In terms of prestige and public awareness, the American intellectual is at a low point -- except for a handful of ever more prominent African-Americans. William Julius Wilson, bell hooks, Henry Louis Gates, et al may seem a bit too eager to endorse beyond-the-fringe characters and causes, but there's no question that they're the ones forging links between public action and the proverbial ivory tower, grappling with America's stickiest questions: those of race. Lest anyone think that the black intellectual is a recent innovation, Berkeley professor William M. Banks has developed a history of black American thought over the last two centuries. His stated purpose is "to chart the contours of black intellectual life across American history and to chronicle its fluctuating fortunes."

"Black Intellectuals" is a mixed bag: Banks doesn't so much "chart the contours" of African-American thought as merely hit many of its high spots; the book is too much a history of black intellectuals and not enough of black intellectualism. And even nonscholars will notice curious omissions and oversights. Despite its flaws, though, "Black Intellectuals" is valuable -- it tells the rarely heard story of black thinkers overcoming almost insurmountable barriers: first slavery, then no education, then inferior, segregated education, then discrimination in supposedly open education, and finally -- in only the last couple of decades -- actual equal access to top schools. Though Banks doesn't overdramatize and refuses to clutter his analysis with unnecessary rhetoric, the book leaves you wondering how any African-American prior to the civil rights movement managed to procure an education and an academic job. Discrimination against intellectuals funneled learned blacks into teaching and the ministry, Banks writes; at the turn of the century, more than half of black college graduates were working as teachers. But even the education establishment narrowly restricted blacks' prospects: "The white academic world was as inhospitable ! to blacks as were all other sectors of American life." Black colleges were substandard, expecting little from students and faculty and delivering less.

Shut out from white intellectual circles, 19th-century black thinkers held conventions, painstakingly crafting statements and resolutions that they realized would be ignored by state and federal authorities. Even in the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, black writers and artists found themselves hampered by the particular agendas and interests of the well-meaning white patrons whose financial support was crucial. Banks describes how writers like Zora Neale Hurston were compelled by patrons to turn their work in uncomfortable directions.

Sometimes, though, black thinkers made questionable moves all by themselves, and Banks creditably humanizes his subjects by noting contemporaneous criticism of them and pointing out their suspect opinions and actions: Frederick Douglass disparaging black women writers; Booker T. Washington using political clout to "squelch black papers that crossed him"; Langston Hughes disavowing his leftist poetry before the House Un-American Affairs Committee. And Banks describes how, when the media trained attention on black militants in the late 1960s, many self-appointed authorities fell short: "By virtue of their race, not their training or interests, all black intellectuals were considered experts on race and the meaning of the black movement. . . . Quite a few dubious intellectual pronouncements flowed as black sociologists analyzed literary texts and black psychologists explained economic history."

By exploring the full range of African-American ideas (including, strikingly, dissenters like the 19th-century blacks who "resisted the principle of separate institutions and insisted that the public schools be integrated"), Banks places thoughts and thinkers in the context of history's vagaries. It's frustrating, then, that "Black Intellectuals" doesn't follow through on this well-rounded promise. In profiling and! highlighting a plethora of thinkers, Banks tends toward shallowness: He fails to draw black intellectual history in broad strokes, making connections between thinkers and thoughts; since he summarizes thinkers' views in a couple of sentences -- and doesn't tend to set those views in a continuum -- it's difficult to recall who thought what, and what difference it made.

He notes scholars' positions on political topics without actually exploring the topics and weighing the various positions taken. And he's scrupulously nonpartisan with regard to those topics; he gives dissenters equal space, muddying his goal of explaining how currents of thought developed. And there are numerous small omissions and overlookings that leave misleading impressions. There's a photo of author Alex Haley and a passing reference to his "Autobiography of Malcolm X" but no note of his groundbreaking "Roots" (and, therefore, no mention of his plagiarism). Bizarrely, the word "Afrocentrism," the wishful-thinking belief system that has proved unfortunately popular among black intellectuals as well as solace-seeking masses, doesn't appear until the book's appendix. And the appendix itself is odd: 54 pages of "selected biographies," solo paragraphs on each of dozens of writers, activists and other figures, from Benjamin Banneker to Spike Lee to Richard Wright. They are generally too selective and sketchy to be of much use, giving more space to college graduation dates than to ideas and achievements. And many choices are strange: James Baldwin's bio dubs the novelist/essayist "a sensitive boy" but fails to note his homosexuality.

