35+ Years Sharing Black Stories, History, and Culture Through Childlren's Books

[Troy]

Pushing Forward...

 

We’re navigating a challenging time, but so many things keep us pushing forward. Among them are these words from Frederick Douglass: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress…This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”   The struggle for freedom and justice always continues. It does not rest on any one event, whether successful or not. As kidlit creators, educators, librarians, parents, and supporters, let’s continue to use our gifts and talents to positively impact the lives of our young people. Our books make a difference. Our teaching makes a difference. Our example makes a difference. Our guidance, mentorship, the time we spend listening, supporting, pouring into — it’s all valuable and needed. Especially now.    Let’s find meaning and purpose with others who know that we MUST continue.  And when we need a reminder, may we find encouragement in each other and the young people who deserve our best.   Advance important conversations that lead to action with our “Be the Change” book bundle for young people, featuring three critically acclaimed titles from kidlit power couple Wade and Cheryl Hudson. Recognize: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life, edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson | Hardcover, Middle Grade (10 and up) The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth, edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson | Hardcover, Middle Grade (10 and up) We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson, Foreword by Ashley Bryan | Hardcover, Middle Grade (8-12)   ***Bundle includes discounted, hardcover books that will be autographed by Wade and Cheryl Hudson.*** Buy the bundle.  Please support Black-owned and independent bookstores.   AALBC has a good list of Black-owned bookstores. They sell books too!   Bookshop is a great alternative to online “big box” retailers. Every purchase supports a local indie bookstore.    Want to shop in person? Indiebound helps you find indie bookstores near you    Retail and Institutional Sales Just Us Books’ titles are available from Ingram, Mackin, Follett, Book Source and other wholesalers/distributors as well as directly from our retail sales office at (973) 672-7701 or justusbook@aol.com Was this email forwarded to you? Please join our mailing list to receive updates from us directly.  Visit Our Store For wholesale, retail or special sales, contact us at: Ph: (973) 672-7701 | Fax: (973) 677-7570 Email: justusbook @ aol.com (NOTE: No ‘s’ in ‘book’ in this email address) Copyright © 2024 Just Us Books. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

[Pioneer1]

Teaching our children how to read as early as possibly should be a top priority in our community.

My Mother taught me how to read at 3 years old, even before entering school....and I've loved reading ever since.

[umbrarchist]

Yeah Read!  Read, read, read!

 

Read what? And WHY?

 

Levar Burton turned up on BlueSky yesterday. One of his posts said,

 

"Fucking Read"

 

He didn't name a single book.

 

The first link is a review of the first two books of The North Africa Trilogy. Those two books have been free in Project Gutenberg for more than a decade. The next two links are to the e-books in PG.  The third book did not come out until the 1970s and may not even be in the public domain yet.

 

http://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/2008/08/mack-reynolds-on-africa-islam-utopia-and-progress.html
Black Man's Burden (1961) by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/32390
Border, Breed nor Birth (1963) by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/30639

 

The thing about science fiction is that it is future oriented. Too much reading is focused on the past. But I think the lesson of the past is who had technology versus who didn't and the people without the technology lost. So what does that say about the future?

 

A curious thing is that 1961 is when Patrice Lumumba was assassinated. 50 years later, 2011, is when Gaddafi was overthrown and killed.  CIA involvement in the first and NATO involvement in the second.

 

But Obama was in the White House in 2011 and Hillary Caesar crowing "We came. We saw. He Died!"

<maniacal laugh>

So the North Africa Trilogy has an interesting retro-future backdrop.

.

95vus

Edited November 19, 2024 by umbrarchist
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[Pioneer1]

20 hours ago, umbrarchist said:

Yeah Read!  Read, read, read!

 

Read what? And WHY?

 

Levar Burton turned up on BlueSky yesterday. One of his posts said,

 

"Fucking Read"

 

He didn't name a single book.

 

LeVar Burton cussing????
Say it ain't so....lol.


Well, you have to start SOMEWHERE.

I agree that we should be reading books of substance, however even if it's nothing but comic books and newspaper cartoons.....as long as you're READING SOMETHING you're honing your skills and learning.

Remember, some of our people aren't reading ANYTHING and aren't even trying to.

I believe they said that R.Kelly isn't just FUNCTIONALLY illiterate but TRULY illiterate, meaning he can't read a lick.
He's not the only one.
 

