Question: Under what circumstances would paranoid white supremacists actually support vastly accelerated government intrusion into the lives of private citizens? This story attempts to define such circumstances in a sort of pre-apocalyptic America of the near future. But this premise is ultimately flawed since the is no natural support for the type of actions contemplated, not by conservatives, not liberals certainly not people of color or anti-government reactionaries.

Nevertheless the author manages to discuss significant racial issues, and particularly inter-racial relationships, in a powerful manner. Well worth reading in spite of the unlikely premise.

Jake Lamar's novel is disturbing, even depressing for those of us who believe that a truly integrated and diverse society is still possible. He manages, through his characters and various subplots, to examine nearly every major philosophical approach to the issue of race in the United States today. He uses his characters to make their own points of view known, then attacks the foundation of every argument, forcing the reader to confront his/her own perspective. This is uncomfortable, but the story is absolutely compelling. I found this novel on a clearance rack, and read it in three days.

Lamar's vision of an imminent quasi-fascist regime with wildly popular support is not very off-center; the wild-eyed rantings of the Right, the harsh political correctness of the more fascist wing of the Left, and the growing racial separatism within the African-American population all point to just such a destruction of the American Dream. The novel provides no real answers; perhaps we as a society can.

Jake Lamar's book is a great read! It's well-written, absorbing, and I found myself irritated at being interrupted as I was reading this book. My 24-year old son also read this book, and he said it is one of the best books he's read in 5 years. Set aside some hours of quiet time for yourself, because once you begin reading it, you won't want to put The Last Integrationist down until you finish it.

"To be a very good journalist is very hard. To be a mediocre one is easy. All I ever wanted was to be a mediocre journalist...[I] am neither proud nor ashamed of my mediocrity. "

So states Clay Robinette, the protagonist of Jake Lamar's latest novel. Unlike BOURGEIOS BLUES, I do not think this putative mystery is at all autobiographical but I did get the feeling a great deal of Jake could be found in the character of Clay. Try as he might, Mr. Lamar has far too much talent to sink into the bathyal depths of commonality; a number of passages reflect true brilliance in this otherwise pedestrian offering. Mr. Lamar seems to be a writer in search of a genre, and as with his "contemporary black folk" story, CLOSE TO THE BONE, I hope mystery/thriller is merely another pit stop on the raceway to non-fiction.

I'm somewhat of a cynic myself so Mr. Lamar's style is generally appealing. In this story of a sometimes philandering, "victimized," college professor, who formerly was a latent philandering, run-of-the-mill, "victimized" New York Times journalist, everyone has an ulterior motive that periodically intersects their hidden agendas. These characters afford the author ample opportunity to express his cultural and political views. Unmasking the murderer of a manipulative, nubile white coed is the mystery, but that part of the story serves only as backdrop to a stream of sardonic social commentary. Trust no one, believe even fewer, and never, under any circumstance, accept what you observe as valid.

If Mr. Lamar had opted to write a book on the condition of race and relationship in America, sans the translucent vestments of a mystery, I would have rated it at the highest level. As it is, his problematic spavined development of that component cannot be overlooked. There are a number of gaffes no mystery novelist, regardless of seasoning, should have allowed to pass.

Comparatively speaking, fiction is an insulated category. Criticism is generally directed at the storyline as opposed to the writer's personal leanings. I tend to believe Mr. Lamar has the fortitude to withstand the heat of provocative non-fiction. I, for one, am hoping he decides to step out from behind the shield.

If 6 Were is an intriguing and suspenseful mystery read from Jake Lamar that I stumbled upon one cold, winter day. With a cup of hot chocolate, mild incense and soft music playing in the background, I cuddled up with this book and allowed Lamar to take me into the world of para-militancy, college politics, the world of the CIA/FBI and taboo issues such as incest, S&M and interracial dating. As I read and consumed this book, I quickly realized that If 6 Were 9 was not an ordinary read. The more involved I became with the read the more I felt that the mystery was just the backdrop for Lamar's cultural and political views. The storyline had so much going on that,at times, I wondered what was the focal point. It seemed as tho' every time I was on track regarding the mystery, Lamar would throw in some quirky, satirical element that unfortunately made me skip a beat. While the basic premise of the storyline was "Who Killed the White Girl"...the story so often veered often the beaten path that I was left wondering exactly what was the point . All-in-All, the story was suspenseful, the characters were colorful, and the plot twists and turns were surprising; however, I just wished it was a little more focused. Lamar appears to be a skilled and creative writer so I will check out other books so that I can hopefully gain a better assessment of this writer's style.

It took me a little while to "get into" this book. Alot of background history was given, that in the long run was needed to get the overall affect. But being inpatient as I am, I wanted it to hurry up and "be good". It was, at long last, a very good mystery. The person (or persons) that I thought had actually committed the murder were not the guilty parties at all. The actual murderer was a complete surprise. The story line was both interesting and completely different. It was indeed a militant mystery with a contemporary storyline.

Overall a worthwhile read. The author provides some keen insight into the complexities and duality alluded to by Fanon. An interesting observation about this piece is that if one reads into the characters you can begin to see the seeds of thought that comprise two African-American phenomena, "crabs in a barrel" and the placated desire of middle to upper-class Blacks to actively challenge social inequities. I was however disappointed by Lamar's reluctance to explore the obvious multiple dimensions of his written character. For example Lamar frequently stated that in many ways his own experiences and personality was that of his fathers', yet gave only surface answers to the questions of "how?" and "why?" I was also a bit rebuffed that Lamar painted middle class African-American life in such a boring manner. This is particularly unfortunate because the title and theme of the book was wrought with the contradictions and complexities of both being middle class and Black in contemporary US. As I mentioned before the book is worth reading and just reminded me that I need to get movin' on this writing thing.

I enjoyed this book, however it did leave something to be desired. I agree with the reader who said Lamar didn't seem to know how to end the story...at the book's conclusion I felt the story wasn't "finished". Some parts of the plot were too drawn out. All in all, I think it is a realistic look at relationships in general (not just "black relationships"). I would definitley read another book by this author.

WHEW! Finishing this book was like closing a chapter in my life. It highlighted just what I thought brothers were thinking and feelings about in relationships in general. The characters jumped at you and though "adversity" wasn't apparent (all had middle-upper class upbringings) their plights took me on a journey I enjoyed for 24 hours [that is right, read it in a day]. Hal's visual delima vs. his actual delima with dealing with a white girlfriend gave me an insight about how brothers see themselves in interracial relationships. There were some catches that I didn't like...Walker's life summation with Eva, and Corky's summation in Amsterdam. This all seemed too wrapped up, too clean. Also the [very] brief encounter with LaTonya and Hal didn't begin to envelop the emotions I developed from their two interloping stories.

Lamar, nails it again. I read this book in 2 days. He's able to capture the essence of each character and the struggle with their identities. The character named "Tony" was exciting and shows that truth grow comes from facing and walking through fire. I really enjoyed it. Lamar is one of the premier authors of this century. I hope more people view him as a complicated, funny, and real literary genius similar to Richard Wright.