While sociologist and activist W.E.B. Du Bois is the book's key figure, Banks devotes but a handful of sentences to his 1903 book "Souls of Black Folk," still the single most important work of African-American thought. More significantly, Banks dramatically underplays the classic protest-vs.-accomodation philosophical struggle between Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, which today's writers on race -- from Cor! nel West to the odious Dinesh D'Souza -- use to explain the intellectual paths that civil-rights activists have chosen and the arguments they have wielded. The Du Bois-Washington debate, still salient and alive today, provides a useful lens through which to view 20th-century race thinking; without it, Banks leaves the reader viewing black intellectuals somewhat, well, myopically.

An excellent reference book that should become a primary source for anyone interested in the evolution of the Black Intelligentsia. Professor Bank's seminal work obligated re-evaluation of my concept of intellectualism; while I cannot wholeheartedly agree with his conclusions regarding some noted individuals, the exercise was beneficial. He has offered an arguably relaxed interpretation of intellectualism therefore, a number of the individuals he highlights may have been fortunate beneficiaries of caucasian largesse rather than bonafide critical thinkers, obviously dependent on one's subjective view. It is a somewhat free-flowing area of inquiry, in many respects analogous to the mis-appellation of *literate* to many of today's writers based on fortuitous publication and but meager substance.

Banks' text revealed itself to be moderately distinct from what I anticipated. He deals less with specific ideologies than with the chronology of people and their promulgated ideas. One particularly interesting sidelight related to the constraints on the Black Intellectual, until very recently, who elected to think "outside the box." In fact, vestigial reluctance by peers to acknowledge the contributions of individuals who give contemplation to subject matter outside the limits of Afrocentric or ethnic concerns still exists.

In sum, BLACK INTELLECTUALS is an indispensible overview, but definitely only a starting point for this area of investigation. The book is a commendable effort to consolidate referent material in convenient volume. It documents many of the pertinent parties but is admittedly not an attempt to be all-inclusive. What it does accomplish is immutable validation of the vast contributions of Blacks and specifically, Black Americans to every facet of art, literature, science and philosophy, in spite of the obstacles placed before them throughout the history of this country.

Black Intellectuals by William Banks is a landmark text in describing the history, development, paradoxes and challenges of being a Black intellectual in the United States. Banks has illuminated the historical and cultural factors which gave rise to such men and women in an environment which denied them their humanity. I enjoyed learning about African-Americans (known and unknown) whose intellectual output critiqued and challenged both white and black cultures. It was very helpful to see how these men and women stood their ground in telling it like it is regardless of whom may disagree. Even though I enjoyed the work, I found several weaknesses. First, there was a paucity of information regarding Black women and their contributions in the intellectual realm. Some are mentioned by name and pictures are shown of them but there appears to be no serious consideration given to their thoughts. Second, Banks' text was weak in dealing with the co-opting of Black intellectual thought in white institutions. Third, Banks puts too much emphasis on those in academia as being the "intellectuals". He fails to examine those who are independent intellectuals in their own right who have impacted on the community. Despite these short comings Banks has given us a book to serve as food for thought as Black Intellectuals explore their role in the community as we head for the 21st Century

Very boring. No new good guys; just the same old goodguyes win again

Though Blood Sport is not the best book in the casefiles series, it is nevertheless interesting. When a fellow fencing student disspears and Frank's amatuer match is sabotaged, the boys set out to find whats going on and get more than they bargained for! This case takes them to Germany where they get into a fight for their lives.

I've always been a fan of the Hardy Boys,and I love the casefiles series.It's not as suspensful as most of the casefiles books are,but it's still a good book.In this one,Frank Hardy joins a local fencing team,and the suspicious happenings begin when Adam Ross, one of Frank's teammates,vanishes.Frank and his brother Joe investigate Adam's disappearance,but then Frank is whisked off to Germany by a mysterious figure.Joe's search for Frank and Adam takes him to a castle estate in Germany while Frank is in the castle being prepared for the fencing match of his life,and if he and Joe don't watch their step,they could fall hard under the blade!

