Book Review: What Does It Mean To Be White In America (Gabrielle David)

What Does It Mean To Be White In America?

by: Gabrielle David

Genres: Non-fiction, Narrative

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? BREAKING THE WHITE CODE OF SILENCE, A COLLECTION OF PERSONAL NARRATIVES, is a collection that asks just that. While the literature on whiteness has long been dominated by an academic point of view, editors Gabrielle David and Sean Frederick Forbes came to the realization that there was an unmet need for an anthology of personal narratives about race and culture from the perspective of white Americans. In this conception process, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? was born. The first of its kind, this collection of 82 personal narratives reflects a vibrant range of stories from white Americans who speak frankly and openly about race, not only as it applies to people of color, but as it applies to themselves. In answering the question, some may offer viewpoints one may not necessarily agree with, but nevertheless, it is clear that each contributor is committed to answering it as honestly as possible. With an introduction by racial justice educator and writer, Debby Irving, and an afterword by award-winning poet, author and scholar, Tara Betts, the purpose of WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? is to, as Irving points out in her introduction, break the code of silence so that we can engage in frank conversations about race. An invaluable starting point that includes a glossary and a bibliography of suggested reading, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? is highly recommended for students, teachers and anyone else interested in seeking a deeper and richer understanding of race in America. 

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

I'm not going to lie, my initial thought was that I wouldn't be touching this one with a ten-foot pole. After all, I am a white female who wants nothing to do with the race war currently consuming the country. I grew up in the bible belt, even better a small town in Alabama (that is probably still considered one of the most racist places in the country), and I knew reviewing What Does It Mean To Be White In America? would mean that I'd need to share some of my personal feelings, which I honestly wasn't sure that I wanted to do on CommonBookSense. Then I thought about it....like really thought about it, and realized how absurd that sounded.

What Does It Mean To Be White In America? is a book that every (that's right EVERY) person in this country, regardless of race, should be required to read. PERIOD. It's comprised of 82 stories that were written by white Americans from all over the country. The need for political correctness was waived....and a brilliant collection of much needed thoughts, opinions, and personal reflection was created.

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Until next time......

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Book Review: Resilience in Curls (Natalie Keshing)

Resilience in Cruls

Natalie Keshing

Genre: Memoir

We Begin... 

She waited for him. Not because she loved him but because she was scared of him and what she was contemplating. 

He walked in through the kitchen door wearing his black short sleeved turtleneck and his dark sunglasses. Olive skinned, handsome, slender and buff. Staggering a bit towards her, wanting to give her a kiss. 

The smell of his breath was nauseating. Mr. Playboy full of charm and not much more than that. She turned her face away from him. She rejected him and he felt that deep inside. His succorance for affection rejected. Now asking about the baby. 

Disenchanted 
Was He 
Strung With 
An Easy Burden 
Of His Infuriated Wife 
A Cold Weight 
In His Heart 
Enigmatic and Blasting 
The Fool He was ~ Nat 

"Where's My Lorie?" 

"She's sleeping don't wake her up." 

He staggered back taking his sunglasses off placing them on the kitchen table. Reminding her of his enormous charm when they met asking her to dance. All eyes were on them, turning her rhythmically to the beat in a pirouette like a ballerina grabbing her waist while throwing his head back and smiling. He had center stage with Josephine. It was obvious she was not from the city. Inexperienced with just the charms of a fallacy ready to snatch her. Giving rise to his gilded specious charismatic charm. She was completely pure and very impressionable. 

Walked With Swagger 
Intoxicating Desire 
Among Shadows Dancing 
A Piquant Glance 
Eyes Locked Awakening 
Lascivious Thoughts 
Desire The Craving ~ Nat

I feel like the only way to describe Resilience In Curls would be to say it was jumbled. While reading, I couldn't even find who the main character was.

I kept wondering what Natalie was trying to say to us. Was she randomly throwing sentences together , or was she trying to tell us a story? Where was the story going? I never found answers to these questions.

I honestly think that this book is just pointless. Books are supposed to take you on a journey. You're supposed to hop on this magical adventure with the characters and GO somewhere...This book didn't take me anywhere, and honestly, I don't see any point to you guys picking up a book full of random words and sentences that are just thrown together. This book was one that reminds me why I shy away from memoirs. 

As always, you can make that decision for yourselves. The links will be below.

I'm sorry this review is a little late. I've been sick, so I had to make myself sit down to write this haha. 

Keep your noses in the pages, and I'll blog you lovelies later!  <3

How old are you guys? We'd like to get an idea of the age-range of people we bring in /\./\

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Book Review: From the Buff Dude in Your Gym: How to Never Stop Eating and Training (Paul Johnson)

From the Buff Dude in Your Gym: How to Never Stop Eating and Training

By: Paul Johnson  

Genre: Nonfiction, Motivation

Not the book you want, but the book you probably need. 

Tell me your vision of bodybuilding, and I’ll tell you whether or not you’re bound to fail. 

