Recommend a Non-Fiction Book

[JJ 1975]

Bill Bryson's - A short History of Nearly Everything!

it's a long ass book, but really interesting!

 

[elliott_argon]

heyslick is a lame. read michelle alexander "the new jim crow"

 

[redhandedbandit]

This Book exposes some real truths that so many refuse to understand. Especially the Tim wise types.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/m/mcwhorter-race.html

good review of the book

The title of this book intrigued me as a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in sociology with a concentration in sociology of education. I do not shy away from books or articles I suspect a priori are going to be contrary to my own beliefs...doing so would certainly limit my ability to be well rounded in any respect.

I read McWhorter's book. I though long and hard about McWhorter's arguments. I see the appeal of his perspective. But his arguments have an insurmountable flaw: He provides little to no reliable, empirical evidence to support his claims. In fact, he dismisses the efforts of social scientists who meticulously design studies (both quantitative and qualitative) with randomized samples, clear research questions, and well-crafted agendas for answering the questions they set forth. How can McWhorter do so when he provides no reference to RELIABLE empirical evidence to support his own claims? Most of his references (because yes, I am obsessed with flipping to the "Notes" pages) come from the public realm (i.e. newspapers and periodicals) and speeches by well-known public figures who share his point of view.

I am not suggesting information from the public realm is not worthy of attention or not worthy as reliable sources. However, when trying to explain something as complex as the current social and economic position of African-Americans in the US, sole reliance on such sources just will not do. There are many, many academic researchers out there working hard to come up with explanations of the social phenomena McWhorter refers to as "self-sabotage." His three "cults" seem too simplistic an explanation for the many layers (i.e. history) and socio-economic interactions involved in explaining the social position of African-Americans.

People call it "blaming the victim" or ascribing Arican-Americans to a "culture of failure" when it comes to education...years ago it was known as the "culture of poverty." I do not in any way discount the role of culture in shaping the lives of any member of society. Culture is real, powerful, and important for any attempt to understand better the societies in which people live. However, the STRUCTURE of society is similarly powerful, real, and important for any attempt to understand better the societies in which people live. Culture tends to change at a rate faster than social structure. Social structural change is historically slow...but to discount the effect of social structure on the social position of any group within American society is foolish.

I know there are African-American students who are uninterested in school. I know there are white students uninterested in school. My question is: for the majority of white students uninterested in school does this disinterest stem from dilapidated school buildings? from overcrowded schools filled well beyond maximum capacity? from schools with 6 bathrooms in which only 1 is operational? from having teachers with less education, less experience? from out-dated textbooks and lackluster technology from which to learn?

For disengaged white students, I believe the answers to these questions are no. However, for disengaged African-American students, I believe a great number of them would agree that structural conditions at schools to which they must attend has a significant effect on their desire to learn.

Think of it this way: if your job lacked a bathroom, had rats, had HVAC systems that make rooms stifling hot, had a boss with little qualifications to lead you, would you look to yourself as the explanation for why you do not like work?

I doubt it.

This is something McWhorter should think about before overgeneralizing an entire group of people within our society.

 

[In Your Moms Room]

Anything my James Patterson

The Pack

Precipice

 

[janklow]

Anything my James Patterson

The Pack

Precipice

so let me draw your attention to the title of this thread...

 

[le roi marquis]

Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

 

[KingKemet]

Just about finished with "Malcolm X, Reinvention" by Manning Marable. Cant say its the most interesting book I've ever read, but I needed to devour that info.

 

[KingKemet]

Just about finished with "Malcolm X, Reinvention" by Manning Marable. Cant say its the most interesting book I've ever read, but I needed to devour that info.

Also have the Metu Neter on standby. I was introduced to this one in the early nineties by one of my homeboys brothers but I never read through the whole thing. I'm about to go ahead and lock it in after I'm done with Malcolm though.

 

[Aztec_Kang]

Pimp Story of my Life by Iceberg Slim

 

[Aztec_Kang]

donal goines biography is a crazy biography.....it reads like one of his books almost.....

 

[slizzardbeats]

 

[Migo-N-Dem]

"MESSAGE TO THE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA"- ELIJAH MUHAMMAD

 

[kingofbama205]

Pimp Story of my Life by Iceberg Slim

I'm reading this book now...I swear I can't put it down I've read over 100 pages in 2 days..really good book

 

[NelacBeats]

Some of my favorites in the personal development field:

The Magic of Thinking Big

Think & Grow Rich

Ask and It Is Given

Outwitting the Devil

As a Man Thinketh

 

[dc's teflondon]

too big too fail

 

[water ur seeds]

Some of My favorite books...

Hoodlum Preacher (recommended to me by an i.c member)

Jack Johnson 'Unforgivable Blackness'

Monster

Mr Nice (biggest weed dealer ever)

Nelson Mandela - Long Walk To Freedom

Assata

Malcolm X

Ice Man (crazy crazy crazy book)

Bill Bryson - Made In America

 

[water ur seeds]

@ Skeratch, urmybitch, C1up, showkase2, Huruma, melanated khemist, paulexander, And Step, Mad Beats, Aztec Kang...

Thanks for the drops, gonna check out some of the books you recommended, Ive been needing some new reading material...

@ Hyde Park, been meaning to buy The Prophet, good looks on reminding Me

@ TheChozen un, I think My bredren read The Game, He was telling Me about it while ago, something bout offering A chick chewing gum when you first meet and stuff haha

@ Alkindus, whats up breda, gonna check that 'Casimir graaf von Schlippenbach book if I can find English version lol

 

[janklow]

Ice Man (crazy crazy crazy book)

even if its crazy-crazy-craziness is based primarily on falsification

 

[water ur seeds]

Ice Man (crazy crazy crazy book)

even if its crazy-crazy-craziness is based primarily on falsification

its an autobiography, dude is a well known serial killer/mafia hitman... he died in prison not so long ago, its no more falsification than any other autobiography... he killed pauly castellano at sparks...

another good book i finished few months ago is 'slash' the autobiography of the guitarist from guns n roses

 

[janklow]

its an autobiography, dude is a well known serial killer/mafia hitman...

so let me just say i am familiar with this book and am familiar with Kuklinski.

i am ALSO familiar with the fact that he's claimed to have committed crimes that everyone else in a position to know about it disputes his claims. he claims he was a killer for DeMeo? numerous DeMeo crew members dispute this, and there seems to be no evidence he was that affiliated with the crew. he claims he KILLED DeMeo? all available evidence and/or testimony disagrees. numerous other claims are stuff that there's no third-party to verify, no evidence to verify, and for which there was no prosecution.

he killed pauly castellano at sparks...

pretty sure that was a couple of teams of Italian guys, none of which were Kuklinski.

look, the dude was rightfully locked up and i am sure calling him a murderer is accurate... but calling him this hitman who's killed more than 250 people? can't imagine why anyone who's had a couple of books about him and was in jail for life would want to tell stories to raise his profile...