The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships

24626433-908b-482d-ac78-74c7dc759e660.2420590000000000TrueNewShip1Amazonpubdate:before 11-2009 and pubdate:after 08-2009 and subject:African AmericanRequestLargeBooks369371592404758http://www.amazon.com/Conversation-Black-Loving-Trusting-Relationships/dp/1592404758%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1592404758628http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL.jpg500339http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q79JZ3CFL.jpg500339Hill HarperHardcover306.81089960739781592404759ISBN13: 9781592404759Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>1592404758GothamEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished2250USD$22.50Gotham128812076070540Book2009-09-08GothamGothamThe Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships1315USD$13.152683USD$26.832330011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew2C%2BrQoMkw0sZSMShXzQLgcpNZtYjftEjOVztKPtGg4%2Bfqv5SwyCLWQo0fKRGbdvwb1AX39PAPer8Tj73LGqwb98NxfcrKje51315USD$13.15Usually ships in 24 hours14.0123159240475850A3N9ZDEB2BQTVP02009-09-26

Ok, It's Finally Been Said Aloud, Now Let's Commit to Its Reality

I purchased The Conversation after listening to Hill Harper on his KJLH (a Los Angeles radios station owned by Stevie Wonder) interview. I was very interested in reading The Conversation when I learned that the topic was the Black Family. I know that subtitle skates around that a bit, but after reading the book, I feel very comfortable addressing it that way. I, (like many young black women in the US), am educated, career driven, beautiful and SINGLE. Like the female contributors in the book I too believe that most of the black men that are what I would consider to be a good match for me are not remotely interested. I have been made to feel under appreciated, disrespected and in many cases just plain undesirable. If you are a forward moving (I don't like to use the word successful. You can have a great career but be a horrible father - does that make you successful?) black man or woman you are in a better position to elevate your black family. This should be equally as important as anything you EVER aspire to in your life. It is our responsibility to take care of each other. We have to reverse these negative stereo types (many of which are unfortunately true) by loving one another. Valuing and celebrating our blackness. It is a beautiful thing. If we all thought that to be a fact Hill's book would be unnecessary. Unfortunately that is not the case and I am happy that young people like Hill Harper are both recognizing and making efforts to do their part. Hill let's write a book that explores the relationships of happily married black couples so that we can inspire young black people to marry and restore the integrity of our black unions. It was a pleasure to meet you at the ANSA event Mr. Harper. I am the event planner who volunteered my services for a better South Africa. 159240475840AX0S89F03NNXG02009-09-25

Read the book for yourself before choosing sides!

I'm glad that I purchased this book and did not fall prey to reviews left by persons who have clearly not read (and have no intention of reading) Hill Harper's newest literary work. I will admit that this is my first time reading anything written by Mr. Harper, and his conversational-style of writing caught me off guard and took some time getting used to. By the middle of the book, I felt like I was having a conversation with him and even regarded some of his thoughts, experiences, and questions as my own. This book will add a substantial layer of openness, candid communication, and insight into the Black male/female relationship. I went over some of the questions - located in the Addendum - with a male friend of mine the same day I got the book, and it initiated a conversation about all sorts of things. I have truly enjoyed the book for the knowledge it has provided about the mind of the Black male, but also for the self-directed study that a "true" reading of this book provokes. There is no way to read this book, and not look at self as a deterrent of happiness and fulfillment in relationships. As with most other books, it is one person's opinion, and not fact. However, I feel that there is much truth in Mr. Harper's words. If anything, read the book so that you can establish a legitimate basis as to why you don't like what the author has to say before you condemn him. Hypocrisy and closed-mindedness serve no one.159240475831AUBW7RKC1INW12009-09-25

Aight

I have to agree with A. A. Locke "Locker". There is always a saying that when married women are having issues with their men; women tend to lean on the unmarried girlfriend. How can an unmarried, single never been married woman give advice on a married relationships? Thus, the same goes for the men as well. Hill Harper is a good author, however he is only writing on his take on relationships with the help of other married couples. What possibly can he add to the picture when he has never been married. His book should have been geared toward singles rather than adding the married couples since he has no experience. With that being said, the book was not too bad. It did touch on a lot of good points, however; it is not deep enough for me. There is more that needs to be added for this to be complete. If you are going to touch on black history of relationships, one has to go deeper.159240475851A2X16TTGSQ325J22009-09-20

Excellent Read!

I really enjoyed this book. I entered the reading process as a formally educated person (in pysch) taking a pleasurable gander into pop psych, as I do from time to time. But after a while, I began to enjoy the book from the perspective of a Black woman and not only as someone who enjoys the various forms of relationship psychology and information. The book is well-written. I enjoyed the quotes from Black married couples that were used to introduce the chapters (he used a few other quotes as well), the "bubble points" or text that he put in a bubble to drive a certain point or concept home, as well as the word for word excerpts from conversations that he had with Black men and women. The He Say/She Say chapter was very telling and slightly painful to read. That chapter contained many of the stereotypes that colour the conversations that Black men have about women and Black women have about men. While stereotypes often contain small amounts of truth, no stereotype should be used to paint an entire group of people--this is the point Harper illustrated quite well. One point that is made in the book is the idea of this "representation" that seems to occur within Black relationships. While a White couple may have an argument and only those partners will be held accountable and blamed, for a Black couple, the concept of the entire Black male population and entire Black female population can come into play in addition to the accountable partners. It seems that centuries of being treated as a monolithic "bad" group has permeated interpersonal relationships and allows Black people to see "all" a certain way instead of having a simple disagreement between a couple. In other words, if a Black male in a couple makes a mistake, his partner may blame him and may also say that all Black men are bad. Conversely, that Black male may then say all Black females are mean, instead of addressing the specific interpersonal issue at hand. All relationships have challenges, but the specific historical context and legacy attributed to Black people does pose other challenges that have to be addressed instead of ignored. He makes a clear point about Black people defining themselves instead of submitting to definitions made for Black people. Rebuking stereotypes and moving forward is one of the key points I absorbed from the book. Another point, applicable to any person, is leading your life through courage instead of fear, especially when it comes to love. That is not easy, but doable. I really enjoyed the three points he made towards the end of the book--principles he lives by. 1) Use the past as a guide, not a guarantee. 2) If you don't mean it, don't say it and 3) Laugh, dance and let your feelings show. Often negative pasts, the societal acceptance of "white lies" and the "seriousness" that comes with relationships can kill them before they start. While the book is not an anthropological or academic discourse, (nor did he mean it to be, as he stated on an interview on CNN) it is an excellent read and beneficial to Black people, whether single, dating, married or divorced. It contains interesting perspectives and a great deal of truth that cannot be denied. I appreciate the fact that he was willing to share personal feelings and experiences, instead of standing on the outside while sharing the information and stories within the book. I commend Harper for such a great book.159240475852A2MLW2E9ZR7KDW22009-09-18

Wonderful and Insightful

In "The Conversation" Hill Harper takes a no nonsense look at why male and female relationships sometimes don't work and explores how the communication can be strengthened so those relationships can be improved. It is not necessary for Hill to be happily married himself to share his thoughts, as it is apparent that through his research and conversations with others, his insight also comes from his own experiences of relating to the opposite sex himself and the challenges he himself has faced. This is a great conversation started.Product DescriptionIn his first book for adults, New York Times bestselling author Hill Harper invites you to join the Conversation: an honest dialogue about the breakdown of African—American relationships. For generations African Americans have turned to their families in times of need—but now, this proud and strong legacy is in peril. Black men and women have stopped communicating effectively and it threatens the very relationships and marriages necessary to sustain the Black family. Today, less than a third of Black children are being raised in two—parent households, a sharp decline from past generations. So, why is it so difficult for Black men and women to build long—term, loving and mutually beneficial relationships? What is happening in the community that makes it so hard for women and men to find their way to each other? And why are there so few people who manage to hold a marriage together, even after finding a person to love? In his moving yet practical book, Hill Harper undertakes a journey both universal and deeply personal in search of answers to these questions. He has conversations with friends and strangers—married, single and divorced—and learns about their private struggles, emotional vulnerabilities, and real concerns, and begins to see common themes emerge. As his journey picks up momentum, Hill begins to recognize his own struggles in other people's stories, and is encouraged to more deeply examine his own relationship issues. Why does so much misinformation and mistrust exist between the sexes? Hill addresses the stereotypes that have developed in the Black community, in the hope that by addressing the challenges, Black men and women can find their way to common ground. The Conversation aims to open up the lines of communication, and offers inspiration to those who want to take control of this crisis and start building successful, sustainable relationships. 1592404596Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your DestinyB002FUIJG0Silky Soul Music: All-Star Tribute to Maze Featuri1592402496Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny1416592245The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life0399154949Dare to Be a Man: The Truth Every Man Must Know . . . And Every Woman Needs to Know About Him11300African-American Studies11298Special Groups11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11383General11370Family Relationships20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books713530011General AAS11370Family Relationships20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books172722General20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books713528011General AAS20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR3OVJO80PYNGYWFor African-American Intellectuals006177460Xhttp://www.amazon.com/50th-Law-50-Cent/dp/006177460X%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D006177460X375http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL.jpg500338http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Jt39NbuUL.jpg50033850 CentRobert GreeneHardcover1589780061774607ISBN13: 9780061774607Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>006177460XHarperStudioEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished1999USD$19.99HarperStudio13048084090590Book2009-09-01HarperStudio2009-09-08HarperStudioThe 50th Law1083USD$10.831083USD$10.832630011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewjAABiDOWaqkcL0PVcEz79LFay5Xms2iB9x9ApJG1iIc1g6xphIrZ5l09EvUZ6rKn1WG1F69%2BOaFDaNvdaLLa0w%3D%3D1169USD$11.69Usually ships in 24 hours14.5174006177460X40A24KHVD0UM0S7Y02009-09-25

