|
To see the entire list of the top 25 selling fiction and nonfiction
books from March 1st through April 30th, visit:
http://www.aalbc.com/books/marapr_2009.htm
AUTHORS YOU SHOULD KNOW
http://authors.aalbc.com/author1.htm
 Jayne
Cortez
http://aalbc.com/authors/jayne.htm
Jayne Cortez is
the author of eleven books of poetry and performer of
her poems with music on nine recordings. Her voice is
celebrated for its political, surrealistic, dynamic
innovations in lyricism, and visceral sound. Cortez has
presented her work and ideas at universities, museums,
and festivals around the world. Her poems have been
translated into many languages and widely published in
anthologies, journals, and magazines. She is a recipient
of several awards including: Arts International, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the International
African Festival Award. The Langston Hughes Medal, The
American Book Award, and the Thelma McAndless
Distinguished Professorship Award.
Her most recent book, On the Imperial Highway: New
and Selected Poems was published February 23, 2009
by Hanging Loose Press |
 Ngugi
wa Thiong'o
http://aalbc.com/authors/ngugi_wa_thiongo.htm
Born in Kenya, in 1938 into a large peasant family,
writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o is one of East Africa's leading
novelists. He is recipient of seven Honorary Doctorates
and is also Honorary Member of American Academy of
Letters. A many-sided intellectual, he is novelist,
essayist, playwright, journalist, editor, academic and
social activist. His books have been translated into
more than 30 languages, and his Weep
Not Child was
the first major novel in English by an East African. His
writings on corruption in his native Kenya led to his
�77 imprisonment.
Thiong'o's most recent title,
Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance
was published by
Basic Civitas Books on February 23, 2009 |
|
 Barbara Keaton
http://authors.aalbc.com/barbara_keaton.htm
Barbara Keaton, a notice of Chicago, thinks it is the
best city in the world. She enjoys writing and reading.
Her articles have appeared in Today's Black Woman
Magazine, Chicago Reader, Chicago Crusader, and True
Confessions. She has written seven books, including the
popular novel One in a
Million. Keaton
credits her late grandfather, Thomas Hill, and the
Oblate Sisters of Providence for instilling a love and
passion for writing in her |
 Paule
Marshall
http://aalbc.com/authors/paule_marshall.htm
She is a MacArthur Fellow and is a
past winner of the Dos Passos Prize for Literature. She
was designated as a Literary Lion by the New York Public
Library in 1994. Marshall was inducted into the
Celebrity Path at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2001.
Marshall is perhaps best know for
her first novel
Brown Girl, Brownstones
originally published in 1959. Her memoir,
Triangular Road
was published, March 2009, by Basic Civitas Books |
 Solomon Jones
http://aalbc.com/authors/solomon_jones.htm
Solomon Jones is the author of the
critically acclaimed novels includes,
Payback: The Return of C.R.E.A.M.
(March 2009 Minotaur Books),
The Bridge, and Pipe
Dream. He also writes the Weekend Warrior column for
the Philadelphia Daily News. Jones holds a
journalism B.A. from Temple University. He has been
published in Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer,
Philadelphia magazine, the Philadelphia Weekly, and the
Philadelphia Tribune. Jones is an adjunct professor at
Temple University's College of Liberal Arts, and lives
in Philadelphia with his family. |
 Nicole
Fa�Lon Garrett
http://authors.aalbc.com/nicole_garrett.htm
Nicole Fa�Lon Garrett was born and
raised in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor's and
Master's in English from the University of Iowa and
Chicago State University respectively. She currently
lives in Los Angeles, California with her son where she
is a high school English teacher.
Garrett's newest novel Double
Dippin� follows episodes in the fast-paced
worlds of a group of Chicago elites. The novel
alternates the narrative between these friends, spouses
and lovers until the specter of murder raises its head
in this complex and vividly drawn world. |
|
| RECENT AALBC.com BOOK & FILM
REVIEWS, ARTICLES,
INTERVIEWS & VIDEOS
 Farai Chideya Interview
with AALBC.com - Video
http://aalbc.com/authors/faraichideya.htm
Chideya has combined media,
technology, and social justice during her 20-year career
as an award-winning author and journalist. From 2006 to
early 2009, she hosted NPR's News and Notes, a daily
national program about African-American and African
diaspora issues. She has written three nonfiction
books: Trust: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters;
The Color of Our Future; and Don�t Believe the
Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African
Americans.
