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thanks gurl  I'll check her out on my day off. |
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I don't know why books on Africa always have such melodramatic titles
 but... I bought this book after flicking through and seeing that it explains some of the traditional and exisitng systems of African trade within the continent - which I know nothing about. I'm hoping the blurb on the back cover delivers on its promise not to preach, but to discuss the author's economic theory of building and expanding upon traditions of free markets and free trade rather than continuing to use exploitative economic structures. The economic model put forward is - according to the author - uniquely African and "takes little heed from the developed world".Africa Unchained Editorial Reviews ISBN-10: 1403973865 ISBN-13: 978-1403973863  "A superb analysis of the continent and its recent ordeals"--The Wall Street Journal "A controversial and thought-provoking book"--Ian Taylor, International Affairs Praise for Ayittey's Africa in Chaos: "Crucial for anyone seeking an understanding of Africa's condition . . . Read it now, before it's too late." --The Washington Times ". . . robust, provocative...Ayittey takes no prisoners." --The New York Times Book Review ". . . Ayittey knows Africa well...a brave and reflective book." --The Wall Street Journal |
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Release date: January 18 2007
 The Covenant In Action (Paperback) by Tavis Smiley (Introduction) Book Description The Covenant in Action was developed to continue the inspirational spirit of the Covenant With Black America and to empower people to take effective action to achieve THE Covenant goals. The information, tools, and ideas presented in The Covenant in Action will enable and inspire people to become agents of change in their respective communities and to become partners in a larger Covenant movement. The Covenant in Action is organized into three parts: (1) stories about the projects and actions that everyday people have undertaken over the past year that were inspired by the Covenant With Black America; (2) motivational essays from young Black activists who are on the ground impacting their environments; and (3) a toolkit outlining steps you can take to organize, connect, and act. The toolkit contains not only traditional action strategies, but includes innovative approaches to organizing and community building that will result in stronger, more bonded communities that are reflective of their history and past experiences. The Covenant With Black America was only the first step. The Covenant in Action toolkit will prime and prepare individuals and communities to actually move the Covenant book into action. |
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this edition is a small format hardcover with a lovely dustwrapper and quality paper, yet quite inexpensive - I can't find an image of the book online
Wisdom of ptah hotep JACQ C ISBN 1845293428 (UK edition) Best-selling author and Egyptologist reveals the secrets of the oldest book in the world. Beautifully produced hardback. Synopsis: Egyptologist, essayist and novelist, Christian Jacq is one of the most widely read authors in the world. Here, he presents a new vision of one of the pillars of Egyptian wisdom and the key to an era of rich spirituality, which has much to offer us. Ptah-Hotep was a philosopher and leading statesman in the Egypt of 2400 BC. Having reached the great age of 110, he decided to pass on the benefit of his experience by setting down a collection of sayings, or 'wisdoms'. Miraculously preserved, his work has a real claim to be the oldest book in the world and offers not only wisdom but also an exceptional insight into the life and philosophy of the ancient world. As second in command to the fifth-dynasty pharaoh Djedkare Isesi, Ptah-Hotep's work is crucial to our understanding of the golden age of the Ancient Empire (around 2640-2040 BC). Through this book, we can see into the mind of the sage and share his most intimate reflections. Styled as advice from father to son or master to pupil, his words offer counsel on timeless topics such as the art of governing, the nature of true knowledge and how to enjoy a harmonious life without violence. . |
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Ngugi wa Thiong'o (1938-) - formerly known as James Ngugi