This is not a strategy book. This is a self-help book

I've read most of the already existing reviews. I think that there are some valid concerns. I also think that some people have this book wrong, which is why I think some of the reviews are overly low/negative. I will be honest. I COULDN'T WAIT TO BUY THIS! In case that you don't get it, I really wanted this book. Initially, I was disappointed by it. I was expecting 48 LoP or 39 SoW. Since I was expecting a book following these models, I was disappointed. HOWEVER, as I read this book, I came to realize that this didn't have to do with strategy but about self-help. I own a few "self-help" books. I own the original and the modernized versions of "Think & Grow Rich" as well as Keith Ferrazzi's book "Never Eat Alone." What I don't like about more traditional self-help books like T&GR is that you have to read the whole damned book to get the "secret" and the book is purposefully written to be vague to accomplish this purpose. This book was anything but that. It was very accessible. There isn't one "secret" but quite a few. I couldn't stop reading it and I imagine that I'll reread it again. If you go into it understanding that this is a self-help book and not a strategy one like Greene's previous works, then you won't be disappointed. For those people that called this uneven because of the writing style, they do have a point. I noticed some editing mistakes. In addition, I think that Greene's style was a little "dumbed down." The thing that we need to keep in mind is that this is a different kind of book. Having said this, I would definitely recommend this book. No, there isn't a 49th law (I get this question a lot) and the packaging is rather cheesey. HOWEVER, this is still a good book. I feel that in time, many people will come to see this.006177460X50A16YMCFWGSFGS902009-09-24

Practical and Entertaining

"The 50th Law" written by Robert Greene and rap superstar 50 Cent, is written as a practical guide for becoming fearless, interspersed with examples from 50 Cent's own life, as well as those of famous historical figures like Napoleon, Frederick Douglas, and Thomas Edison among many others. The book is broken down into ten chapters, with each one focusing on a particular idea connected to the book's theme. What I most appreciated about this book was how easy its lessons can be applied to real life. Some of the issues discussed include embracing reality, the ability to keep moving no matter what happens, utilizing aggression and confrontation without fear, as well as the importance of self-reliance, self-belief, and connection with others among other things. Equally interesting was 50 Cent's story, stretched out between the chapters and used to demonstrate Greene's points. Growing up in South Queens with his grandparents, 50 Cent participated in New York's drug industry by acting as a hustler and working the streets from a very early age. The word "fearless," as demonstrated by Greene, applied to his life like no other. Surrounded by hostile competitors, erratic buyers, violence, and the threat of going to jail, 50 Cent's daily life as a hustler was consistently dangerous. What I found most remarkable was 50 Cent's successful integration into the music industry, despite all odds being against him. Perhaps the main lesson of this book is having the right mind set and a willingness to fight despite all obstacles. 50 Cent's quotes are included throughout the book, which is gorgeously formatted with a black leather cover and gold pages. Overall, I found this book fascinating and its lessons very pertinent to everyday life. This is bound to be a good read for not only 50 Cent and Robert Greene fans, but also anyone looking for good practical advice on how to improve their lives. 006177460X50A2ABRHY6D1AVJO02009-09-22

totally great!!!!!!

Some other reviews gave the 50th Law a couple stars! WHAT!?!? This was a totally great place for him to go.....he covered POWER, WAR, SEDUCTION. where did you want him to go, DOG TRAINING?!?! Street smarts or laws of the streets was a great idea....for Greene to tackle. I loved Power, and War....and this book just adds more stategy, and reinforces more of his other books. The down side was.......it has toooooooo much 50 cent in it. Greene should have given other "ghetto/Street" references besides 50's, mixed with his historical examples to enforce his LAWS/RULES. It seemed like all the "street smarts" examples came from just 50. but he probably wasnt going go to the hood and knock on other players/pimps/dealers doors(they'd toss him around like a bag of OREOS)... but i guess i would have been more impressed with more collaborators than just 50, what about,eddie griffin (comedian), or even pimpin ken (self explanitory) they came from bad areas and situations and came up.I bet there are loads of people who would have had some KNoWlEdge to drop about this subject. If there were more collaborators i would say that this book would go down as THE STREET BIBLE!!! Every buisness person should read this book to mix a little "STREET" to their 7 habits/napolean hill/ e-myth library. The other downside is every homey and his baby's mama is gonna read this, think they are the next "ghetto CEO" and probably hurt themselves or other people, or they are going apply it to their GANG or something. I hope people read this to be more aware and just more street smart themselves. 006177460X53A848G0BGIKQUA32009-09-21

At The Blink of An Eye..

..Your life will be over. Will you look back on it with no regrets or will you be like the overwhelming majority of people who will say 'What If?' 50 Cent and Robert Greene have done a masterfel job in providing instructions on how to live life successfully..and with no regrets. The majority of people let fear dictate how they make decisions. They let fear keep them in jobs, relationships. and situations that no longer serve them. They let fear stifle their growth. 50 Cent beautifully illustrates that once you overcome the fear of death, there is NOTHING else to fear. You live life with a greater confidence in your God-given talents. You make the most of everyday. You pursue your passions to the point that it's no longer 'work' in a traditional sense but a labor of love. You are willing to practice regularly to master your craft. In addition, the authors talk about the importance of being fluid, unconventional and challenging industry norms in a strategic way. For example, most businesses in an industry all market the same way. Instead of following the herd, why not study what's successful in other industries and apply it to your own? That's how breakthroughs happen! You have to be able to adapt to the changing marketplace quickly so you can profit from it. 50 cent also talks about thinking long-term and looking into the future and not just being focused on today. Most people are so caught up in their life situations or 'problems' that they fail to use their mind's eye to see 'the battlefield' or the bigger picture. I love that 50 talked about becoming more self-reliant. That's a hard thing to do if you're always relying on a company to provide you with a regular paycheck or for job security. To me, it's almost like living at home with your parents as a grown adult with no plans of moving out anytime soon. He also talks about being careful to not be so seduced by technology. By all means, leverage technology to the fullest and maintain a sharp mind in the process. Unfortunately, technology has a way of 'dumbing down' people..if you let it. So I recommend you read the book, apply the instructions and take ownership of your life...before it's too late. 50 cent had to take ownership of his life at an early age given his dire circumstances. Why not be proactive and CHOOSE to take ownership of your life now? John Hinds Author of "What's In Your Water?"006177460X51A2ZV5GPV9WHHST12009-09-19

I LOVE THIS BOOK

Just picked this book up. It is a unique read. I would have to say that this book is well worth the money. I actually enjoyed it! Thumbs up! Reading this book gave me lots of insight to what is going on in my life. Thumbs up for this wonderful book! Product DescriptionIn The 50th Law, hip hop and pop culture icon 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) joins forces with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to write a "bible" for success in life and work based on a single principle: fear nothing. With intimate stories from 50 Cent's life on the streets and in the boardroom as he rose to fame after the release of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin', as well as examples of others who have overcome adversity through understanding and practicing the 50th Law, this deeply inspirational book is perfect for entrepreneurs as well as anyone interested in the extraordinary life of Curtis Jackson. 0140280197The 48 Laws of Power0142001198The Art of Seduction0143112783The 33 Strategies of War (Joost Elffers Books)0743488040From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens1890318191Death and Life of Philosophy2344Entertainers2327Arts & Literature2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books4533Rap4512Musical Genres4507Music86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books713218011General86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books4749Success4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books10635General10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books4556Popular Culture11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11289General11288Sociology11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books713503011General AAS11288Sociology11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR1E3XG5CGXYWW8Books I want to ReadR3HHMRD2J1223HInspiring and Motivating Books for Your Life!R2KNEPC7Z4ION4Books that I wantR12S2YC6YI0YJFGood, interesting, and entertaining African-American readsR1FUVY4B4UZHYSGreat books to curl up and read on a late night........1439158908http://www.amazon.com/Mama-Dearest-E-Lynn-Harris/dp/1439158908%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1439158908240http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL.jpg260175http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL.jpg260175http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tTBXP22AL.jpg260175E. Lynn HarrisHardcover813.549781439158906ISBN13: 9781439158906Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>1439158908Karen HunterEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished2599USD$25.99Karen Hunter1400150910125600Book2009-09-22Karen HunterKaren HunterMama Dearest1520USD$15.201509USD$15.091650011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewaJjcmH6rGkn%2FWu2uKXB26sn0Dvozadxd%2BcEh%2BimHi6Q6qRBzsi8BEZMk56XdPpa0V1ix8cjwwB%2BpuqLjcdkOGUaQ9tTB%2FhWo1520USD$15.20Usually ships in 24 hours14.051143915890840A3TDSH0NZEO4VE02009-09-27

I enjoyed it...