Farai Chideya is interviewed by
Ron Kavanaugh of Mosaic Literary Magazine. The 24 minute
Interview took place March 12th 2009 at the AALBC.com
Gallery in Harlem, New York. Also, Chideya's
new novel Kiss the Sky is Essence Magazine's book
club selection for May 2009 and pubs May 12th from Atria
Books. |
 Lisa
Nichols discusses book "No Matter What!" with One Spirit
Book Club - Video
http://aalbc.com/authors/lisa_nichols.htm
The video is 2:47 minutes long and was filmed in Silver
Spring, MD in March of 2009.
In her book,
No Matter What!: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love,
Nichols describes how, by developing and toning her own
bounce-back muscles at critical points in her life, Lisa
found the power to become her authentic self and achieve
everything she dared to hope for. Now, in
No Matter What!,
she offers a groundbreaking program that outlines these
9 Steps or "muscles", which include among others your
Confidence, Faith-in-Myself, Honesty Out Loud and
Forgiveness muscles, and explains how anyone can use
them to achieve happiness and off-the-charts success. In
this powerful guide Lisa Nichols introduces her dynamic
plan, shares her own remarkable story, and prescribes
specific exercises and action steps to inspire readers
to learn from their past and move toward a courageous
future. |
 A DEBATE
Special Ron Kavanaugh v. Troy Johnson - Audio
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=71019736203
Ron Kavanaugh, Editor of MosiacBooks
and the vision behind The Literary Freedom Project and
Troy Johnson, President and Founder of AALBC.com
(African American Literary Book Club) in a BETWEEN YOU
AND ME special on literary innovation.
Off The Page, hosted by Esther
Armah WBAI99.5FM brings the book world to life. Tune in
and hear from those who write, critique, publish,
profit, publicize and organize - with a particular
emphasis on people of color, nationally and
internationally. |
 Will.i.Am - The X-Men Origins: Wolverine Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/will_i_am.htm
William James Adams, aka Will.i.Am,
was born on March 15, 1975 in the City of Los Angeles
where he attended the Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising. But by the time he got around to
launching his own clothing line (�i.am�) in 2005, the
talented Renaissance man had already found fame as front
man for Black Eyed Peas, the multiple Grammy-winning
hip-hop group with hits like �Let's Get It Started� and
�My Humps.�
Perhaps his most important cultural contribution came
during the run-up to the presidential election, when he
released �Yes We Can,� the Emmy-winning song which
ostensibly served as the Obama campaign's unofficial
theme song. Here, he talks about all of the above, and
about X-Men Origins: Wolverine where he co-stars
opposite Hugh Jackman as John Wraith. |
 Review of Before I
Forget by Leonard Pitts, Jr.
- Book Reviewed by Thumper
http://reviews.aalbc.com/before_i_forget.htm
*giggling* I�m going to love writing this review. A
little while ago, I read and finished a wonderful debut
novel, Before I Forget by
Leonard Pitts, Jr. I LOVED IT!! I have not read a debut
novel this extraordinary in years. The novel is the
story of a former R&B superstar of the 70s, who
discovers he is suffering from an early onset of
Alzheimer. Before he loses life as he knows it, he takes
his teenage son on a cross country road trip to visit
his dying father. The novel tells a wonderful story but
it focuses on another purpose. I loved it!
James Moses �Mo� Johnson is a has-been soul singer. Mo
became famous in 1974 when he wrote and recorded his
first major hit. But, that was then, this is now. Mo is
almost 50 and he had begun to forget things. He is
diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, even though he is a
relatively young man, too young to have Alzheimer, or so
he thinks. |
 Southland by Nina Revoyr
- Book Reviewed by Thumper
http://reviews.aalbc.com/southland.htm
In the beginning of my throes into books that I missed
the first time around and cleaning out my library, one
of my discoveries was the second novel by Nina Revoyr
titled Southland. I first read Revoyr's debut novel, The
Necessary Hunger, many years ago when I first came
to AALBC.com.
Southland
is an incredible epic. The novel has everything I could
possibly want in a novel: romance, historical events,
family drama, and a murder mystery. The novel is
absorbing, smooth and addictive. It drips in richness.
