Recent Stories
“Twelve Years a Slave”
By Solomon Northup, introduction by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Ph.D.
Nobody could tell them like she could, either. She was full of tales of caution and thrift and could remember things that happened back when she was a girl. She even knew stories about her own grandparents, the lives they led, and how they survived.
‘Letters to an Incarcerated Brother’
By Hill Harper
You figured you had a lock on things. Sell or steal a little something. Hold for somebody, “borrow” a car, gain respect. Make a little money, and it’d be all good, right? Now that lock you h
“Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him”
Author: David Henry and Joe Henry,
Dirty, nasty, filthy. That’s what your mother claimed “those words” were. You said them once … and were never allowed to say them again in her presence. They were bad words.
“Style Bible: What to Wear to Work”
By Lauren A. Rothman
This morning, you were stylin’. You left for work, in fact, feeling like a million bucks in your favorite shirt, your most comfortable suit, and your lucky undies. Yessir, it would be a good day, and it might be even better, if you didn’t have missing buttons, a stain on your suit, and undies that played peek-a-boo.
“The 34-Ton Bat”
The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobble Heads, Cracker Jacks, Jock Straps, Eye Black and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects
No matter where you are, you can remember that sound. You can just about hear it now: that “thwock” that comes when baseball meets bat. That hollow noise, that breathless second before the knowledge that you’ve hit it square; it’s exquisite.
“The Rejected Stone”
You needed a leader. So why can’t it be you? In the new book, “The Rejected Stone” by the Rev. Al Sharpton, you’ll see how it could happen.
“Who Asked You?”
By Terry McMillan
You can’t fix everything. That’s a hard lesson to learn, no matter who you are. You can’t swoop in and make things right, when they’re not yours to correct. You can’t throw money at something to make it go away; there are some issues that can’t be mended, and you surely can’t fix stupid.
“For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law”
Hiring on the basis of race or gender is supposedly illegal … but it happens. And in the new book “For Discrimination” (c.2013, Pantheon $25.95 / $28.95, Canada 295 pages) by Randall Kennedy, we read why the author believes that affirmative action is an idea that needs to stay.
“Room 1219"
The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal that Changed Hollywood”
Would you be surprised to learn that in the beginning, Hollywood, despite the innocence of the time, could be very indecent? In the new book “Room 1219” by Greg Merritt, you’ll see how.
‘A Family Affair’
You know the story of how your parents fell in love, but there are a lot of things you don’t know about them. And in the new book, “A Family Affair” by ReShonda Tate Billingsley, finding out could be a painful thing.