It was a really good read...Ava (mama dearest)was a str8t up mess..how could some1 hate their own child so much. Lord!! I wish Mr. Basil would of had more play but of course it was not about him or Raymond...dang!! And how could Yancey fall 4 the okie dokie with S. Marcus....girl bye!!...., but anyway I enjoyed this read I just hate it will be the last from the late great E. Lynn Harris.143915890851A3BXFR8EVGR47S22009-09-26

TRUE LOVE WILL FINALLY PREVAIL

IT WAS GREAT TO SEE AVA GET WHAT SHE DESERVED. THE PROBLEM WITH AVA WAS SHE NEEDED SOMEONE TO LOVE HER ALSO. YANCY WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROBLEM. HOWEVER IT WASN'T TOO LATE FOR HER. DERRICK WAS SO UNDERSTANDING AND WAS TRULY IN LOVE WITH YANCY AFTER ALL OF THOSE YEARS. I HATED TO SEE THE STORY END. I WANTED THE LOVE BETWEEN THREE (3) CHARACTORS TO CONTINUE. THIS IS A MUST READ. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. 143915890840A33V1OCHAWCG4102009-09-26

Good book, but wanted more

Okay I may be selfish, but I wanted so much more. Yeah the Yancey and Ava story line was interesting, but I fell in love with Basil the 1st time he entered the scene. I was hoping we would see more of him in this book, but I was hugely disappointed. Ava was a complete mess, and all the things Yancey let her get away with outraged me. Over all this was another great read, it only took me two days to finish. I hope we can be blessed with at least one more book and hopefully it's about Basil. I love E.Lynn Harris, have been a fan of his from day one, he will be greatly missed143915890836A3MIPZ0H6W5IZ472009-09-19

Didn't Love It

Personally, I love any and everything written by E. Lynn Harris. RIP to my favorite author. I've read 9 of his novels and his memoir. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book the way I thought I would. The plot consisted of an evil character that has become typical in his latest books. I was very excited about the guest appearances of Raymond, Basil and Nicole (THOSE ARE THE CHARACTERS THAT I WANT TO READ ABOUT) This was the most predictable of them all. I grew so annoyed with Ava and wondered why Yancey hasn't given up on her long before now. I wanted to put the book down when Yancey basically let Ava put her out of her own house. Maybe this book wasn't for me because it didn't seem real enough. However his earlier books were complete classics. I love E Lynn Harris and his books will be greatly missed.1439158908514A2RZ1WC0U0FMHK152009-09-13

The Divas Yancey and Ava are back...

I was so glad to hear that we would get another dose of Yancey and Ava the mother and daughter that you love to hate. Mr. Harris did a fine job in developing the story and allowing us to see a character that is not mainstream or seen in a lot of stories. The ruthless way that Ava dealt with her daughter and the jealously was classic. I found myself laughing and crying at some of the treatment. Ava was a villain to the nth degree and I was so happy when she got hers at the end. I had the opportunity in getting an advance copy and I couldn't put the book down. The drama and the plot twists of the story were brilliant. E Lynn Harris definitely knew how to keep you guessing and wondering what was going to happen next. I hope this will not be his last book even though he is no longer with us. I am praying that there is more books out there that just have not been released. I recommend this book as a must read, there was even appearances by Raymond Tyler and Basil Henderson that was very compelling in the story. I loved the way it ties up a lot of loose ends from previous books. I am the author of My Eyes Are Green and this author pushes me to become a better writer. Very entertained and satisfied, after a long week this was a refreshing getaway from all the stress of life. Product DescriptionOne of E. Lynn Harris's incomparable heroines, Yancey Harrington Braxton, is working her way back to Broadway and beyond. And this diva supreme always stirs up drama in and out of the spotlight....New York City, you've been warned: Yancey Harrington Braxton is back. The ambitious singer and actress is fired up to move past her recent professional and personal setbacks -- including an explosive romance with NFL tight end John Basil Henderson -- and prove her talents are stronger than ever. After being out on tour, Yancey realizes what she really wants is to star in her own reality TV series, and she's even found a rich and well-connected lover to make it happen. There are, however, two women fierce enough to derail Yancey's plans with ambitions of their own: Madison B., a hot new bombshell taking the music industry by storm, and Ava Middlebrooks, who happens to be Yancey's own mama dearest.Ava is out, about, and ready to reclaim her throne. Not even a stint in prison for attempted murder has curbed Ava's competitive nature, and it doesn't faze her in the least that her #1 rival is her own daughter. Ava is willing to do whatever it takes to make Yancey pay, including using Madison B. to turn Yancey's world upside-down by forcing her to confront the past...and making her comeback dreams more exciting and dangerous than she ever imagined.Taking readers on a wild, passion-filled tour of the entertainment world, E. Lynn Harris's Mama Dearest delivers sensual thrills and electric plot twists -- with one unforgettable woman of radiant star power, sexual magnetism, and unapologetic ambition at the heart of the action.0061443093A Deep Dark Secret1416596267The Million Dollar Demise: A Novel0525950575Resurrecting Midnight0767926277Basketball Jones0758212216God Ain't Blind542658Mothers & Children542654Women's Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books9834General9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books284464Harris, E. Lynn9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713392011General10125General17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books68262Multicultural23Romance1000Subjects283155Books13361General23Romance1000Subjects283155Books713660011General AAS23Romance1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR26M6OE5333P49**WARNING**Addictive Bookclub BooksRSRXK8TCR55GOBest reads for African-AmericansRKSR9GSPQCQE3Must-Read RomanceR1CLWJMXV2ABGUThe Last Good Reads of SummerR195N3ULQ3WT3DMore BOOKS I Must Read!!!!R20PDL7ZPNU9PDUrban Reviews - Newly Released African American FictionR1VKW76Z7ICKE7Most Anticipated Black Fiction Books (Upcoming Titles)0758212216http://www.amazon.com/God-Aint-Blind-Mary-Monroe/dp/0758212216%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D07582122164001http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL._SL75_.jpg7549http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL._SL160_.jpg160104http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL.jpg500326http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL._SL75_.jpg7549http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL._SL160_.jpg160104http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJIHYlGYL.jpg500326Mary MonroeHardcover813.549780758212214ISBN13: 9780758212214Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>0758212216DafinaEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished2400USD$24.00Dafina1320160920105600Book2009-09-01DafinaDafinaGod Ain't Blind1162USD$11.621301USD$13.011870011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewS%2BjrImu%2F1s%2FXGtvxoRn6ZGTaAYSWIWr8vmZdeLZWggihck%2BZ0HgbCDLTOMqdgFvpIEdIGKeY8p53ruNRfYjwE5ZXQK0VtlZV1632USD$16.32Usually ships in 24 hours13.0245075821221650A37N942WLW3CUA02009-09-27

Wonderful

I have read all of her books and I have yet to find one I did not like! Love your work Mary keep it coming.075821221640A4H67LMDCVULY02009-09-25

had to read

I had to read this for myself after the reviews were so bad. I enjoyed the book.075821221620A1J4B1NPFUSVPC02009-09-25

Typical and Getting Old...

Reading this book was a little less than interesting... The text was not surprising and you could pretty much guess what was going to happen next if you have read the other books. In my opinion, this book was a rushed version of the better stories that could have been told. Annette and Rhoda continue their friendship, GREAT! Jade returning to town with a "fiance" should have been a lot more juicier... The scandal with Louis should have had a deeper more profound affect on Annette's relationship with God... after all... God Don't Like Ugly; God Still Don't Like Ugly; God Don't Play; and now God Ain't Blind but no changes in character. 075821221620A36G62C7PXNRKL02009-09-21

very disappointed in the plot there was really no point in the plot it was obvious and boring. I think she has went too far with these stories and needs to move on. 075821221610AQJRPMO1WUJ5M12009-09-18

