upholstery... even singing Blessed Assurance endlessly. It all sounds so familiar, and yet, that's where the similarity ends. Guns and war, soldiers and strongmen, rapes and executions. We who grew up in the relative safety of the U.S. in the latter part of the twentieth century can barely form mental images of the scenes she describes.
   
   The professional reviews of this book say its tone is flat. I don't agree. I like the factual, unsentimental tone of the book. The author is reporting her life, in all its glory and its ugliness. If she maintains a certain reserve, or a little distance, for her sanity's sake, she sure has the right. God bless her just for surviving.
   
   When the book ended, I was left with the question of whether Ms. Cooper ever went back to Liberia after her visit to find her sister Eunice. I looked up her recent bylines in the New York Times and enjoyed reading her articles. An epilogue about her continuing relationship with the country would have been a welcome addition to the book.
   
   If I could rate separately for editing, I would. Ms. Cooper's editors failed her. In another edition of the book, I would hope they would fix such silly errors as using "who's" instead of "whose" and spell names consistently (Mommee/Mommy). In many places, information is repeated; in two successive paragraphs, for example, the family cook is described as grumpy and irascible. It detracts from the book in a regrettable way.
   
   But not to end this review on a grumpy and irascible note. I loved this book and I suggest you read it along with Lawrence Hill's Someone Knows My Name: A Novel, which is based on historical events and tells the story of a woman who was enslaved in the South but who returns with the colony of African-Americans who founded Sierra Leone after the Revolutionary War. It provides another colorful look at this part of the world.

5 comments about The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.

1. After reading this book I have objections with the way
   Gorden-Reed uses the foregone conclusion that Thomas Jefferson fathered the last 4 children of "Sally Heming".
   The "DNA" test did not prove that Thomas Jefferson" fathered these children only that a "Jefferson family member " may have fathered these children. I think the "Carr" nephews fathered these children.
   If this book is read by "School " children they will beleive because it is on paper that it is true. I beleive we have too many things in our school books that are "not" true now with out adding to it. Gorden-Reed refers through out the book that these are Thomas Jeffersons "sons" 1, 2, and 3. I have a extensive library
   on Thomas Jefferson and object to this being called "a history book".
   Thanks, Bruce Borden



2. Following on the heels of several other studies of black families from the time of the Civil War, The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty and the black upper class, Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class this book examines the story of the Hemings family and their connections to the Jefferson family. It is entirely intertwined with Monticello, Jefferson's home and estate. This is a very interesting story of a 'vanished world', the southern aristocracy and their sexual liasons with their slaves, a story often not told but one that is carved on the faces of their descendants. It is a story revealed, to a small degree, in Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (America: a Cultural History). A very nice book, for anyone interested in the period, Jefferson or African-American history this will dazzle and surprise. Excellently researched, a true bit of investigative reporting.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



3. Wonderful historical work on the most famous family of enslaved people, the Hemingses. Read it to get an important insight into a much-neglected area of American historiography.



4. I was disappointed. Having researched and written a book (Anatomy of a Scandal: Thomas Jefferson and the SALLY Story, 2002, White Mane Publishing Co.) on the history of the Jefferson political scandal, I anticipated much new material. Ms. Gordon-Reed does not break new ground, but plows and replows the fields of Race, Class and Sex for 662 pages. Historical characters whom I got to know look unfamiliar and the author is alternately impatient with the blacks and furious with the whites. Ironically slaves become political game pieces subject to the author's moves as well as their masters'. The reader is left weary.



5. Opening disclaimer: Annette Gordon-Reed is my faculty colleague at NY Law School, and I originally introduced her to Bob Weil, the editor at W.W. Norton who contracted with her to produce this book. As a result, I had an opportunity to read it in final galleys this summer prior to publication. What I have to say is naturally biased by my respect and affection for my faculty colleague. I went out on a limb to make the introduction after reading an early draft of Prof. Gordon-Reed's first book on Jefferson and Hemings, which was subsequently published by the University of Virginia Press and established her credentials as a historian of the relationship between Jefferson and Hemings.
   
