Book Review: Our Black Year by Maggie Anderson and Ted Gregory
“Our Black Year” by Maggie Anderson with Ted Gregory
c.2012, PublicAffairs
$25.99 / $29.00 Canada
299 pages, includes notes
Reviewed by Terri S.
The bag might as well be made of gold.
That’s because what’s inside cost you dearly: groceries mostly, a little milk, pasta, spinach, those chocolate bars you like, and two apples. That’ll last you today.
Tomorrow, you’ll have to go get another golden bag and buy some more.
And if you’re author Maggie Anderson, you’ll drive 20 miles to shop even though there’s a grocery store around the corner. For Anderson, it’s not what she bought but where she bought it, and in her new book “Our Black Year,” you’ll see how careful purchasing might change a community.
It started with a five-star restaurant.
As Maggie Anderson and her husband were celebrating their anniversary, they started talking about how blessed they were. The Andersons were both educated, had great jobs, and lived in a better Chicago suburb. On that night, they were the only Black people at the restaurant, which spurred them to talk about “the discouraging status of Blacks in America.”
As usual, they discussed some kind of action. They knew that Black Americans have nearly $1 trillion of buying power, but that each dollar spent in an African American business circulates for only 20 minutes before it ends up outside the community. They knew that just two percent of every dollar spent by Black Americans goes to a Black-owned business.
They were always going to do something, but life got in the way. Then, five years and two daughters later, the time was right: throughout 2009, the Andersons decided they would only buy Black.
It would end up being a long year.
The name they chose for their endeavor conflicted with that of a major magazine which threatened to sue. Publicity and financial support were initially shaky. Black-owned grocery stores were scarce and black-owned clothing stores were few. Finding what the Andersons needed for their growing family often meant long drives or visits to iffy stores in bad neighborhoods. Businesses seemed to close before their eyes.
Then, a surprising thing happened: Anderson began to change some minds. Meanwhile, her experiment changed her.
Gotta be shoppin’ til you’re droppin’? Then you might want to drop a few dollars on “Our Black Year,” but there are some things you should know first…
Author Maggie Anderson is incredibly detailed in her story, so much so that she includes over 80 pages of notes at the end of this book. That’s good, but what’s not-so-good are incessant street-by-street, corner-by-corner descriptions of her search for Black-owned businesses. To know that she’s looking is important. To know exact streets, for most readers, is not.
I also wondered why Anderson felt the need to re-hash the ugliness of critics. I think most readers would easily believe there were haters; to add their comments, verbatim, detracted from the well-meaning goodness of her experiment.
And that goodness is why I ultimately recommend this book: in the end, “Our Black Year” is a (mostly) do-able, interesting challenge for African Americans everywhere. Yes, this book has its bumpiness, but I’d say bag it up soon.
Book Review; The man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen
“The Man Who Quit Money” by Mark Sundeen
c.2012, Riverhead Books
$15.00 / $17.50 Canada
272 pages
Just about fifteen cents.
That’s all you ever find between the sofa cushions. It’s never a huge amount of money
but for some silly reason, it makes you inordinately happy.
Same thing when you find a fiver stashed in last winter’s jacket, or a couple Washingtons in an old forgotten purse or wallet. It’s as if you just won the micro-lottery. You feel strangely rich.
Now imagine never finding money. Imagine never wanting it at all. In the new book “The Man Who Quit Money” by Mark Sundeen, you’ll read about the author’s friend, who’s penniless on purpose.
Back in the days before Mark Sundeen had a mortgage and a successful writing career, back when most of his possessions fit in the bed of a pickup, Sundeen lived a carefree life as an itinerant river guide, sleeping in his truck and eking out a living in Moab, Utah.
He wasn’t alone in that unbothered existence. Many people, discouraged by government actions or corporate greed, left the grid to live in Moab.
One of them was Sundeen’s friend, Daniel Suelo.
Born into an ultra-conservative fundamentalist family, Daniel Suelo was a sensitive child who took his faith extremely seriously. Still, during college, he re-examined his beliefs and began to hypothesize about certain aspects of God. After a stint with the Peace Corps, he started questioning the validity of organized religion. He’d noticed the wide chasm between The Haves and The Have-Nots and how money seemed to change everything, which seemed unchristian-like and wrong. Further muddling his deeply introspective thoughts on religion, Suelo realized he was gay. Finding a community where eccentricity was barely noticed and tolerance is expected was, therefore, a godsend for Suelo. In 2000, after a stay in the Canada wilderness, he left his last $30 in a phone booth and moved to Moab.
