I had to read this book for my African American Experience Class, it was a throughly awesome revelation of the effects of slavery has had on Black people. Not to say the effects it takes on the many generations now and to come, if one is not aware of how to break the cycle.

As a third year medical student, I have come to see the lack of attention and prophalaxis to a strong killer in our African-American community. This book will help open some eyes and minds in the pursuit of the elimination of this silent killer.

Opens a world that most people don't even know about. Black slaveowners?  Most people are shocked and amazed to discover that there were black slaveowners. While always an anomaly, there were 10,000 to 12,000 black slaveowners in 1860, though many of them had purchased family members and continued to hold them in slavery because their state of residence did not allow masters to free slaves.

The exact breakdown of black slaveowners by category does not yet exist; for some insights into the life of at least one black master, Johnson and Roark's book provides a fairly detailed examination of what are necessarily incomplete records. William Ellison was born a slave in 1790, and developed a skill as a master craftsman, a cotton gin maker. He bought himself out of slavery, apparently with the active encouragement of his master -- who may well have been his father -- and became, in turn, a slaveowner himself -- and wealthier than 90% of white Southerners. Indeed, he owned more slaves "than all but the richest white planters." [pp. xi-xii]

As it examines the status of William Ellison, his relationships with white masters, and the social milleu of Charleston, this book also paints an interesting portrait of the three race system of South Carolina life. While whites considered free mulattoes (those of mixed white and black race) in the same category as pure blacks, the mulattoes insisted on keeping distinctions, one of their "attempts to shape social reality to their sense of themselves as an intermediate class, to give repeated public demonstrations that their social niche had clear racial boundaries and that their racial niche had equally crisp social limits." [pp. 225-226]

The chapter "Masters or Slaves" wanders far afield from William Ellison and his family, but provides some interesting insights into the manner in which working class free whites regarded free blacks and slaves who directly contracted their labor (sometimes with little or no involvement by their masters) as a threat to their economic status, and vigorously sought laws on the eve of the Civil War to prevent blacks from competing on an equal basis in what was essentially a color-blind, free market economy.

Perhaps the most startling part of the book is the extent to which the Ellison family identified with the slaveowners of the Confederacy. His sons invested heavily in Confederate war bonds, and his grandson John Wilson Buckner was allowed to enlist in the South Carolina Artillery because of "personal associations and a sterling family reputation...." [pp. 305-307] Of course, once the Civil War was over, this identification with their class, not their race, paid bitter rewards. The bonds were defaulted, and the Ellison family slaves freed. Without slaves, and in the subsequent depression, the Ellison family's land became worth far less -- broken as much as many white slaveowners.

Well-written, filled with fascinating and at times astonishing information. Aimed at a well-educated and scholarly audience.

This book is an encyclopedia listing some of the earliest African-American graduates from a large public university, namely the University of Michigan. Many readers would be surprised to learn that Black students were on the medical campus
in the 1880's, years before Brown versus the Board of Education.
Dr. Johnson conducted exhaustive research to pull together the details of the physicians included in this volume. Especially moving is the author's own tale of struggle and ultimately success after graduating from South Haven High School, attending Western Michigan University, then attending the University of Michigan Medical School after completing just 3 years of undergraduate study. Dr. Johnson and the other physicians described within the book are role models for current and further medical students of all races and backgrounds.

A MUST-HAVE for anyone interested in Black History or for people studying the history of minorities in the health care field.

I found this dictionary very very valuable.I passed it around my Sociological Theory class so everyone could read its definitions and section on major theorists, and we all found it a wonderfull resource that provides solid definitons, as well as concise reviews on every theorist I have ever heard of. I wish I would have had this when I started my major.

I read your entire book last night.Could not put it down. I cannot think of any other word but awesome.

You touched on so many things I have felt, thought of and wished I had known a long time ago that I cannot thank you enough for writing and sharing your thoughts and feelings with those who care.

One of your comments hit home with me and is something I have tried to convey to the people who were/are in the bereavement group at our church. "I do not know how you feel, no matter how similar our circumstances could be.Because I am me and you are you.But I can connect with you and we can get and give strength and hope to each other."

Nan, thanks again for sharing.

Another Bereaved Parent

This book definitely contains the core information that one needs to learn in order to bless, forgive, release, and find freedom. It is a book that one does not read in a single setting but rather takes the time needed to pray, to absorb, and to actively apply the information, as presented in each chapter, in one's daily life. The structure of this book and the information presented is easy to understand and to read, yet, the depth of understanding the origins of one's woundedness and how to apply the lessons in daily life will have a profound and lasting effect. The book is also excellent for use in a church, such as in a guided sharing group setting.

Great read. Howard Johnson is on to a great subject here. The characters are fun and the dialog is super. I read the nearly 500 pages in three days. Couldn't wait to get back to it each day. Could make a fine screenplay too.

I was thrilled to see a book offered that prompts children to interpret, understand and then illustrate their interpretations of the lessons taught in this book. As a teacher, I find that most children's books attempt to dazzle the eyes and do not demand a great deal in terms of creativity. In this book, however, the children are given initial prompts to help them shape thier ideas about feelings, but are then given the space to draw and experiment which allows them to reinforce and reinvent further variations on a theme. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing a different and more individual approach to learning about feelings...top on my list!

I bought this book because I grow carnivorous plants and am always interested in learning about their natural habitats. I was not disappointed -- it includes a section on CP with some satiating color photos. Also included is a complete explanation of how bogs are formed, bog types, plant and animal species found in bogs, a section devoted to Sphagnum moss (helpful to me as a CP grower), a section on native terrestrial orchids, etc. In the back there is a listing of easily accessible bogs in the Northeast.

Keep in mind that this book covers only bogs in the New England region of the United States. However, bogs similar to those described can be found anywhere in North America.

I have but one gripe: there are not many color photographs! Those included, however, are beautiful and I wish there were more.

All in all, a wonderful book for those who want to learn more about bogs!

EDIT: In regard to my use of 'satiating' to describe this book's color photos ... it is admittedly a slight exaggeration. 'Good' or 'nice' or 'detailed' would have been more appropriate. In case you don't know, 'satiating' means 'satisfying in excess'. For example, a meal which gives you a tummy ache would be satiating, that is, satisfying in excess. So, would 'satisfying' have perhaps been a better choice? No, because as my review later indicates, the photos are not at all satisfying. In fact, the book could have been improved considerably with a lot more (or, come to think of it, improved slightly with a few more). Then why did I use 'satiating'? Why don't I change it now? Because 'satiating' is the only thing this sad review has going for it.

Chris Roy