Scroll down or click here to see book reviews by Kam Williams.
 Beats, Rhymes & Life: What We Love And Hate About Hip-Hop, Denis Turney, Harlem Moon/Broadway Books, ISBN # 0-7679-1977-7, $14.
Hate speech or freedom of? True, hip-hop entices many of us with its infectious beats and empowering lyrics, but just how detrimental are the lifestyle and images hip-hop artists put forth today? Leading urban journalists, Kenji Jasper and Ytasha Womack, enlist the help of prominent writers, including Lisa Pegram, Michael A. Gonzales and Mariahdessa Ekere Tallie, to define what hip-hop has evolved into over the last 30 years in this new anthology. Featuring interviews with some of hip-hop's most legendary stars, including Nelly, Ludacris, Common, Luke Campbell, Ice-T, and Mos Def, and a foreword by noted hip-hop scholar, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Beats, Rhymes & Life asks whether or not hip-hop's current values today are reflective of corporate interest or of the artists who represent it.
 Dirty Game, Shannon Holmes, St. Martin’s Griffin, ISBN # 0-312-35901-2, $14.95.
Kenny “Ken Ken” Greene left his days as a hustler behind him when his wife was killed during a scam gone bad, leaving him with a baby daughter, Destiny. Now he’s a cab driver, doing what he can to put food on the table and give Destiny everything she needs. In spite of his past or because of it, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Destiny off the streets. But when he’s shot and paralyzed during a robbery while on the job, Destiny knows she has to step up to the plate to take care of the father who has provided for her. She learns the skills of one of the fiercest street hustlers and soon her skills rival his. But the longer she stays in the game, the deeper into the game she falls.
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 Do You!: 12 Laws To Access The Power In You To Achieve Happiness And Success, Russell Simmons, Gotham Books, ISBN # 1-5924-0293-3, $25.
Russell Simmons’ new book, Do You!: 12 Laws To Access The Power In You To Achieve Happiness And Success, teaches a very simple lesson: by tapping into the power inside you, you can not only get all the things you want in life, but most important, you can enjoy them, too. Entrepreneur Russell Simmons has brought hip-hop to every facet of business and media, not only as co-founder of Def Jam records, but also through his involvement with urban clothing company, Phat Fashions. Simmons breaks down his message in a series of 12 Laws, including See Your Vision And Stick With It; Always Do You; Get Your Mind Right; Stop Frontin’ And Start Today; Never Less Than Your Best; Surround Yourself With The Right People; There Are No Failures Only Quitters; Science Of Success, Plant The Good Seeds; You Can Never Get Before You Give; Successful People Stay Open To Change; Be Powerful, Be Heard; and Spit Truth To Power.
 In Years To Come, Joyce A. Ford, Starmartin Publishing, ISBN 0-9786594-0-6, $21.95.
Joyce Ford and her 10 siblings all became orphans when their mother died just before Joyce’s fourth birthday. They lived with their grandparents for a while, but when they also passed away, the siblings were split apart to live with other family members. Ford went to live with her uncle, but was soon thrust into the foster care system, where she saw and experienced the worst abuse of her life. But, living through a childhood filled with sexual, emotional, physical and mental abuse doesn’t have to mean your life is over. Ford kept the faith because she believed things would be better in years to come.
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 Long Walk Up, Denise Turney, Chistell Publishing, ISBN # 0-9663539-3-5, $6.95.
Denise Turney's new book, Long Walk Up (2007 National Indie Excellence Multicultural Book Award Finalist), tells the story of a remarkable young girl from East Africa who is destined to be a leader of nations. This story examines the life of a child, Mulukan, who has been pushed into the street alone when her mother dies from malaria. She offers us an honest look at tragedy and unforeseen events, heart-tugging coincidences that become the threads in the fabric of the human landscape. Mulukan's personal story strikes a perfect balance between resistance and triumph. This child's remarkable life searches readers' hearts and calls them to ascension in their own personal lives.
 The Measure Of A Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, Sidney Poitier, Harper, ISBN # 0061357901, $14.95.
Oscar-winning actor and humanitarian Sidney Poitier offers an intimate look at his life's journey and big-screen success. Poitier takes his own measure, as a man, as a husband and a father and as an actor, in this powerful, revealing and poignant memoir. Growing up in poverty on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas, Poitier gained a solid sense of morality and self-worth that he has always held on to, and which have helped him smash through racial barriers and rise to the top of his profession. Explore his rich and inspiring life and discover the lessons he’s learned. Experience his commitment to maintaining personal ethics and artistic integrity in the face of racism, and get to know the man behind the legend.