There, Sundeen says, Suelo lives with few possessions in whatever shelter he can find. He dines from a Dumpster, volunteers, and enjoys an active social life.
There, he lives “abundantly” with zero money.
Could I do it?
That’s the question you’ll ask yourself over and over as you’re reading “The Man Who Quit Money.” It’s a tantalizing thought, this chuck-it-all life, and author Mark Sundeen lets his readers ponder it as he tells the life story of his friend, Daniel Suelo.
But this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill biography. Sundeen lends his readers a good sense of who Suelo really is, while still preserving the enigmatic aspects. He lets us scoff a little, then he pulls us back into wholeheartedly agreeing with Suelo, almost to the point of wanting to live in a cave, too.
Notice I said “almost.” Sundeen is stingy with romanticism and freely relates hardships while he also examines the morals behind money and why most of us chase it.
I think that if you’ve ever seriously considered your cash and wondered if you could really live without it, here’s your chance to reflect. For you, “The Man Who Quit Money” is a book to take to the sofa.
King by Treymane “G” Johnson
King by Treymane “GS” Johnson
Reviewed by Pathfinder
If you’re a lover of stories about the gritty streets of the inner city, then “King”, a fast paced action filled novel by Tremayne ‘GS’ Johnson might be to your likening. It tells the story of a young immigrant Deon “King” Toure, who arrives from the South American country of Guyana, with his mother after his father, a corrupt general, drug trafficker, and murderer goes on the run.
Upon his arrival to his new country, Deon is quickly greeted and looked upon by his peers as an outsider in his Brooklyn neighborhood. It wasn’t long before he’s befriended by an elementary schoolmate, Jayson aka Jay-Roc. Taking him under his tutelage, Jay-Roc introduces his young prodigy to the hard knock reality of the gritty underworld of their Bed-Stuy neighborhood, where drugs, guns, fast money, sex, death, loyalty, betrayal and respect ruled. Deon now acclimated to the ins and outs of the drug game, along with his mentor Jay-Roc, set up a crew that would wreak havoc on their rivals and anyone who gets in their way as they seek their fame and fortune.
I lived for some time in the same Brooklyn neighborhood where the story takes place; and I must say, the author did a wonderful job of taking me back to my Halsey Street, Ralph Avenue, Broadway and Putnam Avenue neighborhood. If you’re from Bed-Stuy, you will certainly love the trip down memory lane. The believability of some of the events that took place while Deon and Jay-Roc were in elementary school was difficult for me to digest. Perhaps if the events and lifestyle they had led up to that point had taken place in high school, it would have been more believable. But I just couldn’t relate to it, nonetheless, there were moments when I was totally engrossed in the book.
Posturing, pretense and self-importance comes into play as Deon, Jay-Roc and their associate’s end up becoming victims in the gritty concrete jungle called Bed Stuy. A plethora of issues derails and grips their lives, as friends become rivals, and the women in their lives are no different; as distrust, loyalty, forgiveness, cheating, love, money, and respect couldn’t prevent the inevitable.
In spite of the fast paced action, which I liked, “King” was a quick read. Yet there were moments where certain events and situations would appear without a clear indication of why it occurred. A good editor would have made a huge difference. The narrative could have been much clearer. At times the sentences needed continuity, but instead are cut short in order to begin a new one, thus disrupting the story’s flow. Also, the narrative at times clearly should have been a part of the dialogue, but that wasn’t the case. Nevertheless, it was an exciting read and I enjoyed it. If Mr. Johnson can find himself an editor, it would be a great asset.
Survivor I Changed the Rules by Therone Shellman
Reviewed by Denise Gillete
Therone Shellman bares his life story in his autobiography Survivor I Changed the Rules. As a youth he and his siblings were taken from their mother, placed into foster care, and shuffled around. They end up being adopted by a family whose interests in adopting were at the very least questionable.
At age 15 he turns to selling drugs to earn money to move him and his younger sister out of the home of their adoptive parents. As time goes on, he spends more time in illicit activities and less time in school until one day his adoptive parents find out about his truancy from school and he’s kicked out the home. After this he stops going to school completely. Soon enough he finds himself in jail for 6 counts of armed robbery and 1 attempted murder. Most of the charges are dismissed and he takes a plea deal.