   This book is a logical outgrowth of the earlier one. I think anybody interested in Jefferson or this period in American history owes it to themselves to read both books. The first is a critical dissection of the way historians had dealt (or avoided dealing) with the rumored Jefferson-Hemings connection, and is a masterpiece of investigative history. This new volume is a masterpiece of group biography, taking the Hemings as an interesting family, most of whose details were difficult to discover, and creating an engrossing account of their lives as part of the extended Jefferson community at Monticello. Jefferson began building his dream house there about the time he married Martha Wayles, and Elizabeth Hemings and several of her children came to Monticello as slaves as part of Martha's inheritance when her father died. Sally Hemings was a daughter of Elizabeth and John Wayles, Martha's father, and thus was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife. From there the complications of family interrelationships build and compound on each other.
   
   What I love about this book is the vivid way that Gordon-Reed reconstructs a lost past, immersing the reader in details of everyday life. My favorite chapter is the one describing the process by which Sally Hemings, newly arrived in Paris to attend to Jefferson's daughters during his period as US Ambassador to the royal court of France, was innoculated against smallpox at Jefferson's instigation. That sounds like a simple thing, but it wasn't at the time, and Gordon-Reed has uncovered previously obscure original sources to describe the unusual, lengthy process in those days before modern medicine. It is utterly fascinating.

4 comments about Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph.

1. Reading "Resilience", by Alonzo Mourning, is like trying to keep pace with him on the basketball court. It is a relentless release of positive energy, in-your-face excitement ... and unexpected thrills.
   
   It reveals a remarkable insight into the character of this special human being. Too often, nowadays, we see multi-millionaires squandering god-given talents, pursuing lives of debauchery and destroying the fabric of their teams.
   
   Great general managers of sports teams, and chief executive officers of prosperous companies ... understand character is just as important, if not more important, as talent. I learned from this marvelous book, Mr. Mourning, at an early age, became the personification of this intangible trait.
   
   I recommend "Resilience" with pleasure and a sense of urgency ... as I am certain it can be an inspiration for anyone facing adversity, no matter what the circumstances. It is an elegant portrayal of an exceptional athlete, a dedicated family man ... with an enduring faith in God.



2. This is the life story of famed basketball player Alonzo "Zo" Mourning. Despite being a three-time All American at Georgetown University... a seven-time NBA All-Star... a two-time NBA Defensive Player Of The Year... an Olympic Gold Medal winner... a college graduate with a degree in sociology... and after fourteen years in the NBA... he finally won a World Championship with the Miami Heat in 2006...
   
   BUT...
   
   Zo has made a much *BIGGER* impact on the world by not only fighting to overcome a kidney disease called focal glomerulosclerosis, of which there is no cure... but after fighting a "losing" battle with that disease... wound up having to get a kidney transplant as well. A winner like Zo, doesn't have the word lose in his vocabulary... and at a point in his life when he had more money than he could ever spend... and was thanking the Lord for his life... he dedicated his body and soul... to do... the unthinkable... PLAY AGAIN IN THE NBA!
   
   If you look back on Zo's childhood, it is impossible not to have realized that this was one unique individual, and he was going to succeed on his terms. When Zo was ten-years-old his parents' marriage began to deteriorate and would eventually wind up in a divorce. His life at home was becoming strenuous. The family went to the department of social services for counseling. Zo loved his parents... BUT HE ASKED TO BE PUT INTO A GROUP HOME! Can you imagine that? He loved his parents... but thought it would be better to be in a group home. That's one heck of a decision for a ten-year-old! From there he wound up in a foster home with a woman named Fannie Threet, "a local hero who as a foster Mom helped raise forty-nine kids." Zo was one of those kids. He wound up calling Mrs. Threet Mom, but his real Mother and Father remained in his life. Zo became the number-one-rated high school basketball player in the country, and every major University came after him offering scholarships. He decided on Georgetown University because all the other coaches came to his house promising "playing-time" and perks... but Coach John Thompson promised Mrs. Threet that he "WOULDN'T" promise Zo any playing time... but "WOULD" promise he would get an education.
   