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 Revolution On Canvas, Volume 2, Edited by Rich Balling, Warner Books, ISBN # 0-446-69787-7. $12.99.
Revolution on Canvas, Volume 2, is a collection of original poetry, fiction and other writings from modern musicians across the country, including Fall Out Boy, Chiodos, Atreyu, Firescape, the Deftones, Rx Bandits, Meg and Dia, Motion City Soundtrack, and more. Since its publication in 2004, the first volume of Revolution on Canvas has found its way into the hands of readers, kids and music fans alike. Revolutions on Canvas, Volume 2, features submissions from a larger swath of musicians than the first book, mapping a broader section of the landscape of independent music with a palette of colors louder, brighter and more vibrant than ever before.
 Roots: The 30th Anniversary Edition, Alex Haley, Vanguard Press, ISBN # 1-5931-5449-6, $15.95.
Roots by Alex Haley, one of the most groundbreaking and important books ever written on race in America, is now printed in a special 30th anniversary commemorative edition. Renowned author and professor Michael Eric Dyson provides the introduction for the book. Roots: The 30th Anniversary Edition, published by Vanguard Press, will also contain a special eight-page insert on the struggles Haley faced in his ten-year journey to get his book published. Roots fostered an unprecedented dialogue about the past, but also the then-present day 1970s and how America had fared since the days of slavery, a discourse that yet resonates. First published in 1976, the book won the 1977 National Book award and a special Pulitzer Prize, going on to sell more than 10 million copies.
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 Wade In The Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals, Arthur C. Jones, Leave a Little Room Foundation, ISBN # 0-9762377-0-9, $27.99.
Spirituals emerged from the crucible of slavery. They inspired enslaved African Americans to risk their lives for a chance to be free. Wade in the Water celebrates these spirituals as an art form and as a unique and powerful cultural expression. For those with little knowledge of the tradition, it provides a wealth of information. For those who know and love the spirituals, it offers a fresh perspective and an invitation to deeper understanding, spiritual transformation and social renewal. The book is accompanied by a CD of spirituals covered in the book. Arthur C. Jones, founder of the Spirituals Project, teaches at the University of Denver.
 Wake Up, Black America: We’re Sleepwalking Back To Slavery, Robert. R. Johnson, RaveJon Inc.;, ISBN # 0977359417, $19.95.
Wake Up, Black America has Black Americans coming together from San Francisco to New York City and from Chicago to Natchez, Miss. to discuss problems in our communities and implement strategies to solve these problems. The book takes a serious look at some of the problems plaguing Black communities today, like Blacks killing Blacks, Black communities, no Black-owned businesses, the state of the Black family, and too many young Blacks not getting an education or working. It also reveals that most Black Americans believe we can solve our own problems once we recognize them and take positive action together. Robert Johnson recently won a Black Excellence Award for this book.
 What They Want, Omar Tyree, Simon and Schuster, ISBN # 0-7432-2873-1, $14.
Successful model Terrance Mitchell had no plans to ever settle down. Being single was freedom, where relationships were binding. Nor did he have any plans for a family. He loved his life as is, being a well-traveled, good-looking model in an industry full of insatiable and beautiful women, willing to do anything to prove they adored him. Then one of his beautiful women fell over the cuckoo’s nest and shattered his peace of mind. From then on, Terrance could never again lead the blind mice with his flute without feeling guilty about it.
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Kam’s Picks: Book Reviews By Kam Williams
Kanye West In The Studio: Beats Down! Money Up!, Jake Brown, Colossus Books, ISBN: 0-9767735-6-2, 154 pages, $16.95.
Many brilliant artists are dead long before their impact is recognized and crystallized, or even established and explored in any analytical depth with hindsight of the past to compare and contrast with. Beethoven died in an unmarked grave; Van Gogh cut off his own ear out of artistic frustration over a lack of acknowledgement. Thankfully, Kanye West is getting his due props now, in the moment, because he demands it…
Few realize how important Kanye West has been to the last five years of hip-hop… It is arguable that only Dr. Dre had had a more rounded role in shaping the way the world of hip-hop has turned since 2000 dropped, and even a brief glimpse over Kanye West’s production resume leaves no doubt that his musical legacy will be looked upon and studied for its historical importance in the years to come.
