Customer Reviews

So You Call Yourself A Man

5 star:		(147)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carl Weber's latest installment, SO YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN, highlights the friendship and the woes of three friends: James, Sonny and Brent. Set in New York City, specifically Queens, the friendship and the relationships in which they find themselves are tantamount to drama, drama and more drama.

James, a happily married man and father of two, one day receives a telephone call, which will change the life he knows forever. Sonny, married also, arrives in New York from Seattle to look for a job with the hopes of relocating back to his hometown. While in town, Sonny receives news, which will also change his life and send him over the edge. Finally there is Brent, a saved man studying to become a Deacon in his church. By all accounts Brent is the finest of the bunch and as a result has the members of his church trying to sabotage his impending wedding.

Sounds like a typical drama-filled read, right? SO YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN is filled with shocking revelations which is trademark Carl Weber. From The Preacher's Son, also by Weber, is the reappearance of Bishop T. K. Wilson and his wife Charlene. Although their roles are secondary, they are necessary components who assist in making the book sizzle, and from the looks of it another book is on the horizon utilizing some of the same characters.

SO YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN, though unpredictable, showcases great dialogue throughout. The spouses, fiancés and family members also add captivating and heartfelt emotions that are vivid, graphic and oh so understandable. Carl Weber has managed to entertain us again with the trials and tribulations of a set of friends within his native New York. A neat and tidy ending, no! A satisfying read, yes!

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Having grown up together comes as no comfort to central characters; James Robinson, Brent Williams, and Sonny Harrison as they face the troubles they have created in their own lives. James tries to hide a secret that he is all too aware will eventually be exposed. How can he keep his dirty little secret for just a little longer when at any moment his web of lies will unravel?

Brent looking forward to everything in his prefect bride-to-be, and a recently saved Christian, sincerely puts his best foot forward. But wouldn't you know the devil is hard at work and the question becomes will Brent succumb to Satan's dark susurrations and take the low road, committing a dastardly injustice in the process or will he realize all he needs to arm himself within his struggle is, Matthew 23:16?

While away in a desperate job search, Sonny's wife unrepentantly leaves him. Settling in New York and reunited with his friends, Sonny quickly shakes this minor setback. Determined to have a happy family life, he hopes that he will find all that he seeks in his new love interest, former high school sweetheart, Tiffany Boyd and her children. Will true happiness come at a price too high for all involved?

I am certain that I would not be alone in saying that Mr. Weber has mastered what he does. Unlike some Urban writers, Mr. Weber does not overwhelm his characters with dilemma upon dilemma. Never once did I wonder why a character had not leapt from a cliff or at the least suffered some sort of stress related meltdown.
This story moves quickly and by page fifty, I felt as if the central characters were old friends that I assumed I knew well. As always, it is never good to assume. `So You Call Yourself A Man,' contains clever yet plausible twists that led me in one direction in my thinking when all of time and without a clue the story was heading elsewhere. I really enjoyed not being able to second-guess the outcome of any of the given situations. `So You Call Yourself A Man,' also contains an element of suspense that compelled me to skip ahead, but of course, I could not and besides I did not want to miss a single word. Even for those who do not generally read this genre, I would recommend this title. It is the standard by which Urban fiction writers should gauge their work.

APOOO BookClub

I am hard pressed to find an author as great as Carl Weber. In his latest novel entitled So You Call Yourself A Man, Carl uses Brent, James and Sonny to portray three of the most common personality traits in black men. Brent is engaged to a woman he loves deeply while his friends, James and Sonny are happily married to their beautiful wives. These men have the ideal lives or so we are led to believe. As the novel goes on, however, it provides emphasis on the famous saying "everything is not as it seems." A shock comes to the reader when secrets are revealed that were far from expected. Some advice from the wise: Pay attention to every detail for if you blink, you might miss one of the many surprising twists.

Ashlee Lewis
Black Men In America.com Midwest Reviewer

Best friends Sonny, Brent, and James have skeletons not shared even amongst their group. For Brent's marriage the group has gotten back together to catch up. Brent, revered by the ladies, has fallen for a voluptuous religious woman he has chosen as his bride. Not right with Brent's decision, one of the members of his church has decided to try and nip this marriage short.

Sonny has his own relationship problems when his wife sends him a letter that she is taking the kids and moving on with her life. Finding an ex from his past, he tries to start his life anew but his past can only be escaped for so long.

James abandoned his vows and had an affair a few years back while his marriage was on the rocks. Since then his relationship with his wife has strengthened and his love for her in undeniable. Now his ex-lover has popped back into the picture with a child she claims is his what is a man to do?

Carl Weber brings us a novel that will leave a reader stunned, no one can try to guess what each of these characters future has in store for them. This portrayal of urban life today shows some very real issues prevalent to the inner workings of this environment. Each of these three friends has a lesson to be taught and hopefully will open some eyes to readers who may need to examine themselves. This is not a book that can be read by anyone with a closed mind.

The twist and turns in So You Call Yourself a Man is enough to shake any reader up and get them talking. This novel has the ability to get any book group talking for hours. If a good shakeup from the norm is what your seeking this is the read for you. Carl Weber does an extraordinary job in capturing every detail in its moment, and leaving a reader anticipating each new step in the lives of each of these men.

Reviewed by Joyce



Copyright © 2006 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved.