   The author "briefly" leads you through his playing career at Georgetown, the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, the New Jersey Nets, and back to Miami... but that's not really what this book is truly about. The essence of this story is Zo's being "staggered" by the failure of his powerful SIX-FOOT-NINE-AND-A-HALF-INCH - TWO-HUNDRED-SIXTY-ONE-POUND-BODY. What it felt like to be blind-sided by a relentless disease. How he faced it... how he fought back... both physically... medically... and probably most importantly to Zo... SPIRITUALLY!
   
   Zo had always had faith, but he felt he hadn't been close enough to G-d. "There is close and there is "CLOSE". "It is one thing to walk with G-d and another to walk hand in hand with G-d." He said "I COULD DO A LITTLE BETTER. I COULD BE CLOSER WITH G-D. I COULD BE MORE HONEST WITH G-D." His soul was put at ease after a Pastor told him: "IT WASN'T A MATTER OF G-D ACCEPTING ME, BUT OF ME ACCEPTING G-D."
   
   This book affected me in ways above and beyond my love for basketball. My Dad died from kidney failure so I was knowledgeable about many of the things Zo faced. Zo goes into great detail about fighting back from a life threatening situation... and I know firsthand what that's like... since I almost died during brain tumor surgery around the time Zo was fighting his battle. One thing Zo said many times during this book... that I said over and over to my son... when I faced death... and that's that... THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO ARE A LOT WORSE OFF THAN ME! Zo donates so much of his time to charitable foundations and helps many poor afflicted children facing kidney disease.
   
   It's not often I can say something like this about a professional athlete... but it defines Alonzo Mourning perfectly:
   
   **ZO IS A CHAMPION... ON... AND... OFF... THE COURT!**



3. I've read 11 of the 14 chapters in this book so far. I've only had it two days. It is truly a great read and I'm usually pretty hard to please.
   
   I don't want to discuss any details and spoil it for anyone who may be reading it. Let's just say there are some inspirational parts, some informative parts, some funny parts, and even some parts that might make you a bit teary.
   
   If you've followed his career closely, you may know quite a bit about some of the things he's mentioned...or at the least you might know some of the highlights of certain things, like his battles with the Knicks and so forth, but it's still very interesting hearing things from his perspective.
   
   I definitely encourage anyone who is facing transplantation (or really, any sort of adversity) to pick up a copy of this book. It's also a good read for basketball fans who like knowing a little bit more about an athlete than what's on the surface, Heat fans who may want to know a little bit more about the man who was the face of their franchise for so many years, young men, misguided men. Honestly, I think that anyone who reads this book can take something away from it. Plus it's enjoyable and a part of the proceeds goes to charity.
   
   Just be warned though. This book is about ALONZO MOURNING! NOT THE HEAT! NOT THE NETS! NOT THE NBA! Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. So don't expect alot of juicy locker room details or something when you get this book. It's a nice clean read but it managed to hold my attention and my attention span is usually very short. Good work Zo.



4. Human beings often wonder why they are put on this earth. They spend their whole lives attempting to figure it out. Perhaps Alonzo believed basketball was the reason. However, basketball was merely the vehicle
   that God used for him to get his real message out to people. He is
   a tremendous inspiration. I thank God for his hardships, because they have led to this painful yet touching and motivational work.
   I just got back from his signing and met him, I felt his spirit from across the room and broke down in tears. Thanks be to God for a plan in life. Thank you to Alonzo and his publishers for sharing his talents with us. Best to him, Tracy and the kids.

