Essential Book of Shellfish

Average customer rating:

A GOTTA HAVE

Wonderful book

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of the Boys!

The Good Ole Cowboys Are Back!

Where Have All Our Cowboys Gone?
Brian Jensen
Manufacturer: Cooper Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Football | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books
Professional | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Legends of the Dallas Cowboys

Tales from the Dallas Cowboys

Roger Staubach Captain America: Captain America Personal Memories and Anecdotes About the Super Bowl-Winning Quarterback of America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys (Great American Sports Legends Series)

Stadium Stories: Dallas Cowboys: Colorful Tales of America's Team

Aikman: Mind, Body and Soul

ASIN: 0878332650

Book Description

Dallas sports broadcasting veteran Brian Jensen tracks down over 100 of the franchise's most popular players, bringing readers up to speed on their post-gridiron experiences.

Customer Reviews:

A GOTTA HAVE.......2004-01-18

We bought this for my brother for Christmas, but I have to admit several of the biographies were read before it was wrapped. My brother is a die hard cowboy fan. He loved reading the short biographies of where some of the OLD DAYS and NEW players are now. The only thing I wish is that there had been a short biography for TOM LANDRY because to me he is the HEART of the Cowboys.

Wonderful book.......2002-01-09

This book was an awesome read. Many interesting short stories about lots of MY childhood heroes. The book took me back in time and also let me catch up on what has happened to so many of the players I grew up with. The successes and failures, the happy stories and the sad. Stories from Hollywood Henderson, Mike Clark, Harvey Martin, Ralph Neely, Roger Staubach, and many more. It is a MUST read for any fan of the Dallas Cowboys!!

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of the Boys!.......2001-11-15

This has to be the best biological collection of any sports team ever! My father, my brother, my friend, my mother and I - we all thoroughly enjoyed this book. My family often corresponds by way of sharing book reviews and this one quickly made it through the family. My father loved reliving all of his favorite players, my brother read it and loves debating with my father, my friend is just so happy that he can now understand the comparisons given during the telecasts of games today, but my mother and I had the most fun trying to quiz each other. Honestly, a great read for the sports enthusiasts and those crazy few in my family who want to discuss sports in anthropological terms.

The Good Ole Cowboys Are Back!.......2001-09-21

This book takes you back through the good, bad and ugly days of Dallas Cowboy football. But its not really so much about football, its about the "after football" life of some of our favorite players of the past. Its hard to remember the names of most of the current players, but many of us long-time fans love to remember the good old days.
The author has provided a very informative and intriguing look at dozens of Dallas Cowboy players, some of them in the Ring of Honor, some of them more obscure. But each player has an interesting story to tell and the book is a very easy and enjoyable read. Not your typical sports book! I recommend it for both men and women readers.

Book Description

This reader-friendly guide shows you how to take charge of the newest, most versatile microcontrollers around, Atmel's AVR RISC chip family. Inside, Electronics World writer and astronomy instrumentation developer Dhananjay V. Gadre walks you from first meeting these exciting new computers-on-a-chip all the way through design and ready-to-launch products.

Download Description

How to take charge of the newest, most versatile microcontrollers around, Atmel's AVR RISC chip family.

Customer Reviews:

Not for intermediate to advanced... .......2007-09-22

I am not even sure I would recommend this for beginners... it is in essence a rehash of the data sheet for 1/2 the book... then simple projects (all but one, as far as I can tell, written in ASM)... I went through the book in 15 minutes. Nothing new, nothing original.

AVR programming information.......2007-02-25

Ok I originally bought this book from a friends advice. I wanted to learn more on a newbie level how to code AVR chips, using the C language. Unfortunately, most books in this area cost upwards of $65 into the hundreds. Not the type of money I was looking to spend, and definately can not afford! As easy as it is to search the internet for free tutorials? No way! Anyway, about this book. Its a good reference manual to explain all the status registers, pins, features, and lookup terms that normally confuse starters and newbies (like me). Learn how to code? No way! DONT GET CONFUSED! This is a decenet reference / lookup guide at best. Very few program and code examples, and if you dont know how to program or getting started, then this book leaves you little help. Its definately useful as a guide or reference - like me, I often forget what does what, and this book easily allows you to learn the ports and settings needed to drive you through online tutorials.

