African-American-Health Books

I wish it was a little more detail. Other than that it is a good read.

The importance of understanding the role Melanin plays in relation to physical and mental health is key to opening the door to improved health and therefore a better quality of life. Having said this, Melanin: A Key To Freedom is effective in presenting certain aspects of Melanin and the role it plays from an Afro-centric perspective. The problem with this treatment lies primarily in the fact that the manner in which Dr. King presents his information can at times be very tedious and confusion. The author tends to repeat certain statements at the start of each chapter which takes away from the flow of the book. This robs the book of its identity as the reader is torn between piecing together the historical statements while trying to process the information about Melanin. Without question the information contained within is very interesting and relevant but the flaw with the book is in the manner in which Dr. King chooses to present his information. The book never establishes an identity, it remains in part a history lesson with a healthy dose of medical information dispersed throughout. A more direct and concise treatment of the subject can be found in The Science of Melanin; Dispelling the Myths.

I believe this is the first and only book that gives a detailed scientific study of the magic melanin that gives people of color their beautiful red,black, brown and/or yellow hues. This book is wonderful. Many authors touched on how special the chemical that produces our color is but this book breaks it all down. Every child should own this book because western schools try and stay away from talks about melanin because caucasians dont produce it and are thereby scientifically "albinos". A crocidile with no color is a sick albino crocidile, a white ant with no color is a diseased albino ant, a white tiger with no color is a genetically weak albino tiger and the same thing goes with humans but rarely do you see it explained in such a way. It is truly a gift to have the beautiful colors most of the world has. Even in plants the chemical that produces their color is called chlorophyll and it basically is a plant form of melanin. Chlorophyll and melanin both work the same in that they transmute the sun's UV rays into vital nutrients and minerals that are helpful to the human body. People whom are white-skinned or who have no skin color can not be exposed to UV rays for too long without getting skin poisoning, cancer or death, while the rest of the worlds people with different colors can thrive and actually get healthier the more sun they get.
Beautiful book written by a brave author who isn't afraid to tell the truth even when the whole world is pretending they can't figure out how melanin works.

The book the complex issues impacting HIV and women, articles written by a variety of skilled, knowledgeable experts in the field.

The contributors detail the statistics and dynamics of HIV/AIDS among African-American females. They peel the onion here discussing spirituality, counseling, gender dynamics, among other things. They do not treat Black females as a monolithic group; they talk of adults, college students, adolescents, and children. All the contributors are female, and they may even be all African American.

The editors not only include psychological and sociological studies on the topic, they also have chapters about AIDS activism among Black women. The editors are trying to combine theory and practice, to speak to experts and everyday people. However, the activism chapters are short and scant. Some may feel that it "dumbs down" the book. The chapter on "Africentric" therapy was sappy and unnecessary, by the way.

Too often, discussions on AIDS in the African-American community either focus on MSM or women, and almost never both simultaneously. If there is not an exclusion, then one group is pitted against the other. In the press and around water coolers, there is all this unnecessary hysteria about "the down low" and how black MSM "are killing" Black women. Activist and sage Keith Boykin has taken J.L. King to task for his complicity in this controversy. Here the authors do not attack MSM, whether out or closeted, gay or bisexual. In "Bisexuality and HIV/AIDS," Rob Tielman stated that statistically more women contract the virus through male drug users than male bisexuals. This book repeats that same fact and focuses upon women fighting drugs, rather than attacking gay, African-American males. The book goes a step further in its inclusion by also stating that some HIV-positive Black women identify as lesbian and get romantically involved with other women, even though they may have acquired the disease through heterosexual transmission. I appreciate the lack of homophobia from all of the authors.

As wonderfully detailed as this text is, it may frustrate some. There is no clear plan spelled out here to prevent any HIV infection to Black females. Many authors note that if Black females had more jobs and money, then they would not do things that expose them to HIV. Still, the government has not forked over funds and job opportunities to this group for that reason. Clinton's annihilation of public aid is an example of this. Some would say that solution is too costly. The authors say that Black females often put themselves in danger just to acquire or keep a Black male partner. Well, what can you do? If a woman is a "slave to love," then she takes that route. The state or communities can't prevent that fallacy. The book implies that rap videos teach Black females that cute bodies are more important that strong minds and career goals. This is a powerful point. But who can get the hip-hop industry to change, as much money as it's making for Black and white males? There are so many nebulous, superstructural ideas here that would be just too difficult to enact, outside of individual, personally-based actions.

A book worth reading...For any woman who thinks she's losing her mind, going crazy, or just can't figure out what's wrong, this is the book for you. Before reading "Can I Get A Witness", I thought I was the only woman living on DEPRESSION island. The author wrote of her own experience and that made me feel like I was sitting and talking with my girlfriends, instead of reading a book written by a therapist. The other women's stories were deeply personal and helpful. While reading, I felt like Dr. Boyd had put all my thoughts down on paper. Finally, someone knew what I was feeling....I had been planning on seeing a doctor but I was too embarrassed and ashamed. I know longer feel that way.

