Troy

As far as the definition of "Apathy" you are unnecesary mincing words. When I wrote, " I was really focused on literary fiction in my argument" that was a typo. What meant to write was, "I was really not focused on literary fiction in my argument". Still I'm surprised to read that you don't read Morrison. You should try Beloved, it is MUCH better than the film and a great read.

@Mel Hopkins "Lack of interest" = Apathy You asked for an example Mel and I repeated the one about Black novelist, but all of your examples don't address this genre. Gates and Tyson write nonfiction. I also said said entertainers like JayZ and Kendrick Lamar are not novelists at only get attention because they provide entertainment for and enrich white people... but I said I gave up trying to explain the difference. As far as James patterson is concerned white people can write about Black people all day long and get more attention than a Black writer. White folks created Black Panther. Black people created superheroes but they give no attention -- they are invisible. I actually do care, very much, who tells the story. It matters who tells the story not just for financial reasons but for truth. If you believe that the likes of, dean koontz, stephen king, neil gaiman, greg iles,et al, can write about Black men better than Black man... I don't know what to tell you. Kwame is my man too. I've know him 20 years, he put me on my first panel discussion related to books, but he writes children's books. He is not writing novels addressing the middle-aged Black men. Why is my simple case so hard to comprehend? This is a surprising statement. You mean don't read the likes of Toni Morrison, Bernice Mcfadden, Chimamanda Adichie? I was really focused on literary fiction in my argument

Julius Lester came to mind today because I just read the New York TImes  review of James Baldwin's recently rereleased only book for children, Little Man, Little Man. That review linked to a review Julius Lester wrote when the book was originally published. I also thought about Lester in the context of the conversation we have been having about novels written about middle aged Black men experiences. When I revisited Lester's page I discovered that the was also a prolific children's book author. Those books were missing from the page and I added many of them (more than 20), and have not added them all. This video on on his page, and I rewatched it. In it he talks about the freedom rides in 1964, the music he performed, and the danger of traveling in Mississippi in 1964. I thought about my own experience driving through the state last week. While i was careful not to speed (I've stopped more than several times for minor traffic violations in the South the last time it cost be $700), I also know that my life was not actually in danger as it was when Lester traveled there. I also ate in a hotel that, in my life time, did not allow Black people to dine or stay there. I don't recall reading anywhere that Lester passed. Even the recent passing of Sam Cornish, a prominent Black poet, failed to make national news or even trend on social media.

@Mel Hopkins I'm not sure you are reading my replies. If you search this thread for the word "Mosley" (hit the "ctrl" and "f" key at the same time) you'd read that I agreed that Mosley would meet my criteria -- and that I have all of his book on the site. Yes, August Wilson is a great example too, though he is not a novelist nor is a contemporary writers as he died over a decade ago. You'll also find that I said I'm aware of such titles. The problem is, as a function of all the titles published, novels that speak to the Black middle aged male experience do not get very much light -- save unicorns like Mosley, whose profile was raised when our "first Black president," said Mosley was his favorite author. That was better than getting the Oprah boost. Speaking of Oprah, can you think of a single Oprah picks that was a novel that spoke to a Black middle aged male experience? Again, I'm going to create list of such writers. I published an article, years ago, by a young writer, Kevin Reeves, who touched on this subject and explained why it matters, “Richard Wright to Jay-Z: The Decline of Young Black Male Literary Writers.” The issue i'm raising is not a new one. I understand it is apathy, ignorance, and maliciousness that allows it to persist.

No I did not know that, but does it make a difference when she adopted the style?

Oh I thought I made this abundantly clear, but I'll repeat one. I want to see more novels published that speak to the experiences of middle aged Black men. I'd like to see these books widely discussed, critically reviewed, and making bestsellers lists.

I was thumbing through the latest issue of Ebony and noticed that Mary J. Blige was on a recent cover. I noticed she had straight blond hair. This is her style (not staged by Ebony), as I looked for other photos of Mary and they all had straight Blond hair in different styles. Now I'm not offering an opinion, but I was curious if you thought that this was a good look for Mary? Do you think there was no influence from Europeans in adapting this look. Is it just a Black woman revelling in her Blackness any way she choose. \

@Xeon where you been?