The characters simply walk off the pages already in
human form. If I had the power and money,
Southland
would be a miniseries that I would broadcast during the
May sweeps. Even with all of the excellent qualities the
novel possesses, I do have a bone to pick. First, I�ll
sing the praises of the novel before I gnaw on that
bone. |
 The
Love Ethic: The Reason Why You Can�t Find and Keep
Beautiful Black Love by Kamau and Akilah Butler
- Book
Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_love_ethic.htm
As the Butlers teach the singles and
couples at their institution, love must be taught and
learned. They add that Blacks get strength and power
from being with each other, not from being apart. The
statistics they cite are very grim. One recent poll says
that a Black child during the days of slavery was more
likely to grow up living with both parents than he or
she is today. Another survey cites that the Black
community was comprised of 90% families with both
parents in 1920, but that figure slipped to 50% in 1990
and 30% in 2007. With out-of-wedlock births taken out of
the equation, the birthrates of Black married women have
fallen off sharply, jeopardizing the cultural and social
impact of our community.
In the book, the Butlers present the catalog of ailments
and defects within the Black community, but they also
create a positive vision for the enduring survival of
our people. They set out a list of principles of �the
Love Ethic:� including justice, balance, reciprocity,
harmony, unity, propriety, responsibility, faith, proper
communication, common purpose, and order. The terms are
self-explanatory and make good sense. |
 The Sound of Miles Davis - TV
Program Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_sound_of_miles_davis.htm
50 years ago, on April 2, 1959, the Miles Davis Quintet
teamed with the Gil Evans Orchestra to perform in New
York City on a TV series called The Robert Herridge
Theater. Music aficionados might be amused to learn why
the legendary trumpeter's combo that day wasn�t the
usual sextet, namely, because alto saxophonist
Cannonball Adderley had cancelled due to illness. Miles�
sidemen in attendance were giants of jazz in their own
right, including tenor saxophonist John Coltrane,
bassist Paul Chambers, pianist Wynton Kelly and drummer
Jimmy Cobb.
Filmed in black & white, the show starts with a casual
introduction by Herridge standing in front of the camera
with a lit cigarette in his hand. Between numbers, the
chain-smoking host, a man of few words, simply shrugs
that �this is music that should be �listened to and not
talked about.� |
 The Right Mistake: The Further Philosophical
Investigations of Socrates Fortlow by Walter Mosley -
Book Reviewed by Thumper
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_right_mistake.htm
The Right Mistake is
the literary version of a beautifully made Long Island
Ice Tea. The book was sweet, cool, refreshing and I was
not aware, until I stood up, how powerfull and
poignantly intoxicating the stories were. As I began
reading the first story, The Right Mistake, I mentally
and physically got comfortable and became reacquainted
with Socrates. Oh and boy did it feel good! By the time
I put the book down to cook my dinner, I kept prolonging
the task because I did not want to stop reading. The
Right Mistake, for two days, became my childhood
rabbit rug that if it wasn�t for my mother, I would have
taken it everywhere I went. (Yeah, I had a thing for
rabbits even back then. *smile*) I took the book to bed.
I took the book to work. I read it while I ate. The book
became as necessary as toilet paper. |
 A Person of Interest
by Ernest Hill - Book Reviewed by Thumper
http://reviews.aalbc.com/a_person_of_interest.htm
The only part of the novel that did
not sit well with me was the ending. The ending was
rushed, causing me to do a double take because it ran
opposite of the flow of the book up to that point. The
ending reached a highly unlikely conclusion that came
out of nowhere. I read it again to make sure that I got
it, unfortunately I did. I finished the book with a sour
taste in my mouth. What a shame too, because the book
was pretty good up to that point.
Overall, A Person of Interest was a good read. I would
have had a higher opinion of the book if the ending had
been tighter and flowed in the same vein as the rest of
the novel. I took a couple of points away because of it.