While in prison he reflects on his life and vows to make better choices for himself when released on parole. After release, months of being unable to find work and the lure of fast money has him back in the streets hustling. He ends up getting locked up on a parole violation, and after being locked up several times for more parole violations over the next few years he realizes something has to change. He serves a year on his last violation and makes plans for things to be different when he gains his freedom. Upon release from prison, he finds employment and moves up the ladder of corporate America, but still has dreams to form his own company. He eventually resigns from his position in the corporate world and does just that.
Each chapter of the book is introduced with a brief that will stir you to reflect and relate. Survivor I Changed the Rules is motivating, uplifting, and thought-provoking. A foray into a world that so many venture into but never make it back out. A highly recommended read, especially for young black men who aspire to travel a path that for most ends up with them being dead or in jail.
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (March 2, 2010)
Author: Mara Shalhoup
ISBN: 0312383932
Price: $15.99
Pages: 320
Book reviewed by Q.B. Wells
“Stunt so hard make them come and indict me” – Rick Ross, “BMF”
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family is a stunning documentary like telling of the street legend Big Meech. Songs, articles, dvd’s, music videos and photos of BMF promoted the organization as a brand – a lifestyle of leisure. The leisure was so outrageous, I personally couldn’t believe that it was more than a hyped up myth. In star studded fashion, Journalist Mara Shalhoup substantiates the records and events of the BMF from court records and Big Meech himself.
Shalhoup separates fact from fiction by weaving together the narrative of two young who make it out of the Detroit ghetto by selling drugs. The young teenagers grow into men and accumulate an enormous amount of money. They make so much money that they can’t find enough places to put it and therefore one brother Big Meech starts a record company.
One of the most troubling and insanely interesting chapters was “Stay Strapped”. In the chapter, a BMF affiliated artist Jay “Young Jeezy” Jenkins places a bounty on the chain of rapper Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis. A group of men later storm Gucci Mane’s house. A shootout occurs and one of the men was found dead. Gucci Mane was charged with murder but later beat the charges. He lived another day because he stayed strapped.
There are so many events, characters and incidents that the story at times can be confusing. The pictures and the names and main players serves as a needed supplement.
While the book covers most of the newsworthy incidents, connections to the Atlanta Mayor and the excessive lifestyle, it lacks in telling the personal story of Big Meech and what allowed him to make so many connections in such a turbulent and violent drug culture. Not just anybody could manage the amount of people and accumulate the amount of cash he did without some exceptional management skills.
Big Meech dreamed of being a P. Diddy, Jermaine Dupree, Russel Simmons – someone who made their money off the music business and entertainment. In a culture where sports and music are the best options of packaged hope for the youth, Big Meech represented the underground option- the drug dealer.
The issue is that Shalhoup illustrates a gripping tale that relayed the image of a stereotypical clown that had a chance with the cash and blew it on the wrong artist. Better yet, just blew it too fast.
The tragedy of the book is that it observes Big Meech to be bigger than life but does not tell more about the roots and experiences of his youth that may be more similar to the kids that look up to him and want to emulate his actions.
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family is a recommended read that entertains and surely to be made into the next American Gangster episode. But no matter how much money and fame is attained, those already familiar with the culture know how the story ends.
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family
Reviewed by Q.B. Wells
“Stunt so hard make them come and indict me” – Rick Ross, “BMF”
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family is a stunning documentary like telling of the street legend Big Meech. Songs, articles, dvd’s, music videos and photos of BMF promoted the organization as a brand – a lifestyle of leisure. The leisure was so outrageous, I personally couldn’t believe that it was more than a hyped up myth. In star studded fashion, Journalist Mara Shalhoup substantiates the records and events of the BMF from court records and Big Meech himself.
Shalhoup separates fact from fiction by weaving together the narrative of two young who make it out of the Detroit ghetto by selling drugs. The young teenagers grow into men and accumulate an enormous amount of money. They make so much money that they can’t find enough places to put it and therefore one brother Big Meech starts a record company.
One of the most troubling and insanely interesting chapters was “Stay Strapped”. In the chapter, a BMF affiliated artist Jay “Young Jeezy” Jenkins places a bounty on the chain of rapper Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis. A group of men later storm Gucci Mane’s house. A shootout occurs and one of the men was found dead. Gucci Mane was charged with murder but later beat the charges. He lived another day because he stayed strapped.