@Mel Hopkins, don't get me wrong the book fair in Jackson was really quite well done. The authors and books they presented reflected what the industry produces. This more than anything else explains the dearth of titles that speak to middle aged Black men that were presented there. OK I give up. You all want to talk about celebrities and I just want to talk about regular folk. Further I'm talking about novels these famous entertainers are not novelist. They are not writers. They don't create literature. Moving on... I was unaware of Omar's book until an industry person asked, just yesterday, if I was aware of it. In the past I'd follow up and add the book to the site. But I no longer just add celebrity books to the site. If they can pay a publicist to get them on the Today Show they can spare a couple hundred bucks for promotion on AALBC. GIven the demographic of the Today show I'm sure AALBC would have been a much better investment -- Do any Black men watch the Today show? Boy, if I relied on wealthy celebrities with books to keep this site alive I would have been out of business long ago. It is regular people who keep this site alive -- it is the Black men whose stories I try to ensure are told who keep me in business. Maybe I'll dedicate a newsletter just to Black men and our stories.

Oh, OK I misunderstood you @Chevdove. Your position is clearer now.

Our very own @Mel Hopkins has not one, but two articles in the September 2018 issue of Ebony Magazine! Congrats once again!

@Chevdove you are trying to shove the artificial construct or race into the science of genetics. Ascribing racial characteristics to Neanderthals makes even less sense than it does with Sapiens. This is like saying, Gorillas are members of the Black race and Orangutans are white. Since scientists are not saying that Orangutans are white they must be hiding something. That sounds crazy right? There is no objective criteria for determining one's race -- zero. This is because there is no scientific basis for the racial categories we use. In AmeriKKKa you can have all the phenotypic characteristics of a so called white person but be Black. This is why people can "pass." This is why a Rachel Dolezal can run a branch of the NAACP. This is why @Pioneer1 does not believe Beyonce is Black. Don't you see "race," as we know it, is purely subjective.

I can't say that I follow your reasoning here @Chevdove on how a Denisovan/Neanderthal Hybrid bone found in cave has anything to do with the origins of racism, white supremacy, issues of colorism, and color supremacy.

Actually Del, my position is really more a function of my faith (or lack thereof) in the system of justice. I have not really been following the news. I try to moderate the noise on Trump that I consume, but this is difficult to do. The only articles I've read are the ones you've posted links to. Sure if I change my mind and it happens to be in line with a position you've always had, that is fine with me 🙂

Gee Del I have access to new information and I have changed my position. I know you are very rigid in your stances, dig in, and don't change your mind without a great deal of resistance. That said, there is nothing that has been written, or said by any reasonable person, to suggest that 45 will be booted from office before the end of the year. Nothing will happen before the midterms and even if they started the process of booting 45, it will can not be completed before the end of the year. What is so hard to understand? Your $50 is a money n my bank right now (your's too @Kalexander2)... like taking candy from a baby 🙂

@Cynique I only discounted Steve Harvey because he is an entertainer. As long as we are providing entertainment, we can get some partial visibility. Again, I'm talking about regular folks who can't tell jokes for an hour or run with a ball. @Mel Hopkins, I know you mentioned me previously, I as addressing your current response. But again, that was a relatively minor observation and as I wrote I was most concerned with the book you presented. Would you agree that novels reflecting middle aged Black men are relatively nonexistent compared to those of Black women, white women or white men? Or do you believe it is on par? How would you explain the absence of novels about Black men at a book festival presented in a city (Jackson, MS) that is essentially 40% Black and male (estimated by halving the total Black population)?