A fair book, but not really worth the money.......2006-09-11

This book is not worth the money, in my opinion. The Author rehashes data sheet information, and lists the instruction set, but all that can be gotten for free from Atmel's website.

The projects that he lists are scant on details.

I didn't come away from reading it with any real insights into the AVR that I didn't get from reading freely available information. Given the price of the book, I would recommend you pass on this one.

Alot of fluff in this book wish I spent more time in the book store and looked over it more! .......2005-09-06

This book is REALLY fluff.. No real substance. I really wished I spent a little bit more time looking over this book at the bookstore. I just spent 1.5 hrs and skimmed through the whole entire book. The author glosses over a lot of things that I would think would be important. In particular I was hopeing for more information on USB and CAN interfaces. Two things that are a major part of the newer AVR devices. Very disapointed.

read this book at the bookstore! Don't buy it because you can probably read through it in a matter of 1hr or so. This book maybe ok for a complete beginner but if you have had any microprocessor programing experience (I got some PIC) its very limited. Like other posters have stated you can get more info from AVRfreaks.com or Amtel datasheets.

Feeling stupid for buying.......2005-08-30

Please, I read the reviews and decided that this book couldn't be as bad as people said it was so I bought it anyway, don't make the same mistake, this book is seriously bad, McGraw-Hill should be ashamed. For instance, the LCD controller part of the book involves the construction of a home-made seven segment numeric display! That isn't even an LCD! This book probably would be good for high schoolers wanting to mess around with the AVR system but if you graduated from HS please buy better book than this one.

Book Description

The Indians of the American Southwest fashioned baskets for many uses vital to their daily lives, from collecting seeds to carrying heavy loads. This book is a comprehensive history of this oldest southwestern craft that is unique in focusing as much on the people who made the baskets as on the baskets themselves.

Southwestern Indian Designs (Dover Design Library)

Average customer rating:

OK for reference
Southwestern Indian Designs

Southwestern Indian Designs (Dover Design Library)
Madeleine Orban-Szontagh
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 048626985X

Book Description

Treasury of 250 copyright-free images, drawn from authentic motifs on Hopi ceremonial dress, Zuni shields, Anasazi pottery, Navajo jewelry, rugs and sand paintings, Pueblo pottery, and many more. Clearly drawn in detail, easily reproducible, these motifs represent a highly useful resource for a myriad of art and craft projects.

Customer Reviews:

OK for reference.......2007-07-03

This book is designs only, in black and white, very little text reference. It could be a good book as a supplemental design for southwest decor artist, but not recommended as a starter. The designs are clearly drawn and good size. Not recommended as a "must have" for southwest native american designs.

Southwestern Indian Designs.......2007-02-17

This book ws interesting, and it did have quite a bit of information on the subject. Somehow I think that it could have given more information on the designs.

Decorative Art of the Southwestern Indians

Average customer rating:

Nice simple one to start southwest designs

Decorative Art of the Southwestern Indians
Dorothy S. Sides
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0486201392

Book Description

Most beautiful art tradition in primitive world in nearly 300 royalty-free examples based upon lifetime of study. Material ranges from 13th-century geometric art of Pueblo to contemporary design, includes designs from pottery, basketry, beadwork, masks, dolls, sand paintings, and blankets. 50 plates.

Customer Reviews:

Nice simple one to start southwest designs.......2007-07-03

Nice basic reference book of documented southwest native american designs, primarialy focused on pottery designs. Some blanket and doll designs included as well. All renderings are black/white with reference to documentation. Great for art design projects for basic southwest decor. Designs are referenced to tribe and area and a little history included. Not a very indepth book, but a good basic starter for the southwest artist.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST for White's tree frog owners.......1999-07-02

This book contains a lot of information relating to that precious froggy the Litoria caerulea (White's tree frog, "Dumpy", Australian green tree frog).

