Troy

I did not know you could do that with Thumb Nails. Hey Carey that was pretty creative. But as the cliche goes if we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it. As the Jews say we must never forget. We can move on but we can not, must not, forget our history, what little we still know... even if you are tired of hearing it.

Carey, you are mincing words. The "lie" was one of omission. It is not an opinion but a statement of fact. If you are going to do a documentary of someone's life you can no more leave out the high profile marriage and spousal abuse than you can leave out the high profile murder trial. Carey your argument is severely flawed. Just because YOU "don't know anything about it" does not mean it is unimportant or should be left out of a documentary. Negro THAT is the POINT of documentaries! To teach you something you don't know. Now if you are content on watching so called documentaries which leave out material information then you go on. I'll demand something a little more.

New York Times Fade to White By ISHMAEL REED Published: February 4, 2010 The blacks who are enraged by “Precious” have probably figured out that this film wasn’t meant for them. It was the enthusiastic response from white audiences and critics that culminated in the film being nominated for six Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an outfit whose 43 governors are all white and whose membership in terms of diversity is about 40 years behind Mississippi. In fact, the director, Lee Daniels,said that the honor would bring even more “middle-class white Americans” to his film. Ishmael Reed on AALBC.com http://aalbc.com/authors/ishmael.htm

Here is a direct link: Link to AALBC.com Book Reviews iPhone app Hey if yiou have an iPhone and iPod touch download the ap. if you are so inclined rate the application and write a review -- only if you have something nice to say

Hummm. Are you suggesting our history is unimportant? Would you believe that this page, every february, is one of the most frequently visisted AALBC.com pages: http://aalbc.com/fun/black1.htm While the questions are kinda played (especially after one has become long in the tooth). Perhaps you are suggesting that the information be obtained from a book. If soe I'm all for that too. but I would not dispense with the questions. We all don't assimilate information the same way.

Thanks alot for adding the additional perspective and claification Leonce. I guess my opinion would have been different if I'd actually read the book. Your's is a common complain from authors. One author complained about a stereo typical "urban cover being placed on her literary title. She was afraid people who wanted to read urban fiction was be disappointed and people looking for a literary novel would over look her book. It would be interesting to get Thumper's take since he enjoyed the book and liked the cover. Thumper did you feel mislead by the cover having read the book? It would be really nice if were possible to replish this book with an new title and a cover that matched the contents of the book to see how it sold compored with the original book. Maybe since the publisher is now defunct the book can be republished as a ebook with under a pseudonym and a new cover -- might ring a lot more money out of the title as it pulls in a new audience. I agree Leonce can right since I discovered this article I've read a few of his Huffington Posts pieces. I though this article was on point: On MLK and What Obama is Not

First, Michael Jackson's This Is It was not billed as a DOCUMENTARY. It was a extended music video. That was what I expected and that was what was delivered. Sure, we can disagree about whether one wants to know about Bill's abuse of his wife (and I think we can agree to drop the "alleged"). However, I strongly assert leaving the high profile marriage and abuse out of a documentary of the man's life is horrenous journalism. It is like watching a documentary of OJ Simpson's life an leaving out the his "allegedly" murdering his wife. Now if someone was to do a flick showing highlihghts of OJ's pro football and movie careed and leave Nicole out that is fine with me. But the murder trail HAS to be in a documentary about OJ's life. I guess we are all so used to being lied to we don't even notice or give a shit when it happens!

AALBC.com Launches new iPhone Application AALBC.com has created a new iPhone aplication. You can use it to read recently published reviews of books and films from AALBC.com's.awarding writers including; Kam Williams, Robert Fleming, Emanuel Carpenter, Idrissa Uqdah and of course our very own Thumper! You can also read reviews published by The New York Times, The Children's Book Review, and the Rare Book Review. Simply visit iTunes on your iPhone or personal computer and search for AALBC -- you'll be able to down load the application in seconds and enjoy our reviews anytime and anywhere. You'll never again be caught in a book store without a list or recommedations of what to buy (or avoid). In fact, you can purchase the books reviewed by AALBC.com right on your iPhone!

Carey I'll see if I can dig up Leonce's information and have hime contribute.