The novel is worth reading. I have no regrets on that
score. I recommend A Person of Interest. |
 Delightfulee:
The Life and Music of Lee Morgan By Jeffrey S. McMillian
- Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/delightfulee.htm
Dizzy Gillespie, a founder of bop, considered Lee Morgan
one of the major post-bop trumpet stylists
McMillian uses countless interviews from Morgan's peers
and business associates to convey the multi-faceted
musician, whose persona matched his playing style:
cocky, confident, playful, soulful, and lyrical. Toward
the end of his life, the author shows the reader a
Morgan wanting to change his life, trying to move on
from the heroin addiction and his longtime bond to Helen
More, a woman known to fly off the emotional handle. The
horn man was busy at the start of 1972, two popular club
dates and a TV appearance, but a tragic fate awaited him
on a cold February night at a Slugs club in New York
City. Helen More, angry about his romance with another
woman, shot Morgan in the chest and he was pronounced
dead at age 33. |
 Love
Bones: A Collection of Poetry by Ronald Oliphant -
Poetry Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/love_bones_a_collection_of_poetry.htm
Love seems to be the emotional fuel for all forms of
popular expression. This book's author, Ronald Oliphant,
knows firsthand about matters of heart as his poetry
attests in its candor and collective power. Growing in
the small town of Natchitoches, Louisiana, he moved to
Dallas, where the big city quickly won his heart.
Sensitive yet clear-eyed in his observations, he
released his first book of poems, A Player's Poetry, at
the age of 23. Those poems were full of youthful
obsessions, hormonal desires, and preoccupations.
The latest book of poetry, Love Bones, shows how
Oliphant has matured as a man and a poet. At 35, he
understands the respect and courtesy to be shown to a
woman who holds herself above reproach. He knows class
in a modern Black woman. |
 The
Soloist - Film Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_soloist.htm
Despite being raised in the �hood by
a single-mom, child prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie
Foxx) exhibited such promise on the cello that by
the time he graduated from high school in 1970 he had
earned a scholarship to Juilliard. But unlike other
classmates such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nathaniel would never get a
chance to realize his full potential, because during his
sophomore year he began exhibiting symptoms of the
schizophrenia which would derail his dream of a career
in classical music.
A compelling cross of a couple of
Academy Award-winning Best Pictures, A Beautiful Mind
and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, capable of holding
its own up against those similarly-themed, screen
classics. Film review includes link to
Interview with Jamie Foxx |
 Nicole
Beharie - The �American Violet� Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/nicole_beharie.htm
A recent grad of the acting program
at the prestigious Juilliard School, Nicole Beharie made
her screen debut just last fall in The Express, a
bittersweet bio-pic about the abbreviated life of Ernie
Davis, the first African-American recipient of the
Heisman Trophy. Now, in just her second film, the
promising young thespian has already handled her first
leading role.
In American Violet, a riveting drama based on a
real-life case of racial profiling and malicious
prosecution in a tiny Texas town, she plays a
single-mother of four falsely accused of dealing drugs.
Here, the emerging ingenue reflects upon her work in the
movie which co-stars Alfre Woodard and Charles S.
Dutton. Interview includes link to
American Violet film Review. |
 Family Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the
Exploitation of Black Urban America by Beryl Satter -
Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/family_properties.htm
On April 3, 1964, in one of his most
famous speeches, �The Ballot or the Bullet,� Malcolm X
said African-Americans didn�t end up stuck and suffering
in the nation's ghettos by accident, but because of a
government conspiracy to �deprive you of your economic
opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive
you of decent education.� The late civil rights leader
went on to conclude that the government was �responsible
for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of
black people in this country.�
45 years later, we now have a book chock full of
evidence confirming many of Malcolm's allegations,
especially in terms of the real estate concerns. Family
Properties: Race, Real Estate, and the Exploitation of
Black Urban America was written by Beryl Satter, the
daughter of a liberal Jewish lawyer who had dedicated
his career to representing poor black folks being ripped
off by a rigged housing market which favored whites
while discriminating against blacks. |
 Rashida Jones - The I Love You, Man Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/rashida_jones.htm
Born in
L.A. on February 25, 1976, Rashida
Leah Jones is the younger daughter of jazz
icon/composer/arranger/record producer Quincy Jones and
actress Peggy Lipton of Mod Squad fame. Rashida was
raised in Bel Air and attended the prestigious
Buckley
School where she was a member
of the National Honor Society and voted the �Girl Most
Likely to Succeed.� The academic overachiever also
received religious training at a Hebrew school en route
to Harvard
University, and she continues
to practice Judaism today.
Here,
she talks about her new movie, I Love You, Man, a
romantic comedy where she plays the fianc�e of a nerdy
loner (Paul Rudd) desperate to make a friend (Jason
Segel) to serve as best man at their impending
wedding. |
 Sovereign Evolution: Manifest Destiny from �Civil
Rights� to �Sovereign Rights� by Ezrah Aharone - Book
Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/sovereign_evolution.htm
A controversial clarion call for
separation just when America finally appears on the
verge of actually becoming the melting pot it has long
pretended to be. Given that you hear so many black
people saying they feel fully American for the first
time, pursuing brother Aharone's divisive dream of black
sovereignty is probably as practical aright now as
trying to unscramble a bowl of scrambled eggs.
