Troy

Hey Waterstar missed you. I doubt there has ever been a magician to grace this planet that can part the Red Sea and perform countless other tasks in the Holy book you described. Indeed it would be sacrilegious to call these acts "tricks" or even "magic". They are called miracles and ones belief in them is based upon faith 'cause they certainly can't be proved in a scientific way So either you believe them or you don't. But that is a whole 'nother conversation.

This film, “Fruitvale Station” http://aalbc.it/fruitvalestation is going into wide release this Friday,thanks in part to the attention the movie is getting because of its similarity to the Trayvon Martin case.

That is actually a good question. Because I generally tend to think of magic as pulling a rabbit out of a hat, sleight of hand and other tricks used to fool people. If one can indeed predict the future then it is no more magical that than describing the past. However we know virtually all people claiming the ability to divine the future are charlatans using magic and tricks to fool others (perhaps themselves even) into believing they have an ability that they do not possess.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Troy Johnson: troy@aalbc.com Gwen Richardson: grichardson@cushcity.com Ron Kavanaugh: ron@mosaicbooks.com Power List of Best-Selling African-American Books Releases Summer 2013 List (July 22, 2013 — New York, NY) — The Power List, the quarterly compilation of best-selling books written or read by African Americans, released its Summer 2013 list today. The Power List is a joint project of AALBC.com, Cushcity.com and Mosaicbooks.com, three Web sites which have promoted African-American literature for more than a decade. Ashley & Jaquavis, the urban fiction duo whose Cartel series has collectively sold more than a million copies, continue to dominate the paperback fiction bestsellers list with four titles among the top ten: Cartel 4, Murderville 2, The Prada Plan 2 and Murderville. Urban fiction author Wahida Clark also had two titles among the paperback fiction bestsellers, Payback Ain’t Enough and Justify My Thug, as well as one, Honor Thy Thug, among the hardcover fiction bestsellers. A number of authors who have consistently released best-selling books for at least a decade also had one or more titles on the Summer 2013 list. Those authors include: Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Walter Mosley, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Eric Jerome Dickey, Carl Weber, Sister Souljah, Mary B. Morrison and Mary Monroe. Other notable information about the Summer 2013 list: Oprah book pick, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, has shown solid sales since its release in December 2012, and was #2 among hardcover fiction bestsellers. Several non-fiction paperback titles that were published two or more years ago continue to be bestsellers, including The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. Books by celebrity authors Steve Harvey, Wendy Williams and Tyrese Gibson were also included on the list. Game Over, a memoir by Winter Ramos of “Love and Hip Hop,” was #8 among paperback non-fiction bestsellers. Game Over is published by Life Changing Books whose CEO, Azarel, had this to say about the Power List: “I’m just so excited about having a list now that we can have some confidence in and a new list that we can be proud of.” The Power List is compiled by collecting data from online book sellers, random samples on relevant Facebook pages, and a quarterly survey of 1,200 African-American book clubs. The list is released on the fourth Monday in the month following each calendar quarter. The Summer 2013 lists may be viewed at the Power List web site: www.powerlist.info. Updates are included on the Power List Facebook and Twitter pages. For more information, contact one of the individuals listed above. -END-