Surfing the Internet, one might think that bodybuilding is something fun, easy and, most importantly, that significant amounts of muscle can be grown fast if you’ve got enough motivation. That is simply not true. Building muscle tissue is a very, very slow process, and requires an adequate approach. 

Growing your muscle base is a huge project. It will require years of consistent work, both in and outside the gym, and the progress will be so continuous that it will be almost invisible. That’s why the better prepared you are from the very beginning, the less likely you are to quit somewhere along the way. 

How many of your friends have had gym memberships? Out of those people, how many have trained long enough to reach their dream physique? 

Of course, everyone who quits has a valid reason. Usually it’s lack of time due to work, school or kids. Sometimes people quit for other reasons. But most of the time, the real reason why people stop building their body is that they expected something else. They expected more, sooner. 

And I can’t blame them. We’re all eager to see results, and we get discouraged when we don’t. The problem with bodybuilding is that it is such a slow process that it’s extremely hard to notice any results. That’s why the best approach is not to look for evidence of muscle growth every now and then, and rather set up your mind for a long journey with an undefined arrival date. 

In this book, I’ll try to show you what bodybuilding is truly all about. I won’t go into specific exercises or nutrition plans. I will talk about realistic expectations and tuning your mind for long-term success rather than jumping into bodybuilding after a spike of motivation. I will also cover basic nutritional principles which will provide you with tools to make your own bodybuilding diets. Lastly, I will illustrate how bodybuilding diets integrate into our daily lives, talk what are the sacrifices and compromises we have to make to eat properly, and share a couple of practical tips that will soften the impact of said sacrifices.

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

As someone who has been in and out of gyms for about 16 years now, I really enjoyed this book.
I have been out of the gym now for over a year, due to having huge motivation problems.

This book gets straight to the point, and delivers the type of honest no nonsense facts and information that everyone needs to know.
I expected to read about different workout programs and such, but was pleasantly surprised to see that this book is about the toughest part of getting in shape which is the diet and meal preparation. 

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know what it takes to be a lifter of any type, without all the better body in 6 weeks mumbo-jumbo.
It made me feel anxious to get back into the gym while and after reading it.

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Book Review: I'm Not Your Baby (Joy Jennings)

I'm Not Your Baby

By:  Joy Jennings

Genre: Memoir

 In this suspenseful and riveting memoir about a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Australian beach girl, Joy faces the battle of her life against the not-so-friendly bronzed Aussie bloke. 
Through her raw, dark stories of frightening sexual assaults, shocking rapes, non-stop abuse, violation and street harassment, Joy Jennings shares of how she tried to make her way in her coastal home town, while being hounded, followed and tormented at every turn. 
Her powerfully moving story throws you into a world of tradies, hoons and bogans, who behave in the world’s most vile, vulgar and sexist of ways. With her candid and compelling recollections of being choked to within an inch of her life, having her car window smashed into her face, being stalked and having men rip the very clothes from her body, this memoir will not only keep you captivated, but also astonish you with every page. 
Readers will be taken on an unrelenting ride as they share Joy’s emotional journey. I’m Not Your “Baby” will have you fighting for our author who, with a determined heart, never gives up hope of finding love, peace and ultimate happiness. 
This is not a story about demonizing the Australian male, but one that humanizes the victims.

**WE WERE GIVEN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR THE FOLLOWING HONEST REVIEW**

I need to start this review by saying how courageous the author is for sharing her story. 

So many women become victims of stalking, rape, and/or abuse and feel like they are alone. Being able to read about the experiences of others, shows them that they're not alone in this harsh world.

From very early in her childhood, well into becoming an adult, Joy found herself being victimized by men.  The very first instance talked about a neighbor peeping in her bedroom window when she was a small child.  She did what any child placed in that situation should do...she told her dad.  He "dealt" with the perpetrator, and the issue was never addressed.  This continues.  Horrible, violating things would occur, she told her father/parents, they dealt with it their way, and the issue was never to be spoken of again.  

ARE THESE PEOPLE FOR REAL?!?!?!?!? 

This book made me angry!  In fact, I put it down several times and started reading something new because I needed a break from the sadness and frustration I felt every time I picked it up.  I'm fully aware that we are shaped and molded by our childhood.  I have no doubt that Joy adopted her parents completely fucked up "if we don't talk about it, it didn't really happen" outlook, but come on.  The behavior of the men described in I'm Not Your Baby is unacceptable and appalling, but I'm having a hard time understanding how one person finds them self on the receiving end of so many unwanted sexual advances.  Joy developed anxiety and began having panic attacks, as a result of dealing with the same things over many years.  Did she seek professional help.....report her attackers? Nope. She continued to internalize everything she experienced, continued finding herself in less than ideal situations, and later decided to write a memoir that does little to describe what she should have done differently.  I feel like she missed an opportunity.  She could have helped so many if she used her story to tell other women how important it is for us to value ourselves and not let past experiences dictate our worth.  

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