 Kenyan teacher, novelist, essayist, and playwright, whose works function as an important link between the pioneers of African writing and the younger generation of postcolonial writers. After imprisonment in 1978, Ngugi abandoned using English as the primary language of his work in favor of Gikuyu, his native tongue. The transition from colonialism to postcoloniality and the crisis of modernity has been a central issues in a great deal of Ngugi's writings. Ngugi wa Thiong'o was born in Kamiriithu, near Limuru, Kiambu District, as the fifth child of the third of his father's four wives. At that time Kenya was under British rule, which ended in 1963. Ngugi's family belonged to the Kenya's largest ethnic group, the Gikuyu. Ngugi attended the mission-run school at Kamaandura in Limuru, Karinga school in Maanguu, and Alliance High School in Kikuyu. During these years Ngugi became a devout Christian. However, at school he also learned about the Gikuyu values and history and underwent the Gikuyu rite of passage ceremony. Later he rejected Christianity, and changed his original name in 1976 from James Ngugi, which he saw as a sign of colonialism, to Ngugi wa Thiong'o in honor of his Gikuyu heritage. Wizard of the Crow: A novel (Hardcover) by Ngugi Wa'Thiong'O  Hardcover: 784 pages Publisher: Pantheon (August 8, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 037542248X ISBN-13: 978-0375422485 From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com In the year in which the despotic leader of the fictional African nation of Aburiria announces a grand scheme to build the world's tallest building, Kamiti, a luckless job seeker, wakes up on a rubbish heap to find himself possessed of magical powers. So begins Wizard of the Crow, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's epic African political satire, his first novel in 20 years. Daunting in its ambition and scale, spanning more than 700 pages, it is, in the author's own words, the story of "Africa of the twentieth century in the context of two thousand years of world history." The Aburiria of Ngugi's imagination is representative of many African dictatorships. Its leader -- known only as "the Ruler" -- and his band of sycophantic and feuding ministers govern (the term is used loosely) through a blend of showmanship and brutality. Corruption is rife, the economy nonexistent, and the giant building -- "Marching to Heaven" -- is intended to shore up their leader's popularity. In the era of globalization, all those who have fought for Africa's soul in the past -- church, despots and sorcerers -- are now joined by the Global Bank, on whom the government depends to finance its project. Since the end of the Cold War, the Ruler, like many Third World strongmen once useful to First World powers, now finds himself dispensable. His efforts to secure the funding for his world's tallest building project provide the arc of the novel's narrative. The tale is in turns fantastical, surreal and scatological. |
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This is a new Random House title that has just gone on sale...
 African Americans in Pursuit of Freedom, Opportunity, and Achievement by Alan Govenar Category: History Format: Trade Paperback, 432 pages On Sale: January 9, 2007 Price: $15.95 ISBN: 978-0-7679-2117-6 (0-7679-2117-8) Untold Glory offers a fresh perspective on one of the most fundamental elements of American history"”the conquest of new frontiers. In twenty-seven fascinating first-person accounts, African Americans from different eras, backgrounds, and occupations explore and reflect on the meaning of frontier, both literally and metaphorically. This collection chronicles the search for freedom and opportunity and the achievement of success in a wide variety of fields. The contributors all pushed beyond self-imposed or culturally enforced boundaries to pursue their dreams and ambitions. They include Mark Dean, an IBM vice president and member of the Inventors Hall of Fame, who holds three of the original patents upon which the personal computer is based; the civil-rights attorney Oliver W. Hill, one of the architects of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case; the classical pianist and museum founder Josephine Love; and L. Douglas Wilder, the grandson of slaves who became the first African American governor of Virginia. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and featuring an incisive introduction by Alan Govenar, Untold Glory is both an important addition to the field of African American history and an engaging, eye-opening look at some of the nation's most daring, innovative, and influential pioneers. |
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Another Random House title about to go on sale...
