Emil Guillermo has put together a wonderful book about life in America from his perspective as the son of first generation Asian American immigrants of Filipino descent. In a collection of essays ranging from his undergraduate experience at Harvard University to baseball games with his Dad and commentary on the quirkiness of American culture, Guillermo reveals an engaging, humorous, and touching writing style. I enjoy reading and re-reading the essays in this book and recommend it to every American whose forbears came to this country 300 years ago or three years ago.

This book is quite simply one of the best ways to see a complete picture of what America is by way of poetry. Even though the selected poetry is obviously limited to the Before Columbus Foundation Book Awards, the selections are wonderful. This fact only validitates the necessity and power of the book series and the extremely woderful editing of the anthology. What's more, the editors take turns in introducing the poets and their poetry.

As someone who grew up in rural Utah, I did not readily take the opportunity to read a varied set of voices. When I bought this book while I was in the Army, I felt that I truly began my education in reading multi-cultural voices in poetry. I had heard names like Allen Ginsberg and Amiri Baraka (both included in this anthology) but suddenly I was reading Larry Neal, Ai, Etheridge Knight, Tato Laviera, and Jayne Cortez.

My favorite selections from this book are from the poets Larry Neal, Etheridge Knight, Amiri Baraka, and Frank Stanford. Each poem from these selections (and really the whole book) is powerful and essential to the education of Americans. My copy of this book is dog eared and worn because even after eight years I still read from it at least once a week. If you can get a copy of this book, do it.

This is another masterpiece by the literary genius Ishmael Reed. His poetry is as delighting as his famous prose and points to a deep appreciation of African-American heritage and culture that we should all aspire to. Unlike many who try and deny the presence of a continuous traditional african religion, Reed here celebrates and illuminates his readers.

Along with Gioia and Kennedy's "An Introduction to Poetry," "From Totems to Hip Hop" is the best poetry anthology I have encountered. It features accessible yet beautiful work from a great range of poetic voices--from long canonized voices like TS Eliot and Robert Frost to gifted rappers like 2Pac or the members of Dead Prez--arranged in very useful categories, such as "Nature and Place," "Men & Women," "Family," "Politics," "Heroes ..." and "Manifestos." Editor Ishmael Reed, whose literary and extra-literary efforts have been devoted to rethinking things such as "the American literary canon" through a multiculturalist lens--the man who once wrote "I've published writers I've had fistfights with. As long as they can write"--has presented a truly democratic collection of twentieth and twenty-first century poetics. Reed does not practice hero worship here either. He places a poem by Joan Self (the rich and rhythmic "Quill Holler Waller"), a former student of his at UC Berkeley, right next to Anne Sexton's "The Truth the Dead Know." Reed also includes one of my favorite, neglected Langston Hughes poems, "Advertisement for the Waldorf-Astoria," as well as the lyrics for Leiber & Stoller's "Searchin'" and poems by underrepresented "black Beat" poets Ted Joans and Bob Kaufman (interestingly enough, no Allen Ginsberg poems are in this collection). If this book starts entering high school and college classrooms, as it should, perhaps poetry will leave its throne in the academy and return to the public discourse.

Richard Nagler did an excellent job photographing the residents of Oakland on their city streets. "Oakland Rhapsody" is not a pretty coffee-table book for tourists; it captures well the overwhelming isolation of individuals against a backdrop of urban decay. Yet the pictures are not all gloomy, as Mr. Nagler also catches the vibrancy and multi-ethnic makeup that gives Oakland its life and promise. Ishmael Reed notes in the accompanying commentary, Oakland is very liveable, attractive city in spite of the problems that plague it. This is the real value of the book, that it seeks to present both problems as well as hopes for the future. One note: Most of the photos were taken from the late 1970s through 1994. As a resident of West Oakland area, I can attest much has continued to change for the better since the early 1990's, but that in no way detracts from the book.

This book is a wonderful satire of race relations in the sixties. It is also extremely funny. I often found myself laughing out loud as I was reading it. It provides a nice contrast with much of the African-American literature from this time period. Its style is a bit intimidating at first, but after a few pages it becomes easy reading. I highly recommend checking it out.

I read this book as a teenager in the 80's and never forgot it. I often end up telling everyone I know about it eventually. I decided to use a search engine to find the name of the author and was surprised to learn the name and a little about the writer Ishmael Reed. I plan to buy a second copy and donate it to the library. This book is hilarious. The main thing is that it introduced me to the satire genre. my own sense of humor is similar. I am encouraged as a wannabe writer.

It took a while to get into, but it's a funny parody of a western!