Includes reaction to the book review
from the author Ezrah Aharone. |
 Sugar of the Crop: My Journey to Find the Children of
Slaves by Sana Butler - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/sugar_of_the_crop.htm
It's hard to believe that when Sana
Butler started searching for children of slaves in 1997,
that the fruits of her ensuing 11 year-quest would yield
fruit as rich as Sugar of the Crop, a bittersweet
collection of revealing interviews with the surviving
offspring of folks freed by the Emancipation
Proclamation over a century before. What makes this book
special is how seamlessly the author contrasts her aging
subjects� fading recollections with her own expectations
of them and her intimate reflections about being black
and female in present-day America. |
 The Other Side of Losing
- Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_other_side_of_losing.htm
There are always a bunch of baseball
books released right at the start of every season, and
among the cream of this year's crop is The Other Side
of Losing, a novel likely to tickle the fancy of any
fan with a soft spot in their hearts for the Cubs. For
this edge of your seat page-turner by Peter Brav
chronicles a valiant effort by that seemingly-cursed
franchise to follow in the footsteps of the Boston Red
Sox by ending the longest World Series drought.
Meticulously researched in a fashion
anyone familiar with the North Side of the Windy City is
apt to appreciate, this struggle of the underdog against
the odds unfolds on the streets and inside several
working-class establishments located right in the shadow
of Wrigley. |
 Nubiah: Land of African
Kings and Queens Bedtime Stories & Coloring Book -
Children's Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/nubiah.htm
Though only 44 pages in length, the book is just
brimming with a variety of content, and also includes
drawings of elephants, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and
other indigenous animals to fill in, as well as the
lyrics to the Negro National Anthem, a list of black
inventors, quotes of luminaries like
Maya Angelou, Whoopi Goldberg, Jesse Owens, Alvin
Ailey and Marian Anderson, and even The Lord's and other
prayers.
A potpourri of positivity for black parents
interested in introducing young offspring to their
roots, religion and role models. |
 More than Just Race: Being
Black and Poor in the Inner City - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/more_than_just_race.htm
Tepid in tone, this tame tome has just five chapters and
focuses fairly narrowly on three issues: the financial
straits of the black male, the fragmentation of the
black family, and the forces contributing to the
concentration of poverty in the black community.
Wilson's conclusions are invariably uninspiring. Trust
me, it's hard find a more vague summary on the subject
of African-Americana than Wilson's here, which reads:
�We can confidently state� that regardless of the
relative significance of structural and cultural factors
in black family fragmentation, they interact in ways far
too important for social scientists and policy makers to
ignore.� |
 I.O.U.S.A.
(One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt.) - DVD Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/iousa.htm
Listening to the experts and
political pundits weigh-in on the recession is likely to
leave you confused about why we�re in this mess.
Democrats and Republicans predictably resort to blaming
each other, while economists tend to explain the
situation using jargon too complicated for the Average
Joe to comprehend.
For this reason, director Patrick Creadon is to be
commended for making I.O.U.S.A. (One Nation. Under
Stress. In Debt.), a nuts and bolts documentary which
seeks to explain the burgeoning financial crisis in
layman's terms. The film opens by stating the basic
proposition that the most serious threat to the U.S. is
our own irresponsibility when it comes to spending.
America's present predicament is then put in perspective
via telling analogies of the Roman Empire shortly before
its fall. |
 Family Affair: What
It Means to Be African-American Today - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/family_affair.htm
Attorney General Eric Holder took a lot of flak recently
when he referred to America as a �nation of cowards�
because we �simply do not talk enough with each other
about race.� The backlash emanated from the feeling of
many that the election of Obama proves that we have
finally achieved that post-racial society envisioned by
Dr. Martin Luther King where people would be judged
solely by the content of their character. The dilemma
reminds me of the old joke where, finding themselves
surrounded by hostile Indians, the Lone Ranger asks his
trusted, native scout �What do you think we should do?�
and Tonto responds, �What do you mean �we� white man?�
Gil Robertson, author of Family Affair, recognized
that, although Obama has generated considerable �hope
for change,� the fact remains that most African-American
communities still exist �in a state of almost perpetual
crisis. |
 Watchmen
- Film Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/watchmen.htm
It's hard to imagine how Hollywood in 2009 could
possibly continue to crank out such satisfying, comic
book hero adventures one after another as it did in
2008, a year when we were treated to a quartet of
outstanding offerings, including Iron Man, The Amazing
Hulk, Wanted and The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, that
impressive string comes to an abrupt end with the
release of the Watchmen, an underwhelming splatter flick
bound to be as well remembered for its casual display of
male genitalia as for its ubiquitous gore.
