About a quarter way through Travellng Soul, a biography on Curtis Mayfield by Todd Mayfield. Dipping into Jimmys Blues, a small volume of Baldwins poetry. A lovely gift from my daughter.

 

 

I'm reading a few books but am primarily focused on Evil Never Sleeps: Tales of Light and Darkness, by Robert Fleming. 

 

Robert is one of America’s most accomplished writers.  He has written poetry, novels, nonfiction articles, and has reviewed over 60 books for AALBC.  His work spans over 40 years.  

 

It seems to me that writers like Robert should be better known, but he is just your run of the mill late-middle-aged Black man {yawn}.  He’s not Caribbean or African, he’s not LGBT, he does not have a white parent, he can’t rap or dunk a basketball, he wasn’t gang banger or previously incarcerated. 

 

He is the kind of writer that I always complain about being ignored by the mainstream media. Robert's accomplishments will never go viral on twitter despite his significant contributions to our literature.

Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin 

Fledgling by Octavia Butler 

Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin 

Fledgling by Octavia Butler 

Just about to start reading this.

 

 

 

 

 

I just added Todd's book about his father to the website. Mayfield is actually one of my favorite artists.  I always discover interesting books on "What Are You Reading?" threads.  Hopefully more folks will chime in.

 

Great news,Troy. I put Curtis right up there with Otis and James Browm. A marvellous writer with so many songs with a message.

And it would be great to see others chip in 😀

This is something I'm NOT reading as its a new book for young adults and coming out very soon.

 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walter-naegle-book-signingdiscussion-troublemaker-for-justice-tickets-68137913333

 

 

 

 

Curtis Mayfield said the movie Superfly didn't glorify drug dealers, it was a story about redemption. 

His sound track was I have to watch the movie again to see how he justifies that statement.

About to start this. Looking forward to it.

 

 

13 hours ago, Troy said:

His sound track was I have to watch the movie again to see how he justifies that statement.

I haven't watched the film itself in years but listen occasionally to the soundtrack. Usually pick out a Mayfield album at random. His debut and Roots are amazing.

Almost finished Stokely, a Life and am about to start Harold Cruse'  Crisis of the Negro Intellectual. 

Im reading Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

 

this sounds good too

I just finished reading Ginger Bread by Helen Oyeyemi.

I finished Queenie a couple of weeks ago and posted this short description. 

 

 

 

I'm reading a couple of books; Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor and Elements of Fiction by Walter Moseley. 

Around 15 pages from the end of The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual. Phew..... longest book I've read in a while at about 520 pages. Anyway, next up is this which I'm dieing for.

 

 

Hey @Maurice The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual is a classic. I have not read it. What do you think about it? Does reasonate today?

 

I'll be honest about this book. I'd say quite easily that a good quarter of this went right over my head. I simply couldn't understand some of the passages. Now,I'm not sure why exactly. Perhaps, I'm not 'educated' enough. It was tough going at times and I'm kind of relieved I've finished. But it wasn't all bad.

The introduction left me bewildered, well the part saying that the only notable thing Leroi Jones did after 1965 was to change his name.  But this was said by Stanley Crouch. Cruse himself knew Leroi and didn't particularly have a bad word to say about the man. Baldwin came under some criticism as did Lorraine Hansberry.  W.E.B Du Bois rightfully came out unscathed. The young generation (at the time,1967) of Black Power individuals, though no names were mentioned, apart from Stokely, were put right. Black nationalism did not have a future.

Baracka did quite a bit after he changed his name, but the world changed and his popularity waned. The iconoclastic Crouch would be able to relate.

 

It wiuld be interesting to read anything negative saud about Baldwin. I can't imagine whar that might be... probably worth reading the book for that reason alone.

 

As far as Black Nationalism if he meant within the U.S. you did nit exactly need a crystal ball.

 

I just started:

The Secret of Freedom
by Vernon Kitabu Turner

 

It is supposed to be sort of like a cross between The Alchemist and The Little Prince ...I think 🙂

The book , as I said, was a struggle. And at around 560 pages seemed a little too long.

Perhaps, post 1967 Crouch changed his mind regarding Baracka. I like to think so. And yes, Black Nationlism in the US hadn't a future. 

Just started this, the second in the trilogy though I've already read Detroit 67 and Harlem 69.

 

 

I just finished Genesis Starts Again. It is a novel written for preteens but I would absolutely recommend it to older readers and even adults.

 

I currently rereading The Mis-Education of the Negro because if it actively speaks to our current predicament, I'm going to actively sell it in the real world. I'm also read The Famished Road as it generally regarded to be a great work of literature and I need to read some great literature now. I was pleased to discover my copy was signed to me by Ben Okri years ago (I'd forgotten 🙂)

Just starting the second chapter. Pretty good so far.

 

 

Virtually finished the above book and will immediately start on this. 

 

 

 

 

I'm not reading any books by black authors right now - but my next to last purchase from AALBC.store was

Here's another book I thought about today but it's not available here. I suspect this young man is one to watch. He's a yale/harvard graduate but says he has no interest in politics.  I wrote a blog post on him in 2014...when he was on the cusp of launching his nonprofit,  MBAs Across America that placed business people with nonprofits to help them achieve their goals.  He says he believes in purpose over profits which is definitely not the American way.  And this is what made me think of you @Troy because you mentioned in a post on here, that black people tend to "give" their talents away to big corporate.  Anyway, I wanted to link to aalbc for this memoir but it's not here.  I'll link to penguin for now. 

Edited February 9, 20206 yr by Mel Hopkins
Changed the nonprofit description

Thanks @Mel Hopkins the books on the site are just the ones I'm aware of, so your posting it here puts it on my "readar" and that of others reading this conversation.  