@Mel Hopkins You left, the largest site dedicated to Black books (which happens to be run by a Black man) to go to a white-owned site to retrieve the cover of a book written by a white man to to support your point. You are making it easy for me to make my point. You and I both know I could have found a book with Black middle aged characters. Indeed, I have every book Walter Mosley ever wrote on the site (whether out of print or to be released). However, I was interested in what you would write and your response spoke volumes. The number 333 sounds like a lot but it is really rather small when you compare it to the total number of books sold on the B&N website. More importantly however, if you actually examine the titles, you find many are reprints of books that are decades old. The first 6 books show Invisible Man twice Most are not about middle aged Black men at all. 25% of the books in the top 20 (the first page of results) are books from K'wan's Animal series. K'wans is my man, but his books don't speak to the middle aged Black man's experience at all. Did you think I would not look at the books? I'll give you Walter, but Walter is a unicorn too. I just came from a book Festival in Jackson MS, a city that is 80% Black, and there was not one book --- NOT ONE -- that spoke to the middle aged Black male experience. The were books for Black kids and Black women, as there always are, but there weren't any for Black men. Mel, frankly no one really cares about this, either they are unaware of this reality, completely denial of it, or doing everything they can to ensure the status quo is maintained. Now as a Black man, I'm used to this. As a bookseller it is obvious. You can probably count on 1 finger the number of heterosexual, middle aged Black males working in Big five NY publishing. The novels produced reflect this reality. As @Cynique, just wrote America is a land of contradictions, sometimes you have to look carefully to see them.

I'm not so sure about his term, though I think he has a better than 50-50 chance -- the outcome of midterms will be a good indicator.

Mel all the men you mention re not just wealth but extremely wealthy -- shoot they have fw white peers. OK, name one novel that speaks to the Black male middle age black experience that is not driven by a celebrity, athlete, or some other entertainer.

For the upteenth time, no one doubts that 45 has engaged in criminal activity. This issue, and the basis for our wager, is whether 45 will be removed from office by December 31, 2018, 11:59:59 p.m. The blow-by-blow has not showed anything to suggest that this will happen.

@Mel Hopkins You realize you are the one who has introduced women, the wealthy and celebrities and now you are restricting me to just middle aged Black men when I talk about prison statistics? If would be easier if you stopped bringing up women, billionaires, celebrities and focused on the original demographic. Now keeping the conversation focused on middle aged Black men (the ages of say 40 to 65), we can continue. I'm sure that you'll also find that middle aged Black men are overrepresented in prison too. I'd have to try to find a source when I get a second. Again, I ask you, where are the books that speak to the lives of middle aged Black men? Do you believe we are equality represented in literature? How about TV or Film? Please don't say Black Panther.

Wait, what? Are you saying oprah is not the the richest black person in America? Who cares who is in second? Who was second behind Usain Bolt or Seymone Biles? Black men are over represented in the prison population when compared to the general population. Ask yourself what percentage of the population is made up of black men, then compare that to the percentage of those locked up, then you will understand my point. We are also more frequently incarcerated and more harshly sentenced when compared to any other group. 1 in 3 Bkack men can expect to be locked up at some time in their life. No other group has been so crippled. I guess all these Brother gotta do is "choose" to be seen... sort of like pulling oneself self up by one's own boostraps. Maybe having visited museums in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Jackson indeed just being in the deep south over the last few days has left me hyper sensitive to the plight of the Black man in America.

@Mel Hopkins as a percentage of the population Black men are the most incarcerated demographic -- no other demo comes close. Mel you wrote: But then you proceeded to write mostly about this comparison. Is the reason you disagree with me -- based on the belief that men are far more visible than women? I'd happy argue this point as well: Women out live Black men by a decade. Black women attend and graduate from college at higher rates. Black men are FAR more likely to be killed by police and other Black people. Of course I can go on, but you get the point. I can find female peers for all the men you mentioned. Indeed you might struggle to find male peers 😉 Last I looked Oprah was the richest Black person in America -- she has no male peer. But rather than go tit-for-tat lets keep the focus on the invisibility of the great masses of Black men. Mel, forget the celebrities for a moment. Do you think Black men are really "seen" by our society? How are we portrayed in the media, is it accurate? How many books are you aware of that include regular Brothers, not the drop dead gorgeous stud-muffins of romance novels, or the gangsters of the popular fiction, but the novels that speak to the lives of people like me, Pioneer or Del. Do these novels get reviewed, are they on the NY Times bestsellers list? And they wonder why Black men don't read...

HAPPY Belated Birthday Cynique! That was an interesting story.

My kid is O+ your memory was better than mine on this issue @Cynique 🙂