Based on the popular DC Comics series of the same
name, this eagerly-anticipated adaptation was directed
by Zach Snyder, who had followed his spellbinding debut,
Dawn of the Dead, with an equally-compelling sophomore
effort, the critically-acclaimed 300. Here, however, he
takes a giant step backwards with an overambitious
production plagued by a plethora of characters and a
convoluted plotline that takes almost three hours to
introduce, thicken and resolve tidily. |
 Texas
Battle The
Dragonball Evolution Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/texas_battle.htm
Born in Houston on August 9, 1980,
Texas Battle earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology
at the University of Texas before making his way to
Hollywood to take a shot at showbiz. The former
student-athlete made a memorable screen debut in 2005
opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the basketball bio-pic
Coach Carter. He followed that performance with another
just as impressive in Final Destination 3, a hit flick
which opened at the #1 spot at the box office.
Here, the handsome, young thespian talks about his
latest outing as Carey Fuller in Dragonball Evolution, a
screen version of the popular comic book series
co-starring Chow Yun-Fat, Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin. |
 Obsessed
- Film Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/obsessed.htm
Superficially, the plotline of
Obsessed reads like a thinly-veiled remake of Fatal
Attraction, as it features so many similarities to that
classic thriller that the original's scriptwriter, James
Dearden, deserves to share a credit for the screenplay.
Whether it's the suicidal sexpot, the kidnapping of
Derek's son, his fed-up wife's being forced to take the
law into her own hands, or the femme fatale having nine
lives in the climactic finale, the story often looks
like a line-by-line rip-off.
Nonetheless, that being said, the three principal cast
members throw themselves into their respective roles
with such gusto that they manage to generate a palpable
tension which makes this B-version feel genuinely fresh
and exciting. Idris Elba rises to the challenge of
playing his clueless character convincingly, while
Beyonce� is just as good as the doubting spouse with
serious trust issues. |
 Legends:
Rare Moments and Inspiring Words by the Editors at
Smiley Books - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/legends.htm
As much an educational tool as an oversized, coffee
table keepsake, Legends features an array of
visually-captivating photographs of 78 African-American
icons of the 20th Century, with each one's image being
accompanied by a memorable phrase which embodies his or
her spirit. These remarkable luminaries come from all
walks of life, including the fields of politics, music,
dance, literature and sports.
Among the honorees is the poet Maya
Angelou, whose entry captures her at work writing
alongside the quote �There is no greater agony than
bearing an untold story inside you.� Then there is the
evocative shot of Thelonious Monk which has the late
jazz great composing at the piano next to the saying,
�Wrong is right.� |
|
| AALBC.com RECOMMENDS
 Who's
Your Mama? The Unsung Voices of Women and Mothers by
Yvonne Bynoe
http://aalbc.com/authors/yvonne_bynoe.htm
Unlike other motherhood books that focus on the
experiences of a small group of affluent, married white
women, Who's Your Mama? centers
on the largely untold perspectives of the majority of
American women, whose unique and sometimes
unconventional family structures impact our country.
Their contributions speak practically of their personal
beliefs, intimate relationships, and socioeconomic
realities.
The book explores the intersection between motherhood
and other facets of the contributors� lives, including
race, class, sexuality, politics, and personal tragedy.
Personal stories include a feminist juggling the roles
of activist and mother, a college graduate who applies
for welfare so she can remain home with her child, a gay
couple's navigation of the adoption process, and a
mother's celebration of her own vibrant sexuality. This
collection of personal narratives will illuminate
various female experiences of parenting and humanize a
variety of social and economic issues that affect
millions of American women and their families. |
 The Greatest Gift I Could Offer: Quotations from Barack
Obama on Parenting and Family
by Olivia M. Cloud
http://authors.aalbc.com/barack_obama.htm#gift
Words of wisdom on raising a family, from President
Barack Obama.
