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44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faith, Love, Education, Music, October 1, 2009
This review is from: Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (Hardcover)
Those four words help me sum up someone I hold in extremely high regard. Dr. West's memoir has many lessons to be taken; self-discovery, education, community, and living for a purpose. It's amazing to see a person such as him struggle with portions of his being, which to me, only contributes to his importance, simply because you'll see pieces of yourself in this book. Even with those questions he has of himself, you'll see a degree of self-esteem and self-love, as well as love for others, that's simply remarkable.
There are parts in here that will make you laugh, such as the encounter he had with Amiri Baraka, or the time he took his folks to hear Eldridge Cleaver speak; he talks about his highly-publicized disagreements with Lawrence Summers in vivid detail. He even talks about his appearance, and why he chooses to wear his attire we've come to known him associated with: three-piece suit, tie, scarf, with the big 'ol afro. All of it brings a range of emotions, and it was a pleasure being exposed to them.
By his own admission, he is a bluesman, a man who loves hard, speaks truth, questions unapologetically, and a servant of the people. He truly, unequivocally loves all people. Music has shaped, and continues to shape and contribute to, his daily being. Most importantly, he remains a child of God, something he holds near and dear, and at the forefront of everything he does and all everything that he's about.
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31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
motivation, September 24, 2009
This review is from: Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (Hardcover)
Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir by the legendary Dr. Cornel West opened my eyes to the life of one of the people that I admire most in the field of higher education. West unapologetically laid his accomplishments, failures, joy, and pain out for the world to see in black and white. After reading about West's journey from a hot tempered youth to becoming one of the leading educators, writers, and lecturers in the American academy I was left feeling inspired and encouraged to follow my own "calling." The book was very motivational and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to read a story about what "could be" if you work hard enough for it .
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Rather Shallow, January 1, 2010
This review is from: Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (Hardcover)
Cornel West's books are approaching mediocrity. His earlier works were deep, philosophical, and serious. But his recent works are just collections of anecdotes that skim the important issues.
LIVING AND LOVING OUTLOUD is full of unnecessary name-dropping. I think it's great that Dr. West appreciates the works of other writers, but he doesn't go into any detail when he compares himself to Proust or Pound. He annoyingly compares himself to a "Bluesman" throughout the book, but it doesn't add anything but filler. He makes some references to the "Bluesmen" being downtrodden, always on the move, unloved, etc. But how is his life anything like that? He says his ex-wives have taken all his money, but how could he be "homeless" or "broke" when he gets $5000 for a lecture? He says he let his wife "Eleni" divorce him and sue him for all he's worth, but then he says "I let her." Now whose fault is that? This "Bluesman" comparison sounds more ike self-pity.
I'm giving this book two stars because there are some great topics here. He has a chapter on his childhood, his conflict with the Black Muslims, his fued with Lawrence Summers. But then he starts skimming; he gives a small anecdote about his relationship with a Turkish woman and their daughter, then a self-pitying story about her demands for child support. But he mentions that she and their daughter live in Germany, he flies over every six weeks, they have "long walks by the Rhine". I'd be interested in learning more about this; how does the life of a Black-American-Turk in Germany compare to how her life would be in the USA? Does she get treated differently at school in Germany because of her color? Does this tri-racial kid have any identity issues? How does Dr. West compare life in Germany to life in the USA?
I think that Dr. West has developed and ego problem. He's become narcissistic and he wraps himself in his own fantasies. It's time for him to step back, take a vacation, and slow down. He needs to write something that has the same depth that he had when he wrote RACE MATTERS. Now that was a great book!
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