 Girl, Get Your Credit Straight! A Sister's Guide to Ditching Your Debt, Mending Your Credit, and Building a Strong Financial Future by Glinda Bridgforth Format: Hardcover, 352 pages On Sale: January 16, 2007 Price: $19.95 Is "retail therapy" your favorite pastime"”even though you really can't afford it? Do you ignore the balance on your credit card statements, vowing to pay them off at some point down the line? Is your debt preventing you from living your dreams"”like buying a home or starting a family? These days, with easy access to multiple credit cards and glossy advertisements that entice us to spend at every turn, it's all too easy to start racking up debt"”and even little slip-ups can lead to real damage over time. In this highly practical follow-up to her bestsellers Girl, Get Your Money Straight! and Girl, Make Your Money Grow!, financial expert Glinda Bridgforth delivers a power-packed plan for paying down debt, repairing your credit score, and securing your financial freedom"”along with a future that makes your heart sing. Beginning with simple, engaging exercises to help you assess your spending habits and get clear about what you owe, Girl, Get Your Credit Straight! presents a detailed road map for eliminating debt, one step at a time. You will learn how to: "¢ Devise a system for tracking expenditures, anticipating end-of-month shortfalls, and paying bills on time, every time "¢ Find ways to supplement your income "¢ Consolidate loans to pay off debt faster, decrease stress, and save time and money "¢ Negotiate with your creditors to come up with a payment plan that works for you "¢ Discover the best loans to use for refinancing debt or making major new purchases "¢ Understand how credit bureaus work--and take steps to improve your score Filled with Bridgforth's warmhearted wisdom and advice, and complete with worksheets, affirmations, and inspiring stories of African American women who've restored their credit and built new wealth, Girl, Get Your Credit Straight! is a fresh, empowering guide for any woman who wants to say goodbye to debt"”for good. . |
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YIPPEEEE! I broke the 2000 views barrier!
I'm just glad that people have curious and enquiring minds...  to everyone who sneaks in and out of this zone even if they don't 'speak' coz I really believe books can change lives - knowledge is empowerment, and that's the point of this blog zone.   . '...all of us who care about the truth must assist you in finding the resources to tell it.' Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker. |
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I've just started reading this and it's great!
 Spike Lee: That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It (Paperback) as told to Kaleem Aftab Publisher: W. W. Norton; Reprint edition (October 23, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0393328945 Online reviews: (amazon.com) From Publishers Weekly The work of one of America's more important filmmakers is ill-served by this reverential biography. Aftab arranges the narrative around Lee's films, from breakout hit She's Gotta Have It (1986), through such cinematic touchstones as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), ending with the flop She Hate Me (2004). The resulting string-of-boxcars structure is a little disjointed, but it keeps the focus on Lee's often controversial and politically engaged films and delivers a flow of moviemaking anecdotes that give a sense of the director's domineering, manipulative, charismatic personality. Unfortunately, this very authorized biography staggers under the weight of the many lengthy tributes to Lee's genius and his statesmanship as the standard-bearer of African-American cinema. Complaints are sometimes aired about the director and his movies (he does cop to allowing "unreconstructed male chauvinism" to mar his films), but criticisms are quickly shouted down by rebuttals from Lee and a chorus of admiring actors and colleagues. Aftab's poorly organized text often feels like a collection of barely edited interview transcripts, with Lee and his friends' rambling on for paragraphs on end. The outcome is a sluggish, defensive biography of a man who deserves a more incisive treatment. Photos. (Sept.) From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com (excerpt) Since his brash feature-film debut in 1986, Spike Lee has staked his place in the filmmaking industry and in the public consciousness by tangling with themes that otherwise get very little screen time. Starting with a black woman's sexuality in "She's Gotta Have It" and skin-tone stratification in "School Daze," Lee has placed his characters in combustible situations and then captured the explosions, without any need of special effects. