Customer Reviews

How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out

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This Book provoides information on every topic concerning the improvement of Black America. With opinions from just about every leading African American, no stone goes unturned in terms of addressing problems and solutions to the Black Plight. If you care about the African Diaspora at all, please read this book right awasy!!!

As a fellow author myself, I am in the process of creating my second book--Plain Talk Vol. 2 (Digging a little deeper) It is a follow up to my first book-Plain Talk-Vol.1. I saw Tavis Smiley's name, but I did not read much from him in the book. I should have saw where it said compiled and edited by Tavis Smiley. I enjoyed the two sessions with the panels at the end of the book. I also enjoyed the various essays by some of the celebrities. I am worried that the black community is looking for leaders instead of being one themselves. I want to hear what ordinary people have to say about making Black America better. Shaq's ideas about the improvement of Black America is not more important than a janitor at your local high school, yet we hear Shaq's opinion more than the regular folks. That's not to slight Shaq in anyway. In fact, he's one of my favorite B-Ball players. I just felt that many of the celebrities featured in the book had nothing of substance to add to the conversation. They were only included in the book because they were famous.Plain Talk - Volume 1

Tavis Smiley rides on the backs of a group of celebrated African American intellectuals to line his own pockets and further advance his multi-media, empty talkfest. This young man babbles and blaters without much substance, but turns out the crowds becasue of his overexposure both on BET and on Tom Joyner's show. Listen to Tavis if you must, watch him if you will, but buying this book is both a waste of time and encouragement to an already shallow talker that keeping it light is all right. If you are going to buy one book, buy Randall Robinson's The Debt. Or check out Farai Chidea's most recent work. But this is fluff (for example, Tyra Banks implores us to all. . . .(is that get along, Tyra or did they only allow you half a page), nothing more. It plays the black community cheap.

The worksmanship of this piece was excellent. The author did an exceptional job at crafting the book and composed it in readable words. However, though being put together considerably well, the message put out by Mr. Smiley's book is one that creates much controversy. This is simply one point of view, among many.