5 comments about Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life.

1. This is truly an outstanding book about a great man. Even though I am a Redskins fan I REALLY enjoyed this book. A very inspiring book. The book covers the life of Coach Dungy from his childhood up through the Super Bowl victory by the Colts. In it are many stories of the challenges and joys he has faced during his life and how he has grown in Christ throughout. I recommend this book without reservation. A great read and a great message.



2. It's a very good book, I've read better, but that doesn't take away from this book or its message. I won't go into detail, others already have.



3. Sometimes the irony of a certain situation strikes me as highly profound. The person that recommended me this book happens to be an assistant manager that I work with. She told me how she learned so much from Dungy's life, and how it changed her life. And her recommendation of this book was what convinced me to read it. Yet when the store manager threw her a bone that she didn't expect, she didn't handle it like a professional. She handled it like a little first grader because she didn't get what she deserved, and because life isn't fair. And after reading what Tony Dungy went through, and how he pressed on, I want to press on, regardless of my circumstances. So my goal isn't to be better than my assistant manager, but to focus on my life. That's what Tony Dungy did. He focused on his life and on his team and his goals.
   
   "Quiet Strength" sums this up very well. All the while he looks back on his career in football, it never seems like he chalks it up as bragging rights. He just counts it as the life he lived. He takes lessons from the great Chuck Noll, to just go out there and "Do what we do" as a team. He talks little about his family, but from what I can see, his family comes before football.
   
   Dungy takes disappointment combined with elation in the ups and downs of his career, let alone his life. Things have not always come easy for this man, and have in fact, gotten harder in some aspects. Especially in one situation with his son that many knew about in the middle of the 2005 season. But that didn't stop Tony Dungy from pressing forward. And it didn't stop him from leaning on Christ Jesus in the thick of things.
   
   As I still see my assistant manager from day to day, I still extend my hellos and she extends hers. There is very little respect for her these days from my perspective, but that's ok. I do what I do. I'm pressing on. Tony Dungy pressed on. Tony Dungy is an NFL Champion, and all he has to show for it is quiet strength. Because that's all he needs! Thank you, Tony Dungy.



4. I highly recommend this book to ANY reader--the football fan, the God fan, the prayer fan, or othewise. It is an excellent, life-changing read.



5. This book is very powerful for anyone striving to excel with God as your guide. Tony Dungy is a great example of a faithful man in the face of tremendous success and soul shattering pain. Thanks for writing the book, all of us that read it are indebted to you.

5 comments about The Color of Water 10th Anniversary Edition.

1. I started to write first rate mixed-race memoir, but hell, this is just plain first rate writing no matter how you slice it. As one of 12 kids in desperately poor conditions, McBride survived and triumphed, as apparently did all 11 of his siblings. And they owe much of this to their mother, who did her best for them. This is a "double memoir," being the story of both the author and his mother, a Jewish immigrant who survived an abusive and nearly loveless childhood, but finally found love - twice - and somehow successfully raised all those kids, the products of two good matches with men who took their parenting responsibilities seriously. I wonder if Barack Obama has read this book. There are undoubtedly personal and racial identity problems here to which he could relate. If I could call him up, I'd certainly recommend it to him. I'm also recommending it to another author I know, Stella Suberman, who wrote the warm memoir of growing up Jewish in the south, THE JEW STORE. But hey, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a little more about the nature of being a human being. - Tim Bazzett, author of Reed City Boy



2. Lets imagine that a Jewish author writes a book that features all the well known evil racist stereotypes of Afro-Americans. Everyone would be up in arms (justifiably) and condemn the book. Here we have a book penned by an Afro-American that contains many anti-Semitic stereotypes supposedly related to the author by his mother who pathologically rejected her Jewish roots, and everyone praises the book. I am both puzzled and offended. In addition if his mother had used the same child rearing practices 20 years later her children would have been sent to foster homes.



