Troy

Impressive. I had not idea about your publishing company--and it is located in my backyard. I've added Gazemba's books to the website: https://aalbc.com/books/bookinfo.php?isbn13=9780998642307 and will mention this title in my next newsletter. Thanks for sharing this title here, keep us posted on your new books or any from your backlist that we should know about.

Del as a standalone product, the relative merits of Echo Look are debatable, but in the context of everything else Amazon is doing, I don't see how any of the benefits outweigh the downsides. btw, you don't have to copy the post before replying to it (i deleted it).

“For almost 10 years, Black Books Direct continued to bring you a great selection of books of interest to our readers. Like many other businesses, and particularly, independent book stores, we have faced considerable challenges over the years. We have reached a point where we are faced with making some tough choices. For these reasons, we will suspend our current operations, after clearing out our inventory. We are pricing everything competitively and only listing items remaining in inventory. We will ship within 48 hours and will continue to guarantee your satisfaction while we stay live as BlackBooksDirect.com.” I learned about Black Books Direct's closing in an email I read just a few moments ago. Now I don't have all the details of why Black Books Direct is closing, but as an online bookseller, I know first hand the many "challenges" they have to contend with. Another potentially great website and business closes because of Amazon's virtual monopoly of on-line book sales. Amazon's algorithms will not make up this loss. AALBC.com can not make up this loss. The web is a less rich place as a result. The worst part of Black Books Direct closing is that will go unnoticed by most Black folks—even the most conscious of us. We don't know what we are losing, and it is really very sad.

Mel, did you immediately shut down the amorous advances from the married men and make them feel like the cheaters they were? Sorry for the Fences spoiler. Speaking about Viola Davis she was great in the film, I think you should check it out. Del, I used to think brothers from the 'hood used to get high until I went to school with white boys for the first time (in case y'all did not know Mel and I graduated from the same HS in the same year). They had a term "burnt out" that they would apply to kids that were "wasted" all the time. Interestingly, I did not know any white people my age until HS, they were like unicorns to me. I heard about them but never saw one, except for on TV.

Mel, again you are unique. Some people could never live in poverty despite the odds, their upbringing, or the adversity encountered. You are one of them. However, this is simply not true for the great masses of people. You are right if you are not present you won't have a clue or have a reason to care. Furthermore, if you've never lived, and gotten out of it, I think it would be harder to understand too. It is like trying to explain to someone, who never knew the web before social media, why the internet was better before social media--they simply don't have a framework to understand, they can't "see" it. @Mel Hopkins, since the conversation is why men cheat, why do you think so many women cheat? Why do some of these women choose to have babies with men who are already married? We must all know married men who have had children on the side (ala the play Fences). The men aren't aren't cheating with themselves. Why is the cheating always placed at the feet of men, especially Black men?

@Delano, another difference between men and women Mel, perhaps my perception of the photo is a reflection of myself, as a Black man in America. Maybe the differences between men and women are large enough that we can't see the photo the same way. Another thing I don't like about the photo is the hair. I know white girl hair is still a thing, but I've never liked Black women, particularly dark skinned women, with their hair styled like a European it just bothers me. I'm glad to see the trend toward more natural hair styles among our young women. I would also stop short of calling her look "joyous with unbridled exuberance," also because of her eyes. I think a person's eyes reveal a lot about what they are feeling. Her eyes to not relate unbridled exuberance to me. Of course, this is purely subjective but it is another reason I don't like the shot; her eyes are telling me one thing while her toothy smile is saying something else. Cynique, while Essence can be quite heavy handed with Photoshop and makeup, don't think for a second that Time did not edit Viola's picture. Can we agree that Time has a sensibility that is not optimized for presenting Black women, and that sensibility is rooted in white male dominance? I'll almost certainly take a survey and see how the results pan out both in general and by gender.

HI Sarah, please post your bio and head shot. I'll add them to your AALBC.com page: https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Sarah+J.+Heidelberg If you have a youtube video please post a link to it as well. If you have a website please post the UR too. Do you have any other books besides the ones listed above? Finally, have you heard from Chris Hayden lately?

True, being able to "see" something is in the eye of the beholder. If you do drugs know where to get it, if you don't you might not even be aware that drugs are so freely available. The same goes for people who are poor and struggling, we don't see them... I mean really see them.

