A Lesson Before Dying
A Lesson Before Dying

Author: Ernest J. Gaines

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2004-01-20

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1400077702

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NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • A deep and compassionate novel about a young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country to visit a Black youth on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Together they come to understand the heroism of resisting. "An instant classic." —Chicago Tribune A “majestic, moving novel...an instant classic, a book that will be read, discussed and taught beyond the rest of our lives" (Chicago Tribune), from the critically acclaimed author of A Gathering of Old Men and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. "A Lesson Before Dying reconfirms Ernest J. Gaines's position as an important American writer." —Boston Globe "Enormously moving.... Gaines unerringly evokes the place and time about which he writes." —Los Angeles Times “A quietly moving novel [that] takes us back to a place we've been before to impart a lesson for living.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Devil in a Blue Dress (30th Anniversary Edition)
Devil in a Blue Dress (30th Anniversary Edition)

Author: Walter Mosley

Publisher: Atria Books

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1982150343

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The first novel by “master of mystery” (The New York Times) Walter Mosley, featuring Easy Rawlins, the most iconic African American detective in all of fiction. Named one of the “best 100 mystery novels of all time” by the Mystery Writers of America, this special thirtieth anniversary edition features an all new introduction from the author. The year is 1948, the town is Los Angeles. Easy Rawlins, a black war veteran, has just been fired from his job at a defense factory plant. Drinking in his friend’s bar, he’s wondering how he’ll manage to make ends meet, when a white man in a linen suit approaches him and offers him good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Money, a missing blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs. Easy has no idea that by taking this job, his life is about to change forever. “More than simply a detective novel…[Mosley is] a talented author with something vital to say about the distance between the black and white worlds, and with a dramatic way to say it” (The New York Times).

Prince of Darkness
Prince of Darkness

Author: Shane White

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 1466880716

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“A well-told, stereotype-busting tale about a nineteenth century black financier who dared to be larger than life, and got away with it!” —Elizabeth Dowling Taylor, New York Times–bestselling author In the middle decades of the nineteenth century Jeremiah G. Hamilton was a well-known figure on Wall Street. Cornelius Vanderbilt, America’s first tycoon, came to respect, grudgingly, his one-time opponent. Their rivalry even made it into Vanderbilt’s obituary. What Vanderbilt’s obituary failed to mention, perhaps as contemporaries already knew it well, was that Hamilton was African American. Hamilton, although his origins were lowly, possibly slave, was reportedly the richest black man in the United States, possessing a fortune of $2 million, or in excess of two hundred and $50 million in today’s currency. In Prince of Darkness, a groundbreaking and vivid account, eminent historian Shane White reveals the larger than life story of a man who defied every convention of his time. He wheeled and dealed in the lily-white business world, he married a white woman, he bought a mansion in rural New Jersey, he owned railroad stock on trains he was not legally allowed to ride, and generally set his white contemporaries teeth on edge when he wasn’t just plain outsmarting them. An important contribution to American history, Hamilton’s life offers a way into considering, from the unusual perspective of a black man, subjects that are usually seen as being quintessentially white, totally segregated from the African American past. “If this Hamilton were around today, he might have his own reality TV show or be a candidate for president . . . An interesting look at old New York, race relations, and high finance.” —New York Post

The New Color of Success
The New Color of Success

Author: Niki Butler Mitchell

Publisher: Prima Lifestyles

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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Today, black entrepreneurs are starting businesses in record numbers and filling the boardrooms of some of the most dynamic companies in the United States. They are builders, writers, and CEOs. They're pilots, producers, and presidents. They're businesspeople who inherited nothing from their families but a willingness to work hard and to think big. In "The New Color of Success, you'll meet more than 20 young black millionaires who are living the American Dream--and changing forever the face of business in America. Author Niki Butler Mitchell digs into the lives of these talented entrepreneurs to uncover the secrets of their success. You'll discover what their childhoods were like, the effect education had on their lives, who their role models are, and how they achieved their dreams. You'll meet extraordinary achievers such as: - Robin Petgrave, whose $4 million flight-training school and helicopter tour service began with $300 and a telephone - Yvette Lee Bowser, producer of the hit television comedy "Living Single and head of her own highly successful production company, SisterLee Productions - Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Carl Brown, and Keith Perrin, the founders of the $350 million sportswear company FUBU - Neil Jones, the president and CEO of M-Cubed Inc., a $20 million systems-integration company - Myra Peterson, the creator of Urbanrepublic.com, the first cybermall with high-quality products, services, and information targeted to African Americans - And more! "The New Color of Success is a celebration of hard work, persistence, and determination in the pursuit of dreams. About the Author Niki Butler Mitchell, M.A., is a journalist whosearticles have appeared in the "Washington Post, USA Today, and the "Los Angeles Times. She was part of a reporting at the "MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour that earned the prestigious Peabody Award. She heads her own media relations firm in Washington, D.C.

International Westerns
International Westerns

Author: Cynthia J. Miller

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2013-11-21

Total Pages: 477

ISBN-13: 081089288X

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The Western tradition, with its well-worn tropes, readily identifiable characters, iconic landscapes, and evocative soundtracks, is not limited to the United States. Western, or Western-inspired films have played a part in the output of numerous national film traditions, including Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. In International Westerns: Re-Locating the Frontier, Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper have assembled a collection of essays that explore the significance and meanings of these films, their roots in other media, and their reception in the national industries which gave them form. Among the questions that the volume seeks to answer are: What do Westerns not made in the U.S. reveal? In what ways do they challenge or support the idea of national literatures and cinemas? How do these films negotiate nation, narrative, and genre? Divided into five sections, the twenty essays in this volume look at films from a wide range of national cinemas, such as France (The Adventures of Lucky Luke), Germany (Der Schuh des Maitu), Brazil (O Cangaceiro), Eastern Europe (Lemonade Joe), and of course, Asia (Sukiyaki Western Django). Featuring contributions from a diverse group of international scholars—often writing about Westerns adapted to their own national traditions—these essays address such matters as competing national film traditions, various forms of satire and comedy based on the Western tradition, the range of cultural adaptations of the traditional Western hero, the ties between the nation-state and the outlaw, and Westerns in a variety of unanticipated guises. Representing a broader look at global Westerns than any other single volume to date—and featuring more than 70 illustrations—International Westerns will be of interest to scholars of film, popular culture, and cultural history.