3. I think this story trancends race. It's really just a story of a mother who made choices and gave her all in an extremely trying environement. I was moved. I read this after reading Miracle at St. Anna which was great!



4. I enjoyed the insight into the authors life and experiences. I was a little confused as he went back and forth between characters at first, but figured it out quick enough. I thought it was a good read overall and was fascinated by the devotion of his mother to her children and Christianity. The successful lives of all of the children is a testament to the strength of his mother.



5. Excellent book which talks about transracial issues....excellent also for people considering adoption of trans racial children....very informative.....

5 comments about The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley.

1. first off i want to thank malcolm x for his thoughts on race after visiting mecca.he saw that persons of all races got together to worship and were colorblind.i will see this man in heaven he saw past racism in america to be a great christian!also i would like to give a big F to public schools in america for not teaching everything about slavery and who was involved,for example it wasn't until i went to college to major in history that i learned the truth about slavery.the white man didn't just go to africa with a big gun and round up black people as slaves,they established trade with the local tribes who traded goods with tribal leaders who had their own slaves as spoils of war and traded them with the white man as just another trade good so the tribes that traded were africans tradeing off other africans to the white's.try to find this in high school history or elementary school history,not likely.it is true that some white slave owners treated slaves horribly and i'm sure african tribes even treated some of their slaves horribly also.wrong is wrong no matter what your skin looks like!slavery is wrong!racism is wrong!!!!! ! ! "everyone" should be able to live free and should be able to worship freely and have pride in their people without being called racist! i'm guilty of being white, i love my race,does this make me a racist! no i don't think so. LOVE,RED



2. I read this book along time ago and still retain alot of what I learned from it. There is no beating around the bush in this from the beginning he tells of his life as it happened. He tells of an early career in crime to his time in prison and he does not attempt to sugarcoat anything. He does explain his reasoning for having done what he had done in his youth, but he does not claim to be innocent.
   He did manage to find a better way to fight his enemies during his incarceration, and anyone who has ever seen any footage of Malcolm X will understand what I mean. The man was a very acticulate and confrontational speaker. He was the spark that ignited the engine of the civil rights movement in many respects. The civil rights movement began as far back as pre-civil war and was slow to develop with minor progress for each generation. Malcolm was the man brave enough to say enough and to make his voice heard over the many voices of the nation that tried to rise over him.
   Here is a man that took it upon himself to correct a society that had become accepting of the crimes of their ancestors and simply ignored them. It is only a stonesthrow back in time if you think about it and yet it is painful to imagine people could be so cruel.
   I recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it as it is an excellent book and is a document of the life of a man who managed to play a pivotal role in changing the way America viewed itself.



3. Despite the dispiriting revelation that this book was almost totally written by Alex Haley, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" remains one of my favorite books. Which is a little strange, since his well-known struggles with civil rights, the police, Black identity, and Islam have little or no relevance to my life. Sorry.
   
   The part of this book that affects me most deeply is where Malcolm is in prison educating himself, studying on the floor of his cell in the dim night light. I can't think of another tale about the birth of an autodidact and the rewards of reading that is as uplifting and memorable as Malcolm's. I first read this book about twenty years ago, and that's the part that always sticks with me: the power of books to change your life, regardless of who you are or what you've done. And much of the rest sticks with me too, for example the poignant case of "West Indian Archie."
   
   I would like to advise, however, that you buy this edition: Autobiography of Malcolm X (Penguin Modern Classics), rather than the Ballantine edition, as the binding on the latter has proven unreliable, to say the least. I have gone through three different copies of the Ballantine edition of Malcolm X and the binding has fallen apart on all three of them -- to the point where the covers have come completely off, even though I don't really mistreat books. It can't just be bad luck.
   
