The African American Book of Values: Classic Moral Stories

by Steven Barboza

"..an impressive volume of poems, stories, letters, songs, folktales, and short biographies that will help guide African Americans and others solidly and securely through life's moral and ethical dilemmas."

In The African-American Book of Values, Steven Barboza has gathered together a wealth of stories that make up a moral map for modern living. Relying on the words and stories of (to name a few) the well-known: Langston Hughes, Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, Frances E.W. Harper, Malcolm X, Alex Haley, Benjamin Banneker, Phillis Wheatley�the unsung: ship captain, Robert Smalls; Underground Railroad "conductor" William Still; Stoplight inventor, Elijah McCoy (better known as the "Real McCoy") ; poet Georgia Douglas Johnson; etiquette maven Charlotte Hawkins Brown; Elizabeth Keckley, seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln; The African-American Book of Values illustrates for young and old, black and white the necessary characteristics by which we should lead our lives.

Split into two sections, "The Book of Self-Mastery" and "The Book of Empathy," and, augmented by black-and-white photos, line drawings and color illustrations, The African-American Book of Values will be a stunning "must-have" addition to African-American and American households everywhere.

The Value in the Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas

by Iyanla Vanzant

For black women by the author of Acts of Faith and Tapping the Spirit Within, explains how to deal successfully with the challenges of everyday life and triumph over adversity.

 If you are an honorary member of the Black Woman's Suffering Society, you have probably been told that it's all your fault. Or that struggling and suffering is your lot in life. Iyanla Vanzant says NO! Life is an Act of Faith and suffering is optional! Those everyday challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas are what Iyanla calls valleys. As bad as they may seem, there is a purpose or, as Iyanla says, "There is so much value in the valley." Valley experiences open your eyes to the things you know but have difficulty facing and accepting. Valleys challenge your fears, strengthen your will, correct your misperceptions, and give you valuable insights into yourself, the world, and the people around you. Those dark, bleak, ugly experiences that make you most uncomfortable can help you to grow.