[umbrarchist]

 

I have now found 3 different threads using his name. It might be a phony. It is more difficult to do a historical search than expected.

 

I still haven't seen him post about any specific book on the thread that I am sure is his.

127vus

Edited November 20, 2024 by umbrarchist
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[Pioneer1]

....sounds more like something Chris Rock would say, lol.

[ProfD]

8 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

.....as long as you're READING SOMETHING you're honing your skills and learning.

Facts. 

 

Being well read can make people more knowledgeable, better in conversation and interesting instead of dull and boring.

 

8 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I believe they said that R.Kelly isn't just FUNCTIONALLY illiterate but TRULY illiterate, meaning he can't read a lick.

As I mentioned in another thread when this came up, it's even more amazing that R. Kelly became a successful artist, songwriter and music producer despite an real or perceived shortcomings in his literacy.

[Pioneer1]

One function is Left Brained...the other is Right Brained.

 

[Troy]

On 11/19/2024 at 8:51 AM, umbrarchist said:

Gaddafi was overthrown and killed.  CIA involvement in the first and NATO involvement in the second.

 

Yes that had a destabilizing impact on the entire continent another reason many Africans were hoping for a Trump victory.

 

On 11/19/2024 at 8:51 AM, umbrarchist said:

Read what? And WHY?

 

I'd be VERY surprised if Burton created that meme, it is way off brand.  If you can share a link I would go to social media to check that out.

 

Once you start reason you will discover what is important.

 

Here is a video of a Ben Okri that I shot where he describes what to read.  Again no specific books, but the why is helpful. 

 

 

 

[ProfD]

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

One function is Left Brained...the other is Right Brained.

intelligence is not partial to one side of the brain. 

 

That's why folks are considered functionally illiterate. 

 

While they may not read and write according to a standard, they find other ways to gather and retain information i.e. learn and live productively. 

 

Many artists can sing songs or rap lyrics without writing them down.

 

Many highly proficient musicians cannot read sheet music.  They're considered musically illiterate.  Their natural talent tells a different story. 

 

Scientists came up with left and right brain qualities but there are plenty shades of gray (no pun intended) in the middle.

[umbrarchist]

2 hours ago, Troy said:

 

Yes that had a destabilizing impact on the entire continent another reason many Africans were hoping for a Trump victory.

 

 

I'd be VERY surprised if Burton created that meme, it is way off brand.  If you can share a link I would go to social media to check that out.

 

Once you start reason you will discover what is important.

 

Here is a video of a Ben Okri that I shot where he describes what to read.  Again no specific books, but the why is helpful. 

 

 

 

Vague advice is not very useful. 6 comes closest. No comment about science and technology. Sounds like a Liberal Arts perspective.

 

I don't know about any books my parents read. My mother called my books "Something Crazy".

 

I read Souls of Black Folks in high school because I encountered so much mention of it. After I finished it I thought "Why do I keep hearing about this antiquated drivel?"

 

It is from 1903. Before the Ford Model-T in 1908. Before WWI 1914 to 1918. I never heard of Hubert Henry Harrison until his book turned up in Project Gutenberg that I check a couple of times per month.

 

There should be a Starter List.

[Troy]

3 hours ago, umbrarchist said:

There should be a Starter List.

 

There are many such lists. There are dozens of reading lists on this site alone.

 

Here is one that was published around the time I started my website: The QBR 100 Essential Black Books. One of my favorites is Ben-Jochannan, Clarke & Van Sertima’s Reading Lists. It is even older now more than 40 years old. A great overview of contemporary fiction and nonfiction may be found on book cub reading list I share -- especially Go On Girl! book club's reading list.

 

 

[umbrarchist]

1 hour ago, Troy said:

There are many such lists. There are dozens of reading lists on this site alone.

That's my point. There are dozens.

What do you expect 10 year olds to do?

 

How many are designed to sell books?

[richardmurray]

On 11/19/2024 at 8:51 AM, umbrarchist said:

He didn't name a single book.