Blind Trash

This is a trashy book, and the language is awful--didn't even get past the first chapter. I wish I could give it zero stars! The only redeeming thing was I didn't pay anything for it on the Kindle download. I wish I could get it out of my archives.Product DescriptionIn this gripping, unforgettable new novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe, forever friends Annette Goode Davis and Rhoda O'Toole are about to learn that even the rockiest relationships can survive just about anything-as long as you're there for each other when it matters most. . . Annette Goode Davis is a survivor, and while life's obstacles have often knocked her down, she's never let them keep her there for long. To Annette, life is all about family and old friends like Rhoda O'Toole. And right now, Annette needs all the friends she can get. . .because her marriage is in big trouble, and she has no idea why. . . Lately, her husband Pee Wee barely has the time of day for Annette and she suspects he may have fallen for another woman. Desperate to regain his affections, Annette goes on a crash diet, gets a total makeover, and looks hotter than she has for a long, long time. Everyone notices-everyone except Pee Wee. Annette is ripe for the picking when she meets Louis Baines, a handsome young caterer who showers her with attention. Soon, Annette is embroiled in a full blown affair and spending money on Louis like there's no tomorrow. But when Annette learns a terrible secret about her new lover, she realizes she's in way over her head. Her life crumbling down around her, Annette turns to the only person she knows she can trust: Rhoda. With Rhoda by her side, Annette's determined to find a way out of this mess. But when the truth finally comes out, Annette must face the fact that she may have destroyed the life she loved-and this time, not even Rhoda can help her make things right... 0061443093A Deep Dark Secret0525950575Resurrecting Midnight1439158908Mama Dearest0758215177Unconditionally Single1416596267The Million Dollar Demise: A Novel10301United States10300Short Stories17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books542662Friendship542654Women's Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books9834General9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713392011General10125General17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR274IJ9VTGEGKPMimi's List :DREB8XTJTA7KA02009 ReadsR2S7S2H9C03LYAA List of Hot AA Titles for 20090393337766http://www.amazon.com/Hemingses-Monticello-American-Family/dp/0393337766%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0393337766654http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL.jpg500331http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513cL0DzYfL.jpg500331Annette Gordon-ReedPaperback973.4609229780393337761ReprintISBN13: 9780393337761Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>0393337766W.W. Norton & Co.EnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished1895USD$18.95W.W. Norton & Co.1816160910230610Book2009-09-08W.W. Norton & Co.W.W. Norton & Co.The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family1100USD$11.00899USD$8.992740011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewgP2ZgCOou7pT5uxe2jfpsLqyAayCYowtztD3S0mF8EldKuXtivfqXz55Y1kO9lLE%2BTmBIlGBOpJNmoRzFXxnjYRPla5QSq7E1107USD$11.07Usually ships in 24 hours13.56113039333776612A2HMBHIWN6PY1U52009-09-19

IN DEFENSE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON

Professor Gordon-Reed's book is, unfortunatly, pure fiction and rank speculation when it comes to the relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings. I offer this review in defense of our greatest founding father, Thomas Jefferson. I feel Mr. Jefferson's reputation has been unfairly eviscerated by Gordon-Reed and others, by a misrepresentation of the DNA results in the Hemings controversy. The exhumation of discredited, prurient embellishments has not only deluded readers, but impoverished a fair debate. In fact, with the possible exception of the Kennedy assassination, I am unaware of any major historical controversy riddled with so much misinformation and outright inaccuracies as the sex-oriented Sally Hemings libel. The "Sally" story is pure fiction, possibly politics, but certainly not historical fact or science. It reflects a recycled inaccuracy that has metastasized from book to book, over two hundred years. In contrast to the blizzard of recent books, including Gordon-Reed's, spinning the controversy as a mini-series version of history, I found that layer upon layer of direct and circumstantial evidence points to a mosaic distinctly away from Jefferson. My research, evaluation, and personal interviews led me to one inevitable conclusion: the revisionist grip of historians have the wrong Jefferson--the DNA, as well as other historical evidence, matches perfectly to his younger brother, Randolph and his teen-age sons, as the true candidates for a sexual relationship with Sally. A monopoly of books (all paternity believers) written since the DNA results have gone far beyond the evidence and transmuted conjecture into apparent fact, and in most instances, engaged in a careless misreading of the record. My new book, IN DEFENSE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON (Thomas Dunne Books, 2009), definitively destroys this myth, separating revisionist ideology from accuracy. It is historical hygiene by pen, an attempt to marshal facts, rationally dissect the evidence and prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jefferson is completely innocent of this sordid charge: · the virulent rumor was first started by the scandal-mongering journalist James Callender, who burned for political revenge against Jefferson. Callender was described as "an alcoholic thug with a foul mind, obsessed with race and sex," who intended to defame the public career of Jefferson. · the one eyewitness to this sexual allegation was Edmund Bacon, Jefferson's overseer at Monticello, who saw another man (not Jefferson) leaving Sally's room `many a morning.' Bacon wrote: "...I have seen him come out of her mother's room many a morning when I went up to Monticello very early." · Jefferson's deteriorating health would have prevented any such sexual relationship. He was 64 at the time of the alleged affair and suffered debilitating migraine headaches which incapacitated him for weeks, as well as severe intestinal infections and rheumatoid arthritis. He complained to John Adams: "My health is entirely broken down within the last eight months." · Jefferson owned three different slaves named Sally, adding to the historical confusion. Yet, he never freed his supposed lover and companion of 37 years, `Sally Hemings' from her enslavement, nor mentioned her in his will. · Randolph Jefferson, his younger brother, would have the identical Jefferson Y chromosome as his older brother, Thomas, that matched the DNA. Randolph had a reputation for socializing with Jefferson's slaves and was expected at Monticello approximately nine months before the birth of Eston Hemings, Sally's son who was the DNA match for a "male Jefferson." · The DNA match was to a male son of Sally's. Randolph had six male sons. Thomas Jefferson had all female children with his beloved wife, Martha, except for a male who died in infancy. · Until 1976, the oral history of Eston's family held that they descended from a Jefferson "uncle." Randolph was known at Monticello as "Uncle Randolph." · Unlike his brother, by taste and training Jefferson was raised as the perfect Virginia gentleman, a man of refinement and intellect. The personality of the man who figures in the Hemings soap opera cannot be attributed to the known nature of Jefferson, and would be preposterously out of character for him. WILLIAM G. HYLAND JR. AUTHOR, IN DEFENSE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 039333776610A2DQCEXW4NV73F52009-09-14

Revisionist Claptrap

How very telling that this discredited rubbish won a Pulitzer Prize. Also note the gushing "starred review" of this "serious, thick, complex.... scholar's book" from Publishers Weekly. For a sober and balanced assessment of the Jefferson paternity "evidence" please see In Defense of Thomas Jefferson by William G. Hyland Jr. 039333776640A3T3DH0RKYAXUL12009-09-13

Worth reading, tremendous history lessons

I have only recently started reading long histories. This is not as well written or totally engaging as Team of Rivals about Lincoln's cabinet, but it is very well researched and I learned a great deal reading it. At times, the author spends too much time contemplating what the various actors must or could have been thinking given their life situations. That gets tedious as we simply can't know. She could have cut a lot of pages if she's whittled down the speculation. It is hard to keep track of the central characters, particularly because they often go by their middle names or a nick name (Sally Hemings real name was Sarah). Despite the book's flaws, it was a fascinating read. As a Virginian, I felt like I was taking a state history class. Also, worth noting, we recently visit Poplar Forest, Jefferson's retreat home near Lynchburg. THREE different employees of the home/museum insisted that there is no proof that TJ had a relationship with Hemings or fathered children with her. I was quite stunned (and very disappointed that museum professionals would keep their heads buried so deep), when this book was sitting on the bookshelf in the gift shop and we all know the DNA is in. In fact, I bought the book -- in part -- out of frustration with these people. It made me want to understand the documented truth even more.039333776651ASRLX39XEY6AF22009-09-04

A Graceful, Beautiful Book.

I picked up this book and the first paragraph hooked me. The writing is everything that history ought to be: it is first of all readable, it handles difficult ideas with grace, it does not scream but is hard hitting, it examines the possible misconceptions available to conventional histories, it is savvy about gender as well as race, it's judgments are harsh where they need to be but fair, and it is ultimately compassionate. The book will annoy all the people who need to be annoyed: people who think Jefferson ought to be constructed in a more traditional way (like a little white plaster statue), racists and fascists, academics who have staked out a patch of the nineteenth century and refuse to see it fresh, and the rigid, generally. This book will delight everyone who wants to open their heart to a resolution of the still lingering damage of the most shameful period of U.S. history. My highest recommendation for a labor of love.039333776650A3H7DJ8TDWZTIC12009-09-03