Reel Black Talk
Reel Black Talk

Author: Linda Allen

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1997-09-23

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0313033595

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As evidenced in interviews included in this volume, many African American filmmakers consider themselves artists first, their ethnicity being only part of what influences their work. This is the first book by an African American on contemporary African American filmmakers. Here directors and producers speak for themselves, posing challenges to current thinking in the field. Special emphasis is given to the filmmakers' productions and their experiences. Essays on historic figures reveal the rich history of the African American contribution to cinema. From Oscar Micheaux and Spencer Williams to Neema Barnett and the team of George Jackson and Doug McHenry, this revealing reference work will enlighten scholars, students, and film buffs. As early as 1899, African Americans were involved in the filmmaking industry. Oscar Micheaux took directing, writing, and producing to a higher level with the release of his first film in 1918; by 1948 he had made more than forty films. Currently, by international world cinema standards, the African American tradition rivals cinema from anywhere in the world, but these filmmakers face a quandary: whether to make films through the Hollywood system or follow an independent vision. This book presents a cross-section of filmmakers from each camp and also focuses on those who work in both arenas.

Paint Pouring
Paint Pouring

Author: Rick Cheadle

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 163158300X

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Paint Pouring is a form of abstract art that uses acrylic paints with a runny (fluid) consistency. The acrylic paints react with each other when combined to make interesting and visually organic motifs. Fluid acrylics can be used on many types of substrates through various techniques such as pouring, dripping, swirling, glazing, dipping, and more to create dazzling and masterful effects. This book provides everything you will need to become a paint pouring artist. Learn to: Set up your paint pouring studio on a budget Complete your supply list Discover a variety of techniques Properly handle and care for your art Establish appropriate mixing ratios Achieve correct paint density And many other lessons crucial to the craft This new art form is fun for all ages. Become a fluid art master today.

Movies (And Other Things)
Movies (And Other Things)

Author: Shea Serrano

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 2019-10-08

Total Pages: 867

ISBN-13: 1538730200

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INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER BARNES & NOBLE BESTSELLER AMAZON BESTSELLER "Paging through Serrano's Movies (and Other Things) is like taking a long drive at night with a friend; there's that warmth and familiarity where the chat is more important than the fastest route from Point A to Point B...It's like a textbook gone right; your attention couldn't wander if it tried." -- Elisabeth Egan, New York Times Book Review Shea Serrano is back, and his new book, Movies (And Other Things),combines the fury of a John Wick shootout, the sly brilliance of Regina George holding court at a cafeteria table, and the sheer power of a Denzel monologue, all into one. Movies (And Other Things) is a book about, quite frankly, movies (and other things). One of the chapters, for example, answers which race Kevin Costner was able to white savior the best, because did you know that he white saviors Mexicans in McFarland, USA, and white saviors Native Americans in Dances with Wolves, and white saviors Black people in Black or White, and white saviors the Cleveland Browns in Draft Day? Another of the chapters, for a second example, answers what other high school movie characters would be in Regina George's circle of friends if we opened up the Mean Girls universe to include other movies (Johnny Lawrence is temporarily in, Claire from The Breakfast Club is in, Ferris Bueller is out, Isis from Bring It On is out...). Another of the chapters, for a third example, creates a special version of the Academy Awards specifically for rom-coms, the most underrated movie genre of all. And another of the chapters, for a final example, is actually a triple chapter that serves as an NBA-style draft of the very best and most memorable moments in gangster movies. Many, many things happen in Movies (And Other Things), some of which funny, others of which are sad, a few of which are insightful, and all of which are handled with the type of care and dedication to the smallest details and pockets of pop culture that only a book by Shea Serrano can provide.

Winning the Race
Winning the Race

Author: John McWhorter

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2006-12-28

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 1592402704

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In his first major book on the state of black America since the New York Times bestseller Losing the Race, John McWhorter argues that a renewed commitment to achievement and integration is the only cure for the crisis in the African-American community. Winning the Race examines the roots of the serious problems facing black Americans today—poverty, drugs, and high incarceration rates—and contends that none of the commonly accepted reasons can explain the decline of black communities since the end of segregation in the 1960s. Instead, McWhorter posits that a sense of victimhood and alienation that came to the fore during the civil rights era has persisted to the present day in black culture, even though most blacks today have never experienced the racism of the segregation era. McWhorter traces the effects of this disempowering conception of black identity, from the validation of living permanently on welfare to gansta rap’s glorification of irresponsibility and violence as a means of “protest.” He discusses particularly specious claims of racism, attacks the destructive posturing of black leaders and the “hip-hop academics,” and laments that a successful black person must be faced with charges of “acting white.” While acknowledging that racism still exists in America today, McWhorter argues that both blacks and whites must move past blaming racism for every challenge blacks face, and outlines the steps necessary for improving the future of black America.

The Astrology Birthday Book
The Astrology Birthday Book

Author: Michele Knight

Publisher: Ilex Press

Published: 2019-03-07

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 1781577293

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Ever wondered how your date of birth influences your personality, your loves and passions, and your path in life? The Astrology Birthday Book reveals how the precise alignment of the planets on your date of birth determines the characteristics that make you unique.