Carl Weber is an absolute genius! "So You Call Yourself a Man" is brilliant!

This may sound sick, but Sonny was my favorite character. He was both unbalanced and hilarious. The "scene" with the roaches was classic.

I had a clue about Brent in the very beginning. Nevertheless, I must admit that I was traumatized to discover "Jackie's" true identity. I re-read that one particular sentence at least ten times. I was completely stunned.

James falling for Michelle's antics pissed me off. If I were him, I would've told her to jump right into the lake, head first. I did admire the way he bonded with Marcus even though he wasn't sure if he was the child's father.

I feel it was imperative that Carl touched the subject of homosexuality and living on the "down low" within the church. This is a delicate topic for many but I thought it was written skillfully into the storyline.

You're the man Mr. Weber. I'm going to pass "So You Call Yourself a Man" along to everyone that I know. I truly took pleasure in reading about the chaotic lives of Sonny, Brent and James. I look forward to "First Lady" in 2007.

Listen people, I highly recommend that you RUN out and get this book!!! If you don't have the $$$$ -- cash in those soda bottles baby. This is a MUST READ! I read it in 1 ˝ days. On the way to and from work, at lunch and was sneaking during the work day (I photocopied the pages and they assumed that I was doing research.) LOL This book is the ultimate of the page turners. I am not going into details - read it for yourself! The people on the train thought I was deranged - I was smiling, laughing and probably talking to myself and talking to the book too. The characters - OMG - each one I loved. The turn of events, the surprises, the action, the, oh my goodness drama - need I say more. To summarize it best -- this book was just like my mothers' 7 LAYER SOCK-IT-TO-ME-SOUTH CAROLINA CAKE - from scratch, that leaves you licking your fingers it's so good. Carl, you stuck your feet in this!!!!!.

Carl if you are reading this, I am so very proud of you. From Lookin' for Luv to now. I anxiously await your next book. My love to you always. This is the first one that I did not read the galley first.

I do agree with the others that I enjoy all of Carl Weber's writings. The Preacher's Son has definitely earned its New York Bestseller's award. However, So You Call Yourself A Man has left me dumbfounded and speechless, and not in a good way. Having read at least one hundred novels in my young lifetime, I know that I have just read a good novel when I am left wondering about characters long after reading the last page. With this book, however, I was glad that it was over so that the intense and overwhelmingly sad drama could be over. With Weber's other books, the drama is tolerable enough to end with a good twist, but rest for the characters. This book ends with unrest for the characters, and the reader as well. This was definitely not a favorite for me. Better luck next time! Still love Carl Weber though!

Best-selling author, Carl Weber, has done it again with "So You Call Yourself a Man." This story of three friends, James, Sonny, and Brent, is full of twists and turns that will catch even the best sleuth off guard.

Brent Williams, a born-again Christian, is a brother who could have any woman he wanted. His fiancée' who is also a born-again Christian, is a plus size, hard working woman who is devoted to her man and her church. As the saying goes, "the mind is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Brent's best friend is James Robinson who is married with children. James and his wife Cathy grew apart over the years, but desperately fought to rebuild their relationship. Now James is fighting to keep Cathy from finding out about his affair and the child his ex-lover has just informed him that he fathered three years ago.

James and Brent have another best friend by the name of Sonny Harrison. Sonny married his wife Jessica against the advice of his friends and moved to Seattle. With James' help, Sonny lands a job at UPS and moves back to New York to reunite with his buddies. Meanwhile, Jessica has plans of her own that don't include returning to New York or reuniting with Sonny. Heartbroken for all of a day, Sonny moves on and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Tiffany. After losing his wife Jessica, Sonny will do anything not to let this one get away.

This book gives true meaning to the phrase, "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger." Hats off to Carl Weber for a great read!

For many years Carl Weber has taken the spot as my favorite male author. After reading this book in less than 2 days he has moved up on my scale to favorite author, period.

As many reviewers have stated the plot twists and turns in this book are riveting. I was stunned by Jackie, and even more shocked by Sonny. As usual just when you think you know where the story is going Carl takes a detour to a place you never would have imagined you'd end up.

My only issue with this book which prevents me from giving it 5 stars is that I never felt like I knew the characters. I didn't connect with them on any type of emotional level. I didn't grieve for them when their situations went sour. I didn't even remember the Bishop and Charlene until someone else pointed out to me they were from another book that I loved, but barely remembered the characters.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it was plot driven rather than character driven which makes it easier to throw in lots of curves in the road.

This is a page turner and a book I would definately recommend.

The twists and turns in this book nearly blew me away. The tripped out thing about Weber's latest work of fiction is this craziness could actually occur in real life! Who would think that three seemingly normal men could lead such tangled lives? I loved how Weber masterly portrayed Sonny as a good husband/father with a gold-digging wife. As Sonny told his side of the story, who were we to believe any differently?? True to life as there are two sides to every story. Strangely Sonny managed to convince himself that he was doing right by his wife. He clearly couldn't see the torment. This alone left me going... I won't even touch on our friend the DL brother and all of that confused foolishness... Coupled with James and his antics in order to do right by everyone without getting caught up and you've just been handed one of the most shocking tales of the year!

CW...Keep bringing the characters back from your other books. I would love to read one big "reunion" book where everyone crosses paths just to see what these fools are up to now!