I really enjoyed this book -- This is a picture of what life was -- I would highly recommend it-- The author is very good at weaving this story in history-- Product DescriptionWinner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize: “[A] commanding and important book.”—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker This epic work—named a best book of the year by the Washington Post, Time, the Los Angeles Times, Amazon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and a notable book by the New York Times—tells the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president had been systematically expunged from American history until very recently. Now, historian and legal scholar Annette Gordon-Reed traces the Hemings family from its origins in Virginia in the 1700s to the family’s dispersal after Jefferson’s death in 1826. In the mid-1700s the English captain of a trading ship that made runs between England and the Virginia colony fathered a child by an enslaved woman living near Williamsburg. The woman, whose name is unknown and who is believed to have been born in Africa, was owned by the Eppeses, a prominent Virginia family. The captain, whose surname was Hemings, and the woman had a daughter. They named her Elizabeth. So begins The Hemingses of Monticello, Annette Gordon-Reed’s “riveting history” of the Hemings family, whose story comes to vivid life in this brilliantly researched and deeply moving work. Gordon-Reed, author of the highly acclaimed historiography Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, unearths startling new information about the Hemingses, Jefferson, and his white family. Although the book presents the most detailed and richly drawn portrait ever written of Sarah Hemings, better known by her nickname Sally, who bore seven children by Jefferson over the course of their thirty-eight-year liaison, The Hemingses of Monticello tells more than the story of her life with Jefferson and their children. The Hemingses as a whole take their rightful place in the narrative of the family’s extraordinary engagement with one of history’s most important figures. Not only do we meet Elizabeth Hemings—the family matriarch and mother to twelve children, six by John Wayles, a poor English immigrant who rose to great wealth in the Virginia colony—but we follow the Hemings family as they become the property of Jefferson through his marriage to Martha Wayles. The Hemings-Wayles children, siblings to Martha, played pivotal roles in the life at Jefferson’s estate. We follow the Hemingses to Paris, where James Hemings trained as a chef in one of the most prestigious kitchens in France and where Sally arrived as a fourteen-year-old chaperone for Jefferson’s daughter Polly; to Philadelphia, where James Hemings acted as the major domo to the newly appointed secretary of state; to Charlottesville, where Mary Hemings lived with her partner, a prosperous white merchant who left her and their children a home and property; to Richmond, where Robert Hemings engineered a plan for his freedom; and finally to Monticello, that iconic home on the mountain, from where most of Jefferson’s slaves, many of them Hemings family members, were sold at auction six months after his death in 1826. As The Hemingses of Monticello makes vividly clear, Monticello can no longer be known only as the home of a remarkable American leader, the author of the Declaration of Independence; nor can the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president have been expunged from history until very recently, be left out of the telling of America’s story. With its empathetic and insightful consideration of human beings acting in almost unimaginably difficult and complicated family circumstances, The Hemingses of Monticello is history as great literature. It is a remarkable achievement. 37 illustrations.Amazon.com ReviewBook Description This epic work tells the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president had been systematically expunged from American history until very recently. Now, historian and legal scholar Annette Gordon-Reed traces the Hemings family from its origins in Virginia in the 1700s to the family's dispersal after Jefferson's death in 1826. It brings to life not only Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson but also their children and Hemings's siblings, who shared a father with Jefferson's wife, Martha. The Hemingses of Monticello sets the family's compelling saga against the backdrop of Revolutionary America, Paris on the eve of its own revolution, 1790s Philadelphia, and plantation life at Monticello. Much anticipated, this book promises to be the most important history of an American slave family ever written. About the Author Annette Gordon-Reed is a professor of law at New York Law School and a professor of history at Rutgers University. She is the author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. She lives in New York City. Questions for Annette Gordon-Reed Amazon.com: One stunning element to this story, for someone who might only know its bare outline, is that these families, so intimately related across the lines of race and slavery, were so even before Jefferson's union with Sally Hemings: Hemings was not only his slave, but also the half-sister of his late wife, Martha Wayles. (That fact alone could provide enough drama for a hundred novels.) Could you describe the family he married into? <img align="right" border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/a-plus/Gordon-Reed_Annette_300.jpg" />Gordon-Reed: Well, it has been sort of a mystery. Relatively little is known about Martha Wayles and her family life before she married Jefferson, and even after her marriage. A historian, Virginia Scharff, will be writing on this subject soon. But John Wayles, the father of Sally Hemings, five of Sally's siblings, and Martha has been something of a cipher. I tried finding out about him when I was working on my first book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. I broke off the search because his life was not really the focus of the book, but I had to come back to him for this one. It turns out he was apparently brought to America as a servant, and was given a leg up in life by a prominent Virginian named Philip Ludwell. Martha’s mother, also named Martha (it gets confusing) died not long after she was born. Then she had two stepmothers who died. The first had three daughters with John Wayles. After his third wife died, Wayles had six children with Elizabeth Hemings, the last of whom was Sarah (Sally) Hemings. Jefferson married a woman who had known a great deal of tragedy in her young life. She had lost her mother, two stepmothers, a husband, and child by the time she was 23, just unfathomable stuff from a modern perspective. Amazon.com: Of course, one other source of drama is that Jefferson, at the same time that he was one of the greatest advocates for equality and freedom, also held slaves, including one he was joined so intimately with. How did he reconcile that to himself, if he did? Gordon-Reed: I don't think this was something that Jefferson agonized about on a daily basis. This is not to say it wasn't important, but it didn’t concern him the way it concerns us. I think the Federalists and the threat he believed they posed to the future development of the United States concerned him far more. Jefferson was contradictory, but we are, too. Who does not have intellectual beliefs that he or she is not emotionally or constitutionally capable of living by? I find it more than a little disingenuous to act as if this were something that set Jefferson apart from all mankind. It's always easier to spot others' hypocrisies while missing our own. He dealt with the conflict between recognizing the evils of slavery, to some degree, by fashioning himself as a "benevolent" slave holder and taking refuge in the notion that "progress" would one day bring about the end of slavery. It wouldn't happen in his time, but it would happen. That is not a satisfactory response to many today, but there it is. Amazon.com: What was Jefferson's relationship with his children with Hemings like? What lives did they find for themselves after his death? Gordon-Reed: That was one of the most interesting things to research and ponder. There are a series of letters between Jefferson and his overseer at Poplar Forest, his retreat in Bedford County, where he spent a good amount of time during his retirement years. In those letters, he announces his impending arrival. He'll say things like "Johnny Hemings and his two assistants will be coming with me," and depending upon the year, the two assistants were his sons Beverley and Madison Hemings or Madison and Eston Hemings. Poplar Forest is 90 miles away from Monticello. That was a journey of days together. Then, when they got there, John Hemings, Beverley, Madison, and Eston would work on the house where Jefferson was staying, where they evidently stayed, too. They were there together, in pretty isolated circumstances, for weeks at a time. Jefferson, who fancied himself a woodworker, too, spent lots of time with John Hemings and, in the process, spent time with his sons, who were Hemings's apprentices. Madison Hemings remembers Jefferson as being kind to him and his siblings, as he was to everyone, but said he rarely gave them the type of playful attention he gave to his grandchildren. The phrase Hemings uses is that he was "not in the habit" of doing that. Yet, all the sons played the violin like Jefferson, and one who became a professional musician, Eston, used a favorite Jefferson song as his signature tune. We have little sense of his dealings with Harriet, the daughter. He sent her away from Monticello when she was 21 with the modern equivalent of about $900 to join her brother, Beverley, who had left a couple of months before. I think a very important, and telling, thing is that none of the Hemings children had an identity as a servant. The sons were trained to be the kind of artisans Jefferson admired the most, builders--carpenters and joiners--and the daughter spent her time learning to spin and weave. Women of all races and classes did that, even Jefferson's mothers and sisters. Harriet Hemings wasn't turned into a maid for his granddaughters, which would have been a natural thing for her but for her relationship to him. The Hemings children were trained to leave slavery without ever developing the sensibilities of servants. Beverley and Harriet left Monticello as white people, married white people, and pretty much disappeared, although they kept in contact with their nuclear family. When Jefferson died, Madison and Eston, who were freed in his will, took their mother and moved into Charlottesville. They were listed as free white people in the 1830 census, and as free mulatto people in a special census done in 1833 to ask blacks if they wanted to go back to Africa. They all said no. Not long after their mother died, Madison left Virginia for Ohio and Eston joined him later. At some point Eston decided that living as a black person was too onerous and moved to Madison, Wisconsin, under the name E.H. Jefferson. He had children by this time, and they all became Jeffersons. As all blacks who "pass" into the white community must do, in later years the family buried their descent from Jefferson. There was no way to claim him as a direct ancestor without admitting that they were part black, which would have cut off all the opportunities their children had as white people. Amazon.com: Your title emphasizes Monticello, the rural retreat this family shared. What was the household on "the mountain" like for the Hemingses? Gordon-Reed: Sally Hemings and her siblings along with her mother were personal attendants to the Jefferson family. They worked in the mansion most of the time. The next generation of Hemingses had more varied experiences. They became the artisans working on the plantation. We get some sense from Jefferson's legal white grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, that some of the other people enslaved on the mountain were jealous of the privileges that the Hemings had. Martin, Robert, and James Hemings were allowed to hire their own time and keep their wages. They traveled to Richmond, Williamsburg and Fredericksburg to do this. The only people Jefferson ever freed were members of the Hemings family. They were people who were treated as, and saw themselves as, something of a caste apart from other enslaved people. Amazon.com: How much of the evidence for this history has been available for centuries, and how much has only become available to us in recent years? Gordon-Reed: Except for the DNA evidence showing a link between the Hemings and Jefferson families, all of this information has been available. I didn't discover or say anything in my first book that could not have been said or discovered by others, and I haven't found anything for this book that other people could not have found. It's always been there. Amazon.com: And what are the limits of what we can know about these lives? What have you had to imagine, especially about Hemings and Jefferson's relationship, and how have you done so? Gordon-Reed: Except for Madison Hemings, we don't have personal accounts from the Hemingses of their lives. Robert Hemings corresponded with Jefferson in the 1790s, but all of those letters are missing. We have descriptions of what Sally Hemings did from others' records--letters, census documents, things like that. As I say in the book, that's pretty much what we have to go on with Jefferson and his wife too, since we don't have any letters from her describing her life. Yet people use what we have to come to a conclusion about the nature of their life together. There's nothing wrong with that. I do the same thing for Jefferson and Sally Hemings. It's a combination of what people said about their lives, inferences from the actions they took, and a consideration of the context in which they were living. Some people have problems with the use of "inferences." I don't, so long as they are reasonable. In fact, I would trust the reasonable inferences from a person's repeated behavior through the years over what they say any day, because a people can say anything. I do believe that actions often speak louder than words. Contrary to popular belief, there are lots of actions on the part of Jefferson and Hemings that "speak" about the basic nature of their relationship.0813918332Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy188288602XSlavery at Monticello0812971833Olive Kitteridge: Fiction0812973461American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House (New York Times Notable Books)0307276767A Mercy (Vintage International)2366African-American & Black2365Ethnic & National2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2369General2365Ethnic & National2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books713041011General AAS2365Ethnic & National2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books465254General465252Civil War2395United States2376Historical2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books284499History4867African Americans4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books465222General4868Civil War4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books465264General4869Colonial Period4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books465270General4871Revolution & Founding4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books14279331Virginia14278871State & Local4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books4870General4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books713299011General AAS4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books1600248578http://www.amazon.com/Line-Serena-Williams/dp/1600248578%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1600248578598043Serena WilliamsAudio CDSerena WilliamsDaniel Paisner796.3420929781600248573UnabridgedAudiobookUnabridged1600248578Hachette AudioEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished3498USD$34.98Hachette Audio9Book2009-09-15Hachette AudioHachette AudioOn the Line2309USD$23.099794USD$97.94110011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew%2F1jli16FRVesZRmHU%2BNu%2FJI1GKcFl%2BbnQwJ%2BGhrwB%2FJPEy9TQ5gZAk5UToTRsf%2BX%2FCJQDS7wosggt8x8kLCszMs7B6PFildX2309USD$23.09Not yet published14.0347160024857840A1CEOVQKF1WAS802009-09-25

