Troy

I believe you to be correct ... unfortunately.

For the majority of folks this will not likely ever happen. I too find little pleasure in Tyler Perry films. They are formulaic, low brow, and designed to appeal to the masses. Sometimes people will tell me that I think too much or that I need to turn my brain off to enjoy his work. The reality is that Perry brings entertainment to a lot of people. They can escape for a couple of hours. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. What is bad however is that the folks in power, who focus solely on profit will never produce regularly scheduled intelligent programing -- all of their resources will go to the Tyler Perry form of entertainment which generate more profit. I'm old enough to remember programs by folks like Gil Noble, Tony Brown, and others. This was smart TV you can catch videos on YouTube of this programming. While folks will never produce programming like this, and it not because they are evil and want to keep Black people down -- that is incidental. There is simply is not enough money to be made doing it. The digital age promised to remedy this, but has only made the situation worse. Our system is simply not built to create the incentives for people to produce the programing that will nourish Black minds. The people who do this work, even people like me, are not driven by money, we want to inform our people. There would be no sites like AALBC if money were the sole motivator to create and run them. Indeed, a direct consequence of our system is that there are fewer book sites today than there were 15 years ago. It is a struggle to make money doing what I do. In the system in which I operate there are many others ways I could make more money.

Welcome to the forum Francis, I just approved you account and look forward to reading more of you. By the way what prompted to to sign up? After I created this post in 2017 someone who identified themselves as "Condi" say that Lipstick Alley was indeed Black-owned. They are currently #12 on my top Black-owned sites, thought that may change after I update the ranking in a few minutes. I'll research ownership again. What would it take to get these discussion forums poppin' they way LSA was b in its Black-owned prime, or is that impossible in the age of social media?

AALBC’s 95 Bestselling Books for 2021 Our bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998 and is the most visible list focused on Black Books in existence. You will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by larger corporate entities. Spread the word about our list, don’t let others determine which books are important. Fiction: Voices of the Harlem Renaissance: Originally Published as The New Negro an Interpretation edited by Alain Locke and featuring a new introduction by AALBC’s Troy Johnson was the #1 fiction book for 2021. Voices, which was originally published almost 100 years ago, benefited from strong sales because it is an excellent treatment of The New Negro an Interpretation and we have focused on providing sales and distribution through independent channels. Nonfiction: Sales of So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo surged immediately after the cruel murder of George Floyd. Readers, of all backgrounds, were anxious to understand the nature of racism how they could do something about it. More importantly, readers wanted to buy So You Want to Talk About Race, and similar title’s, from independent Black-owned booksellers. Sales have remained strong for these books more than a year later. Children’s Books: Children’s books has been the top-selling category of books the past two years, which is really remarkable given the strength of nonfiction book sales (a close second). Born on the Water: The 1619 Project written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, and wonderfully illustrated by Nikkolas Smith, enjoyed a tremendous amount of support from virtually the entire bookselling community. Poetry: Vice: New and Selected Poems by Ai Ogawa won a National Book Award in 1999, the year it was first published. Given the strength of the sales of Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry, the 22-year-old Vice topping all other poetry book sales is impressive. See all 95 Titles ▶ Bestselling Books for November/December - 2021 Fiction: The Zora Neale Hurston Boxed Set was an AALBC bestseller even before its publication date. The 10-book boxed set features the best of Hurston’s fiction and nonfiction in one impressive package. Nonfiction: Nikole Hannah-Jones’ The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story was the #1 bestselling book across all genres this period. This does not include the many copies of the book sold as a result of our collaboration with Bookshop.org to support the New York based not-for-profit organization, The Literary Freedom Project. Children’s Books: Born on the Water, which is also part of The 1619 Project was our top selling children’s book. Illustrated by Nikkolas Smith and written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, Born on the Water was also one of our most popular books of the year. Poetry: Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry: Poems helps make Gorman one of AALBC’s all-time bestselling authors. See all 47 Titles ▶ AALBC Book Reviews Palmares by Gayl Jones No less than the esteemed late novelist Toni Morrison, the chief editorial gatekeeper of Random House, was stunned by the narrative power of Gayl Jones’ first novel, Corregidora. The book of incest and topsy-turvy desire was published to critical acclaim in 1975. Jones was 26 at the time. Then Eva’s Man, a collection of painful flashbacks features the main character, Eva Medina Canada’s emotional unraveling into mental illness, which culminates in the castration of Davis, the man who imprisons her so he can repeatedly rape her. The book in 1976 totally hooked her readers who clamored for her next literary escapade. Now, after more than two decades, Jones’ mammoth work, Palmeres, emerges on the bookshelves, seeking to enthrall old fans and snare new readers. The genesis of this hefty book was the spark of creation stemming from a volume-length poem, Song of Anninho, which was published by Detroit’s Lotus Press in 1981. It also was inspired by the church plays from her maternal grandmother, Amanda Wilson, and the childhood tales written by her mother, Lucille Jones. Jones, a keen observer of history, culture, and tradition, absorbed the concept of utopia — a place where oppression and intolerance would not be acceptable. More ▶ National Black Writers Conference Call For Papers The 16th National Black Writers Conference (NBWC2022) Call For Papers Is Now Open! Scholars, Writers, Literary Activists, Cultural Critics, And Students Are Invited To Submit Proposals for the 16th National Black Writers Conference (March 2022)! Deadline: Monday, February 14, 2022 Download the Guidelines Here ▶ Alkebu-Lan Images Founder Yusef Harris Has Passed Alkebu-Lan Images, a cornerstone of the North Nashville community for more than 35 years, lost its founder. Yusef Harris — teacher, mentor, climber of Mount Kilimanjaro — has died. Harris opened Alkebu-Lan in 1986 while pursuing his doctorate in psychology at Vanderbilt University and teaching part time at Tennessee State University. The Jefferson Street property went up for sale, and he made a down payment with a loan from Metro Development and Housing Agency. Since then, the shop has become a cultural mecca, selling books, art, apparel and other goods that reflect and celebrate African culture. Read the full article at nashvillescene.com ▶ Dear Reader, As 2022 begins I reflect on nearly two years of a global pandemic and it feels surreal, like something out of an Octavia Butler novel. Despite so many cancelled in-person events, restrictions, mandates, and heartache there is still good reason for hope. I trust the books shared in our newsletter and website continue to bring you joy, inform you, and help make your life better. I know online discussions are not the same as in-person conversations, but consider joining our online discussion forums, you may find your enjoy the differences — especially if you are tired of being manipulated by algorithms and having your privacy mined for profit with other options. Feel free to discuss books or anything that interests you. Always remember Troy, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – January 11, 2022 - Issue #345