There are so many events, characters and incidents that the story at times can be confusing. The pictures and the names and main players serves as a needed supplement.
While the book covers most of the newsworthy incidents, connections to the Atlanta Mayor and the excessive lifestyle, it lacks in telling the personal story of Big Meech and what allowed him to make so many connections in such a turbulent and violent drug culture. Not just anybody could manage the amount of people and accumulate the amount of cash he did without some exceptional management skills.
Big Meech dreamed of being a P. Diddy, Jermaine Dupree, Russel Simmons – someone who made their money off the music business and entertainment. In a culture where sports and music are the best options of packaged hope for the youth, Big Meech represented the underground option- the drug dealer.
The issue is that Shalhoup illustrates a gripping tale that relayed the image of a stereotypical clown that had a chance with the cash and blew it on the wrong artist. Better yet, just blew it too fast.
The tragedy of the book is that it observes Big Meech to be bigger than life but does not tell more about the roots and experiences of his youth that may be more similar to the kids that look up to him and want to emulate his actions.
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family is a recommended read that entertains and surely to be made into the next American Gangster episode. But no matter how much money and fame is attained, those already familiar with the culture know how the story ends.
Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife by Nikki Turner
“Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife” by Nikki Turner
c.2011, Ballantine Books / One World
$14.00 / $16.00 Canada 213 pages
Everybody loves surprises.
Flowers for no reason. A bonus in the old paycheck. A fiver found on the sidewalk. Even a phone call or email from a long-lost friend can put the bounce back in your step and the smile back on your face.
Everybody loves surprises, but not the kind Yarni received. Her husband, Des, survived an attempted murder, then announced that he’s a father again. And in the new novel, “Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife” by Nikki Turner, that’s far from the only surprise Yarni has coming.
Desmond “Des” Taylor wishes he knew who tried to kill him. If he knew, the fool wouldn’t be walking the streets, that’s for sure, but danger is part of the life of a hustler. For now, until word on the street flushes out the wanna-be gunman, all Des can do is surround himself with trusted associates and keep on preaching the Word of God at Good Life Ministry, the church he set up to launder money.
As a corporate lawyer, Yarni Taylor tries to live life on the straight-and-narrow but it’s not easy, knowing what she knows about her husband. She can’t deny that she knew Des was a hustler when she married him, but though she’s tried to make him promise to leave the life, he’s still doing things she doesn’t like.
She loves her husband. The attempted murder scares her.
Then, just days after the shooting, Good Life Ministry is violently robbed in the middle of services, and one of Des’s men is killed. Yarni learns that her mother has cancer, and with no time to mourn everything that’s happened so quickly, Des explains to Yarni that a daughter he’s never seen – a daughter he didn’t even know about – is coming to Virginia until things cool down back home.
The girl, it seems, has been in a little trouble.
Desember Day is a lot like the father she’s about to meet. She loves fiercely and passionately, she knows how to use a gun, and she understands the art of the hustle. But Desember also takes after her new stepmother, too: when anybody messes with the ones she loves, they’re in for a very big and nasty surprise…
Hard-edged, hard-boiled, and hard to put down. That pretty much describes this latest novel by author Nikki Turner, and you’ll have a hard time resisting it.
Fans of Turner’s last novel, which gave us Desember Day in depth, will be happy to see this tender young woman again, as she grows up a little more. Desember has a good role model in her stepmother, and readers will love seeing Yarni – usually so put-together and calm – as she unleashes her inner tiger in this book.
Yes, there’s a cliffhanger at the end of “Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife” and it’s a biggie. But that will only have fans waiting in line for the next book because, for anybody who wants something very different and for novel lovers who like things a little rough, this delicious series is surprisingly addictive.
How to Get Out Your Own Way by Tyrese Gibson
“How to Get Out of Your Own Way” by Tyrese Gibson
c.2011,
Grand Central Publishing
$24.99 / $27.99 Canada 275 pages
They say the economy’s getting better.
They say things are looking up, that business is starting to recover.
But they couldn’t prove it by you. For months now, you’ve been spinning your wheels in the sand, your dreams on hold along with your life. You’re wondering if the economy is to blame or if there’s something else…
In the new book “How to Get Out of Your Own Way” by Tyrese Gibson, you’ll see that your problems may be attributed to something much closer.