Ok, if you're thinking of buying it, first ask yourself "is misery really my friend?" if the answer is "yes" then by all means go buy this book. Of course if you have to read it for a class as i had to, I suppose you have no choice but to get it. I would tell you what its about, but my brain is still not back to normal functioning after trying to make sense of this garble. I think the title sums the whole thing up to be honest. Crime is not the problem, it's the lethal violence that is the problem. The book poses some questions, also suggests some vague answers. Ugh. Ewe. Spit spit. Have fun!

I have used this book in several classes (In Florida & SC--so I am happy that Inga isn't one of my students)w/ great success. Changing the frames of CJ policy is crucial, expecially after this most recent election (it may be over by the time you see this). In sum: Lethal criminal violence sets the US apart, and much of what we do about it is irrelevant &/or misguided. Zimring's formidable data analysis is convincing--not that we embrace simplistic and ineffective programs like capital punishment, 3 strikes, or gun registration--but that we have much more work to do. Zimring's calls for inductive policy development highlight the difficult and ongoing choices that we will make. We can either continue the haphazard & simplistic policies of the [year 2000] presidential candidates (& at least one college freshman) or we can actually prepare to do some hard work.

Zimring and Hawkins provide a thorough and well-documented analysis of the reasons why homicide in America is so much more pervasive than in other industrialized countries. For journalists such as myself, this is one of the indispensible works. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand America's crime problem.

This review concerns the revised 1966 edition. Frank and Joe help their father investigate for a shipping line which suspects that the owner of a valuable Egyptian treasure is trying to defraud their insurance company by claiming that the treasure was aboard their freighter, the Katawa, when it sank off Whalebone Island near Bayport. Also, Frank and Joe are haunted by the ghost of a pirate said to have haunted Whalebone Island years ago. This book sounds like it shouldn't be bad, but for whatever reason I never found that I was very interested in it. Very few of the chapter endings left me with the feeling that I had to read more. That said, for anyone who is going to read this title, read the revised edition because it is better than the original, which completely lacked a mystery and was really nothing more than an adventure story.

I think that The Secret Warning is an average read. What I mean by average is that it is no more exciting in comparison with the other books Franklin wrote. That is why I gave it a four out of five points. The reason why I didn?t give it a perfect score is because of its lack of interest. I think that the whole story itself could have been more interesting if it had a more original plot. It is not a mystery like I expected it to be; it was more like an adventure story. Judging by what it said on the back of the book, I thought it would be a mystery story. Instead it turned out to be a plain adventure. This story is about an island that the boys visit to find a hidden treasure. Someone tells the boys to leave the island fast before they perish. The Hardy?s do as they are told, but they come back to see who is threatening to kill them. This time they get shot at. Luckily, all of the bullets miss them. So, instead of going back to the island, they research the island?s history to learn about its residents. Once they do that, they are able to figure out who shot at them. However, the reason for the shooting is more difficult to figure out. They later find out that there is a treasure there after all, and the residents naturally do not want anyone to know about it. In the end, the person who shoots at them gets arrested, and the treasure's secret place remains his secret.
I think this is a predictable story, and that is why I give it a 4 out of five.

THIS STORY IS A PRETTY GOOD ONE IN THE SERIES. IT BASICALLY BEGINS WHEN THE HARDYS GET A NO NAMER THREAT FROM EGYPT, THEN THEY SEE A GHOST OF A PIRATE FROM THE 18TH CENTURY THAT APPARENTLY HAS HAUNTED WHALEBONE ISLAND YEARS AGO HAS NOW RE-APPEARED. THE OWNER OF THE GOLD HEAD OF PHAROAH RHAMATON 4 LOST THIS HEAD ON THE SHIP AND THEN THE SHIP SANK. THEY HARDYS INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER AND IN DOING SO ALMOST GET BLOWN UP. THEIR FATHER, DET. FENTON HARDY. GETS HIS BUTT KICKED AT LEAST 2 TIMES IN THIS STORY. THAT'S WHAT ESPECIALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK. JUST READ THE BOOK I AM NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN IT ALL TO YOU!! IT HAS A GREAT STORY LINE THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO KEEP READING. I READ THE WHOLE BOOK IN 1 DAY! EVEN SHORTER!! BUY THE BOOK!! YOU WON'T BE SORRY