We published a review of Gaiter's Burbon Street -- Thumper raved over it While I did not read the book. I don't agree with Leonce's assessment of the cover. If I saw the book in the store I might be promopted to pick it up and see what it was about. And certainly if I read Thumper's review I absolutely would have checked it out. The cover would have increased my anticipation not taken away from it. But I'm a Black man and have no way a know how say a white person might feel. I would however be surprised it they would look at this as a 'Black Book". I suspect the people who chose the design were Black. Thumper did you have an issue with the cover?

From a Huffington Post Article by Leonce Gaiter Controversies in Black Literature Prove Book Sales Aren't Color-Blind "...As a practicing marketing professional, I take the world as it is, not as I believe it should be. I acknowledge buyers' prejudices and preconceptions (especially those they don't acknowledge themselves) and work to subvert them. When the now-defunct publishing house Carroll & Graf published my novel several years ago, they placed an image of a bare-assed flirtatious black tart on the cover. This despite the fact that the book had one major black character among a pervasively white cast--and that character was male. I noted my objections to the publisher, who ignored them, seemingly convinced that basic marketing principles did not apply to the book trade."

Very funny, vintage Cynique. I think that was Emanuel Lewis Rihanna brought on stage with her. I watched a small portion of this year's grammys. These shows do nothing for me. I'm jaded. I admit it. I went to a party over the weekend. A go-go band performed they were pretty good. Are there any good bands any more...? But seriously, is Beyonce is truly heads and shoulders above the other talent that is recording today? Does this mean Beyonce is THAT great or is everything else out there so weak, or both? If I hear Pretty Wings again I'm shoot someone! Are there any male vocalists with masculine voices like, Teddie P.? I thought something was wrong wth the TV during the Lil' Wayne performance. It would have been better if they actually used the "bleep" instead of me trying to figure out what was up with the audio. I'm going to watch get off the PC and go watch Sicko.

CONTACT: Sherri Rosen 212-222-1183 E-mail: sherri@sherrirosen.com, www.sherrirosen.com 454 Manhattan Ave., Suite 3J, NYC 10026 Headline: February, 20l0, New York, New York Pope Annalisa is making its National Premier in New York City!! Author, Peter Canova, chooses New York City as the place to debut his new thriller Pope Annalisa - Book One of the First Souls Trilogy. This page-turning novel of action and intrigue reveals real, monumental mysteries of history that lie at the very foundation of our Western world.. How could an African nun become the first female pope and why did demonic-looking figures start appearing in the Vatican after her arrival?Is Annalisa, the first female pope, restoring a lost feminine legacy of the Church or is she using her disarming femininity to restore a dreaded heresy?Who are the four people racing against time to learn the secret Annalisa harbors that will touch on the very origin and destiny of humanity?What was the secret oral teaching of Jesus, a teaching so personally transformative that it was suppressed and nearly destroyed by the early Church? HOLY SPIRIT OR WHOLLY EVIL? As the world nears a nuclear holocaust, as sinister hidden forces from within her own church and terrorism from without rear their heads, one thing becomes clearPope Annalisa is at the very center of all the deadly plots within plots in a world where nothing is what it seems. Margot Arnold, author of The Penny Spring and Sir Toby Glendower series, says A riveting novel about a troubled world full of intrigues and deadly plots, miracles, murders, and world-changing power struggles From the time Peter Canova first experienced phenomena such as telepathy, remote viewing, intuitive medical readings, and psychic healing, he has spent much of his life seeking to understand the forces that link humanity together at an unseen level. His former businesses hotel development, shipping, and import/exporting carried him around the world, where he met a variety of spiritual figures, each of whom appeared in his life unsolicited and confirmed his conviction that spirit transcends the religious beliefs that tend to divide people. In Pope Annalisa, he explores an ancient spiritual tradition which cut across not only Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but also the so-called pagan mystery schools of ancient days. (www.PopeAnnalisa.com). The book is thrilling, the author is exciting, and the entire series will be made into a film. ###

Well the first things you can do when the book is available is to come back here and post some information about the book. You can our course post the cover, a description of the book and a link to where people can read more out it. I would identify other sites where you can do the same thing. Of course this is just one idea, there are many, many others; including buying advertising on AALBC.com.