The pictures are amazing, the information is accurate, and the overall quality of the book is GREAT!!!

Book Description

Despite the critical and popular success of the author's first volume, Country Store Collectibles, it was clear there were many more country store antiques than could be covered in one book. In this completely new volume are hundreds of items, gathered from some of the best collections in the country, and presented in beautiful full color. Also included are period photos of actual country and general stores that have never been published before. Concise captions and an accurate price guide make the book invaluable to collectors. The images themselves will awaken memories in those who spent their younger years in such places, and give a new appreciation to those who did not have the opportunity. This wonderful new book will be a welcome addition to the libraries of collectors and historians alike.

Average customer rating:
Landscaping 1-2-3 Regional Edition Zones 7-10, Selection & design, Trees, Shrubs, Groundcovers & Vines, Step by Step
Home Depot
Manufacturer: Meredith Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WXRAOY

Average customer rating:

Great Landscaping Book for Southern New Hampshire!

Best Landscaping Book ...

Landscaping 1-2-3: Regional Edition: Zones 7-10 (Home Depot ... 1-2-3)
Jo Kellum , and The Home Depot
Manufacturer: The Home Depot
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Regional | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books | Canada | Middle Atlantic | Midwest | New England | Pacific Northwest | South | Southwest | West
Similar Items:

The Home Depot Flower Gardening 1-2-3: Step by Step

Patios and Walkways 1-2-3: Design and Build Beautiful Outdoor Living Spaces (Expert Advice from the Home Depot)

The Home Depot Outdoor Projects 1-2-3 (Home Depot ... 1-2-3)

Landscape Construction 1-2-3: Build the Framework for a Perfect Landscape with Fences, Walls, and More (Expert Advice from the Home Depot)

Decorating 1-2-3 (Home Depot ... 1-2-3)

ASIN: 0696212536

Book Description

Specific edition for hotter climates tells gardeners everything they need to know about landscaping.

Customer Reviews:

Great Landscaping Book for Southern New Hampshire!.......2006-12-07

I looked at many other landscaping books and this is the best one and easiest to use for my area. I am so happy with this book. We have a new home and I used this book to redo all the landscaping around the house. It looks great!!

Best Landscaping Book ..........2005-08-08

Landscaping 1-2-3 is the best landscaping book I've found for this area. It contains a lot of valuable information and is full of pictures. This book helps you to determine the best plants for different sections of your yard based on the soil and exposure to the sun. It also informs you of the best time to prune your plants.

Book Description

A comprehensive do-it-yourself tiling book that includes planning, designing, selecting, installing, and repairing.

Customer Reviews:

Could have been a free pamphlet.......2006-04-14

I bought this book at Home Depot and returned it after a few hours upon finishing it. I could have got the same information from a free pamphlet. They ought to be ashamed. However, there were some nice pictures and I did learn a little bit, but it was just a super easy primer for the real thing. I didn't buy another book before tiling 900sf in my house. I wish I had bought a better book, as I learned all kinds of tricks "the hard way." Hint: Swimming after tiling all day can return your back to normal when it doesn't seem like anything else will help. I am now going to buy John Bridge's book before my next tiling job.

good.......2005-10-22

This is a good book for people who want to start tiling or for people who have stated but would like to get more ideas, help or tricks.

Ooooo... Pictures..........2005-03-17

This book is more or less useless on it's own. It tries to make tiling look really simple and straightforward. Tiling is actually not rocket science at all, but you really do need to spend time up front deciding what you are going to do. It isn't a weekend project. Get a real book written by someone who actually lays tile professionally and not just by people who sell the latest half-baked do it yourself supplies. I recommend "Tile Your Word" or "Setting Tile". Both top notch books. In fact, get both - given how expensive tile is it'll be worth the money.