--Excerpted from the Introduction
 Kanye West caught the entire country’s attention during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when he summoned up the nerve to call President Bush a racist during a live, nationally televised broadcast on NBC and several other of the network’s channels. A six-time Grammy-winner, West was a hip-hop producer who made his own splash in 2005, with the release of his first CD, College Dropout.
Like a lot of famous rappers, he comes from a middle-class background, having been raised by a single-mom who was the chairman of the English Department at Chicago State University. However, in contrast to most of the more macho gangstas in the industry who never show themselves as vulnerable in their music, Kanye revitalized the genre by “allowing the listening world to see inside the mind of hip-hop through a much more honest and sympathetic lens.”
This is the contention of Jake Brown, author of Kanye West in the Studio: Beats Down! Money Up! The book is the literary equivalent of a fanzine, being basically comprised of uncritical assessments of Kanye’s career plus plenty of publicity photos and informal snapshots of its celebrated subject.
I suspect that this sort of adoring tome might be Mr. Brown’s stock in trade, as he has also penned biographies of such hip-hop icons as Dr. Dre, Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur, R Kelly, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Suge Knight. While not quite persuasive that comparisons to giants like Beethoven and Van Gogh are in order, one does come away from reading this opus convinced that Kanye does at least have a contemporary message which resonates with this generation, though only time will tell whether it will continue to do so over the ages.
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The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, edited by Incite! Women of Color against Violence, South End Press, ISBN: 0-89608-766-8, 272 pages, $18.
Many white-led social justice non-profits proclaim, in everything from their mission statements to their funding proposals, that they are committed to improving the social and economic conditions of the oppressed communities in which they operate. But… the white leadership of the progressive philanthropy movement actually protects white wealth and undermines the work of oppressed communities of color… They act as brokers between the capital and the oppressed people of color who were exploited to create it...
They simply help [the rich] manage their money and assuage their guilt for having wealth accrued from the stolen and exploited labor of people of color… More specifically, white people become more invested in protecting white wealth than in advancing oppressed people of color’s movements to reclaim and redistribute wealth.
--Excerpted from Chapter 5, “The Filth on Philanthropy”
 Have you ever wondered why poverty persists in America, despite the existence of so many incredibly wealthy charitable organizations, some of which boast billion-dollar endowments? For instance, after Hurricane Katrina, non-profit corporations undoubtedly benefited from a fund-raising bonanza, given that the entire country had been moved to open their wallets by the failure of FEMA and every other federal and state agency to respond to the disaster effectively.
Yet, here it is over 20 months later, and the poorest folks from the Gulf region remain unable to return to their homes and are probably permanently dislocated. To get a clue as to understanding the woeful performance of philanthropies, may I suggest The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex.
This anthology of revealing essays was edited by Incite!, a collective also known as Women of Color against Violence. This incendiary tome brilliantly blows the covers off the non-profit racket, indicting it as being in bed with a power elite, whose primary interest is in maintaining the status quo.
As proof, the authors point out that in 1955 charitable giving totaled just $7.7 billion, but by 1998 (the last year that such statistics were compiled) that figure had risen to $175 billion. One of the unintended consequences of this generosity is that foundations now strategically direct how their grants get disbursed, which means that most money is allocated with strings attached.
Apparently, some charities even masquerade as progressive while pushing an arch-conservative agenda, such as The Rockefeller Foundation, which has been misleading in its supposed effort to fight world hunger, started 30 years ago when there were less than a million starving people on the planet. According to this eye-opening opus, the Foundation’s true mission was to control political insurgency and population growth.
The upshot is that today there over 800 million people who go to sleep hungry daily, and the book blames the Rockefellers for using contributions to bankroll a “massive global restructuring of agriculture” that “destroyed the livelihoods of millions of farmers and villagers that had been in existence for hundreds of years.”
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded indicates that “critical to the success” of such schemes is the deliberate “use of people of color as endorsers of these tactics.” In sum, the sisters behind this enlightening exposé earn high marks for compiling a critical inquiry into an unregulated industry, long-presumed to be dedicated to the public interest, which unfortunately, more often than not, ostensibly functions as a pawn of big business and the ruling class.
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The Stork Market: America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry, Mirah Riben, foreword by Evelyn Robinson, Advocate, ISBN # 1-4276-0895-4, 260 pages, $18.50.
Adoption pits woman against woman, rich against poor, making it painfully difficult to look at and admit. Adoption is racist and classist, and often exploits women and commodifies their babies.