Rawbie

This book offered practical advice for women concerning depression, the symptoms, and the treatments, but I found it difficult to just sit down and read straight through this book. I was able to skim through it and pick out information, but I believe that Sisters of the Yam and Willow Weep for Me were easier to read and offered advice in a contextual form.

It has some good info, but I was dissapointed. If you are a woman of color you can find most of this info on the web or from your DR. Save your money, buy it used or get it at your library.

I really enjoyed reading the book by Dr. Adams. It was very informative. My sister is planning to have surgery so I had a lot of conecerns. After reading the book, I was much more relaxed about the surgery. The book is very discriptive about the surgery process and pricing. Now I know what to ask the doctors when I go with her for consultations.

This anthology is truly definitive, a work of value for anyone of color who has either perpetrated or been on the receiving end of domestic violence. In particular, the authors -- all distinguished mental health practitioners, teachers and scholars -- provide an urgently needed perspective and approach, one that stresses the need to reach for resources WITHIN cultures of color to help abusive men of color come to terms with themselves and their violent behavior. This is very different from works that assume white paradigms to be all there is to "treat" the problem. Might there be a sequel in process? Let us hope so.

The editors discuss how race intersects with domestic violence. It includes chapters on Native, black, Latino, and Asian-American men. It avoids graphic descriptions of incidents that may scare away timid readers. This book can point to institutional racism and poverty as phenomena that aggravate DV in communities of color without falling into big pitfalls. At no point, does it forgive men of color for DV nor does it discount sexist behavior among minority men. It mentions how precolonized men had different notions on how to treat women without overromanticizing the past. This book is written for therapists of any race or gender more so than your average man of color. The book relies a little too heavily on beating drums and telling old myths than it does on concrete actions that could be taken to solve this problem. In addition, it is totally heterosexist and the editors don't even think once to mention domestic violence among gay male couples of color. However, this is an important first effort on a necessary topic. I would recommend it to many readers.

This was an enjoyable and excellent book to read and relating it to my growing up in the same little rural town. I can make a wonderful text to self connection with these poems. It was a wonderful experience to share the book with my class, along with the experiences.

i loved this book! it was great! the story line was great! i couldn't put it down. I read it in a day and i would recomend it to anyone who loves poetry.

What a great cookbook.The recipes are easy. The ingredients are in everyone's pantry. To make it even easier, the author even gives her own recipes for the seasoning blends she uses. And it's low fat! If you like to cook, you should have this book.

This is not a bad book... there are some good recipes.
Unfortunately, a lot of the dishes that traditionally
have hamhock (or other piece-o-piggy) just had turkey
instead. I was hoping for something more clever and
tasty than that, I guess. This is a goog cookbook if
you are looking for non-pig dishes.

This book is defintely a blessing to me and hopefully to many others. It has let me know I am no the only one depressed. It also let me see how and why and when depression comes on. I am a Full believer that I am a child of God but I still get depressed and can relate a lot to all the sisters stories in the book, especially Elaine and Ranee. I felt like something was wrong with me because I was having problems with depression as a christian. But I have learned that I am not exempted from this feeling. I now know how to deal with my depression. There are some things I am going to start to do now after reading this book. Like taking hot baths more,instead of showers. Listening to mealow music more. Meditating on good things. Of course praying more. Get a massage. Talk more openly to my therapist. It is good to know I am not alone in this state of mind.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get through this book. It seemed to offer practical advice, but was too heady to absorb. I found that Sisters of the Yam and Willow Weep for Me were better reads. Perhaps I will pick it up and try to get through it again one day, but not any time soon.

As this book is not available in stores or is even published yet, it is very difficult to find. I was in the lucky position to receive an advance copy from a faculty advisor. This is a very brief summary of what I have to say:

Fraser's exploration of Virginia's erasure of traditional African-American midwives is insightful and nuanced, reading the state's 1920's health policy between its lines. Fraser racializes the health policies which "retired" the African American community's most helpful and affordable care providers and thus exposes how far reaching prejudice can be. Not intended as a call to action for African-Americans as much as a historical exposition, the book is helpful for anyone studying the tension between modern and traditional forms of healing. Let's hope it gets through the publishing mill soon. END

The writing by Quaye proves to be quite addition to the research literature relative to the Health Care Issues of African Americans. Dr. Quaye demonstrates a keen ability to analysis critical material, sharing information in such manner makes interpretation quite simple. Unlike many Sociologists examining the same material, he does not see "education" as the cure all of cure all, that is, if African Americans were more "educated" the issues of health care would become near to nonexistent. Quaye shares a view which is inclusive of the process of education, but even more so how those who service must become educated also in ways which they no longer have a "one-size" fit all mentally. The writing is not lengthy, but quite powerful and succintly written. An excellent primer for those who beginning the research process of health perceptions of African Americans.