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that this authorized biography contains so many unflattering -- even inflammatory -- testimonials. Author Kaleem Aftab not only briskly reprises all of the charges made through the years (anti-Semitism, publicity chasing and riot-mongering, just for starters) but also airs personal and professional grievances from associates, actors and family members. For example, David Lee, a photographer who has worked for his taskmaster older brother, admits he has nightmares of Spike torturing him on set. Rosie Perez recalls her sex scene in "Do the Right Thing" as a horrible initiation into show business. Acting coach Susan Batson critiques Lee's on-camera turns: "Normally his performances are terrible." Even his wife, Tonya, gets into the act, cutting down female characters in "Girl 6" and "He Got Game." It's a tribute to Lee's vibrancy, vision and filmography that he and his films emerge as more complicated and interesting for the hits he -- and they -- are taking. In keeping with Lee's historically minded projects, the story begins with the image of a slave ship crossing the Atlantic, carrying the ancestors of Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. and other African-American icons. From that point, the book takes a big chronological leap to the icon staring out from the cover of this book, starting with young Lee as a happy child and a teenager more engaged by sports and music than by school. Aftab tells of Lee's career with a lively interplay of narrative, Lee's take on events, and those of family, associates and critics like Stanley Crouch. He shows how Lee drew upon friends and family (especially grandmother Zimmie) to help him make his first films. The death of Lee's adored mother when he was in college surprisingly gets only a paragraph, but the book circles back to that event when Lee revisits his childhood with "Crooklyn," a film set in the 1970s and written by his siblings Joie and Cinque. (After Joie told Spike she wanted to direct it, he replied, "Too bad, go write another script, you've already sold this one.") Lee's relationships with his father, his stepmother and one of his three brothers are apparently so strained that they weren't interviewed for the book. Only unflattering testimonials, leavened with humor and/or affection, are included here, which is probably why Lee's pre-marriage romantic life gets little ink. |
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 Beasts of No Nation: A Novel (Hardcover) by Uzodinma Iweala Publisher: HarperCollins (November 8, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 006079867X ISBN-13: 978-0060798673  Uzodinma Iweala (b. November 5, 1982) is an author who hails from Washington, DC and Nigeria. His debut novel, Beasts of No Nation, is a formation of his thesis work at Harvard. It depicts a child soldier in an unnamed African country. The book, published in 2005, has received considerable critical acclaim from sources like Time Magazine, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Times, and Rolling Stone. Metacritic ranked the book #2 on its "Best of 2005" books list. The son of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Iweala is a recent graduate of Harvard College. He is currently working at Columbia University. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Iweala's visceral debut is unrelenting in its brutality and unremitting in its intensity. Agu, the precocious, gentle son of a village schoolteacher father and a Bible-reading mother, is dragooned into an unnamed West African nation's mad civil war"”a slip of a boy forced, almost overnight, to shoulder a soldier's bloody burden. The preteen protagonist is molded into a fighting man by his demented guerrilla leader and, after witnessing his father's savage slaying, by an inchoate need to belong to some kind of family, no matter how depraved. He becomes a killer, gripped by a muddled sense of revenge as he butchers a mother and daughter when his ragtag unit raids a defenseless village; starved for both food and affection, he is sodomized by his commandant and rewarded with extra food scraps and a dry place to sleep. The subject of the 23-year-old novelist's story"”Iweala is American born of Nigerian descent"”is gripping enough. But even more stunning is the extraordinarily original voice with which this tale is told. The impressionistic narration by a boy constantly struggling to understand the incomprehensible is always breathless, often breathtaking and sometimes heartbreaking. Its odd singsong cadence and twisted use of tense take a few pages to get used to, but Iweala's electrifying prose soon enough propels a harrowing read. (Nov. 8) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From The New Yorker This startling début by a young American-Nigerian writer follows the fortunes of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. Iweala's acute imagining of Agu's perspective allows him to depict the war as a mesh of bestial pleasures and pain. As seen through Agu's eyes, machetes sound like music, and bodies come apart on roads so cracked that you can see "the red mud bleeding from underneath." Agu has a child's primitive drive that enables him to survive his descent into hell, and, despite the brutality he witnesses and participates in, to keep hold of something resembling optimism. The contrast between his belief in the future and the horrific descriptions of the world around him makes Agu a haunting narrator. Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker . '...all of us who care about the truth must assist you in finding the resources to tell it.' Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker. |
