Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I first saw Iyanla Vanzant on Oprah (another truly inspiring woman) the more I watched this exceptional women the more I was astounded by her life and work. I looked up her books on the internet and read the excepts from each. These excepts were not lenghty but in that time I found a need in myself to discover more. The short excepts made real sense to me. So I went and purchased the book 'Faith in the Valley'. It made me wake up at night and listen to my thoughts that were deep in my stomach and not only to listen but to take notice of them, good and bad. To listen to faith that for so many years I had simply let into the fringes of my life and never into the core. Iyanla Vanzant is thought provoking, inspirational and gifted. I have all her books now. She is a writer and teacher that would inspire Mother Teresa.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace

Get 21% OFF

Click here for more information about Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace

Read More...

Their Eyes Were Watching God Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"There Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston, is widely acknowledged as a beloved classic of American literature. This novel is truly one of those great works that remains both entertaining and deeply moving; it is a book for classrooms, for reading groups of all types, and for individual readers.
In "There Eyes," Hurston tells the life story of Janie, an African-American woman. We accompany Janie as she experiences the very different men in her life. Hurston's great dialogue captures both the ongoing "war of the sexes," as well as the truces, joys, and tender moments of male-female relations. But equally important are Janie's relationships with other Black women. There are powerful themes of female bonding, identity, and empowerment which bring an added dimension to this book.
But what really elevates "Their Eyes" to the level of a great classic is Hurston's use of language. This is truly one of the most poetic novels in the American canon. Hurston blends the engaging vernacular speech of her African-American characters with the lovely "standard" English of her narrator, and in both modes creates lines that are just beautiful.
"Their Eyes" captures the universal experiences of pain and happiness, love and loss. And the whole story is told with both humor and compassion. If you haven't read it yet, read it; if you've already read it, read it again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Click here for more information about Their Eyes Were Watching God

Read More...

Why Black People Tend to Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views from a Black Man's World Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book was a scream! It was full of anecdotes that most of us as Blacks folks have experienced. The stories were funny but they were also disturbing because so many of the situations were blatantly racist. Black people do have to shout just to be heard. Then people wonder what all the shouting is about. This book is an easy and fast read. You are left shaking your head but with a smile on your face.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Why Black People Tend to Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views from a Black Man's World

Click here for more information about Why Black People Tend to Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views from a Black Man's World

Read More...

Black Books Galore: Guide to More Great African American Children's Books Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This whole series of books is fantastic. The reviews (usually a paragraph or so) are concise, insightful, and obviously written by people who have actually read and used the books with children. They're grouped according to reading level, and neatly cross-referenced by title, author, illustrator and topic, so you can quickly find what you need. In addition to the reviews (400 in this book alone) there is other useful information, like a complete list of Coretta Scott King Award titles and interesting web sites. Besides being a great (and inexpensive) reference book, it's also great fun to read!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Black Books Galore: Guide to More Great African American Children's Books

Click here for more information about Black Books Galore: Guide to More Great African American Children's Books

Read More...

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Revised 10th Anniv 2nd Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Patricia Hill Collins exemplifies a practitioner's and theorist's point of view on black feminism as it relates to Africa American and our African sisters. She references critical and inspiring data and quotes from a varied repetoire of authors, historians, and philosophers. The author explains the context and format of her subject upon initial reading. This book also draws commonalities among the issues and concerns among African American women and our international sisterhood (i.e., African, Carribean, etc.,) It illustrates the social and cultural values among all groups, the commonalities among the values while focusing on the African American feminist aspect. This is a must read for any person, be it woman or not, African American or other. It brings about a social and cultural understanding that is pertinent to the "holonomy" of understanding and appreciating varied cultural, social and historical values and experiences while commencing to the building of community. Please add this title to your collection of literature. You won't be disappointed; if for nothing more than to open your world to receive another perspective.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Revised 10th Anniv 2nd Edition)

In spite of the double burden of racial and gender discrimination, African-American women have developed a rich intellectual tradition that is not widely known. In Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins explores the words and ideas of Black feminist intellectuals as well as those African-American women outside academe. She provides an interpretive framework for the work of such prominent Black feminist thinkers as Angela Davis, bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Audre Lorde. The result is a superbly crafted book that provides the first synthetic overview of Black feminist thought.

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Revised 10th Anniv 2nd Edition)

Read More...

