Book Review

Mar 22 2013

Author: Sabrina Lamb

Your child has caught some bug that’s going around.

He has a terminal case of The Gimmes, and he’s not getting any better. It’s “Gimme that” and “Buy me this” all day long. It’s Gimme Gimme Gimme, usually accompanied by whining, pleading, and a maddening inability to understand the word “no.”

Mar 15 2013

Author: Jodi Picoult

You couldn’t sleep without a bedtime story.

When you were small, snuggling with your blankie and teddy, a bedtime story was the final cap of your day. Hearing that tale, whether it was on soft lap or soft mattress, read by Mom or Dad, a holiday story or an old favorite, was the best way to ease into a long nights’ sleep.

Mar 8 2013

Authors: Drew Sharp, foreword by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

No problem.

That’s been your motto since forever because you’ve always loved a good challenge. Somebody put up a barrier, you’ll figure a way around it. If there are roadblocks, you find another path. You can make things happen, you’ve got friends where you need them, and heaven help the person who tells you “no.”

Mar 1 2013

Author: Marcus Rediker

History is filled with half-truths, especially about our heroes.

Lincoln, for instance, wasn’t the stern, humorless man that old photos lead you to believe. Queen Victoria was definitely “amused” quite often. Roosevelt made mistakes, Boudica had her fears, even Churchill undoubtedly had his doubts.

Or so we hope, because we want our heroes to be human, too. And for that, author Marcus Rediker dug deep to present a few surprises in his new book “The Amistad Rebellion” (c.2012, Viking, $27.95 / $29.50 Canada, 288 pages).

Feb 1 2013

Author: Ian K. Smith, M.D.

It’s been a year full of empty calendar slots.

You did lots of things with friends and family, that’s true. But you can’t remember the last time you had a date with a man you wanted to see again. All the ones you met this year were boring, babies, or only interested in one thing.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”