Serena puts it on the line

If I had the option this would be a three and a half star review, based in part on the fact that I think Serena is young to be writing about her life. It has been many years since I discovered that Venus William (whom I had first seen play tennis as a powerful but gangly 15 year old) had a younger tennis-playing sister. I have been hooked on watching both of them perform since Serena came on the tour with her big sister. In this book, Serena gives us some insight into how she felt about her upbringing and being in Venus's shadow for several years. I had hoped for more introspection, but although that was lacking I was quite pleased with the readability and accessibility of the book. I liked her "matchbook" inserts before each chapter. I have been a little dismayed by "memoirs" written by celebrities under the age of thirty five. They are quite young to write about their lives with any depth. The present volume is no exception. It will be interesting to see how differently Serena presents her life (especially her time away from the game while she recuperated) in ten to fifteen years.160024857830A2SPDLFMCDXDCY02009-09-24

Memoir of a Tennis Player

I really enjoyed reading On the Line. It gave me better insight about the life of Serena Williams, a world-renowned professional tennis player, fashionista and now writer. Although I'm a huge fan of the Williams sisters - Serena and Venus - in general, I never truly knew how they got their start in tennis until reading this book. For those expecting to read an autobiography, this is not that book; it's more of a memoir. Therefore at times it can be a bit confusing as the story skips around to different parts, but hang in there. On the Line is a great read - and worth it.160024857850A1TU7WIZ7M5M2F02009-09-23

spiritual gem

This book is awesome, and I do not say it because it wrote Serena Williams, but I do say it because I understood this book wrote Serena's spirit, openly, and towards the others spirits. This book is for sure for ones that love to be buried deeply in feelings. If you cannot feel deeply the things in life, so you cannot understand completely what is this book about. If you don't have the higher level ability of perceptiveness or a sufficient level of empathy, I think then you cannot see the real value this book really has. Serena opened her heart, her feelings, her inward world, the most precious place we all have in life, to all the readers. Wow! I feel blessed that I could/can feel what she wanted to say see the message she sent when she's talking about sufferings and coming back to the glory. Reading this book so I felt more than just like a fan because I had the opportunity to feel close to Serena like a human being that kept listening with comprehension talking to its best friend. Really a great feeling. So if you want to read this book, then read it by heart and try to perceive it, because without that you'll miss the full experience and the whole message. 160024857850A18RWUG5OVTR1O02009-09-20

Think. Do. Be.

Looking for a light yet positive and informative read? Consider a copy of Serena Williams' memoir. "On the Line" peels back a few layers of the life of this tennis phenom. In just twenty seven short years she has experienced what some may never experience in a lifetime. Serena discusses her highs and lows, wins and losses, triumphs and tragedies and what keeps her grounded: family and her faith. From the unforgiving streets of Compton to the U.S. Open, Serena is a testament of hard work and perseverance. "On the Line" is a smooth and easy read. I recommend it, particularly to youths. If you're looking for a scandalous, salacious, controversial tell-all with little substance, I'm afraid you have the wrong book. However, if you are looking for an inspirational journey of one girl's rise to become one of the greatest athletes of our time, then this is the book for you. Reviewed by: Tracy 160024857830A3DWENW34NQEAV02009-09-18

A Bit Sparse on Details

I'm hands down not a fan of nonfiction books, but she's famous and I thought I'd give it a go. I'm about half way through and struggling to finish, but that's really only because of it being a nonfiction book. I usually struggle to finish. It would help if I understood a lot of the tennis references, but I'm not a tennis fan, so my knowledge of even little things like the scoring method is next to nil. It's decently written, and I think it'll give her fans a nice intro to her life. However, so far, everything you read sounds like something you could get from piecing together the various newspaper articles written about her. I don't see a great deal of details that are deep and personal. I mean she talks about the horrible day where she was jeered at because her sister was injured and had to back out of a match a lot of people were hoping to see, but the whole section comes out like a journal ranting session rather than an objective analysis of what happened or an emotion-filled reaction. She talks a bit about being a Jehovah's Witnesses but doesn't go into their belief system. I get that this would be the right place to go all out into what JW's believe, but leaving it at the broad generalization "we're all Christians" just kind of let me down. I will finish the book, I think it's a worthwhile read with some interesting insights. I probably wouldn't have bought the book if not for the amazon vine program though, so my recommendation would be to ask your local library to buy the book if you want to read up on Serena Williams.Product DescriptionOne of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has captured every major title. Her 2009 Australia Open championship earned her the #1 world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career - and marked only the latest exclamation point on a life well and purposefully lived. As a young girl, Serena began training with an adult-sized racquet that was almost as big as her. Rather than dropping the racquet, Serena saw it as a challenge to overcome-and she has confronted every obstacle on her path to success with the same unflagging spirit. From growing up in the tough, hardscrabble neighborhood of Compton, California, to being trained by her father on public tennis courts littered with broken glass and drug paraphernalia, to becoming the top women's player in the world, Serena has proven to be an inspiration to her legions of fans both young and old. Her accomplishments have not been without struggle: being derailed by injury, devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister, and criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis. Yet somehow, Serena always manages to prevail. Both on the court and off, she's applied the strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television and film. In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.0307268195Open: An AutobiographyB0000714F3Raising Tennis Aces - The Williams Story0618576533Venus and Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning1583333304Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self0446539252True Compass: A Memoir69725Biographies & Memoirs69724Books on CD368395011Audiobooks504358Formats251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books1038336Sports & Outdoors69724Books on CD368395011Audiobooks504358Formats251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books2366African-American & Black2365Ethnic & National2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books3048891Memoirs2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2445Women2437Specific Groups2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2375General2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books713038011General AAS2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2450General2446Biographies26Sports1000Subjects283155Books713754011General AAS2446Biographies26Sports1000Subjects283155Books15763041Women in Sports16596Miscellaneous26Sports1000Subjects283155Books281396General16637Tennis16626Racket Sports26Sports1000Subjects283155Books11086921General26Sports1000Subjects283155Books394194011Unabridged394185011Edition (format)388186011Refinements283155Books618076011Books on CD618075011Audiobooks618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0547247966http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Takes-Geoffrey-Canadas-America/dp/0547247966%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D05472479661614http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L.jpg500332http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nXIy6rj-L.jpg500332Paul ToughPaperback3629780547247960ReprintISBN13: 9780547247960Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>0547247966Mariner BooksEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished1495USD$14.95Mariner Books13368080075520Book2009-09-10Mariner BooksMariner BooksWhatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America914USD$9.14896USD$8.961660011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewAvH6Lykwp7V88eJ%2FlbesrOANpSlPTGqOn4nGH%2B1j%2Bb5Rm10VONWhknk3uH6NEe%2FCx%2Ff4nLE0bx7gVfj9d%2FLALq1bng04N%2FVI1017USD$10.17Usually ships in 24 hours14.5306054724796650A2FPLP8SPUPJ6C02009-09-11

Ms. L

The best book written that gives an historical breakdown regarding poor, disadvantaged children, causes for the academic achievement gap and describes Mr. Canada's monumental vision to provide hope for kids and their parents in Harlem; ultimately, making great strides to shrinking the achievement gap for many of them. This will be a book that I'll use as an informational resource...it's that good! A very thorugh job by Paul Tough.054724796651A1O7OFMAJJD0S12009-06-15

Education matters

Please read this book to open your eyes about what can and should be done to support ground-breaking schools such as the Harlem Children's Zone. Systems need to be put in place to break the poverty cycle for the most needy and need to be given a chance at a better life through opening the door to an education system that works. Link the schools' budgets with the jail budgets. Keep children off the path to incarceration and towards becoming productive citizens. 054724796650A1FG54YHCTD9XQ02009-06-11

The importance of Whatever It Takes

This book describes an important effort to extend our educational system to all children, especially those now being neglected or being given up on. It makes clear how difficult it will be to make this change, how much dedication it will take and how much more than just changing educational processes are involved. But while it's not at all a rosy picture that the book paints, it does give one hope that at least some people are trying to do something significant about our educational problem, that they are learning from their mistakes and successes, and that eventually real improvements will be made. 054724796650A3MAIJ1YPENO9T02009-06-10