To identify as Black is to identify with the culture. this is the same as “being” Black. The racial terms black and white are nonsense as there is no genetic basis for them. This is obvious as so called white people pass for black and so called black people pass for white all the the time.

oh ok. I was inferring what I thought he meant. I also believe the media is being hyper critical too.

What, regular beheadings in Mexico, Ghana, and Nigeria? Now you are just making stuff up. i guess you also concede the point about Americas uniqueness in exploring its “peculiar institution.” antiquated does not mean the world is no longer in use. I was referring to it definition Seriously, I don’t know what you mean. I did not read the dictionary definition of Third World because I already know what it means. What I am working on is what you actually wrote. You wrote paraphrasing: I think of places were people live in cardboard boxes referring, disparagingly, to Mexico. I pointed out that there are places in Mexico where people live in conditions comparable to How you describe your lifestyle. And I also referenced how Americans live and the conditions you described as Third World. So I’m trying to understand what you really mean. Also how you Described how you think about the term third world was not part of the definition provided by the Frenchman who coined the term. Daniellegfny openly disparaged Africa, describing it as a place of regular beheadings. You are doing the same thing without realizing it; in my opinion. I think about third world more in line with what @ProfD wrote. Today it is a term white countries, and the people in them, use to disparage brown countries and their people.

Ok, so that works be a “no.” Thanks.

Again, it was not just the messaging — that is not enough. The numbers of smokers did not go down until legislation was imposed. We had to make it virtually illegal to advertise cigarette and make it almost impossible to smoke them in public and even in some private homes. And despite all the warnings and even dramatic increases in the prices of cigarettes in places like New York City people still smoke cigarettes! This is why we need mask mandates. Fear alone is not enough to get people to comply. I have not heard this conspiracy theory before. The hyperlinks do not support anything about nano level research Weaponized in the covid-19 vaccination.

Right, Eric was referring to the job not the person. i worked as a dishwasher on Wall Street and 20 years later would be an office worker in the same area. The brother that got me the job was also a dishwasher. Years later we Often encounter each other at professionally events as corporate professionals. Washing dishes was a low skill job. It was also one of the most difficult jobs I ever had.

while this has been the case for almost 25 years. I do not take it for granted that it will always be true, so thanks for your participation! I do know that the algorithms used by social media are extremely powerful. So much so, that the competition for the attention and time of Black people is an Exceedingly difficult battle to win today. At some point I believe people will Free themselves of the mental shackles of social media, but I think it is a long way off.

Enslavement is not unique, but that is not what I wrote. Tell me about a nation that is founded on the backs of enslaved African and their descendants (the children of those enslaved) for centuries? … and you’ll find none of that in the United States huh? Again, I don’t know what you mean by “third world.” It is an antiquated term. You use the term to to marginalize entire nations. Just because the US is defined itself as a so called “First World” nation does not mean it is free of crime, political corruption, poverty. Further, it does not mean that countries you disparage as third world have no places where one’s life can be better than it is here in the United States. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to suggest that one cannot have a great life here in the United States. What I’m arguing is the notion that one cannot also have great life in other countries (including the ones with majority Black people) that some Marginalize with the label “Third World.”

Hey @Delano happy new year. Yeah, I saw the film about a year ago. An excellent film which told an important part of history. @ProfD I have to put the Green book at the top of my to watch list. I was waiting for the streaming price to go down and then forgot about it...

