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Hello, My name is John Van Roekel. I’m a 62 year-old white guy who in 1994 read a biography of Teddy Roosevelt that described his experiences with the African-American 9thand 10th Cavalry Regiments during the Spanish-American War. I was so impressed with the story of these men that I naively decided to write a novel about a young black man serving in the 9th Cavalry. After years of research, writing classes, and trips to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, the Wounded Knee site in South Dakota, and to the San Juan Hill battle site in Cuba, Braver Deeds is the result. So, what do African-American readers think about a well-meaning white man writing a novel mainly about African-American characters? More information about Braver Deeds is available at http://braverdeeds.com, including the first chapter and information on purchasing both print and Kindle version. By the way, I make no profit on the sale of Braver Deeds. John

I assume, in spite of the controversy, Tavis Smiley and Cornel West are continuing their mission, leveling accusations at President Obama for his lack of focus on black poverty in America. IMO, these 2 self-appointed champions of the underclass need to re-order their priorities. Has there ever been a time when poverty didn’t exist in America? “The poor will always be with us”, goes the familiar dismissal of this segment of the population. And they will, for the simple reason that ministering to the needy is, in itself, an industry, and the have-nots somehow manage to survive with the help of charities and social services. At this point, lamenting the ongoing plight of the poor shouldn‘t be a priority. This unproductive class of people contribute very little to the welfare of the country, spending most of their time begging for assistance. So, who needs 2 do-gooders basking in the publicity generated by their lamenting the fate of folks who already depend on the government to help them subsist? What about Smiley and West agitating against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, instead, - lost causes that have depleted the treasury and are killing our youth? What about adding their voices to the concern about Social Security and Medical insurance and the fading viability of the middleclass? If Tavis and Cornel truly want to hold the president’s feet to the fire, they should stop playing it safe. They should gripe about more urgent things like the sorry state of our educational system and the high cost of gas. Of course whatever they bitch about is going to fall on deaf ears because solutions are not forthcoming, and things are going to get worse before they get better. All of which is why these 2 nomads should just fold their tents and steal away in the night. Put a sock in it, guys, your hot air is just contaminating the already polluted environment. The failing economy that is plaguing Obama's effectiveness doesn’t deprive the poor because they didn’t have anything in the first place.

I'd actually have to read the book for an in-depth response, but I think it would be safe to say that if you portray the black protagonist sympathetically, depicting him to be an individual with emotions that transcend color, black readers will give you a pass. Your acceptance will be even more if you expose Teddy Roosevelt as a racist aristocrat. It also counts for something when you acknowledge that a white guy writing about a black one is presumptuous. Most resentments about such endeavors stem from the idea of white people telling black peoples' stories, as was the case with "The Help". It smacks of paternalism when the implication is that benevolent white writers have to step forward to do what poor ol mistreated black folks can't do for themselves. Bottom line, truth and honesty, like justice, are color-blind. In a perfect world.

not surprised by this at all...most of them are not even real indians anymore...majority of so-called natives on those reservations are 3/4ths white or more. the indian grandparent or great grandparent is tucked away somewhere in the distant past

Cherokee Indians and all the other native American tribes can do all the kickin out that they want to, but that doesn't change DNA. Slave descendants with Indian blood in them can still claim this heritage by relating to the particular ancestor who they got it from. Who needs to belong to a tribe when, like me, you had an Indian grandmother who would never have disowned my father. We are who we are. Nobody can change that. Moreover, I don't think black people revere Native Americans any more than they revere white folks. We've reached the place where we know better than to depend on the acceptance of other races.

