BOOKSHELF. - Review - book reviews

Ebony, March, 1999 by Claudia M. Darkins

WHITE is a State of Mind (G.P. Putnam's Sons, $23.95) is a moving memoir by Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the members of the Little Rock Nine, a group of courageous teenagers who set out to integrate Arkansas' Central High. The book transports readers inside the girl's mind as she comes of age and weighs the costs of accepting such an awesome duty against wanting the normal things other high-schoolers take for granted. When the family learns of a death threat, Beals leaves the horrors of persecution in Little Rock behind for hope in California, but the girl soon learns she cannot escape so easily. Past memories travel with her as she tries to navigate life with a White family, live on her own, find love and then find herself. It's an important story that resonates with potent images and words that endure long after the last page has been read.

Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman (William Morrow and Company, Inc., $22) tells how a New Jersey girl, Dana Owens, became a queen to herself and millions of fans worldwide. In this autobiography, Queen Latifah takes readers behind the scenes of her public life and shares her frailties and disappointments, including the death of her older brother, "Winki," the separation of her parents, experimenting with drugs and disrespecting her body--along with her secrets of success. The author delivers an affirming message that empowers readers with its candor and simple eloquence.

Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant To Be (Little, Brown and Company, $23), a memoir by the widow of Medgar Evers and former chairwoman of the NAACP, Myrlie Evers-Williams. The powerful book shows the author's transformation from a sheltered middle-class woman to an activist for justice in her first husband's murder, strong mother, devoted wife and leader of one of the country's largest civil rights organizations. Sharing lessons from her life, Evers-Williams offers wisdom for those looking to overcome hardship and accomplish self-fulfillment.

The Ties That Bind: Timeless Values for African-American Families (John Wiley & Sons, $22.95), a book full of lessons on restoring important values to African-American families, by Joyce Ladner, Ph.D. Using her own Mississippi childhood as an example, the author shows how young people can be taught these values with discipline and love. She weaves together historical and contemporary issues to offer innovative ways to reconnect the Black family.

The Color of Our Future (William Morrow & Company, $23), a glimpse into America's racial future as shown through the attitudes of its young, by Farai Chideya. Laced with interviews and commentary, the author expands the notion of this country's color line beyond Black and White and into a multicultural new millennium.

Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems (Beacon Press, $22), a retrospective of more than three decades of poetry, by award-winner Sonia Sanchez. Along with favorites from earlier collections, this book includes previously unpublished works in the same tradition of dear, powerful writing that made Sanchez famous.

What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know: The Real Deal on Love and Relationships (William Morrow and Company, $10), an in-your-face guide, full of earthy humor and candor, for Black women and men in search of clues to understanding to the opposite sex, written by wife-and-husband team Denene Millner and Nick Chiles. In a shared narrative, the authors alternate their takes on important issues, including first impressions, sex and moving on.

Listening for God: A Believer's Journey Through Silence and Doubt (Simon & Schuster, $22), a personal testimony of one minister's spiritual journey, by the Rev. Renita J. Weems. Sharing her experiences, Weems reveals how she waded through silence doubt to forge a new relationship with God.

How to Be: Contemporary Etiquette for African-Americans (Simon & Schuster, $25) is an innovative primer that schools readers in social graces used when dating, taking vacations, working in corporate America and other settings, by Harriette Cole. Sprinkled with history and important statistics, the book goes beyond the basics to explain how and why these traditions exist in Black America.

Children of the Dream: Our Own Stories of Growing Up Black in America (Pocket Books, $24), a compilation of autobiographical essays, short stories and diary entries about what it means to grow up Black in America, by Laurel Holliday.

The Invisible Princess (Crown Publishers Inc., $18), a fairy tale, by Faith Ringgold. With richly spun words and images, the author weaves the story of a special princess and her magic gift of freedom for all.

A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $16), a children's book based on a true story about how one girl and a choir of voices made a difference, by Deborah Hopkinson.

The Black Parenting Book: Caring for Our Children in the First Five Years (Broadway Books, $20), a comprehensive book for new parents or veterans who just want to brush up on the rules, by Anne C. Beal, M.D., M.P.H., Linda Villarosa and Allison Abner. It covers health care for infants and toddlers, hair and body care, discipline, teaching self-esteem and cultural pride and treating common illnesses. And it helps gauge milestones you should look for at different ages, warning signs.