Ishmael Reed is a novelist\poet\essaist\playwright\anthologist. What makes Reed such an intriguing writer is the way he approaches the theme of his work. Never approaching with the "dead-ahead" "straight forward" message in his writing Ishmael Reed takes the subject from every imaginable angle to present a Picasso painting in novel form. Ishmael Reed is the author of "Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down".

General Plot In his novel, "Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down" Ishmael Reed tells the story of a traveling circus group and their adventure in the Old West. The hero of the book is the Loop Garoo Kid, a hoo-doo gunslinger with quick wit, a cool disposition, and a silver tongue. He is traveling with the circus barker, a dancing bear 86-D, and Zozo Labrique, a hoo-doo\voo-doo princes from New Orleans who performs magic after being thrown out of her church. Upon arriving in Yellow Back Radio, which is the town's name, the group discovers their advance man dead, and strung up from a tree. The group gives him a proper burial and proceeds into the town. Upon arriving there they discover that all the adults of the town had been driven out, and the children are now in control of the town. The adults are currently camped out at the spread of the anti-hero Drag Gibson. Drag and his men poisoned the towns water supply with mind altering drugs that caused the adults to fear the children and sign their land over to him. There is not much more than can be told with out giving the plot and the intended surprise that are so delicately placed by Reed in this stirring piece of fiction.

Why Read This Book? First and foremost, Ishmael Reed takes an American institution, the Western Novel and takes a revisionist perspective in turning the piece into a beat novel. Using the beat characteristics of flowing verse dabbling with the occasional rhyme the entire novel, reads like an extended poem. If you are a fan of the Western, you should read this read this novel, for a new perspective on a genre that has strict characteristics and rigid guidelines. This however, is not a dimestore Louis L'amour Western. This is a revisionist Western that takes every stereotype that is common to the Western and turns them upside down For example the Indians are on the side of the children, helping them scout out the surrounding area, "Our Indian informant out at Drag's spread tells us the towns people haven't given in to Drag's conditions yet." Quotes one child's response to the question of where the people are now. To see the Old West through the eyes of a black cowboy will not only show you an unexplored angle probably unfamiliar to the advid Western reader, but will also show that Afro-Americans also had a role in the Old West. However, if you, like I, are not a fan of the Western, do not fear. There are redeeming qualities in this for you as well. This novel is only a Western in the fact that it happens to take place in the West. Aside from that, other areas that are explored by Reed are the role of the youth in society, "It's a plot. We decided that we wouldn't trust anybody graying around the temples", and their inevitable take over, the struggles of writers as their critics criticize them for the angles they don't approach the way the critic feels they should or at all. Conclusion The staggering part of this book is that there is something in it for everyone. No matter your background or personality there is something in this book that will appeal to you, and that you can take with you and pass along. Criticism of the book is that it is hard to follow, and too many issues are tackled at once. In response to that I say, yes, it is hard to follow, at first, but so is Shakespeare. It gets easier as you read, and by the end, it is almost unnoticeable. In response to the criticism that thinks too many things are tackled at once, I respond by saying that when you have a lot to say, a lot gets said. Ishmael Reed shows himself as a brilliant wordcraftsmen, and a philosopher of his generation.

Mr. Washington's book is facinating to me as an American history major. I found that learning from a black man what Reconstruction meant to a lot of former slaves was very enlightening. Mr. Washington offers up a point of view that in many cases, slavery served both black and white people well. The lines between slave owners and the slaves were often blurred; not just due to interracial relations, but socially as well.

But, this book is not about slavery. Mr. Washington came from nothing and not only lifted himself up from poverty and ignorance, but determined that his life's work would be to assist others in their own efforts at bettering their lives. I found it terribly ironic that the former slaves, and children thereof, thought that their ultimate goal was to no longer do any kind of manual labor. That is what got this country into trouble. White men relying on others to do their manual labor. Mr. Washington's pragmatic approach to teaching black men and women how to care for themselves and learn a practical trade makes a lot of sense to me.

The best parts of this book have to do with Mr. Washington's attitude toward life. His observations and attitudes are so positive and broad, that they are not defined by race. I found myself wanting to highlight and underline parts of the book; but the book I was reading was borrowed. Hence I am going to purchase a copy for myself. I do not buy many books; however, this book is one to keep for life. I am sure to refer to Mr. Washington's book in the future; Not just for historical content, but to keep me on track in life.

