The Survival Bible [Paperback]

Jihad (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2009

Survival of the Fittest
The path from boys to men is paved with obstacles...with prison rates soaring, graduation rates dropping and the streets claiming a growing number of young black men, only the strong can survive. Now, there's help to navigate the turbulent path to manhood. It's called The Survival Bible, an easy-to-read, inspirational, page-turning book, full of true-to-life essays that creatively attack the heart of problems that so many young men of color face growing up in today's society. Not just stocked with problems, The Survival Bible is filled with solutions. Each essay is designed to spark discussion to help young men make better decisions, motivate them to strive for more, and propel them to a lifetime of success.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Survival Bible:16 Life Lessons for Young Black Men, is an important and impressive work that can be a real force for good in the lives of our precious young Black Brothers. Don't Miss It!"
-- Dr. Cornel West -- One of the country's most provacative public intellecutals and national bestselling author of the contemporary classic Race Matters, which changed the course of America's dialogue on race and justice. --Dr. Cornel West

The Survival Bible illustrates that Jihad is still engaged in intellectual warfare against the enemies that face our community, especially young men...I appluad Jihad for carrying on the baton that the efforts that many of us have tried to engage." --Dr. Na'im Akbar, described by Essence Magazine as one of the world's preeminent African- American psychologists and a pioneer in the development of an African-centered approach to modern psychology. He is also the author of several books. --Dr. Na'im Akbar

Book Review by Kam Williams

On April 13th, 1999, I was released from federal prison after serving 7 years for being ignorant. Yeah, I was a dope dealer... For 22 years, I was a rebel without a cause. Nobody could tell me anything as I went through women, sold drugs, and committed all kinds of negative acts to people who looked like me all for the almighty dollar, and a few seconds of fame... For so long, I robbed, stole, and sold drugs. For so long, I was filled with self-hate and didn t even know it, until I discovered who I was, thanks to some of the most intelligent men who... will never see the light of day from behind America s penitentiary walls. I make no excuse for the wrong I did. It is my hope that this book will help at least one misguided young man... In the pages of this book are true to life essays that I hope will educate and inspire our young black men to aspire to be the Kings they were destined to be. -Excerpted from the Introduction (pages 3-8) The road to manhood for most African-American boys is a perilous path paved with potholes with the specter of prison looming for any misstep. For the criminal justice system has a history of doling out far harsher treatment to black males than whites. Consequently, half of the 2 million inmates currently behind bars are black. Complicating the picture is the fact that approximately 80% of African-American children are now raised by single mothers. This means that most black boys grow up without a male role model around. Thus, it s really no surprise that formative years spent under the spell of gangsta rap videos might encourage them to hang out on the streets and to participate in a host of misogynistic, anti-social and illegal behaviors likely to mire them in a neverending cycle of dysfunction, if not land them in a penitentiary. For this reason, Elbert Lee Frazier, Jr., aka Jihad, decided to write The Survival Bible: 16 Life Lessons for Young Black Men. You see, he speaks from experience, since he himself was raised by a single-mom and ended up a troubled youngster who served a long prison sentence. The basic aim of his practical how-to book is to help impressionable young minds avoid making the same mistakes. So, for example, he discourages wearing saggy, baggy pants because most lil homies are unaware that this is an advertisement to homosexuals that they are submissive, so-called catchers. And with AIDS so rampant in the black community, the last thing a straight kid probably wants is to be unwittingly flirting with a desperate, HIV+ recently-paroled predator on the down-low. In a chapter entitled What Up, Dog? Jihad suggests that black people stop referring to each other by ethic slurs or by terms reserved for animals, like bitch and dog. He points out that this practice is a self-hating holdover from slavery when whites used such derogatory epithets to separate Africans from their families, culture, history and traditions. Written in a down-to-earth style that the average adolescent can understand, The Survival Bible is chock full of sensible advice about everything from STDs to teen pregnancy to drug use to snitching to the importance of getting a good education. A sobering lesson from a successful graduate of the school of overwhelming regret with a tough love massage amounting to, do as I say, not as I did. --Kam Williams

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Envisions Publishing, LLC; 1st edition (October 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970610246
• ISBN-13: 978-0970610249
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,719,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Black Love Movement, December 13, 2009

By 

OOSA Online Book Club "O.O.S.A. Gets It Read!" (World Wide Web, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Survival Bible (Paperback)

THE SURVIVAL BIBLE: 16 LIFE LESSONS FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN written by Jihad is provocative, intelligent, encouraging and sure to be an aspiring classic for all. Included are lessons for this life as well as our ancestors, knowledge of the struggle for today and tomorrow, the encouragement to keep going for our future kings and queens to switch gears and stop going with the flow of things but instead, understand, define and navigate a new path for their lives and the lives of generations to come.

THE SURVIVAL BIBLE: 16 LIFE LESSONS FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN details obstacles and ways to avoid the road most traveled. Jihad shares statistics, hardships and provides readers with a different formula to try things. Our males are trying to fit in and easily accept what society says instead of taking a stand.

THE SURVIVAL BIBLE: 16 LIFE LESSONS FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN is not just relatable and recommended reading for all, but it provides us with A.I.M. (The attitude the intensity and the mindset to fight for change).

"Read a book free your mind."



Reviewed by: Crystal

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How Do I Survive?, October 12, 2009

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Survival Bible (Paperback)

For young black men, life as they know it cease to exist the minute they commit a crime. Be it murder, rape, drugs, abuse, or stealing, they all carry the same weight when it comes to our young black men. The road they travel to adulthood is covered with no fathers in the home, single mothers working two to three low paying jobs to keep bills paid and food on the table.

This true to life essay written by Elbert Lee Frazier Jr. aka, Jihad is based on his personal life experiences. He speaks directly and honestly to the young black men of today. Empowering them to think before they act, or speak, and to respect themselves, as well as others. He shows real life situations, which gives real methods of solving the problem.

The essays in THE SURVIVAL BIBLE will go a long way in helping our young black boys to be better men, stay in school, and stop using slang words which referto their brothers and sisters as animals. It will also enable them to make better decisions and strive for a better life breaking the cycle of baby mama drama, jail, and lack of education. THE SURVIVAL BIBLE should be read by young black men everywhere. Mentors should read and discuss THE SURVIVAL BIBLE with the young men they are mentoring.

Quotes by famous people at the start of each essay, and self-reflection questions at the end, drive a nail into the points made in each essay.

I shared this book with my sixteen-year old godson, whose mother is a single parent working two jobs. I thank God we have had no problems with him, and when he returned the book to me today, he said, "Ma, can you get some copies of this book for some of my friends to read?" He, his mother and I had an in-depth discussion about the book. I am going to purchase other books by Jihad for my godson.

Reviewed by Toni Bonita
of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The author, Jihad is a genius, September 24, 2009

By 

Kariymah "Kariymah" (Philly, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Survival Bible (Paperback)

The Survivial Bible written by Jihad, author of Street Life, Babygirl, MVP, Preacherman Blues (just to name a few) is an awesome book packed with stories & facts that every person of color young and old should embrace. "The Survival Bible is filled with solutions. Each essay is designed to spark discussion to help young people make better decisions, motivate them to strive for more, and propel them to a lifetime of success."

We need more people to read and learn about their history and how it has affected us...what makes us act the way we do towards each other? Many of the answers you will find in Jihad's book.

Read the Survival Bible...it may change your way of looking at your life!!!