Please forward all over. An evening with EDWIDGE DANTICAT "Hidden Lives, Human Possibilities" Authors Present to Save Revolution Books Wednesday, July 24, 7:00pm Edwidge Danticat will be the first in a series of extraordinary authors appearing at Revolution Books -- as part of an emergency battle to save this unique bookstore. Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969 and came to the United States when she was twelve years old. She is the author of Breath, Eyes, Memory (Oprah's Book Club); Krik? Krak! (National Book Award nomination), Brother I'm Dying (National Book Critics Circle award); Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work; The Farming of Bones (American Book Award winner), The Dew Breaker, and other works. "With terrifying wit and flowered pungency, Edwidge Danticat has managed over the past 10 years to portray the torment of the Haitian people..." - The New York Times Book Review This will be the first of several intimate evenings with writers who open windows on the hidden lives of those cast off by this system. Edwidge will present her work, including a preview from her new novel Claire of the Sea Light (coming out in August), followed by a conversation with Andy Zee, spokesperson for Revolution Books, and the audience. Revolution Books must raise $30,000 by September 30. Donate, and come hear Edwidge Danticat this coming Wednesday. Limited seating. Reserve now. Tickets here, or contact bookstore 212-691-3345, revbooksnyc@yahoo.com  * General admission: $35 * Benefit premium ticket (with book signed by author): $100 * "Hidden Lives" Benefit series ticket (for these 3 authors, plus 3 more TBA): $150 (We have a very few $15 student/unemployed tickets- call 212-691-3345) If ever there was a time when Revolution Books is needed, it's now! This killing Amerikkkan system has again declared open season on Black youth with the Zimmerman verdict, but people are finally saying no, not this time, and taking to the streets. And around the world from Turkey to Brazil youth are refusing to live quietly under the crushing weight of U.S. imperialism. But where will this all go? Only revolution-- nothing less-- can end this nightmare. Revolution Books is essential as a center of the movement for revolution- a place where people can find the books and engagement about why the world is the way it is and how a different, better future for humanity is possible. But Revolution Books is in peril. Our lease has expired; $30,000 in donations and 50 new monthly sustainers are needed by September 30 to keep this not-for-profit bookstore open in Manhattan. This is possible, you are needed. Join the battle for Revolution Books. The future depends on it. Get your tickets now for the author series. Become one of 50 new sustainer/donors needed by September 30. Next in the "Hidden Lives, Human Possibilities" author series: Wednesday, August 21, 7:00pm Walter Mosley Author of more than 40 books including Little Green: An Easy Rawlins Mystery, Devil with a Blue Dress; Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. His books have been translated into 20 languages; he's won an O. Henry Award, a Grammy, and PEN America's Lifetime Achievement Award. "Money means freedom; that was what people in the white America thought then. Citizens like me knew that whatever you had could be taken away in an instant..." - Little Green * * * MORE AUTHORS IN THIS SERIES WILL BE ANNOUNCED Humanity needs revolution. Revolution needs Revolution Books. Revolution Books needs you. Revolution Books / Libros Revolución 212-691-3345 www.revolutionbooksnyc.org 146 W. 26th Street (Between 6th and 7th Ave.) New York, NY 10001 Revolution Books is open Monday - Saturday noon to 7pm

Chaz Bono! Perfect

Del I feel pretty confident that you do judge people at least you judge me. For example, what promoted you make the statement, "Troy - I don't judge people."? There was nothing I wrote (or thought even) that indicated that I thought you were judging someone. This is not the first time that you ascribed a sentiment to me that I did not hold or express. The only thing that I can conclude is that you are reacting to judgments or pre-judgment you have made about me. That said I think it is natural for people to make judgments. Indeed I think there would be anarchy if we did not judge each other. How do you keep law and order, how to you select a mate? Good, bad or indifferent we all make judgments of others all the time.

Barack is less than a year older than me, so if I had his ear I would probably be less sympathetic. I did not listen to the speech indeed I did not know he had made one until someone emailed me asking what I thought about Tavis and Cornel's response. I looked at my Facebook wall and of course there were multiple posts express either fawning praise over Obama's statements or outrage over what Tavis said. At this point I've not heard statement from either man. I'm simply not interested in what either has to say. I responded to the women who asked about my opinion as follows: "OK I just looked at my FB wall and see what you are talking about. I'm tired about complaining about Tavis -- my efforts are better directed toward uplifting those I agree with and trying to contribute in a positive way myself." Cynique I'm glad you posted these sentiments here. FaceBook just presents the same opinions to me. I really dislike that. I think Facebook must see that I'm a Black splitting his time between Harlem and Florida and therefore I must want nothing but positive opinions about Obama.

See all the photos on my Blog

NEW - The #1 Power List best-selling books for the fiction and nonfiction categories in 2013 will be come automatic nominees for the 2014 Phillis Wheatley Book Awards!

The Wheatley Awards were presented last night here are the winners Learn more about these books. Book Awards 2013 Wheatley Award Finalists First Fiction The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller Antebellum by R. K. Thomas (WINNER) Sweet Lullaby by DaWitt The Magnificent Life of Gravvy Brown by DeVaughn Lilly The Garvey Protocol by Eric Christopher Webb Fiction Love In A Carry-on Bag by Sadeqa Johnson (WINNER) A Gathering of Water by Bernice L. McFadden The Warlord of Willow Ridge by Gary Phillips Silent Cry by Dywane Birch Sinners & Saints by ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray Nonfiction / Biography & Memoir Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing's Invisible Champion by W. K. Stratton The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by R L Smith The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss A Mission From God by James Meredith Gather at the Table by Sharon Leslie Morgan and Thomas Morgan DeWolf (WINNER) Nonfiction / History & Politics Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation by Deborah Davis (WINNER) Out from the Shadow: The Story of Charles L. Gittens Who Broke the Color Barrier in the United States Secret Service by Maurice A. Butler This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son by Charlotte Pierce-Baker Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman's Quest for Social Justice in America, from the Courtroom to the Kill Zones by Connie Rice The Courage To Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear by Shirley Sherrod Poetry Here I Throw Down My Heart by Coleen J. McElroy Shouda Been Jimi Savannah by Patricia Smith (WINNER) Thrall by Natasha Trethewey Hurrah’s Nest by Arisa White Speak Water by Truth Thomas Young Adult Readers The Diary of BB Bright: Possible Princess by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams, Illustrated by Shadra Strickland (WINNER) Like a Tree Without Roots by Teresa Ann Willis Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons - A Dialogue With America's Young Leaders by Gregory Reed Pinned by Sharon G. Flake Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott Young Readers Tea Cakes for Tosh by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis (WINNER) Squeak! Rumble! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis, Illustrated by Paul Rogers What Color is My World? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld, Illustrated by Ben Boos and A. G. Ford Twice as Good: The Story of William Powell and Clearview by Richard Michelson, Illustrated by Eric Velazquez Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by Daniel Minter Learn more about these books.

