Customer Reviews

Black Men Speaking

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I am NOT a contributor to this book and have no association with it other than being a reader. I got it out of the library and was so impressed with it that I bought a copy to own and keep. I am not black and not a man, but I found the book brilliant and thought-provoking. My only suggestion might have been to give it a title less limiting in subject, perhaps using "Black Men Speaking" as a subtitle, because this is a book about human beings. It isn't the last word on any subject -- nothing is -- and as in all anthologies some writers have fresher insights than others, but sections in it moved me and made me think like no book I've read in a long time. Don't make the mistake of thinking this book is a tired re-hash of issues that have already been covered extensively; rather, it has some superb writing about how human beings have dealt with and will deal with the many challenges of living in society, and where that society is headed.

As a contributor to this book, I strongly disagree with the assessment from Kirkus Reviews. Yes, there is much here we've heard before (but that doesn't mean it isn't worth saying--and hearing--again.) Then, too, there is a range of perspectives in this book--from the conservative to the liberal--that is greater than Kirkus acknowledges. Some writers see racism as black men's greatest enemy; others call for us to take more responsibility for our own lives. "Black Men Speaking" is a worthy companion to Don Belton's "Speak My Name," and essential reading for anyone who cares about black America.