This book does have some nice pictures of some steps though. That's about all I can recommend it for.

The Complete Book of Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation

Average customer rating:

up to date clear consise basic manual

The Complete Book of Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation

Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Home Repair | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

up to date clear consise basic manual.......1998-11-02

This book covers pretty much all the basics. Including basic appliance repair. Lots of clear illusrations. Covers basic techniques with shortcuts and hints. This book shows you how to do what you want to do. We checked this book out from the library and were so impressed we bought a copy for home reference. We only gave this book four stars because it dosen't do the work for you.

Step-by-Step Kitchen & Bath Projects (Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step)

Average customer rating:

Step-by-Step Kitchen & Bath Projects (Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step)
Better Homes and Gardens Books
Manufacturer: Better Homes and Gardens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Home Repair | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

Black & Decker Home Repairs (Jewel Case)

ASIN: 0696207788

Amazon.com

This book focuses on the 50 most popular and practical improvements in the kitchen and bathroom that don't involve moving walls or building an addition, so right from the get-go, it is a boon to those who want to upgrade a dingy bathroom or lackluster kitchen without necessarily breaking the bank. Next, it helps a homeowner distinguish between what they can realistically do themselves, based on skills and experience, and which projects may need professional help. A "basic skills" section deals entirely with the fundamentals of plumbing, wiring, and installing new flooring, making for a good beginner's book. It's filled from cover to cover with useful and clear diagrams and photographs, and has practical "feature boxes" throughout detailing such subjects as "Expert Insights," "Tools to Use," "Safety," "Money Saver," "Measurements," and "Caution!" There's a lot of information packed into its 112 pages; it contains a complete glossary of terms the reader will need to know; and it is well indexed for easy reference to the appropriate sections. --Mark A. Hetts

Book Description

A valuable reference book that shows everything from improving an existing kitchen or bath with fresh finishes to starting over with new cabinets and fixtures.

Focuses on 50 of the most popular and practical projectsÂ—improvements readers can make without moving walls or adding on.

Book Description

Colorful ideas and patterns for kitchens, baths, and foyers.

Amazon.com

A pioneering sociologist, educator, essayist, activist, and political theorist, W.E.B. Du Bois was one of America's great intellectuals. This second volume by David Levering Lewis picks up where his Pulitzer Prize-winning W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race left off, chronicling his life from 1919 until his death in Ghana in 1963, on the eve of the March on Washington. "In the course of his long, turbulent career," Lewis writes, "W.E.B. Du Bois attempted virtually every possible solution to the problem of twentieth-century racism--scholarship, propaganda, integration, cultural and economic separatism, politics, international communism, expatriation, third world solidarity."

Lewis's lean and lyrical writing rescues Du Bois's stuffy, Afro-Victorian speech from historical documents, breathing life into his letters, memos, and numerous articles, both published and unpublished. He takes us through Du Bois's battles with the NAACP (which he cofounded); his ideological wars with "Back to Africa" nationalist Marcus Garvey; his many Pan-African conferences; and his tours of Africa, Japan, Russia, and China. He probes deeply into many of Du Bois's books, including Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil and Black Reconstruction, adding marvelous new insights into the neglected novel Dark Princess. Lewis also details Du Bois's relationships with friends and foes alike, including James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Alain Locke, as well as his triumphs, such as his acquittal in the infamous trial in which he was accused of being an "unregistered foreign agent," and his defeats, notably his failure to publish his Encyclopedia Africana.

A foremost authority on this great man, Lewis summarizes Du Bois as having "an extraordinary mind of color in a racialized century ... possessed of a principled impatience with what he saw as the egregious failings of American democracy that drove him, decade by decade, to the paradox of defending totalitarianism in the service of a global idea of economic and social justice." A reading of this magnificent work is nothing less than a reading of modern black America. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Book Description

Finalist for a National Book Award, the second volume of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography. Lewis picks up his masterly account of W.E.B. Du Boiss life with the triumphal return from WWI of African American veterans to the shattering reality of racism and lynching even as America discovers the New Negro of literature and art.