Del what kind of bar were you in and the heck were you drinking ?

As long as they keep The Beauty of the Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JET’s August 12th Issue Reveals a Newly Revamped Look The publication’s first cover-to-cover redesign CHICAGO, Ill. (July 19, 2013) — Johnson Publishing Company is announcing the first cover-to-cover redesign of JET magazine in the history of the publication along with the re-launch of the JETmag.com website. Led by Editor-in-Chief Mitzi Miller, readers can expect an overall modern and engaging feel that makes each section easy to read. “I’m very excited to debut the new look of the JET brand,” said Miller. “I'm proud to say that my team has created a product that strikes the perfect balance between freshness and familiarity. The new JET combines what our readers have always loved, with a modern look and vibe. I look forward to the continued support from our loyal readers and embracing a new generation of JET subscribers." The cover of the new issue features Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and NBC’s Friday Night Lights actor Michael B. Jordan, who both star in the critically acclaimed film Fruitvale Station. Spencer and Jordan gave JET the details on preparing for the roles and their emotions that were sparked while reenacting the tragic story of Oscar Grant, a young Black man who was killed by a police officer in 2009. Jordan, disclosed his impression of the media’s criminalization of Oscar Grant: “The way media spins Black men... Once this happened, Oscar is all of a sudden a criminal, a degenerate.” On the contrast between the media’s treatment of Adam Lanza, Spencer noted: “When Adam Lanza went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed those children, news outlets painted him with empathy… They don’t do that when dealing with a young man of color— even if they are killed for no reason.” The film hits theaters nationwide on July 26. -###- About JET JET is the No. 1 African-American newsweekly and has more than seven million readers. The publication was initially billed as “The Weekly Negro News Magazine,” and is noted for its role in chronicling the early days of the American Civil Rights movement from its earliest years -- including coverage of the Emmett Till murder, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The magazine has been a staple in homes and businesses of Black Americans since 1951, bringing life to its popular catchphrase: “If it isn’t in JET, it didn’t happen.” JET is the beloved bible of African-Americans and ranks No. 4 in reader engagement.

The article did not address the on camera professionals, but they are such a small percentage of the total I doubt they would have an impact one way or the other. I see similar trends in publishing. I would be nice to read an article on that subject. This was one of the things Black Issues Book Review could have writen about -- if they were still around. I know Random House lost several key Black professionals including, Janet Hill a vice-president and executive editor who ran the Harlem Moon (Doubleday's Blakc imprint). We also know that Penguin Publishers fired Marilyn Ducksworth who was the director of corporate communications for Penguin Group (Marilyn filed an age discrimination lawsuit). Do we think the combined Penguin Random House will have more senior Black professional or less? I'll give you one guess. Again this trend is newsworthy. We just don't have the platforms to share this information and help us understand why this is important. You won't discover this stuff on the uninformed-opinion-driven-echo-chamber that is social media. But that is where you will find us... I read somewhere that Black folks, despite the "digital divide", make up 25% of Twitter's user,s apparently because we are so desirous of celebrity information.

Yep I'll take a broken-caps-lock-key-poster who sparks debate over a lurker anytime :-) Thanks HB

The first article meshes 100% with my observations over the last few years. Of course the impact on Black folks is FAR worse, than what The Nation has observed for news in general. I'm just disappointed that I rarely arti8cles like this in the Black press (perhaps because the Black press has been so devastated). On the surface, the articles may not seem to be related, but they are, very much so. Google's Monopoly on the News by William F. Baker, This article appeared in the February 11, 2013 edition of The Nation. The Federal Trade Commission’s premature decision to close down its investigation of Google is a blow not just to Google’s competitors but to the health of American democracy in the digital age. At issue in the FTC’s investigation was whether Google’s search results are rigged to favor its own products and services, and whether that would count as an abuse of its dominance in online searches. So far, the discussion of the FTC’s investigation has been about the effect on products and services like tablet PCs and travel-planning websites. Left undiscussed is one supremely important product that Google has an impact on: news. Newsroom Diversity: A Casualty of Journalism's Financial Crisis by Riva Gold Jul 9 2013, The Atlantic Monthly Group. The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) recently released its annual study of newsroom diversity. The results only confirmed what many who have lived through the industry's deep recession have already experienced: a steady decline in minority journalists and stagnation in prior progress. Despite claims by news organizations that they value and promote diversity, the numbers in this year's study show 90 percent of newsroom supervisors from participating news organizations were white.