It is clear Adam's, despite with the Major's seat, will not be loved by the media. They seems to have it out for him. "Low skilled" was the right term, he not talking about teachers, or surgeons, he was talking about dishwashers. No amount of PR "polishing" can fix deliberate and unabated media assassination.

It just seems that way, and is not truly the case 😉 That said... Mzuri, do you really believe that house is representative of Mexico? Are you familiar with Mexico City? @daniellegfny do you believe that dwelling is representative of Africa's major cities? Have you ever been to one? I have yet to visit an American city (and I've been to all of the major cities) and not see an image like the one below or worst. However I would never present an image like this as representative of America's living conditions that way y'all are doing. America has the unique distinction of building itself, for centuries, on the enslavement of African's and their descendants.

So @Ldvirtue, love is not enough for say a Christian and non believing good person to be married to each other?

You can go by you own opinion ProdD. You can easily look up the stats and learn that life expectancy has gone down and see what the leading factors are. If that was true people would stop smoking cigarettes immediately. Fear is not enough of a motivator -- if the action is hard. Everyone know exercise improves health, but fear of dropping dead from a heart attack provides insufficient motivation to change behavior. It is actually Fear + Propaganda that is stopping people from getting vaccinated. Again fear alone is not enough to motivate people. This is propaganda. It is untrue and demonstrably false. Again the propaganda is FAR more powerful a motivator than fear alone. Propaganda defines science and reason. Propaganda has the power to manufacture fear out of thin air. Propaganda taught the world, for centuries, that so called "Black" people were subhuman. Propaganda got people to storm the Whitehouse...

Well that is my point. I'm sure there are some great book discussion happening on Goodreads, why there -- why not here? Why do Black folks marginalize Black platforms in favor of white ones? Better question @Mzuri, @ProfD, anyone; why do you come here and post? If it were not for you and a few others the foums would not just be boring it would be dead. We have not choice but to keep pushing. The problem is that I'm old enough to see how much we have lost in terms of owning platform and controlling our own narrative. We have lost a tremendous amount of control on the web, but well have lost so much more media ownership.

I had just watched Uptown Saturday Night, before learning of Poitier's passing, sharing the experience with someone who was unfamiliar with the movie. R.I.P.

What a nice story Sarah; thanks for sharing it with us.

Yes, your comments and those of others have made that abundantly clear. Many years from now if enough of us do not get vaccinated. Hopefully the army vaccine will be available to you soon, @Mzuri.

You keep mentioning “third world,” but what does that mean? Is Mexico, in the third world, why? Is Ghana in the third world and if so what does that really mean? Who defined the term and why? Again, if you’d actually been to any of these places you’d realize that all of the opportunities that you have ascribe to people here in the US are true for people in the countries I mentioned. Now we can argue about whether those opportunities are more easily achieved in America versus the countries I mentioned, but to disparage the medical service available in Africa to ”witch doctors” is insulting (even if you were being hyperbolic to make a point).

while deleting a spam post (the site gets lots of spam lately) i had the occasion to read mosaicbooks comment, for what feels like the first time. i got that comment a lot over the years. The discussion forum has always tended to create the kind of content that some feel is beneath AALBC’s brand. The forums have also hosted some great posts that have elevated AALBC. Given my ability to manage and moderate these forums I take the good with the less desirable… gladly. The forum originally started out as a place to talk about black books. Overtime the conversations often strayed away from books to more general topics and I started the culture race and economy forum, and that forum quickly became the most popular forum and remains to this day. Conversations about books went to places like Amazon‘s GoodReads and social media. It has always been a challenge for indie black-owned sites to corral a large black audience. If the content is salacious or scandalous (ala World Star) we get to own that stuff, but the more highbrow content tends too be hosted and owned corporate (read: White-Owned) sites. I’ve always advocated for Black people to control how our culture is presented to a wide audience and be the arbiters of what is valuable. Unfortunately, even in 2022, we really do not control our voices, Black people rely on others to validate what we do and what is important. Am I wrong?

Have you been to Ghana, Nigeria or Mexico City? It does not sound like it, because it is hard to imagine why you would write that. Quiet as it is keep there are many Americans living right here in “third world” conditions. Why not? If that is true it sounds like the police here. this has always been true.

I did not write “significant” but it has had a negative impact on life expectancy wouldn’t you agree? The centers for disease control reported on this last year. Other contributors to the decline in life expectancy includes an increase and overdose deaths. True, but why ignore the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people who could have been saved with a simple vaccine? the risk of dying from Covid unvaxxed is much higher than dying from a blood clot from the vaccine … that is just math. you know the science behind these vaccines not invented yesterday; decades of research was already done. you should read this article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-coronavirus-vaccine-development-speed/amp it with help you understand how the vaccine was approved so quickly. Black people have already died, disproportionately, in huge numbers. Almost a quarter million Africans have died from Covid. More than 100,000 black Americans have died from the disease. How people gloss over these death figures boggles the mind.