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 AIDS AND POWER Why there is no Political Crisis - Yet Alex de Waal African Arguments From Zed Books Pub date: Aug 2006 176 pages Size 5 x 7 3/4 $19.99 - Paperback (1-84277-707-6) Also available: $60.00 - Hardcover (1-84277-706-8) Description: Why, twenty years into the crisis, are democratic governments performing so poorly in tackling AIDS in Africa? De Waal argues that existing approaches are driven by interests and frameworks that fail to engage with African societies' resilience and creativity. Already, African communities have confounded some of the worst predictions of disaster. If adequately supported, they will find ways of sustaining development and democracy in the midst of HIV/AIDS. Author Bio: Alex de Waal is a fellow of the Global Equity Initiative, Harvard; Director of the Social Science Research Council program on AIDS and social transformation; and a director of Justice Africa in London. Table of contents: HIV AIDS in African Societies * How AIDS May Cause Democracies to Fail * Why Liberal Democracies are Poor at Tackling AIDS * Why Political Mobilization around AIDS is So Difficult * Reinventing Democracy in the Era of AIDS |
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 GHANA One Decade of the Liberal State, First Edition Edited by Kwame Boafo-Arthur Africa in the New Millennium From Zed Books Pub date: Apr 2007 336 pages Size 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 $29.99 - Paperback (1-84277-829-3) Also available: $89.99 - Hardcover (1-84277-828-5) Description: Ghana has witnessed a 'revolution through the ballot box', since its return to constitutional rule in 1993. Yet this period of sustained democratic government in an era of globalization and liberal triumphalism has brought with it new demands. How has Ghana faced up to the problems of institution-building, state-market relations and democratic leadership? Can it deal with the challenges posed by security, human rights and foreign policy in the twenty-first century? This unique collection interrogates all these issues and assesses the future of the democratic experiment in one of sub-Saharan Africa's rare 'islands of peace'. Author Bio: Kwame Boafo-Arthur is professor of political science at the University of Ghana. Table of contents: A Decade of Liberalism in Perspective - Kwame Boafo-Arthur * Trends in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights under the 1992 Constitution -- Kofi Quashigah * Challenges of Economic Growth in a Liberal Economy -- G. Kwaku Tsikata * Markets and Liberal Democracy -- Kwame A. Ninsin * Institutions and Economic Performance: Ghana's Experience under the Fourth Republic, 1992-2002 -- Nicholas Amponsah * Political Conflict and Elite Consensus in the Liberal State -- Alexander K. D. Frempong * A Decade of Political Leadership in Ghana, 1993-2004 -- Joseph R. A. Ayee * The Security Agencies and National Security in a Decade of Liberalism -- Kumi Ansah-Koi * Organized Labour and the Liberal State -- A. Essuman Johnson * The Liberal Ghanaian State and Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Change and Continuity -- Kwame Boafo-Arthur* Women and Politics in Ghana: 1993-2003 -- Beatrix Allah-Mensah |
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 RECONSTITUTING THE STATE IN AFRICA Edited by Pita Ogaba Agbese and George Klay Kieh Jr. First Edition From Palgrave Macmillan Pub date: Feb 2007 320 pages Size 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 $69.95 - Hardcover (1-4039-7313-X) Description: The major focus of the book is an examination of the efforts being made by democratizing states in Africa to reconstitute the postcolonial state, so that it can become relevant to the needs and aspirations of the majority of the peoples of Africa. Using seven democratizing states in Africa as case studies, the book specifically examines three major interrelated issues: the multifaceted crises of state building in Africa; the efforts to democratically reconstitute the postcolonial state in Africa; and the proffering of suggestions to help address the challenges posed by the state reconstitution project. Author Bio: Pita Ogaba Agbese is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for International Security and Conflict Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. Previously, he served as Acting Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Northern Iowa. He has published extensively on issues such as civil-military relations in Africa, democratization in Africa, civil society in Africa, the environment in Africa, and civil conflicts in Africa. His most