I really have no use for what Smiley and West are doing. If they want to make a poverty tour to call attention to the plight of impoverished Americans, I have no problems with that. But attempting to make President Obama the core issue and to suggest a nefarious argument that somehow, he is indirectly responsible or indifferent to their plight, is bullshit. Black Americans benefit from every single piece of legislation or policy he has attempted to establish (health care reform, extension of unemployment benefits, tax credits, fighting major cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, social security, etc). These two ego thirsty Negroes are shamelessly misguided and disingenuous. Even though I have no personal use for Cornel West (never have), his never having traveled to Africa, visiting Ethiopia and France and marrying an Ethiopian woman means nothing. His personal decisions on traveling and who he decides to marry is neither my nor anyone else’s business. I have no idea why you are attempting to make this a litigious point of contention when such personal matters have nothing to do with his achievements nor his ability to perform professionally. Fredrick Douglas was married to a white woman (his first wife was black) but his entire life was devoted to the dismantlement of slavery and ending the oppression of black people. How did his personal choice of a mate compromise his strident war against slavery and racism? It didn’t….! And as far as black men and their mothers is concerned, I have no idea what world you are living in. My mom passed away in December of 2008 and I think about her every single day. She was not only my mother but my best friend. My mom was a central part of my life and I deeply loved and respected her. And every black male that I personally know, was (some are deceased) or is very close to their mothers. Although I am sure there are some black men who are in conflict with their mothers, I personally have never met one. Every black man I have known has loved and deeply respected their mothers. I’ve met only one man (and he was white) who disliked his mother because (according to him) she deserted him and his father when he was a child for another man. So when you make absurd assertions like, “They don't even consider their mothers women. They don't think beyond HER usefulness to their daily lives…”, I have no idea who or where these black men are that you are talking about. As I previously said, I’ve personally never seen such behavior nor have I heard anyone (other than you) make such a sweeping callous generalization……

Hattie McDaniels was from another era, and she was type cast. The other films and documentaries you named from 15 or more years ago were roles where the strong female characters were not defined by their occupation, in addition to the fact that they were given star billing in these "housekeeper" roles. Plus, the 2 white men who starred opposite Queen Latifah's comedy movie were cast as utter buffoons. Except for "The Help", what maid roles are aspiring black actresses in this century playing because they are passed over for other characters? Until Hollywood changes its standards of perfection, no female, dark or light, black or white who doesn' meet these criteria is gonna make it as anything other than a character actress. Who in show biz gives a damn about giving fair and equal treatment??? Profit is the name of the game.

I went to see "The Help" yesterday and, as reported by others, it did prove to be a very faithful version of the book. So if you liked the book, you'll love the movie. If the book offended you, seeing it portrayed on screen will require that you endeavor to appreciate the messengers, if not the message - which is to say that the acting was good and the 1960s era re-created very well. I would categorize "the Help" as a simplistic movie, pitting good against bad with the sympathetic characters eventually triumphing over their antagonists who get their comeuppance by being reduced to objects of ridicule and laughter. Did I like the picture? Well, I credit it with doing an adequate job of fulfilling its good intentions, and I'd give it two-and-a-half stars. With the schedule and the time of day being factors, my daughter and I ended up seeing this film at a theater in Elmhurst, Illinois, an "old- money" suburb of Chicago, and it was interesting that the early afternoon audience was made up almost exclusively of white women, many of whom were elderly. The reaction of these ladies was appropriate as they chuckled and sniffled in all the right places, seeming to have enjoyed the movie. Ironically, as we were filing out of the lobby it suddenly dawned on me that my mother once worked as a part-tme maid for the president of the Elmhurst National Bank! She was allowed to bring little me to work with her and I remember this residence being a big mansion. The only other thing I can recall is that when my mother once caught me jumping up and down on one of the beds she scolded me, much to the amusement of the lady of the house who would always gave me cookies. I guess I have come full circle.

Guilty as charged, Troy. I do tend to want to stifle others' right to promote their causes. Smiley and West are, indeed, entitled to speak out and crusade for whatever mission they're on. I just get the feeling that these two are more interested in ridiculing Barack rather than empathizing with him in regard to the impossible situation he is mired in. Poor ol Obama BTW, I LOVE the new and improved format you've facilitated. It makes everything so much more accessable!