Barack Obama's eloquent words have inspired many. Here,
in the only collection of its kind, are his thoughts on
parenting and family. Each of his quotes is set in a
context of insightful background on Obama's family
experiences�a child of divorce, raised by a single
mother, woven into a blended family, reared for years by
his grandparents, then going on to embrace his
multi-racial roots and blood relatives�and how each of
these experiences helped to shape the choices he made in
starting his own family. |
 The
Last Prejudice by David Rivera Jr.
http://aalbc.com/authors/david_rivera.htm
At first glance, the three plus-sized women in David
Rivera, Jr.'s The Last Prejudice go through the same
relationship trials and tribulations that many women go
through. But when forced to deal with the added social
stereotypes, and sometimes personal insecurities of
being a full-figured woman, their true personalities
come to surface. On one hand, there's Noreen Klein, the
empowered diva who gets � and often takes � what she
wants out of life, including sexy men. She knows what
she wants and is confidant in her curvy size-24 figure.
However, Dahlia Ortega, who recently has removed herself
from an abusive relationship, is a pretty but self
conscious full-figured woman with a new found thirst for
dominating men. Finally, there's Kat Davis. Kat once had
a stellar body, but as a result of a pregnancy that
added 60 pounds to her frame, she now must contend with
a new body and voracious sexual appetite. As the three
women bond and support one another in the ups and downs
of their juicy romances and chaotic lives, the
characters bring to surface how cultural biases against
voluptuous women can create dissension and mayhem when
lust is in the air. |
 TheDefendersOnline.com
http://thedefendersonline.com
Now, LDF is expanding its
responsibility and challenge as the nation's premier
civil rights law firm through TheDefendersOnline, a new
forum for the discussion of those events and ideas that
have always been at the heart of America's civil rights
struggle: race, justice, equality and democracy.
The LDF blog is produced by the
LDF Communications team, and is edited by three authors
with extensive journalistic experience: Lee A. Daniels,
Editor-in-Chief; TaRessa Stovall, Managing Editor; and
Stacey Patton, Senior Editor. Look out for a
series of Mother's Day Tributes, this Sunday, May 10th,
including one tribute written by AALBC.com founder Troy
Johnson. |
 nat
creole
http://www.natcreole.com
nat creole. is the online magazine
dedicated to offering an entertaining yet informed
perspective on the literature, politics, art and music
of contemporary global culture. With a focus on
broadening the conversation on the arts and their role
in an increasingly inter-connected world, nat creole.
provides an ideal forum for the exchange of ideas,
beliefs and forms of cultural expression. |
|
| AALBC.com SURVEYS
 Participate
in our Social Networking Survey for a chance to win $50
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2ijnmvdfuen3hf1/start
What are your favorite social
networking sites for business and pleasure? |
 Check
out a Summary of
the Results of our Recent eBook Survey
http://writers.aalbc.com/ebooks/Mar_02_2009_eBook_Survey.pdf
Winners of $25 Cash for completing our eBook Survey are:
Alethea from New Jersey, Primrose from Florida, Tracy
from Hawaii, and Dennis from New York - Congrats
everyone!
Here is an interesting quote from
the survey:
"I am old fashioned - I like to
hold and turn the pages in a book. Books hold a certain
value in my eyes. You can ask the writer to inscribe
his/her book to you. You can give a book to a child or
read from a book to a child especially taking the time
with the illustrations. With a book - you can
write questions or challenge a statement in the margins.
Books can have a special scent about that that triggers
your memory. We must not forget the beautifully
illustrated covers on the books that draw your attention
to the book and want to pick it up. Books and
bookbinding are sacred professions that bring an
intimacy for the reader and the writer of the book. Too
many things in this world have become impersonal and
disconnected. No one talk to each other because everyone
is plugged into their ipod. I vote for keeping books in
the old fashion format." |
EVENTS
http://events.aalbc.com
 2009
Mosaic Literary Magazine Benefit - Sunday, June 7, 2-5
PM - AALBC.com Gallery, Harlem NY
http://mosaicmagazine.org/benefit.html
Join us Sunday, June 7, 2-5 PM
for some wine, food, and art as we celebrate spring and
Mosaic. Proceeds will go to benefit Mosaic Literary
Magazine and its education programs.