recent publication is a co-edited volume with George Klay Kieh, Jr., The Military and Politics in Africa: From Engagement to Democratic and Constitutional Control (2004). George Klay Kieh, Jr. is Professor of Political Science and African Studies at Grand Valley State University, Michigan. He has served as Dean of International Affairs at Grand Valley State University, and as Chair and Professor of Political Science at Morehouse College. He has written extensively on civil conflicts in Africa, the military and politics in Africa, democratization in Africa, African political economy, and American foreign policy. Praise for Reconstituting the State in Africa "The theme and arguments make enormous contribution to the literature." -- Chris W. Ogbondah, Professor of Communication Studies, University of Northern Iowa "Nine African scholars have been brought together by Agbese and Kieh to explore the most important issue in contemporary Africa: how can the state be reconstituted so that it serves the people of the continent rather than systematically deepens their distress? In the search for answers, the authors report on the experiences of seven pivotal countries. Few will question their depiction of the repressive, corrupt, and inefficient nature of the postcolonial African state. Some aspects of their reconstitution project will be challenged. All readers will benefit, however, from the frank exploration of the gains, setbacks and dilemmas of state reconstruction in an Africa buffeted by so many calamities." -- Richard Joseph, Director, Program of African Studies, Northwestern University "This book makes a significant contribution to the debate on state reconstruction in Africa. Written by seasoned scholars of African Studies, this compilation contains a highly refreshing, rigorous and informative analysis of the failure of the postcolonial state to carry out its fundamental functions, which include the maximization of the collective well-being of its citizens. This collection differs significantly from previous efforts in that it not only identifies the reasons behind Africa's high levels of poverty and deprivation, as well as its continued marginalization in global affairs, but it also provides possible solutions. The contributing authors make a compelling case for democratic institutional reforms to found a state built on public sovereignty to replace the anachronistic, repressive, exploitative and insensitive state inherited from the European imperialist powers." -- John Mukum Mbaku, Willard L. Eccles Professor of Economics, Weber State University, and author of Culture and Customs of Cameroon (2005) Table of contents: Part I: Background * Introduction: Democratizing States and Sate Reconstitution in Africa--Pita Ogaba Agbese and George Klay Kieh, Jr. * Part II: Case Studies * Statecraft in Botswana: Renegotiating Development, Legitimacy, and Authority--Onalenna Selolwane * The State in Cote d'Ivoire: Evolution and Constraints--Boubacar N'Diaye * Re-Inventing and Rebuilding the Ghanaian State: Towards a New Triumphalism?--Emmanuel Kwesi-Aning * Reflections on the State in Kenya--Anne Nagulu-Ayuku * Reconfiguring and Re-inventing State-Society Relations in Mauritius--Sheila Bunwaree * The Imperatives of Reconstructing the State in Nigeria: The Politics of Power, Welfare, and Imperialism in the New Millennium--Sylvester Alubo * The Post-Apartheid State in South--Victoria Maloka * Part III: Prospects for the Future * State Renewal in Africa: The Lessons--Pita Ogaba Agbese & George Klay Kieh, Jr. |
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 GRASPING AFRICA A Tale of Achievement and Tragedy Stephen Chan From I. B. Tauris Pub date: Apr 2007 224 pages Size 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 $32.00 - Paperback (1-84511-285-7) Description: Africa is huge, internationally vital, potentially rich and powerful yet mired in failure – political, economic, social and even cultural. Yet the story of contemporary Africa is not just one of global tragedy but also of enormous hope for the future. This stimulating and unconventional book on today's Africa and its relationship with the West explores the many complex reasons behind Africa's failure to fulfil its potential -- for example, colonialism, exploitation, and the interference of great powers in the international relations of the continent -- and offers some very reasonable and well-founded suggestions for ways forward. Critical and objective yet involved and sympathetic, Grasping Africa demonstrates Stephen Chan's deep understanding of the history and politics of Africa based on his long and often dangerously-obtained experience of the continent. Author Bio: Stephen Chan is Professor of International Relations and Dean of Law and Social Sciences at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is the author of Robert Mugabe: A Life of Power and Violence and Out of Evil: New International Politics and Old Doctrines of War (both published by I.B.Tauris). |
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