Whatever It Takes, Geoffrey Canada

Anyone who has been involved in the development and implementation of community empowerment programs (my area of interest has been health promotion) will recognize the trials and tribulations that Canada has gone through to develop a broad spectrum of programs; i.e. finding that working with the local school district is tough if not improbable. The broadness of programs to address children's needs from birth through graduation of HS that he has developed is awesome. A great model that can be transported to other locales serving the poor. However, most of us in poor rural areas don't have access to the benefactors that Mr. Canada cultivated over the years.054724796650A1GMXNAKEZFPH002009-06-09

Very Insightful

Interesting read which I have recommended to many of my friends. It addresses not only the symptoms of the problems in our inner cities, but aims at the root causes. For those of us who have lived through the race riots of the 60s-70s, Great Society programs and their derivatives, and blame cast in many directions, it is encouraging to read of some success stories while understanding a little of why success was achieved and could be duplicated. It is much more than a biography of Geoffrey Canada.Product Description<DIV><DIV><DIV>What would it take? That was the question that Geoffrey Canada found himself asking. What would it take to change the lives of poor children—not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide? The question led him to create the Harlem Children’s Zone, a ninety-seven-block laboratory in central Harlem where he is testing new and sometimes controversial ideas about poverty in America. His conclusion: if you want poor kids to be able to compete with their middle-class peers, you need to change everything in their lives—their schools, their neighborhoods, even the child-rearing practices of their parents. Whatever It Takes is a tour de force of reporting, an inspired portrait not only of Geoffrey Canada but of the parents and children in Harlem who are struggling to better their lives, often against great odds. Carefully researched and deeply affecting, this is a dispatch from inside the most daring and potentially transformative social experiment of our time.</DIV>Amazon.com ReviewBook Description What would it take? That was the question that Geoffrey Canada found himself asking. What would it take to change the lives of poor children--not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide? The question led him to create the Harlem Children's Zone, a ninety-seven-block laboratory in central Harlem where he is testing new and sometimes controversial ideas about poverty in America. His conclusion: if you want poor kids to be able to compete with their middle-class peers, you need to change everything in their lives--their schools, their neighborhoods, even the child-rearing practices of their parents. Whatever It Takes is a tour de force of reporting, an inspired portrait not only of Geoffrey Canada but also of the parents and children in Harlem who are struggling to better their lives, often against great odds. Carefully researched and deeply affecting, this is a dispatch from inside the most daring and potentially transformative social experiment of our time. About the Author Paul Tough is an editor at the New York Times Magazine and one of America's foremost writers on poverty, education, and the achievement gap. His reporting on Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children's Zone originally appeared as a Times Magazine cover story. He lives with his wife in New York City. Questions for Paul Tough Amazon.com: What makes Geoffrey Canada's approach to educating poor city kids different than the many reforms that have come before? <img align="right" border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/a-plus/Tough_Paul_200.jpg" />Tough: Geoff is taking a much more comprehensive approach than earlier reformers. His premise is that kids in neighborhoods like Harlem face so many disadvantages--poorly run schools, poorly educated parents, dangerous streets--that it doesn't make sense to tackle just one or two of those problems and ignore the rest. And so he has created, in the Harlem Children’s Zone, an integrated set of programs that support the neighborhood's children from cradle to college, in school and out of school. Amazon.com: This is a short book about a long story. How did you find a way to tell the story of such a complicated, long-term transformation? Tough: When I set out to write this book, my main goal was to tell an engaging story, to find characters and moments and conflicts that would reflect the changes that were going on in Harlem. I wanted to present Geoff Canada more as a protagonist in a drama than as a static subject of a biography. And in that respect, I got lucky in my choice of subject, because during the years I spent reporting on his work, Geoff was in the middle of some major transformations, both personal and organizational. I was also lucky to find a variety of other characters in Harlem, from teachers and administrators to students and parents, who really opened up to me, speaking candidly and eloquently about their own hopes and fears for their children and their futures. With their help, I think I was able to make the book not just an account of some important new ideas in poverty and education, but a human story as well. Amazon.com: You've spent much of the past five years reporting in Harlem. Beyond the school successes, do you see differences between the parts of the city within the Children's Zone and nearby neighborhoods where the program hasn't expanded yet? Tough: Harlem as a whole has improved a great deal over the last decade--a process that Geoffrey Canada can take some credit for, though there were plenty of other people and forces that played a role. On a block-by-block level, though, it's not always possible to see the difference between a street that is in the zone and one that's outside of it. The most important changes in the zone are going on out of view, inside schools and apartments and housing projects, where children are, for the first time, learning the skills they need to succeed. Amazon.com: Barack Obama has said that he would replicate the Harlem Children's Zone in 20 other cities. Have any other organizations begun to follow Canada's model in other places, or are they waiting to see how it goes (or waiting for Obama to be elected)? Tough: There is a tremendous amount of interest right now in Geoffrey Canada's work among people working in education and philanthropy and social-service non-profits. And there are fledgling zone projects in a handful of cities, all drawing upon the Harlem Children’s Zone to some degree. But there's nothing yet happening on the scale that Obama has proposed. I do think people are waiting to see what Obama does. Will he take the steps necessary to put his replication plan into effect? Amazon.com: How much of its effectiveness depends on Canada himself? Can you model him, as well as his program? Tough: He's a unique guy. His personal story--born in poverty in the South Bronx, growing up around drugs and violence, then making it out of the ghetto and winding up at Harvard--was what gave him the passion and the commitment to create the Harlem Children's Zone in the face of numerous obstacles and widespread skepticism. So it's probably true that no one else could have built the first zone. But I think this next stage, the process of expanding the zone model around the country, will require leaders of a different type--people who are passionate about the mission of improving the lives of poor children, of course, but more importantly people who are very focused on results and how to achieve them. Those people may be rare, but they're out there. Amazon.com: Finally, how are Victor and Cheryl [a young couple who went through the Zone's Baby College in the book] doing? Tough: They're doing pretty well! They're still struggling with all the issues that most young adults in Harlem struggle with, like finding affordable housing and a decent job. But they're committed to their son, Victor Jr., and to the new parenting techniques they learned in Baby College. They're determined to do whatever it takes to give Victor Jr. a shot at a very different kind of future than they were able to imagine for themselves, growing up. Questions for Geoffrey Canada Amazon.com: How do you change the culture of a neighborhood while keeping its local values? <img align="left" border="0" src=" http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/a-plus/Canada_Geoffrey_185.jpg" />Canada: We are not changing Harlem's culture--we are working to provide an alternative to the toxic popular culture and street culture that glorify violence and anti-social behavior. When you are a scared kid, all this tough-guy stuff is very seductive. We are working with people from the community to provide safe, enriching, and engaging environments for children so they can develop just like their middle-class peers. By encompassing an entire neighborhood, we hope to reach a tipping point where the dominant culture is one that explicitly and implicitly moves children toward success. Amazon.com: You say in the book, "It is my fundamental belief that the folk who care about public education the most, who really want to see it work, are destroying it." Can you explain what you mean by that? Have you been able to change any of those minds through your work? Canada: First, let me say that I believe school staff--particularly teachers--perform one of the most important jobs in our country, and many of them are the most dedicated, hard-working professionals I know. I believe it is absolutely scandalous that they are not paid more and given more respect as professionals. That said, I believe our country's education bureaucracy has become calcified and resistant to change--and we are in dire need of change. When education self-interest groups defend practices that get in the way of improving schools for the sake of children, then I am absolutely opposed to them. I believe that the successes we are having in Harlem are beginning to turn some heads in this country, and making people realize that things are not hopeless--that we adults can improve student achievement at a much-larger scale than we have been doing. It's obvious that the system that got us here is not the one that is going to get us out. So everyone is going to have to re-evaluate their roles, their assumptions and their positions. I think that has begun, but we are not there yet as a country. Amazon.com: The story in the book ends in the summer of 2007. What has happened in your work, especially at Promise Academy, in the past year? Canada: This past academic year was very encouraging and it really seemed like the school began to coalesce. The most obvious sign of that were the scores on the citywide math exam at our middle school, which had been the school with the most challenges. This past spring, 97 percent of the eighth graders were at or above grade level. For an area like Harlem, that is incredible, particularly since these were kids that were randomly picked by lottery from the neighborhood, were massively behind, and were with us for just three years. So we are very optimistic about the future of our kids.0807023175Reaching Up for Manhood: Transforming the Lives of Boys in AmericaB000GBFRME60 Minutes - The Harlem Children's Zone (May 14, 2006)0807004235Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America1565125169Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America031336222XChanging the Odds for Children at Risk: Seven Essential Principles of Educational Programs that Break the Cycle of Poverty2366African-American & Black2365Ethnic & National2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2421Educators2419Professionals & Academics2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books10580Social Services & Welfare10576Poverty10546Current Events53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books10578General10576Poverty10546Current Events53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books713472011General AAS10576Poverty10546Current Events53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books69831Aims & Objectives69829Education Theory10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books69832Assessment69829Education Theory10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books69838Leadership69829Education Theory10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books266129Philosophy & Social Aspects69829Education Theory10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books266131Policy10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books10635General10605Education53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11289General11288Sociology11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books713503011General AAS11288Sociology11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11300African-American Studies11298Special Groups11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0061443093http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Dark-Secret-Kimberla-Lawson/dp/0061443093%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D00614430931353http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL.jpg500331http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL._SL30_.jpg3020http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416A-AloCnL.jpg500331Kimberla Lawson RobyHardcover813.549780061443091ISBN13: 9780061443091Condition: NEWNotes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.<a title='Condition Guide' href='/content/Condition_and_Shipping_Guide.htm' target='_blank'>Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices</a>0061443093William MorrowEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished1999USD$19.99William Morrow119280820140560Book2009-10-01William Morrow2009-09-29William MorrowA Deep Dark Secret1079USD$10.79100011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewWPgbL5KXFJ%2B642YcCXunCdCIJGV2112UPwOkIMQf0u2hTu2wTTGSRXDUhyfq7cQrhBJycsaL5BDyDZc623YTkAu4aJXVvoGd1079USD$10.79Not yet published1Product Description The New York Times bestselling author returns with the moving story of a family who learns to overcome betrayal and secrets with courage and love On the outside, twelve-year-old Jillian Maxwell is the perfect child. She's helpful with chores around the house, gets straight As in school, has plans for college, and stays out of trouble. She seems to have everything a girl could want: a big, beautiful new home, an adoring little sister, a mother who cares about her, and an attentive stepfather. But inside, Jillian harbors a terrible secret. Too frightened to tell, convinced that her friends and loved ones, especially her mother, won't understand—and worse, will blame her—Jillian endures her pain in silence, believing that things will get better. However, as time passes and her dilemma intensifies, the bright, hardworking girl becomes sullen and disinterested in her studies. Then, just when it seems she's on the verge of losing everything, Jillian discovers she has more strength than she ever imaginedand the power to change her fate. With sensitivity and grace, Kimberla Lawson Roby addresses a very real and serious issue, while delivering the inspiring tale of one family's mission to shed light into the darkest corner of their lives. 1439158908Mama Dearest0758212216God Ain't Blind0525950575Resurrecting Midnight1416596267The Million Dollar Demise: A Novel1416578048The Devil Is a Lie (Pocket Readers Guide)9834General9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books284485Roby, Kimberla Lawson9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713392011General10125General17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksRSRXK8TCR55GOBest reads for African-AmericansR2HLNX23DIY3GP2009 Books-Coming Soon!: A Comprehensive List 09/29-10/13R1VKW76Z7ICKE7Most Anticipated Black Fiction Books (Upcoming Titles)044653630Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Cross-Country-Alex-James-Patterson/dp/044653630X%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D044653630X3284http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL._SL75_.jpg7542http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL._SL160_.jpg16089http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL.jpg500279http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL._SL30_.jpg3017http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL._SL75_.jpg7542http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL._SL160_.jpg16089http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FjYVDARZL.jpg500279James PattersonMass Market Paperback813.549780446536301Reprint044653630XVisionEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished999USD$9.99Vision1448134740101417Book2009-10-01Vision2009-09-29VisionCross Country (Alex Cross)999USD$9.99100011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewgojEN5ovONYBY%2Fq%2BG0G51di6qUyY8z5umEec9qXCwakXo6VZW7bpSOL7mkA1%2BGjrmkragJx8SDIhQmFzLyJlbC7Tr7Cl1MVO999USD$9.99Not yet published12.529359044653630X50ALR6965ILRJ1A02009-09-08