Mothers who are resourceless and struggling to keep their family together can either be offered the help they need to stay together or be seen as a source of supply to meet a demand. Mothers and other family members in developing countries, unable to feed their babies, could be sent the funds they need to do so, or have their misfortune exploited for another’s advantage.
--Excerpted from Chapter 2: Motherhood, Myths and Metaphors
 In the rush to anoint icons like Madonna and Angelina Jolie for sainthood following their adoptions of babies from Africa and Asia, no one seems to be stopping to ask how widespread this practice might be or whether it’s in the best interest of the children and their birth parents. But, common sense ought to tell you that no mother really wants to surrender her offspring to a stranger from another culture or country, especially when the reason really has more to do with money than with maternal instincts.
Sadly, this readily identifiable and burgeoning phenomenon is not at all limited to celebrities, but a big business which is depleting the Third World in much the same way those regions have been drained of their natural resources. Fortunately, one intrepid reporter, Mirah Riben, has had the guts to investigate this shameful trafficking in infants, and she is now blowing the cover off the racist racket in The Stork Market: America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry.
In fact, Ms. Riben has been speaking out about the need to reform, humanize, and de-commercialize American adoption practices for nearly three decades. She first started to shed some light on this complex issue back in 1988, with the publication of her previous book, The Dark Side of Adoption. With a slightly shifted focus, The Stork Market is a thoroughly researched exposé that zeroes-in on every aspect of the black market baby trade.
As a staunch family advocate, the author also takes aim here at the foster parenting system, pointing out that “the same funds used to support foster care could be used to help preserve families and eliminate child removal.” However, the bulk of this invaluable book covers the corruption in the adoption industry: the scams, coercion and exploitation rampant in a market based on supply and demand, where prices are based on such factors as age and skin color, and the cost of the “merchandise” is set as high as the often-desperate consumers are willing to pay.
Highly-recommended for anyone touched by adoption in any way, whether considering it, working in the field, or simply interested in child protection and family preservation.
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“You Have Cancer”: A Death Sentence That Four African-American Men Turned Into An Affirmation To Remain In The “Land of the Living”, Ronald P. Bazile, Sr., Ellis M. Brossett, Sr., Preston J. Edwards, Sr., and Benjamin M. Priestley, with Don Spears, Atlas Books, ISBN: 978-0-9639245-2-0, 178 pages, $12.
Everyone who writes a book thinks that it is different. Perhaps we should just say, then, that this one is special. It is the narrative of four Black men, best friends from childhood. The focus is fighting cancer and surviving it… and the brotherhood of four men whose bond is strengthened because cancer forces them to confront the meaning of life, of living, and of sharing with others. A narrative of such an unusual bond has its own intensity…
When each was diagnosed with cancer, he was unaware that his best childhood friends were also diagnosed with the dreaded disease and that each had heard the same horrifying words, ‘You Have Cancer.’ It seemed a strange, cruel coincidence that these men who practically started life together might end it that way as well.
--Excerpted from the Foreword
 Childhood pals Ronald Bazile, Ellis Brossett, Preston Edwards and Benjamin Priestley grew up in the same neighborhood in New Orleans, attending the same church and the same schools. The four would grow up and go their separate ways, graduating from different colleges, each marrying, having children and distinguishing himself in his working career.
Eventually, their life paths merged again later in life when they all received the news that they had cancer, and at about the same time. Rather than see the dire diagnosis as a death sentence, this intrepid quartet re-forged their friendship and leaned on each other’s shoulders to battle the dreaded disease together.
Furthermore, because they felt that “African-American men do not talk about being sick,” they decided to share with their brothers not only their touching story but also the best medical, nutritional, recreational and attitudinal advice they’ve amassed about dealing with the illness. The upshot of their efforts is You Have Cancer, a moving memoir which is simultaneously a very practical how-to guide stocked with valuable information and leads to supplemental resources.
Understandably, because of the devastation visited upon their hometown by Hurricane Katrina, the completion of this project was considerably delayed. As a consequence, one of the authors, Ellis, would unfortunately succumb prior to publication. But, that doesn’t diminish the value of his positive contributions one iota. We also hear from his and the others’ wives, strong yet vulnerable women who weigh-in with an enlightening conversation about what it’s like to be in the position of the principal caregiver.
This poignant tribute to four lives well-lived is a glorious celebration of camaraderie which ought to inspire you to appreciate your blessings, cherish your friends and family, and to live your own life to the fullest.
Editor's note: To buy your copy of You Have Cancer, or for more information, visit www.YouHaveCancer.com.
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