   Malcolm X was said to have been a formidable debater, yet it's curious to me that none of his opponents ever made the obvious, unanswerable point: that whatever crimes and horrors the West can be charged with vis-à-vis the African slave trade, those of Islam have been even more extensive and blood-soaked. They go back a lot further, and continued a lot later. In fact, it was only two years previous to Malcolm's making his Hajj to Mecca (1964) that slavery was made illegal in Saudi Arabia!
   
   Hence jettisoning Christianity and Western culture for the supposed moral high ground of Islam was, when you think about it, a dingy move on Malcolm's part. Yet it is, unfortunately, the entirety of his position.
   
   But you'll find this book a cracking good read nonetheless.



4. An excellent unflinching book about Malcolm X read for my "Understanding Religious Traditions in Multicultural America" last spring. While at times unnerving to read due to its stark honesty, it was very illuminating. As a non-American, it really helped give me further insight into how powerful and tense race is of an issue in American culture. As someone born into a Muslim family, but is a closet agnostic, the perversions I felt Elijah Muhammad perpetuated made me severely uncomfortable anyway. Several parts of this book made me cry, or be wistful I could somehow have found peace in Islam as Malcolm X did.
   
   A very good book.



5. Every American should read this literature. It discusses America's most obvious flaw. More importantly it demonstrates the power of transformation, tolerance of self and of others, cooperation and the importance of hope.

5 comments about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

1. Maya Angelou's I know why the caged bird sings is the type of book that people who love to read will enjoy. The book follows Angelou through her early years, mostly spent with you grandmother who ran a local store. More than an auto-biography. Its Angelou's words, her presence that really reaches out and grabs you. Through all her hardships and obstacles in life she was able to overcome them and thrive. Maya Angelou is an fantastic writer who so easily connects with the heart and souls of her readers. Truly an enjoyable experience.



2. This book provides well-written insight into growing up as a black child during the Depression. Maya Angelou is wonderful with her use of words and imagery. I was greatly reminded of my own childhood and what being a kid really meant. Written in first person, she addresses childhood fears, respect for adults and growing up with such tangible details that she could be her eight-year-old self again.
   
   Angelou's insights into the African-American way of life and religion during a time of national change range from tender to comical. She speaks warmly of her love for her brother and her frustration with the young white girls. It is sweet to see the growing up process taking affect and the experiences of youth shaping her character.
   
   I am somewhat relieved that we were not permitted to read this book back in my high school literature class where many parents were opposed to it. I fear it would have caught me off guard in many respects. Many of the sexual themes running throughout the book are quite heavy and discussed in detail. Both the subjects of rape and teen pregnancy are covered and sex in general is frequently alluded to.
   
   Though I do perceive this as a lovely piece of literature, I would be cautious in offering it to teens and others who may be unprepared for its impact.



3. This is another autobiography by Maya Angelou.
   
   Here, she tells of the hardships she experienced in growin up: her parent's divorce, being sent to live with their grandmother in a small, Arkansas town and its racism, sexual abuse and more emotional scarring.
   
   Eventually, Maya finds a father figure and when better things began to happen to her, she started to find her voice.
   
   This is honest and gripping...



4. We are the members of the South Mill Young Readers Book Club located in Conyers, Georgia. We are in the thirteen year old age bracket and thought it would be challenging to attempt to read and understand this story. As a result of our reading, we rate the book as follows:
   
   Creativity - B+
   Enjoyment - A+
   Price - B+
   
   We would recommend this book to others in our age group to read it.
   
   Typed by Book Club Instructor: mwg



5. I thought this book was an interesting read, however it was difficult to finish at times. What made me continue to finish the book was the beautiful way Maya Angelou writes. I found her story to be a bit dry and slow at times. However, her preserverance to become successful in life dispite her many obstacles kept me interested in this book. If I had not known how successful Maya Angelou's life turned out, I might not have finished the book. I was interested in knowing her journey. I recommend this book for teenage girls who are struggling with self-esteem issues and teen pregnancy because Maya Angelou's story can be used as a great encouragement to hang in there despite adversity.