Customer Reviews:

Good but not great follow-up.......2007-04-16

I just finished rereading DL Lewis's first DuBois biography, and am thinking about purchasing the second bio. I own a copy of the first, and did read the second bio as a library book. Reading the current reviewer comments for this book refreshed my memory somewhat about the second bio. I would agree with reader praise for the first bio; it is a splendid book, as good as historical biography can be. The second bio starts out well but ends up reading as having been rushed, which is probably what happened, Lewis rushing to meet a publishing deadline. We would all be well served if Mr. Lewis would consider reissuing the second bio when he has time to flesh it out.

Amazing Biography of an amazing man.......2003-08-13

W.E.B. DuBois was born 2 years after slavery was abolished, and died two years before the wide ranging civil rights acts of 1965 were enacted. During this century, America was transformed from a largely rural nation whose economy depended on agricultural production (not the least of which was the cotton grown in the south by slaves) to an urban nation with the world's largest economy, built on industrial production. Throughout most of this transformation, DuBois was the loudest and clearest voice proclaiming the injustices suffered by the nation's Blacks.

DuBois voice took many forms. He was the nation's leading Black Sociologist, Political Scientist and Hstorian scholar for most of his life. He was among the giants, regardless of race, in each of these fields. This alone would have been remarkable, even had he not had to struggle against the burden of racism every step of the way. What makes DuBois' life truly amazing (an over used word, which is fully justified here) is that in addition to his academic leadership, DuBois was a newspaper columnist, speaker, and founded dozens of popular mass organizations (most famously, the NAACP). He was quite literally the mentor of virtually every leading Black scholar, lawyer, business man, politician, etc. that followed.

Surprisingly, given the transformation of the rest of society, DuBois retained his leadership role in the country as his many competitors and detractors faded--Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, and Walter White, among others.

Lewis has produced a masterful biography of this complex, vastly under rated man. Lewis keeps his writing interesting, as he traces the twists and turns DuBois was forced to follow in his battle against racism. He began with a traditional middle class, elite (which DuBois dubbed "the talented tenth") analysis which urged the white power structure to recognize that elite blacks were as crucial to the nation's future as were the elite of the white population. He ended as a communist, victim of McCarthy, having given up all hope of democratic change, living in exile in Ghana, where he was finally accorded the unstinting respect he was denied during the first 90 years of his life in America.

Lewis gives DuBois final years short shrift. Lewis seems to agree with most of the contemporary civil rights leaders, who thought DuBois had simply lost his marbles in his dotage. Lewis therefore skims over the last two decades of DuBois life in a few all too brief pages.

I beg to differ. I believe that DuBois' thinking was an entirely accurate reflection of the frustrations he had encountered. As Lewis hints at, but fails to explore, DuBois tried every conceivable means of combating America's deep seated racism. He was rejected at every turn. Despite apparent victories, many would have said that the plight of Blacks at the end of DuBois' long life was not very much improved over their plight at the beginning of his life. The white controlled governments, universities, financial instutions, and political parties had not embraced the black elite, and the black masses had yet to see any benefit from the legal victories won by Thurgood Marshall and the Inc, Fund in the late 50's.

Lewis quotes DuBois aunt as chastizing DuBois for his attacks on Booker T. Washington as a quisling--DuBois may have grown up facing racism, but he did not have the whip marks of slavery on his back that Washington had suffered. Similarly, those who criticize DuBois for his emrace of communism had not suffered the frustrations of almost a century of struggle during which everything in America had changed--except its racism.

As DuBois lay dying, virtually his last words were to the President of Ghana, apologizing for not living long enough to "finish" his work.

I know of no one who was more reviled during his lifetime that better deserves the masterful biography Lewis has given us, and given to the ages.

