BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW FOR: "GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER"
AUTHOR: TONYA BOLDEN
I received an autographed copy of “George Washington Carver” By: Tonya Bolden as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. Although this book is deemed a “children’s book,” I thoroughly enjoyed absorbing the knowledge that was presented within its pages.
In the pages of “George Washington Carver,” author Tonya Bolden tells a comprehensive story of the life and accomplishments of the pioneering agricultural genius George Carver. Despite the format of the book being constru
cted for an audience of child readers, the language and vocabulary used in the short tome is not “dumbed-down.” The book is also emboldened with historic photographs and illustrations.
“George Washington Carver” provides a broader view of a man who is myopically known for his work with peanuts. Although George Carver created hundreds of inventions from the peanut, he also performed ground breaking work with experimentations of other foods- including the sweet potato, soybean, and persimmon.
The genius of George Carver wasn’t just confined to horticulture and botany. The prolific inventor was also a painter, a musician, and a professor.
Reading “George Washington Carver,” increased my knowledge about the achievements of this great man. There is something to be gained by book-lovers of all ages from reading this book.
(Updated 1/25/10)
BOOK REVIEW FOR: "DEVELOPING POSITIVE SELF-IMAGES & DISCIPLINE IN BLACK CHILDREN"
AUTHOR: JAWANZA KUNJUFU
Self-esteem and discipline is the cornerstone of building anything
positive and worthwhile. A lack of self-worth equals a lack of
motivation. A lack of self-discipline equals a lack of accomplishment
and order. In order to oppress a people, you must break down their
ability to discipline themselves and promote a belief to them that they
are not valuable.
The mass media, the “judicial” system, and the “educational” system
have very effective ways of 
chipping away at people’s sense of worth
and positive ambitions. Once people lack values and a proper sense of
order, they are very easily controlled and manipulated. This devaluing
of people and their sense of self-motivation can be observed in the
masses of people generally. However, it specifically has deeply and
directly effected people who were literally used as “chattel” during
chattel slavery.
In his book, "Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black
Children," Jawanza Kunjufu explains the necessity of fostering positive
self-esteem and self-directive traits in children. He instructs on
various methods that can be implemented to bolster a positive
development of a child’s self worth. He emphasizes that adult’s and
educator’s high expectations of children will be met if they are
expressed properly and consistently.
Mr. Kunjufu admonishes that our children need praise and attention, and
monitored contact with the mass media (which often emits imagery that
will damage a child’s self worth). Jawanza Kunjufu also advocates for
am improved school curriculum, and potently states that our focus
should be to “advocate, supplement, and build our own independent
institutions.”
"Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline In Black Children"
should be analyzed, implemented, and expanded upon. Our children are
worthy of the brightest futures conceivable.
(Updated 10/22/09)
BOOK REVIEW FOR: "COUNTERING THE CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY BLACK BOYS"
AUTHOR: JAWANZA KUNJUFU
One only needs to quickly glance around them to notice the societal traps that have been set. The “justice” system, “educational” system, and economic system (to name a few) are obviously failing miserably for the people who are subjected to them; and succeeding triumphantly for the entities that have set these systems up to induce failure. These systemic tr
aps allow the few to diabolically rule the many. Desperation and distress are injected into communities via a variety of putrid systems, and ultimately begins to feed on itself and multiply. However, all is not lost. For every poison these is an antidote. The antidote can be effectively administered through accurate analysis, thoughtful planning, dedicated implementation, and unwavering faith.In his book, “Countering The Conspiracy To Destroy Black Boys,” author Jawanza Kunjufu explores the plot to neutralize Black males in the African American community. Mr. Kunjufu states the following about his aforementioned work: “I choose to write about Black boys rather than Black men because the destruction of Black men does not occur upon their arrival into manhood or on their eighteenth birthday.” Jawanza Kunjufu also explains, “I do not wish to ignore Black girls and women, nor start a debate over who is most oppressed. We both are oppressed. Rather, I intend to highlight one of the strategies, which is to destroy Black boys before they become men.”
While the author dissects the trend of “The Fourth Grade Failure Syndrome,” (A trend that he describes as the markedly decreased academic enthusiasm in Black boys by the time they reach the fourth grade), Jawanza Kunjufu also analyzes the bigger picture of how Back boys are socialized in their communities as a whole, and how this effects their behavior and lifestyles as men.
As the title reveals, Mr Kunjufu’s book is not just about the conspiracy to destroy Black boys, it also discusses how to counteract this long-running conspiracy. Mr Kunjufu’s suggestions for countering the conspiracy includes implementing: Big brother mentorship programs, rites of passage programs, academic competitions, and extra curriculum activities that teach a variety of skills. The importance of quality teachers and a relevant curriculum is also stressed. “Countering The Conspiracy To Destroy Black Boys” encourages that if we work collectively, and don’t allow ourselves to become intimidated by and/or assimilated to our problems and challenges; we can eliminate them.
Written almost two and a half decades ago, “Amusing Ourselves To Death” is a thought provoking analysis of how our advancement of technological devices that facilitate communication has affected our relationships and our ability to think. Although the author penned this book before the popularization of the internet, the points he makes are very relevant to today’s computer-saturated world.
One of the oft-repeated ideas of the book is the observation that the media has created a population that desires constant entertainment and showmanship. Neil Postman states: “It does everything possible to encourage us to watch continuously. But what we watch is a medium which presents information in a form that renders it simplistic, nonsubstantiv
e, nonhistorical and noncontextual; that is to say, information packaged as entertainment.” The author perceptively opines that television broadcasts of the news are packaged like an entertainment show: The newscasters are required to have a certain glamorous look; News reports of serious incidents are insensitively sped through in a manner that allows the severity of the event to be ignored; Music is played before and after news show intermissions; and commercials interrupt what is supposed to be an important relaying of news. This set up trains human beings to emotionally and mentally dull weighty events. It also robs us of our empathy.In “Amusing Ourselves To Death,” Neil Postman also brings up ponderings of how different and cohesive family and community life would be if the automobile, aircraft, mail system, and telephone was never invented. This is definitely worth contemplating.
As our communication devices increases the feasibility of long-distance communication, we are becoming more distant in our personal dealings with each other in a bevy of ways. We must consider if we will let modern day inventions become the instruments of “family suicide.” What we latch on to out of convenience may actually become an enemy of basic human bonding. This book is definitely a catalysis for the reader to think about this premise.