I agree with aspects of both Cynique's and Pioneers arguments. John Henrik Clarke described Christianity, and I paraphrase, as the hand maiden of the conqueror. Given that is was a religion given to us here by our white enslavers I have little faith it can help us. I know I've disappointed a lot of Christians... But that does not mean that we don't need a code of behavior or should not behave in a righteous manner toward each other -- it just can't be a code based upon something a white "master" gave to our enslaved ancestors. Of course I agree that, "Black people need to focus on gaining economic power and political power then use the brains God gave us to build our OWN communities/societies (within America) instead of expecting others to build them for us." Again, as I've asserted, no amount of protesting is going to get us this nor will Christianity.

:-) You dodged my examples Del. So I'll pick one of yours, the Civil Rights movement. We both know a lot of blood was shed as a direct consequence of fighting for our civil rights. Lets be clear it was a fight. The Civil rights movement including the murder it's most iconic leader MLK was a violent affair. The Montgomery bus boycott which would have put that bus company out of business is what helped change the back of the bus rules. The activity of the attorneys, working under the leadership of the NAACP, putting pressure the government and bringing fights to the courts is why laws changed. The civil right movement was not successful because of a bunch of protest marches. Sure protest grab attention of the media and let people blow off steam. The real changes however came as a result of sustained effort of people, often unsung, who do the real work behind the scenes. We had a "million" Black men march on Washington in 1995. As far as I know the problems for Black men have only escalated since then. Since we are outnumbered and out gunned we can't realistically exert power through violence. Our power comes from our ability to changes laws, our financial power, and changing the way we think. Much of the power has not been used since the Civil Rights era. Save the effort to get Obama in office. Speak about Obama, some even argue that President Obama should use his executive powers in the way that Abraham Lincoln singlehandedly ended slavery by executive decree via the Emancipation Proclamation. Our problem is that we spend too much time marching and not enough time exerting our real power.

Del I think power only really reacts to power. Do you think the effective genocide of the Native Americans would have been stopped by a protest? How about Nazi aggression in Europe. Do you think protests would have had much of an impact on ending American slavery? Protests against the use of drones has only resulted in an increase in the activity. Protests have not closed Guantanamo Bay, improved Black incarnation rates, improved our education system or even slowed activity contributing to climate change, "Occupy", the largest protest in recent memory did nothing, changed nothing. Power is loves protests because if allows those being victimized to vent, blow off some steam without resorting to the violent activity that might actually change something. In the past power has come in the form of violence, commerce, or legal activity. True a protest might spur the application of power but getting the word out, but if not the protest is not followed up with a powerful tool a gun, money or a court case nothing will change.

That is a fundamental problem with the jury system. Attorney's should not get to select who is on them the better attorneys are better at choosing the "right" juror and of course the best attorneys cost more -- further rigging the system against poor people.

Here are some other sites you can consider advertising on: http://aalbc.com/otherwebsites.htm You'll have to reach out to each of them directly as I have not kept up on advertising rates for each platform (though I have made attempts with limited success to organize these different platforms from a collective advertising perspective). You should join The Book Look. There you can upload info about your book and have an opportunity to have you book featured in a Book Look Video.

Hi Gibran I updated your AALBC.com page maybe one day I'll split your page from Gregory's :-) Here is a short link you can use too: http://bit.ly/bpnovel

You can post it here and I'll move it to the author's section when I get a minute

I also saw this notice on one of the Facebook groups setup to "fight" against Trayvon. The person who posted the petition notice prefaced it by writing, "Not trying to promote membership, but I am promoting solidarity! We have to do this together!". That seemed to contradictory me. I pointed it out, The Brother who made the post clarified his goal, "My apologies that it came across that way Bro. Troy, my intent and emphasis was to encourage folks to focus on the issue and not be distracted by whatever thoughts or feelings they may have concerning NAACP. But by no means to discourage anyone who would make the choice to join NAACP." I'm not the biggest fan of the NAACP either, but the organization needs people to do the work. Signing petitions is fine, but you need an organization and an organization need money and people willing to work.