The Art of The Princess and the Frog Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Looking through the art in this book, one would not have guessed that Disney actually decided to phase out traditional animation in 2004. The Princess and the Frog essentially marks a comeback, a representation of what Disney used to be. That's good news for all fans of traditional animation.
The Art of The Princess and the Frog is filled character designs, background art and storyboards. The art is unmistakeably Disney-style -- the caricature style of characters, stylized set designs and lush colours. The story is set in New Orleans and there are plenty of background paintings in different moods. The characters are lively and backgrounds beautiful.
The team of contributing artists is impressive. There are new artists as well as familiar names. It's impossible to name all but those whose name keep appearing are Rik Maki, Armand Baltazar, Bill Schwab, James Aaron Finch (production designer), Ian Gooding (art director), Sue Nichols, Mark Henn, Chris Appelhans, Kevin Gollaher and many more.
The artists and staff contribute numerous interesting quotes. They talk about the creative process, characters, the set and a bit on the story. There are stuff like what they did or where they went for research, inspiration and influence from older classic animated films. All interesting and insightful to read.
This book a refreshing and welcome look back at traditional art, after being exposed to so much digital animation. Old school still has its distinct charm.
(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Art of The Princess and the Frog

This Fall, The Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to its timeless art form of hand-drawn animation. From the creative minds of directors John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid and Aladdin) comes an American fairy tale and musical set in the heart of New Orleans during the Jazz Age. This unforgettable tale of love, enchantment, and discovery features Tiana, a young girl with big dreams who is working hard to achieve them amid theelegance and grandeur of the fabled French Quarter. The Art of The Princess and the Frog showcases the lush concept art of this sure-to-be-classic movie, including sketches, character designs, lighting studies and storyboards, alongside inspiring quotes from the directors, producers, artists and designers, including veteran hand drawn animators that brought you many of Disney's most classic and unforgettable characters.

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about The Art of The Princess and the Frog

Read More...

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"...Oh freedom, Oh freedom, Oh freedom over me. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free"
__Old Negro Spiritual
The words of the spiritual above must not have been uttered to these beautiful human beings who have graciously allowed interviewers from the 1930's Governments Works Progress Administration to chronicle their life stories. For if the words above had been uttered, the slave experience, from an intimate and painful point of view, would never have received the credence they due. Tales of slavery are still passed down from generation to generation, and traditions still are followed but to see a book like Unchained Memories is special. Quite simply, this is a beautiful book. I'm so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read it and experience it and learn from it. I can treat the book as a textbook, a factual accounting of the lives of former slaves who have wonderful stories that they don't mind sharing with the world. For that reason alone, this book has earned a permanent place on my coffee table, for all who enter into my house to experience. Something about the actual words of former slaves bound in book form validates an agonizing time in American History.
Unchained Memories is well researched and magnificently laid out. At the beginning of every chapter is an introductory text that accounts for the tenure of the time, followed by a poignant quote and then brief narratives begin. My one regret is that the narratives are so short, when biographers obviously spent a great deal of time with these people. I am grateful that there is an extensive bibliography at the back so that I can, at some point, go and read the entire account by the former slave. Oh where will I find the time? If you read this book, I would highly suggest that you get a copy of the HBO documentary of the same name and watch it as well. There is nothing like "hearing" the words spoken by African American actors of today in the vernacular of the time.
I'm glad that Unchained Memories was published, and quite fittingly made its debut during Black History Month. These former slaves are the reason why Black History Month is perpetuated now and a fitting tribute for remembering from whence we as a nation have come.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

Click here for more information about Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

Read More...

Soul on Ice Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Even though this was one of the most important and popular books of the 1960s, it is not discussed that much now, some thirty-five years after its initial publication. "Soul on Ice" is as much an allegorical masterpiece as it is a real description of black male (whom he refers to as Supermasculine Menials) attitudes towards prison-life, white racism (and white women in particular, who are here referred to as Ogres and the Ultrafeminines) and the Nation of Islam (Cleaver writes compellingly about his disassociation with the Nation, citing their racism--"The onus of teaching racial supremacy and hate, which is the white man's burden, is pretty hard to bear"). Cleaver's at-times amazing writing gives this book a peculiar power, and given this, it is easy to understand why the book was so popular in the late 1960s. For several reasons, though, it is easy to see why this book doesn't get as much attention as, say, James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time" [1963]. The chapter on Baldwin in "Soul on Ice," entitled "Notes on a Native Son" (a reference to one of Baldwin's early essays) is exceedingly homophobic, and other sections fairly hateful towards women (even though, in this regard, Cleaver is at times aware of his own misogyny--especially in his blushingly honest letters to one-time attorney Beverly Axelrod) and exceedingly macho. Many contemporary readers might not have the patience for this (especially given Baldwin's elevated status in the world of literature). Also, this book has lost some of its bite over the years because of excellent books written by participants in the Black Power Movement and the Black Panther Party. "Soul on Ice"--especially when compared with George Jackson's "Soledad Brother" (1971), Huey P. Newton's "Revolutionary Suicide" (1973), Amiri Baraka (1984) and Angela Y. Davis' (1974) autobiographies, and Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power" (1992)--lacks the political vision, accuracy and believability of these other books, but it should also be credited for setting some of the standards by which these books would later have to judge themselves against, especially in regard to prison life (though Jackson's "Soledad Brother" is much more powerful in this regard). Nevertheless, "Soul on Ice" is a compelling read, and I agree with a statement that Ishmael Reed makes in the introduction that this book IS the 60s. If this memoir were a western, we could smell the sawdust on the floor.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Soul on Ice

Get 32% OFF

Click here for more information about Soul on Ice

Read More...