Yeah I seem to recall this, but I was too young to appreciate the significance. I posted the same comment on Facebook. One of my buddies accused me of potential slander for making the "unproven statement". I'm not worried about slander. I did however want to temper my endorsement of the film based upon that new (to me) knowledge about Bill marriage. Again the film makers did not even mention the "high profile" marriage in the "documentary" of Bill life. That by itself is a glaring ommission. After learning about the abuse in the Denise Nicholas marriage I felt like I was lied to in the documentary. The issue should have been addressed leaving it out was a mistake in my opinion... In fact the abusive maariage is a much more plausible explaination of why Bill stopped making records and performing over 20 years ago. This may not be the reason, but it make more sense than what was said in the movie. I still recommend the movie, but with the reservations I just described.

Hey I heard last night that Bill Withers was known for physcially abusing his ex wife actress Denise Nicholas. The documentary made no reference to those allegations. In fact I don;t recall any mention of Denise Nicholas. While I appreciate Whiter's music the I find the prospect of his beating his wife deeply distrubing.

I was talking to a friend of mine today (a woman), she was telling me how gay Black men have far more difficulty finding a partner than Black women... I thought that was interesting when juxtaposed with this subject. I just never thought about but the issue. She sited the natural tendency of men (even gay ones) promiscuity as a major factor preventing long term monogamous relationships. She also said gay men are under even more pressure to have great physiques...She supported her opinions on knowing and observing a lot of gay men. Maybe CBS will do an investigate report on this...

The link you provided did not work for me. Here is one from the Huffington Post

Howard Zinn Howard Zinn has been fighting for progressive causes since the 1930s, when he began organizing workers in the New York City shipyards. He later embarked on an enduring career teaching political science first at Spelman College and then at Boston University. Over the years, the celebrated firebrand wrote numerous eye-opening books advocating economic and social justice, perhaps most significantly, A People's History of the United States, an incendiary work which turns many of the prevailing myths about America on their heads. Presented from the perspectives of assorted minorities and women, it, for example, portrays leaders of slave and Indian revolts like Nat Turner, John Brown and Geronimo as heroes, and once-revered, fat cat Presidents like Washington and Jefferson as exploitative slave owners guilty of expansionist ethnic cleansing. Los Angeles Times Article

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the new Bill Withers Documentary. Afterwards Bill Withers answered questions. If you like Bill's music you like it even more as you discover more about the man. The movie reveals a lot; how Bill only he started performing professional in his 30's, how he suffered from stuttering until his late 20's, it was really quite fascinating.

The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY Presents The Tenth National Black Writers' Conference And Then We Heard the Thunder: Black Writers Reconstructing Memories and Lighting the Way Featuring Toni Morrison Nobel Prize Winning Author as Honorary Chair, Kamau Brathwaite, Amiri Baraka and many more! Thursday, March 25, 2008 - Sunday, March 28, 2010 A Message from the Center for Black Literature… Greetings Everyone: The Center for Black Literature would like to remind you that if you are planning to stay at the NY Marriott while attending the Tenth National Black Writers Conference the cut – off to make your reservation is February 25, 2010. We encourage you to make your reservations now before the block of rooms fill up! Visit the following links to get more information: Registration Information: http://www.nationalb...gistration.html Hotel & Travel Information: http://www.nationalb...org/travel.html Visit our website for Program updates! http://www.nationalb...e.org/home.html The Center for Black Literature Medgar Evers College, CUNY 1650 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11225 Phone: 718.804.8884 www.mec.cuny.edu/blacklitcenter TUNE IN every week to "Writers on Writing" with Dr. Brenda M. Greene SUNDAY's, 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm WNYE 91.5 FM

Deep. Cynique, you have an interesting mind... I had not even considered changing fonts myself. Your exploration got me playing around too.

Sad, and too common a sentiment...

Carwey you you know who this person is? Why don't you venture a guess.

This book came across my desk today. Good Fortune by Noni Carter What stuck me about this title is that Noni, the author, is only 18 years old. At first I questioned whether someone so young would have the experience or knowledge to write a compelling story on such a subject (see description below). [i know someone is saying, "Well Troy, the fact that it was published by Simon & Schuster, should be evidence to the quality].At any rate, the promotional copy described how the story is based on Noni's great-great-great-great grandmother. So I figured the family history provided at some background for a moving story -- probably worth checking out... Brutally kidnapped from her African village and shipped to America, Ayanna Bahati struggles to come to terms with her new life as a slave. Rising from the cotton fields to her master's house, Anna is threatened by the increasingly dangerous world of the plantation. Risking everything, she escapes and makes her way north to freedom and an education, but can she shed the chains of her harrowing past to live the life she has longed for?