Cross Country

Can't beat the cost and as for the delivery......very quick and in perfect condition. Now as for the book itself....EXCELLENT!044653630X10A3ECR2NTPDHZDV02009-09-06

Utter, incomprehensible trash.

Not much more to add to what most of the other reviewers have said, except this, which is really something my wife thought of. This books seem like it was written not by Patterson (wouldn't that be a shock? Not.) but rather, but someone young, raised on incessant violence, in the manner of video games, where there is no plot, only constant, pointless violence. Sound like a book you know? At the end, I was truly rooting for The Tiger.....044653630X50A36WHKIYWFS3DD02009-09-05

pattersons great

this was one of the best patterson books.... enjoyed its fast pace and couldnt put it down ....044653630X21A3D1TZH619NKHN12009-08-30

Double Crossed by Patterson!

The downward slide of the Alex Cross series continues with this latest release from Patterson. Such a difference from the earlier books of the series as JP continues to place quantity over quality. I feel that he put minimal effort into this book, knowing that the Alex Cross Franchise alone would attract readers. Even more disappointing than the last two in what used to be a thoroughly enjoyable and captivating series. After purchasing the entire series up to Double Cross, I was glad to have only borrowed this one from the library. 044653630X13A3HWYNM4PX3TQM42009-08-22

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Warning: Buying this book would be a serious waste of money! This is quite possibly one of the worst books ever written. I am so happy I got it from the library. I am not a huge James Patterson fan, but I have enjoyed a few of his books. I was actually insulted reading this. Anyone could've written this! Terrible plot, no climax, and what the heck is with all the exclamation points? It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine intentionally puts exclamation points in her boyfriend's manuscript to annoy him. Awful, awful, AWFUL! Avoid at all costs. I wish there was an option for zero stars!Product DescriptionDetective Alex Cross pursues the most ruthless killer he's ever encountered-to a land of sheer terror and back. It's the worst crime scene Alex Cross has ever seen, and then more killings, each one more ruthless than the last, quickly follow. After one death comes terrifyingly close to home, Alex realizes he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. Digging deeper into the case, Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, uncover a shocking Washington, D.C., underworld: a gang of teenage thugs headed by a warlord known only as the Tiger. When the Tiger's elusive trail turns up in Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Unprotected and alone, can Alex manage to both survive and catch the killer?0316018740Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett)0316018767The 8th Confession (The Women's Murder Club)0425230163Scarpetta0446505242Against Medical Advice0316070629Alex Cross's TRIAL9834General9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713392011General10125General17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books284560General69578Patterson, James69316( P )69300Authors, A-Z18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books10466General10457Mystery18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books713462011General AAS10457Mystery18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books10495Suspense10484Thrillers18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books10485General10484Thrillers18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books713463011General AAS10484Thrillers18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books605116General18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books713437011General AAS18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books394184011Mass Market400272011Paperback394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR39ABT6CHOP20CMy BookR317ZNDXTTH8HIMy BookR1QOA4CRKDMCH1"My favorite bedtime reading"R1VONPL9IIP0YGMy Favorite booksR2MWF07KB3B85NMy Favorite booksR3BBYT120Z1U84BookR1IA8JBAU20WSZBooks for Fun: Recommendations for High School Boys, Part IIR2K6S1L2W8QIQTMy reading for 2009 pt. 10061547794http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Beverly-Jenkins/dp/0061547794%3FSubscriptionId%3D1HY8Y1EP2ZG10FSGKH02%26tag%3Dsistersandb0c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D00615477941688http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL._SL75_.jpg7546http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL._SL160_.jpg16099http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL.jpg500309http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL._SL30_.jpg3019http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL._SL75_.jpg7546http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL._SL160_.jpg16099http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BdHOhkhlL.jpg500309Beverly JenkinsMass Market Paperback81397800615477990061547794AvonEnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished699USD$6.99Avon138411066040410Book2009-10-01Avon2009-09-29AvonCaptured699USD$6.99100011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew7sHgC98RudLm4wWMZdzEWIK5VDGTubkgw35eE6V%2BwuR5f4WGmLTSn9MyH5Vu2Kn13z2KZFzJjjTq75j1NwX%2B0ul%2FLMtsqgn6699USD$6.99Not yet published1Product Description She was the most irresistible treasure of all . . . Dominic LeVeq, the most notorious privateer ever to command the high seas, has just captured a coveted prize: a British frigate. On a dangerous mission against the Crown, Dominic should be thinking only of his ship's safety. But the rebel captain is utterly entranced by Clare Sullivan, the stunning slave on board. Consumed by desire, desperate to have her, Dominic offers Clare her freedom in exchange for a forbidden night in his bed—a night he assures her will be most pleasureable indeed. Clare believes that Dominic is nothing more than a seductive rogue used to getting what he wants. But she too feels a tantalizing passion between them, and so she submits to just one night of bliss. She'll soon realize that Dominic has captured more than her body. He's captured her heart . . . and she doesn't want him to ever let go. 037376958XOne Night with the Wealthy Rancher (Silhouette Desire)0312365063One Night With You (Grayson Friends)037386132XBachelor Untamed (Kimani Romance)0373831641Man of Fantasy (Arabesque)0312573685And Mistress Makes Three10177Historical10134Genre Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books9834General9823African American9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713392011General10125General17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books745662General13371Historical23Romance1000Subjects283155Books713673011General AAS13371Historical23Romance1000Subjects283155Books68262Multicultural23Romance1000Subjects283155Books13361General23Romance1000Subjects283155Books713660011General AAS23Romance1000Subjects283155Books394184011Mass Market400272011Paperback394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR33E2IJT924P1DAfrican American Historical RomanceR1VKW76Z7ICKE7Most Anticipated Black Fiction Books (Upcoming Titles)