@umbrarchist good point, it matters what you read. Just reading isnt enough , especially with black folks. 

i will be blunt, black children need black fiction fantasy from the black community pre mid 1900s. In my parents home, so many books had stories of black fantasy/fiction that predated the mid 1900s Meaning these books were not, black cinderella, black snow white, black dc marvel characters most written by whites. 

why do I say this, one thing I hear a lot from black people is how little fiction or fantasy they had growing up, but they were still readers, so the problem is their parents didn't get the books they needed as black kids. 

[umbrarchist]

9 hours ago, richardmurray said:

@umbrarchist good point, it matters what you read. Just reading isnt enough , especially with black folks. 

i will be blunt, black children need black fiction fantasy from the black community pre mid 1900s. In my parents home, so many books had stories of black fantasy/fiction that predated the mid 1900s Meaning these books were not, black cinderella, black snow white, black dc marvel characters most written by whites. 

why do I say this, one thing I hear a lot from black people is how little fiction or fantasy they had growing up, but they were still readers, so the problem is their parents didn't get the books they needed as black kids. 

Of course this is verboten because it was written by a White guy.

http://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/2008/08/mack-reynolds-on-africa-islam-utopia-and-progress.html
Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/32390
Border, Breed nor Birth by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/30639

 

Edited November 23, 2024 by umbrarchist
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[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

intelligence is not partial to one side of the brain. 

 

I know.
I meant it in a SYMBOLIC way.

 

Meaning, some folks lean more towards being artistic while others lean more towards being linear and logical.

 

 

That's why folks are considered functionally illiterate. 

 

While they may not read and write according to a standard, they find other ways to gather and retain information i.e. learn and live productively. 

Many artists can sing songs or rap lyrics without writing them down.
 

Many highly proficient musicians cannot read sheet music.  They're considered musically illiterate.  Their natural talent tells a different story. 

 

Facts.
But this isn't so much a matter of literacy as much as it's a matter of INTELLIGENCE.
The ability to acquire, understand, and retain information.

However.....
Being able to read and being well read IS a sign of high intelligence.
Just like earning high degrees in education.

It's PROOF of a high intellectual capacity.

[richardmurray]

@umbrarchist

14 hours ago, umbrarchist said:

Mack Reynolds

thank you, i should had asked all to link work that is public. To be blunt, i didn't know gutenburg had this work. I need to search there. 

[umbrarchist]

2 hours ago, richardmurray said:

@umbrarchist

thank you, i should had asked all to link work that is public. To be blunt, i didn't know gutenburg had this work. I need to search there. 

 

Were you aware of Mack Reynolds and just didn't know about the North Africa Trilogy?

 

Black Man's Burden was published in 1961 when Patrice Lumumba was assassinated. Then 50 years later in 2011 NATO helps overthrow Gaddafi while a Black man is in the White House.  What did Obama think was going on. Was the 10 years after Gaddafi better for Libya than the 10 years before?

 

382 vus

[richardmurray]

@umbrarchist

I wouldn't say aware as I never read his work but the name I recall from here or there. I am part of many writing groups, to be blunt, i have not read most of the writers names i have heard. But I do wonder how many other works are in gutenberg. Maybe one day I will take the time to search gutenberg and get a collection of black authors works... 

 

well..the libyan people or at least some people in libya killed quaddafi. I argue the libyan people who killed quaddafi or didn't stop him from being killed by those who did,  are getting what they deserve. 

[umbrarchist]

11 hours ago, richardmurray said:

Maybe one day I will take the time to search gutenberg and get a collection of black authors works... 

https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/6

 

Vus417

[Troy]

On 11/22/2024 at 6:34 PM, umbrarchist said:

What do you expect 10 year olds to do?

They can seek the guidance of an adult, librarian, teacher, friend, etc. Besides at 10, I had no problem finding books I enjoyed reading. This is not difficult or. complicated.

 

On 11/22/2024 at 6:34 PM, umbrarchist said:

How many are designed to sell books?

Did you look at any of the list? If so, you will say bye buttons for all the books on all the lists I shared.

 

On 11/23/2024 at 9:43 PM, umbrarchist said:

Were you aware of Mack Reynolds and just didn't know about the North Africa Trilogy?

this bio has been on the website for sometime https://aalbc.com/authors/Mack+Reynolds oh I’m not sure why there are no books associated with it…

[richardmurray]

@Troy

1 hour ago, Troy said:

I’m not sure why there are no books associated with it…

 

will you list project gutenberg books with deceased black authors... or deceased authors in general ?