Essays. More than twenty young Black writers are gathered in this collection to offer a compelling blend of insightful and critical observations of the life and death of Tupac Shakur, hip-hop's premier "gangsta" rapper.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"It is important to put Tupac's death in context... And this collection of essays and poetry does just that. The writers have succeeded in allowing light to come thought very dark clouds." -- Rap Pages
From the Publisher
The concept of tough love is a neccessary one-particularly as we close a wild-ass century during which it's seemed any kind of love is worth getting. In the life of Tupac shakur, tough love seemed a central force. Hence the aptyl titled collection of writings on the Boy-Man-Gangsta-Lover-Thug, "Tough Love: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur." The editors describe this anthology of poetry essays, letters and meditations as "cultural criticism and familial observations." The latter is significant, fo as Kwame Alexander's preface points out, "We must determine and define the parameters by which our culture , and it's stabilizers, are judged. However, it is not until the sxth entry, by Washington Post writer, Esther Iverem, that the hypnotic mono-chord of why--Tupac was a revolutionary's baby, his momma was on crack, he loved and hated women, he was beautiful, he was ugly, we wante him to just ackright, etc.--is interrupted. Iverem tackles the Tupac topic as a thinking jou! rnalist/writer should, moving from the obvious to the violence of the thugs on Wall Street, in Congress and the White House, who may not seem as overt yet who affect us all. After all, tupac is undeniably a product of America. The overall collection is spirited, albeit some-what rushed and bumpy in spots. Given that in Black America only music makers and sports jocks--with an odd Malcolm or Martin thrown in for balance--attain the exalted status Mother theresa or Ghandi have for others, Tupac deserves this commemoration at least. "Tough Love" demands we take the good with the bad, and the sour with the sweet. Self-determination is also part of this love, no matter how ugly it gets. Mutulu shakur, the deceased's jailed stepfather, reached the deepest in his letter to his son, the enigma. "go forward tupac, we ain't mad at you, we're better because of you. May Allah bless you for your deeds and forgive your errors." Amen
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointing, generalization of why blacks are in trouble,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tough Love: Cultural Criticism & Familial Observations on the life and death of Tupac Shakur (Black Words Series) (Paperback)
I was disappointed because this book was not about Tupac Shakur, but uses the death of Tupac as a metaphor, for the problems of young black youth in America. An " I told you so." , documentation, that I personnally disagreed with, but more importantly, this book had no facts about Tupac's life, music, upbringing, etc. It simply used a tragic, sad and hurtful incident, to get it's own point across and Tupac's name to sell books. If you are a 2Pac fan, you will be very disappointed and waste your money. If you just wanted to learn more about the rap artist, you will still be disappointed. Since, there is no information about Tupac Shakur in this writting.
22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spirited and timely collection on the impact of Shakur,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tough Love: Cultural Criticism & Familial Observations on the life and death of Tupac Shakur (Black Words Series) (Paperback)
The concept of tough love is a neccessary one-particularly as we close a wild-ass century during which it's seemed any kind of love is worth getting. In the life of Tupac shakur, tough love seemed a central force. Hence the aptyl titled collection of writings on the Boy-Man-Gangsta-Lover-Thug, "Tough Love: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur." The editors describe this anthology of poetry essays, letters and meditations as "cultural criticism and familial observations." The latter is significant, fo as Kwame Alexander's preface points out, "We must determine and define the parameters by which our culture , and it's stabilizers, are judged. However, it is not until the sxth entry, by Washington Post writer, Esther Iverem, that the hypnotic mono-chord of why--Tupac was a revolutionary's baby, his momma was on crack, he loved and hated women, he was beautiful, he was ugly, we wante him to just ackright, etc.--is interrupted. Iverem tackles the Tupac topic as a thinking journalist/writer should, moving from the obvious to the violence of the thugs on Wall Street, in Congress and the White House, who may not seem as overt yet who affect us all. After all, tupac is undeniably a product of America. The overall collection is spirited, albeit some-what rushed and bumpy in spots. Given that in Black America only music makers and sports jocks--with an odd Malcolm or Martin thrown in for balance--attain the exalted status Mother theresa or Ghandi have for others, Tupac deserves this commemoration at least. "Tough Love" demands we take the good with the bad, and the sour with the sweet. Self-determination is also part of this love, no matter how ugly it gets. Mutulu shakur, the deceased's jailed stepfather, reached the deepest in his letter to his son, the enigma. "go forward tupac, we ain't mad at you, we're better because of you. May Allah bless you for your deeds and forgive your errors." Amen
5 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tough Love,
By "babyangel27" (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tough Love: Cultural Criticism & Familial Observations on the life and death of Tupac Shakur (Black Words Series) (Paperback)
I LOVE TUPAC!!! He's soooooo cute. The best part is that... He's STILL ALIVE!!! I don't care about how many people say that Tu Pac is dead... I Know the truth! He's Still Alive and I know this!! This is the best book that I've read fully! Thanks. I Love TuPac! I Love TuPac! I Love TuPac! Can You Tell?
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