 

Just started this. 

 

 

15 hours ago, Troy said:

the books on the site are just the ones I'm aware of, so your posting it here puts it on my "readar" and that of others reading this conversation.  

 

@Troy  Great minds think a like lol..that was my goal.  I didn't want to assume you or others didn't know about it - so "phrasing" to showcase works best :D

Just started this. A Xmas pressie.

 

 

About half way through King Leopold's Ghost

Just finished Where the Crawdad's Sing. Picked it up in the 50% off bin at an airport bookstore. 

 

It was a decent story, perfect formula for a movie; story about love with a white female lead who over comes adversity dealt by several abusive white men, strong peripheral Black characters, beautiful setting. Good ending.

 

The cover is not right given the story.

 

This lil baby

 

Just finished the audio book of Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage. A really good and really relevant read though I admit that Silver Sparrow is still my favourite  by this author (and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read the physical copy). I blogged about it: https://jhohadli.wordpress.com/joannes-extra-ness/blogger-on-books-vlll-2020

I am reading Bring On the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins and Finding Samuel Lowe by Paula Williams Madison

I have not only read but wrote this book and would love someone read this book, Commitment, Service, Betrayal. After reading it, I would be most appreciative for a review.

I'm currently reading Paradise by Toni Morrison.  I'm about halfway through it and this is my third time reading a Morrison novel (Jazz and Song of Solomon) are the other two books I've read by her.  Morrison makes you work as a reader and you have to pay attention closely.  I will share a full review when I finish.

This looked a little 'academic' at first but turning out to be a good read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About to start on this. Don't know much about Chicago soul apart from the Impressions, the Dells and the Chi-lites so should be a informative read.

 

 

Very pleased to get this at a reasonable price.

 

Move on Up is a great book that examines the music & society of Chicago's Soul music scene. I have just finished two books by young Chicago authors Stateway Gardens By Jasmon Drain , a book of short stories & Everywhere You Don't Belong  by Gabriel Bump. Also reading & rereading some Baldwin for Evanston's year of Baldwin ( hopefully it will be continued once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted). Also reading a book of interviews with Percival Everett & various 33&1/3 books on Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, The Wild Tchoupitoulas & Jimi Hendrix. The Baraka autobiography is avery good book. Read it when it first came out, got him to sign it  when he came thru Chicago at one of our long gone Black  booksellers.

16 hours ago, Guest tolly devlin said:

Move on Up is a great book that examines the music & society of Chicago's Soul music scene. I have just finished two books by young Chicago authors Stateway Gardens By Jasmon Drain , a book of short stories & Everywhere You Don't Belong  by Gabriel Bump. Also reading & rereading some Baldwin for Evanston's year of Baldwin ( hopefully it will be continued once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted). Also reading a book of interviews with Percival Everett & various 33&1/3 books on Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, The Wild Tchoupitoulas & Jimi Hendrix. The Baraka autobiography is avery good book. Read it when it first came out, got him to sign it  when he came thru Chicago at one of our long gone Black  booksellers.

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Move on Up. Ah, see you have a interest in Hendrix. I've many books on the great man. Which Baldwin books are you rereading ? 

Oh, why don't you register with the forum?

The books scheduled for Evanston's Year of Baldwin are Go Tell it On The Mountain, which I  have read twice, Another Country which I read in college back in the 70's & Giovanni's Room ,which I have not read. BTW I have registered with this group several times but apparently it must have lapsed.

On 22 April 2020 at 1:10 PM, Guest tolly devlin said:

The books scheduled for Evanston's Year of Baldwin are Go Tell it On The Mountain, which I  have read twice, Another Country which I read in college back in the 70's & Giovanni's Room ,which I have not read. BTW I have registered with this group several times but apparently it must have lapsed.

Have you read any of Baldwins  essays at all? The Fire Next Time is excellent.

If you have trouble registering please contact Troy.

These three little gems are well worth a read.

Bought this book from a indie in London. I'm fact, they published it too.

 

Bought this a while back. Only just started reading it. Loosely based on the Emmett Till murder.

Finally, Ive got around to reading this. Finally.

 

I'm a big fan of beautifully crafted illustrations and a diverse cast of characters. The children dance off the pages, assisted by colorful graphics and an endearing message to get moving! 

I am about 1/3 of the way through Hiroona - An Historical Romance in Poetic Form, which is about the 2nd Carib War in St Vincent and the great paramount Black Carib (Garifuna) chief Chatoyer. Before that I finished Segu by Maryse Conde which was an enthralling historical fiction novel. I wrote a review about it here on my blog. Highly recommended reading!

Halfway through this. Pretty good.

 

 

I AM EXCITED!

 

I am waiting now for my book that I just purchased from this community:

BARRACOON by Nora Neale Hurston.

Oh, I am so excited. This book is my passion.

My ancestor--my Great grandmother was stolen from East Africa many years after the Slave Ship Trade

was supposed to be outlawed! Like this book, which is about a man who was stolen from West Africa 

and survived the voyage in 1860 and lived to tell his story, likewise my Great grandmother lived to be old.

Her story was passed down through my relatives and she lived to be 'just' over 100 years old.

One of my aunt who knew her, just died last year! And, I learned a lot about my Great grandmother from her and others.

So, I am looking forward to reading Barracoon!

 

WHAT AM I READING RIGHT NOW!?

Well although this author is NOT African American, however, for right now, I am reading his book and it is amazing!

The book is called A Dwelling Place by Erksine Clarke. It is about slavery in Georgia. He is a Harvard Graduate and his 

book won awards. It's so hard to put down. I have read about 400 pages into the total 600+ pages.