Everyone should not only read Lewis, but should go back and re-read some of DuBois own works. DuBois could not be given a higher honor, and deserves no less.

Rush job at end.......2001-08-07

I agree with Schmerguls, above, that David Levering Lewis' vol. II of DuBois has too many typographical errors; the endnotes are a nightmare; and that it needs a bibliography. But the book is more than a flawed book about a flawed man. It is readable, in general; Lewis could have skipped some of the big words in favor of words that ordinary readers could understand without a dictionary simultaneously open. Lewis uses colorful, precise verbs in many cases and succeeds in bringing characters to life in one word descriptions. He humanizes DuBois by discussing his friendships and by examples (through verbs and description ) of DuBois's autocratic manner. If this biography does not deserve a Pulitzer, I am curious what biography Schmerguls would consider worthy? The Oakland reviewer, above, is more on the mark in that this is a thoroughly researched and keenly insightful recounting of the life of a towering figure. I, too, sorely miss a bibliography. And the last quarter of the book is indeed full of typographical errors which a careful copy editor should have caught. One hopes that there will be a revision someday with all corrections made. Still, this is a wonderful history of the times and of an amazing (though "flawed," like the rest of us) figure in American history. DuBois certainly provoked solid thought at a time when mainstream America was unsure that Negroes could think. I have heard David Levering Lewis speak on C-Span. He writes better than he speaks because he says "Uh-uh" too much as he searches for those big words. But I'm so grateful that his work on DuBois came to fruition in my lifetime so that I could read it.

A Flawed book about a flawed man.......2001-05-21

It seems odd that Lewis's biography of W. E. B. DuBois should be felt to be entitled to two Pulitzer prizes. The author disapproves at least on the surface of some of DuBois's more outrageous positions, but yet Lewis's biases show thru, and one gets the idea that in general if Lewis had not had the benefit of what has happened in regard to Communism in the past 15 years Lewis would be even more approving of DuBois's opinions than he now indicates. As others have mentioned, it is disconcerting to have a book from a major publisher have so many typographical errors. One would think they could have been easily avoided. And the endnotes are a nightmare. Instead of footnotes there are page notes in the back, with no discernible system: some indicate sources, but I found them very user-unfriendly. There is no bibliography as such, and overall I thought the book poorly edited. But the book tells a story of interest, especially during the period from 1945 to 1963.

Volume Two of the Magisterial Life and Times.......2001-04-15

With volume two Lewis completes his magisterial work chronicling the life and times of the controversial W. E. B. Du Bois, and this second volume is every bit as fascinating and scholarly as the first one which won the Pulitzer Prize. This volume follows Du Bois' descent from a founder and spokesman for the NAACP to his self-imposed exile in Ghana in 1963. Throughout the journey Lewis thoroughly develops the changing viewpoints Du Bois put forth as solutions to the problems of racial discrimination and the powerlessness of people of color in this country and around the world. From an integrationist (who at the same time criticized the assimilationist attitude of Frederick Douglas), Du Bois moved into the Pan-Africa movement (although he disliked and opposed Marcus Garvey and his movement), and eventually supported Black separatism before settling on socialism and Marxism in the later years of his life. His "petty bourgeois" ideas concerning Black economic separatism were, of course, vehemently criticized by his Marxist friends. Many believed "Du Bois was a romantic, a racialist, and an old man given to dreams of a 'shopkeepers paradise' as a solution to the depression."

Although Lewis soft-pedals Du Bois' deep character flaws which caused him to be constantly at odds with others who were "on his side" in the fight for racial equality, and permitted him to excuse the murder and outrages of Stalinism and the Japanese military aggression and ethnic cleansing in Asia, the author clearly reveals these facts of Du Bois' life. Lewis reveals how Du Bois' mind became so poisoned with a visceral hatred of White power, and its adjunct Western capitalism, that he eventually reached the point where he could look the other way or excuse the outrages committed by peoples or regimes opposed to Western interests (which he never seemed to quite grasp were really his own interests and those of the Negro in America). In the end Du Bois seemed opposed to almost any policy his country adopted and he supported any force in the world (be it Pan-Africanism, Bolshevism, Japanese militarism, or Chinese communism) that opposed the interests of the "White governments." Thus, did a brilliant social critic end up a confused mind destined to play the role of a pawn for regimes opposed to Western interests.