If you feel like you have it bad and life has passed you by.... READ THIS BOOK! I usually avoid biographies and autobiographies because they often seem to boast and be egotistic. Booker T. Washington did not strike me as a selfish individual. His whole life centered around education (life-long learning). Think about what a wonderful world we would have if children (and adults) followed this concept. The majority of people never open a book (non-fiction) after they leave school! I have had a solid determination for the past four or five years, to improve my life through books and tapes, and I feel as though I've found my true calling in life... learning! This book is primarily about raising the black race from being enslaved to an educated and highly skilled race. The author was highly instrumental in bringing this process about. He was educated and completed his schooling at the 'Hampton' school with honors. He then built and directed the 'Tuskegee' school in Alabama, and devoted his whole life to service. While this book was very informative, and is considered a milestone by a true pioneer, it is a little bit monotonous, thus four stars. I would highly recommend it nevertheless. Many of the thoughts, attitudes, and sayings of Booker T. Washington have been used by modern authors and speakers, and will live forever. Our country and the black race are forever in his debt for the legacy he left behind. I certainly feel better about life after reading this book. You will too.

"Up from slavery" documents the rise of Booker T. Washington, from a plantation slave to the head of Tuskegee college in Alabama. Along the way his narrative details the squalor and humiliations of his childhood and ends with a number of journalistic adulations regarding his career and speeches. It is a wonderful book, yet curious.

Unlike Frederick Douglass, the severe critic of the slaveholding South, Washington's outlook is decidedly postive. He refuses to get into any kind of individual or group bashing, but prefers to dwell on the successes of blacks, improving race relations, and the success of his school- and students. He becomes enamored of his own success on the stump, but such is the case with most ambitious, forward looking individuals. I would have liked a bit more criticism, and fewer excerpts from the newspapers of his time (regarding his speech-making ability.) His repeated refrains about service and merit (being the only true measure of a man), are sound. All in all, this is an upbeat, inspiring story from a man who truly defied the odds, and his winning attitude is sorely needed today.

I know this book was supposed to be clever, but I found it to be very confusing. There were so many characters thrown at the reader in the first two or three chapters, that when those characters reappeared later in the book it was hard to remember who they were or what role they had played earlier. I also found the constant jumping from one scene to another hard to follow.

I am an avid reader and it is RARE that I ever quit reading a book before I reach the end, but I am about two thirds of the way through and am thinking about tossing this one. Maybe it redeems itself in the end, but I'm finding it a chore rather than a pleasure to persevere. Time is just too precious and there are so many good books out there.

I am at a loss to why Ishmael Reed's novels are so resisted by readers. OK maybe not a total loss. The frantic pace, unrelenting inventiveness and a satirical gift that exposes uncomfortable truths in all their multiplicity, is bound to leave some readers behind. (Despite the fact that the reading skills that you use walking down the average city street exceed what is required by most supposedly 'difficult' literature - Reed included).

For those readers of Pynchon, DeLillo, Foster Wallace and others, (never mind Laurence Sterne or Jonathan Swift that could also bear comparison) there should be no excuses.

To emphasise the positive, I personally found The Terrible Twos so funny and compelling, that I forgot what I was doing and read it to the end, giving myself sunstroke in the process (not easy to do in a Dublin garden I can tell you).

I'm excited that Reed's book has been reprinted... when I read it for a course, we had to put a copy on reserve because it was out of print. This is a marvelously intricate novel which does eventually pull all the disparate strands together in a way that if you persevere, you will find rewarding.

You'll never look at Santa Claus the same way again. And those little statues people put up nowadays with a Nativity scene and Santa sitting in? They'll make you outright chortle.

I am not too crazy about this book. The stories were okay, the poetry well written, but it felt like an Erotique Noire : Black Erotica rip off. I understand this editor was involved in that particular book. Maybe he should hook up with those two again and write another book.

I wanted so much to love this book, especially since it was billed and packaged to be the sequel to Erotique Noire, the best book of African Diaspora erotica ever written. This one has its hot moments, but it fails to embrace the scope and depth of that first work. It is a thick book, as thick as Erotique Noire, but it only has about half the number of entries. I believe its size was an unfair marketing device. I thought I was getting another remarkable encyclopedic work. Its redeeming quality is that it selected very good writers. I am still looking for the real sequel to Erotique Noire. And I demand that it be a big book that covers all of the bases.

Dark Eros is a sweet and sensuous journey where you travel with Reginald Martin, unprotected. From the articulate and pointed preface, to the last selection, the reader is rewarded with a myriad of poems and prose that move from tender renderings to spontaneous and passionate pieces, full of rhythmic energy. The book is a consant "eargasm" to the reader who is moved by the joy of words. Readers beware! Martin is a trickster and these poems are encoded with layers of subtext. Approach these pieces as you would a favorite sensual pleasures of black feeling, black love, black passion.