@Mel Hopkins my blog https://aalbc.com/blog uses Wordpress, so the blog should be followable, but I'll have to look into why you are not being alerted. Mel, the bottom line is that gadget is designed to generate revenue for Amazon, in ways that we have no way of fully appreciating because we are not being told. Again Amazon is preying on and exploiting our insecurities for a payday. However, they are quite slick in the presentation of the product as something helpful and innocuous. Harking back to our other discussion, the choice here is a false one, because we are ignorant of what we are buying. Any negative impact can;t be blamed on the consumer, because they did not understand what they were getting into like the people who becomes addicted to cigarettes, or sugary foods. It is interesting to consider @Pioneer1 's point about Time in the context of the treatment of Viola's presentation

Mel I actually don't disagree with your quote: "All are pleasurable to me...but if I'm 100 lbs overweight, obviously being serviced by food is a sign there's psychological distress." Perhaps where we may disagree is the source of the "psychological distress." I believe the source to be primary external. Again, you don't see rampant obesity in upper middle class and wealthy communities. The reason is not simply one of making better "choices." Sure if one has plenty of financial resources they can more easy exercise more and better options. But wealthy people are not targeted by marketers, they way poor people are. When you were in this poor neighborhoods, did you notice all the advertisements for anything bad that could be consumed? In fact, many wealthy communities have rules again putting advertisements in their communities. Can you image a malt liquor ad on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But in East Harlem, which is physically adjacent to the Upper East sides these ads were rampant. So in my community, many of us kids drank malt liquor. I suspect if I grew up in a better neighborhood, I probably would not have chosen to drink Ole English 800--at least until the rise of the popularity of gangsta rap (which is a marketer's paradise). Hey @Delano , you went to prep school, were any of the rich kids drinking 40s of OE? I suspect they were into more exotic things, huh quality grades of marijuana and the like.

I stopped short of calling Viola's expression a "grimace," because of her eyes which look happy, but I did consider being hyperbolic to emphasize the point. I think we all can agree that this is not a complimentary photo of Viola, particularly when you contrast them with the many other great looking shots you can find of her on the web. The question is what was Time's motivation for creating and publishing this unflattering image of Viola. I called it racist because a Black person would have selected a nicer image. Magazines understand the importance of imagery--especially one that has been around as long a Time. Time selected the image for a reason, and it was not a reason that any conscious Black person would have used. Maybe I'll create a survey to see what others think.

Interesting observation. I believe it to be true based upon my experience.

Mel the question that led my last post was rhetorical. Many of the people who voted for Trump were simply lied to. They were misinformed and sold a bill of goods. They were conned. Sure victims have choices, but they are still victims. She was raped because she wore a revealing dress. He was robbed because he went to the ATM late at night. They voted for Trump because said "crooked Hillary" and the democrats gave you jobs to Mexican who illegally crossed the border. You see what I mean? Mel I think in this case you are viewing the world from your perspective They are plenty of decent people who are simply not nearly as informed, discerning, and smart as you are. They are easy prey for marketers. Mel, I think most people don't know they have choices. This could be through simple ignorance of, or laziness to pursue, options. Del yes it is true I work hard, but so do a lot of people. Del I believe men and women are different in numerous ways but I would never say all women are this way and all men are some other way. A good example would be height; the median height for a man is more than that of a woman, but there are of course women who are taller than some men. That said, men can climax more easily and quickly than women. Women can have multiple orgasms and sustain them longer, These physical characteristics inform the way we behave sexually.

Pioneer, you are looking for proof of something that will never be provable, at least to your level of satisfaction. The answer can't be recorded on a video camera or measured in a lab.

Hi @Indie Love , do you all have a website? If so post a link. Alternatively, plesse share some details about the event, preferably something that can be copied and pasted. What will the authors be doing? Will they be set up at tables selling their book or will there be readings and panel discussions?

The 2017 Black Pack Party - May 31, 2017 - New York City RSVP: https://aalbc.com/bpp2017

Well, Pioneer I agree; this is not an appealing photo of Viola. I probably would not have known this was Viola Davis--I think the hair threw me off. I would be willing to bet money no one Black person was involved with this photo shoot. If there were any involved they may as well have been white. It is obvious the look they were going for: Here are a few covers from Essence. The worse of these is far better than Time's cover. None of the Essence covers have Viola sporting Sambo red lipstick and exaggerated grin. The nicer shot have Viola sporting a more natural looking hairstyle. Is Time's cover a racist treatment? I think so. But Time know's their audience and don't have to worry about any sistaz raising a fuss.