Lewis is very good at highlighting Du Bois' conflict with Marcus Garvey of whom he draws a great character sketch. He points out that Garvey's early followers were often poor, less educated, and often of West Indian origins, while the more "elitist" Du Bois circulated among, and pretended to speak for, the Talented Tenth of the African American people. Du Bois was an elitist and intellectual who could not stomach the irrational pronouncements of Marcus Garvey. Du Bois' viewpoint was that of the Black urban, educated, professional.

Lewis is also very strong with detail concerning Du Bois' widening differences with the NAACP leadership and the association's approach to fighting for equality. Du Bois was not a great fan of Walter White, Roy Wilkins, and Thurgood Marshall who, with their legalistic approach, stressed working within the "White system." As in volume one, Lewis does a good job of discussing Du Bois' many writings and shows how Du Bois himself (as witnessed by his "The Gift of Black Folks") never outgrew his own racial stereotyping. Lewis also soft-pedals Du Bois' many affairs with intellectual women, but he does document these relationships. He shows how Du Bois, a believer in the rights of women, virtually abandoned his wife Nina over a period of many years in almost every sense but financial (many of his friends and intellectual acquanitances never met his wife) and how he was less than a father to his unfortunate daughter Yolande (who was one of the great disappointments of his life.)

Lewis' book is possibly most fascinating when he deals with the Harlem Renaissance and the various figures with whom Du Bois was familiar. He details Du Bois' eventual alienation from the creative people of this era who depicted the seediness of Black urban life and culture. This too realistic depiction of Black life by the Renaissance literary figures embarrassed and angered Du Bois who wanted to believe that the "Negro race" was destined for a special place in history and, as a race, manifest certain elements of racial superiority. Du Bois criticized the Harlem Renaissance writers, poets, and artists for not sharing his belief that art and culture should serve racial politics. As Lewis shows, "Du Bois's own deep anti-modernist taboos surfaced" in his criticism of the Renaissance literati. Lewis also spends a good deal of time on the historiography of the Reconstruction Era to enable his reader to grasp the importance of Du Bois' writings on the subject and how they served as a necessary correction (despite Du Bois' own one-sidedness and exaggerated claims) to the more traditional school of historical writing on the Reconstruction Era. He also reveals the extent to which Du Bois would never give up the ridiculous notion that the freed slaves saved democracy in America. He desperatly needed to find a special role for the African American in the history of the the great country. Despite Du Bois' brilliant intellect, it was his tendency to see "White" hatred of the Negro as the central paradigm of all modern history, that prevented him from being widely accepted as a scholar. For him, all historical understanding began with this simple fact. Often his own worst enemy, Du Bois, Lewis tells us, "managed to give the impression that racial discrimination had been invented soley to make his life miserable."

In the end, Du Bois felt the American Negro had let him down and he lost his faith in the special role the Negro was to play in history. As he himself admitted, "I misinterpreted the age in which I lived." One has to think that this disillusionment played as much a role in his decision to leave the country as any other reason. All in all, Lewis' biography portrays Du Bois as not so much a heroic figure, as a tragic one; a brilliant mind warped by a troubled soul that was the reflection of much of the pain experienced by an educated African American in the first half of the twentieth century.

Average customer rating:
W.E.B. DU BOIS : THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AND THE AMERICAN CENTURY, 1919-1963
DAVID L. LEWIS
Manufacturer: HOLT, HENRY AND COMPANY, INC.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KM9YYG

Average customer rating:
W.e.b. Du Bois: The Fight For Equality & The American Century, 1919-1963
David L. Lewis
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
History | African Americans | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613708725

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