Herb Boyd

African History For Beginners explores the rich history of this continent of contrasts. Discover the glory of the Pharaohs and Towers of Zimbabwe, the cosmology of the Yoruba, the courage of the Masai and the golden wonders of Mali, the art treasures of the Bushongo and the sophistication of the Egyptians. It is a unique documentary portrait of the Africans' struggle to preserve their cultural heritage and homeland.

Recent archeological discoveries indicate that Africa was the birth place of humankind. Over the ages, the riches and wonders of Africa have attracted the world. Yet the Africans themselves often remained unknown or misunderstood. Here is a book to set the historical record straight.… (mere)

Continuing my quest to learn more about the Civil Rights movement in the US, I spent a cold, snowy Sunday, reading this rather large book with crisp photos and excellent writing; I read it all day, sometimes the photos were incredibly difficult to see. Some of the photos while seen before, struck me harder this time. Photos of the march for election rights at Selma, Alabama wherein the marchers were beaten by those waiting on the other side of the bridge, the fight for school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, The bus boycotts in Montgomery Alabama, The case of Emmett Till, living in Chicago and visiting his family in Money, Mississippi, was naive to the ways of Jim Crow Mississippi. A whistle to a white woman ended in his life taken at the hands of two white men who beat him repeatedly, and then were found innocent at their trial.and so much more, all epitomize the struggle and courage taken by these very brave people who merely wanted what was due to them, the right to vote, to attend public school and to ride public transportation in the front, not the back of the bus.

Ending with the election of the first African American President in the United States and the challenges before him such as inter city crime, poverty and the need for jobs that can support a family.

Highly recommended!… (mere)

I listened to the two cds that were included with the text, photos and incredible stories of the Civil Rights movement and the struggles in America. Then, I read this large, excellently written chronicle of a nation undergoing turmoil and chaos.

Clearly, expertly written stories outline the beginning of the Civil Rights movement through the continuing struggles of the black people who live in a country where we judge the brutality of other countries, while forgetting our own bloody legacy.

I continue to read many books about the Civil Rights movement, and the more I read, the more I realize that ignorance is not bliss.

When fourteen year old Emmett Till was savagely beaten to death for what might have been a comment or a whistle directed toward a white woman, her bigoted husband took it upon himself to hunt down young, naive in the ways of the south, Emmett, and to set his brutal death as a message to others. The people hoped for justice. Instead, the murderer was judged not guilty and set free.

When Meggar Evers, the first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, was brutally gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi, those who wanted justice once again watched as his killer was tried and found not guilty. It would take three trials to finally bring justice for Meggar's family.

When blacks were delegated to the back of the bus, it was Rosa Parks who had had enough and refused to give up her seat to a white person.

This book excellently provides an in depth look at so many struggles faced by the black community as they demanded what was rightfully theirs, ie life with opportunities afforded for all.

The reader learns of the horror of Birmingham, then called "Bombingham, Alabama", when four innocent young girls met their death at the hands of the KKK who planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the front steps of the Sixteenth Street Church. The bombs exploded with so much force that they tore the head from the body of one of the innocent young girls.

It was Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X and a host of others who led those who demanded justice, equality and benefits afforded to whites. So well written, the reader feels as though they were marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to demand voting rights.

As the brave freedom riders rode through the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, through miles and miles of territory, the atmosphere of the south simmered in the hot August sun when the nation watched as powerful water hoses, snarling German Shepherd dogs, and bully clubs were leashed upon black children and adults.

Highly recommended.… (mere)