Hi Mel, why then is obesity in impoverished communities to high and life expectancies so much lower? There is more to the story than just availability of healthy. Many people simply don't know any better and have fallen victim to highly sophisticated marketers who have preyed on them before they could even speak. I think this is more blaming the victim and letting marketers who take advantage of psychometric data, effectively brainwashing people completely off the hook. It is like saying the drug pusher and cigarette maker are blameless, because people are free to make their own choices. It just is not that simple. Also, there are people, who live in communities right here in America where healthy choices are extremely difficult to obtain, the people don't have cars and there is no public transportation, besides the stores are so far away they can't afford the gas to get to them. I could go on, but sometimes we take it for granted how much easier we have it compared to others. The people I'm talking about are nameless and faceless and for the most part no one advocates for them and they are only dealt with by the criminal justice system. Pioneer, of course, there is stuff in the food making us mushy and die earlier than normal. All one has to do is look around to see that. But I doubt Black folks are specifically targeted. If you go into a poor white community you see plenty of obese people. The real targets are the uneducated, largely poor, masses. Yes Pioneer, I do believe think men and women, in general, feel and behave differently when it comes to sex. I don't think this is solely due to socialization; there must be a biological basis as well.

I have to admit trolls often have a sense of humor. "Klan with a tan: was a new one on me. Unfortunately, if it were not for trolls I would have very few comments being made on the website...

The following title summarizes a comment left on an article about the City Sun, a defunct Black-owned newspaper from Brooklyn NY. "The City Sun was a racial toilet. It spewed anti-Semitic, Jew-hating, anti-Asian, anti-White bigotry. It was a racial cesspool of black bigotry which showed why black Americans in the ghetto can never make it: their leaders and informations sources are The Klan with a Tan." Read the rest of the comment. I actually approved the comment because maybe it will help people appreciate how important newspapers like The City Sun are...

:-) you don't have to read anything into it. Some people are exhibitionists. However, when one hides something that means you don't know about it, so you can't know what is being hidden from you unless the hider is not very good, or you are a budding detective. I would not put the food industry in the same category as sex workers--the food industry is far worse. Look at the some of the most poverty-stricken Black communities and you'll find communities racked with diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. There was a study just released that looked a longevity across all American counties, there was a 20-year longevity gap! I don't have to tell you which group died at the youngest ages. Poor black communities are preyed upon by the food industry.

One of my buddies is into the swingers scene too. There are clubs all over the country where you can go a have sex with other people. Married couples go, single men go, all types of folks. He described one situation when he'd brought a woman to climax and her man got bent out of shape... I guess these clubs are not for everyone. @Mel Hopkins, if your husband got horny and hired a hooker cause he just wanted to be serviced, do you view that the same engaging in an on going extramarital relationship? I hope ou do because there is a world of difference between to the too. The former is no different than masturbating--you are just not doing it yourself. Do you really want to know every time your husband masturbates? Why?

LOL! @Pioneer1, (here is where I would normally use the N-word), who you telling! There is no way I could have survived in those fields. I've been to the Mississippi Delta those white folks down there don't play. You probably would have made a good overseer, anything preferable to slaving away n them fields huh?

Openness, Mel can be even harder than monogamy. I'm not sure it is any more natural either. People are often not honest with themselves and don't bother to look deeply into their own hearts. How can they be open with someone else if they are not open with themselves? I believe everyone has secrets. I don't think that is necessarily bad. If I verbalized everything that crosses my mind to my wife she'd know I was crazy I think we all are a little "crazy" on some level and some things are really best kept to ourselves...

I did not take the "It's just books" as a put down, I just don't take the critique at face value. I write this because on every single page of the site, there is a menu says "Discussion" There is also a search box on every page which would direct anyone to the forums with a simple query. Again, finding the forms is not difficult if one put in an ounce of effort--unlesss I'm missing something. If I am please tell me. Also, the site gets at least 10 new sign ups a week, but the majority never post. This is something I really worth pursuing... because it is worth understanding why these people don't post I just don't have the time. Still, the forums are simply not as popular as they once were. I'm sure it is a combination of several factors but I suspect the strongest factor is Facebook. Facebook plays a zero sum game. They literally want to be the only place users ever go when they go on-line. Aldso people are still reading the pages they are just not commenting. One page for example that is really popular is the one about the Best Black websites. It ranks well in search and deserves better presentation I just don't have the time to address it now, Only 1 out every 2,000 visitors to the pages leaves a comment (not counting myself). I dunno, what motivates you to post here @Mel Hopkins ?