Growing up in a rough area south of L.A.’s Watts neighborhood, Tyrese Gibson had plenty of opportunities to get in trouble. Gangs were all over, but – despite that his father was absent and his mother was an alcoholic – Gibson somehow avoided the worst. It helped that his stepfather guided him, and that he had a regular church life.
He also had a goal: to make music.
Gibson says he loved to sing and perform, which led him to win a talent contest and which opened the doors to a multifaceted career. Gibson is usually known by only his first name to fans of his movies and music.
But “Over the last decade, I have come to realize that God’s purpose for me is to reach out to people,” he says. “… I want to give people permission to want better for themselves…”
This book is the result.
The first step in taking your life “to another level” is to “know that there are better circumstances you can be in.” Learning to love yourself enough to find them is “technically getting out of your own way.”
Learn to think differently, he says. Find a positive spirit, stop living negatively, and clean up your surroundings. If people think of you the wrong way, work hard to change that. Become a role model, especially for your children. Wisely choose your “circle of five” and don’t hang out with anyone who doesn’t deserve your time. Share your ideas with the world. Understand that “selfish” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Always be strategizing and you will be prepared for the good and the bad.”
Tired of going nowhere, fast? “How to Get Out of Your Own Way” may help motivate you. Or maybe not.
There’s no doubt that this book will help readers to stop sabotaging themselves and their careers. Author, singer, and actor Tyrese Gibson offers sound advice mixed in with personal anecdotes that well-illustrate his points, and his words will resonate with today’s youth.
And there’s the thing: “How to Get Out of Your Own Way” seems geared more toward younger readers in need of a boost. Gibson, in fact, devotes several pages to teens and an entire segment to dating-mating issues that seasoned businesspeople likely won’t find relevant.
I think, if you’ve been in business for awhile, “How to Get Out of Your Own Way” probably isn’t a good fit for you. But for new grads or someone who’s landed that first important job, you’ll have a hard time finding something better.
Raw Law by Muhammad Ibn Bashir
“Raw Law” by Muhammad Ibn Bashir, Esq.
c.2011, Cash Money Content / Atria Books
$15.99 / $17.99 Canada 203 pages
Reviewed by Terri S.
There was no way you weren’t going to walk.
You weren’t carrying. There was nothing on you, you weren’t armed, and the cops couldn’t catch you at something you weren’t doing. But you were there when it all went down, and you were arrested just the same.
Now the only walk you’re doing is in leg irons. You got fifteen with six and you’re still wondering how it happened.
Could you have done anything differently to avoid arrest, trial, or prison? According to Muhammad Ibn Bashir, Esq., there are lots of things you could’ve done, starting with staying clean in the first place. In his book “Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice”, he explains.
It’s no secret that today’s prisons are filled with young black men who didn’t follow the “rules” of the courts or the hood. Bashir blames Hip-Hop for the problem, in part. He also points to lack of education and mixed messages sent to the younger generation. And, he says, when someone is caught doing something illegal, the “little rock slinger” wasn’t mature enough to handle the level of respect he demands.
So, okay. You know you’re committing acts that could get you arrested. You’ve already been in trouble, or someone in your family has. What next?
Rule Number One of criminal justice, according to Bashir, is “DO NOT GET IN” to the system. The second rule is to “come correct” when arrested. The third rule is easy: know your friends and your enemies.
Understand, says Bashir, that there are “only two truths” to what you’re about to experience and you won’t like either one: no matter how the case ends up, there will be no justice. And “you may get exactly what you deserve.”
Be willing to call the best lawyer you can afford, and listen to him or her. Keep your mouth shut and answer when asked. Never sign anything blank. Take the plea if your lawyer advises it; it often really is the best deal.
And if you’re tempted by illegal activities and wondering how much trouble you could get into for real, read this book. In a few chilling pages, Bashir envisions a future for you that also affects everybody you love…
Part guidebook, part dictionary, and part wake-up call to anyone considering doing something illegal or stupid, “Raw Law” is just about the scariest book you’ll ever read – particularly if you or your family is heading down the kind of road that may need this book.
Author and attorney Muhammad Ibn Bashir is brutally honest with his readers from start to finish, and he doesn’t hide a thing. Bashir speaks directly to his audience in language they’ll understand, which not only makes the legal system a bit more understandable, but which gives readers something hard and “real” to think about.
While “Raw Law” can be read by anyone, it’s mainly for African Americans who are trouble or are going in that direction. If that’s you or someone in your family, don’t walk – run – and find this book.