Featuring poet Cheryl Boyce-Taylor and the photography
of Marcia E. Wilson which includes photographs of
Amiri Baraka � Derrick Bell � Cheryl Boyce-Taylor & son,
Phife (Tribe Called Quest) � Octavia Butler � Colin
Channer � Dr. John Henrik Clark � Jayne Cortez � Edwidge
Danticat � Angela Davis � Junot Diaz � bell hooks �
Jamaica Kincaid � Haki Madhubuti � Terri McMillan � Bebe
Moore-Campbell � Toni Morrison � President Barack Obama
� Kevin Powell � Sonia Sanchez � Alice Walker � Margaret
Walker
Visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sesb3nYRzZk for a
video preview of the exhibit (0.31 minutes) |
 National
Black Book Festival - Houston, TX - May 16-17, 2009
http://www.nationalblackbookfestival.com/
The National Black Book Festival (NBBF)
is an annual event, sponsored jointly by Cushcity.com,
the world's largest African-American retailer online,
and the Houston Black Expo, the largest African-American
tradeshow in the state of Texas. The event is held in
conjunction with the Houston Black Expo and attracts a
wide array of authors, publishers, book clubs, libraries
and individual readers from the Southwest U.S. and
nationwide. NBBF 2009 will be held at the George R.
Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, Texas in
Hall C.
The event features a pavilion of authors, including
those who are notable and new. Book signing and
discussion sessions with featured authors, workshops and
seminars, a spoken word poetry slam and book club give-aways
are just a few of the exciting featured activities at
NBBF. Authors will be grouped according to genre and
there are 16 genres that will be represented.
AALBC.com founder, Troy Johnson is a
sponsor and will be on a panel on
Saturday, May 16 @ 4:00 p.m. called Marketing Your Book
On a Limited Budget with
Dana Pittman of Nia Promotions and Author and Attorney
Oswald Scott:
http://www.nationalblackbookfestival.com/seminar2.htm |
 Self
Publishing Symposium � New York, NY � June 14, 2009
http://www.selfpublishingsymposium.com
Join us on June 14, 2009 at The
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (515
Malcolm X Blvd) to take advantage of what this important
business event can do for your publishing company.
Whether you�re a self-published author,
small/independent press or writer considering self
publishing, you won�t want to miss this opportunity to:
Learn successful business strategies from industry
experts, Network with professionals and make powerful
connections, and Grow your business to new heights.
AALBC.com founder, Troy Johnson
will be the
�Hot Topics� Panel Moderator. |
 New
Rochelle Festival of Books - New Rochelle, NY - June 20
& 21, 2009
http://www.qbr.com/page15243.asp
On Saturday and Sunday, June 20 & 21,
2009, the New Rochelle Public Library and Library Green
will be transformed into an exciting marketplace of
books, food, and cultural concessions for the first
annual New Rochelle Festival of Books. Throughout the
library and the two-day event, dozens of local and
internationally-known authors and local performers will
offer insightful presentations and entertaining
performances. Especially for kids and their parents, a
Children's Space in the library's Alphabet Garden will
showcase children's books, readings, storytelling and
crafts.
The Harlem Book Fair was founded in 1999 by QBR The
Black Book Review as a community event and forum for
African American readers to discover, experience and
celebrate African American history and culture through
books. From the success of that first book fair, the
event has grown to become the country's largest
community gathering of readers and book lovers. It has
evolved into a national brand, and expanded into new
markets - including New Rochelle on this June weekend!
|
 National
Book Club Conference - Atlanta, GA - July 31 - August 2,
2009
http://www.nationalbookclubconference.com/
In six years, the National Book Club
Conference has developed into the premier annual
literary event for books by and about African-Americans.
The three-day weekend is a spiritual experience filled
with laughter, learning, fun and fellowship.
The 2009 NBCC, will be held July 31-August 2 at the
Atlanta Marriott Marquis, promises to again set a new
standard on literary bliss.
Walter Mosley,
Terry McMillan,
Dr. Cornel West,
Terrie Williams,
Connie Briscoe,
Brenda Jackson,
Kimberla Lawson Roby are just a some of the
top-flight authors who will be a part of the
seventh-annual occasion.
To maintain the intimacy that has made the NBCC special,
we limit registrations. So, to experience what thousands
of book lovers have over the years, please secure your
position today by visiting our Registration page.
Troy Johnson, President of
AALBC.com will be a participant in this year's event. |
|
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