This review concerns the revised 1966 edition. Frank and Joe investigate the theft of a number of stuffed animals from a country auction and aid their father with his case concerning an industrial spy ring that is using short-wave radio to send coded messages containing the names of various wild animals. This book was average; the mystery was alright and it had a moderate amount of action. Most fans would probably not be bored with this book, but I don't think that many would be very excited by it either.

This review concerns the original 1945 edition. Frank and Joe help their father capture a group of thieves that steal valuable radio equipment and communicate in code using short-wave radio. Also, an old friend of Mr. Hardys asks for the detective's help in locating some missing friends. This was the first book in which Chet had a hobby (in this case, taxidermy) that played a part in the mystery. Not much to say about this book, actually, it's neither good nor bad, just average. The mystery is not spectacular and it's not boring either. Most Hardy Boys fans would probably not be very excited by this book, but it probably won't put them to sleep either.

McFarlane wrote the original version of the book during his second stint with the Syndicate. I think the Syndacate had other ideas and let McFarlane finish The Melted Coins and World War II end before letting the hammer fall. In 1945 when the war ended this book was published then the heat was put on the author to bring the Hardy's into the scientific age. Like any of us at work, when change is implemented, we react with negativity. McFarlane at this point I feel became uninterested in the series and wrote his worst book to date only to be surpassed in 1947 by The Phantom Freighter. The book was average by the sets standards but sub par by McFarlane's standards. The revision was not much worse. Taxidermy become the sub plot and fingerprinting is performed for the first time in the series in this volume. The child like innocence held in the earlier volumes is now gone.

ORIGINAL Rated C+ Revision: Rated C

After two full semesters with this book (and looking to start a third with it), I feel that the book is lacking in thoroughness and detail. This book is thinner than other calculus books I've seen, which may be appealing to calc I students but is detrimental for those going further. Some of the techniques shown in the book are very thorough and are described in a step-by-step manner. Other techniques are covered way too quickly in order for you to see exactly what is happening. The homework problems at the end of each section are too few to be of any real help. When you do a couple of problems and feel like you might know what is going on, they move on and give you problems that refer to another part of that section. I also bought the student solutions manual hoping that it would help unravel some of the mystery that is calculus. But again I was disappointed. The same lack of thoroughness pervades the manual; some answers are shown step-by-step while other answers skip steps, change forms, are worked and then changed back. Both the textbook and manual make assumptions about what the reader knows and/or how the reader might be trying to tackle the problem. If you have to use this book then I highly suggest getting REA'S Calculus Problem Solver. It was more helpful at times than the textbook!

I have used this book for two semesters of calculus (and starting my third semester) and feel that it is sorely lacking in content! While the book is rather thin and therefore probably more appealling to the calculus I student, this will certainly lead to problems for those going further with this book. It is lacking in complete explanations of certain techniques. Although in all fairness it also does a good job of explaining other techniques. The homework problems at the end of each section are far too few to get a good feel for the technique being taught. After doing a couple of problems and getting a feel for what is happening, the book moves on to problems for another technique, leaving you wondering if you were doing it exactly right. The examples shown in the section to illustrate a technique can be confusing because they are not always shown in step-by-step form with the authors making assumptions about what the reader knows and/or how the reader would attack the problem. I used the student solutions manual to try to help unravel some of the mystery, but was also disappointed. It breaks down some of the answers completely so you can see what is happening and on other problems it again will skip steps and change the form of the answer making certain assumptions about how the reader is tackling the problem. If you have to use this book the I highly suggest getting the REA's Calculus Problem Solver to supplement the book. For some chapters it was more useful than the textbook!

It's actually a rather good book. My high school class just covered this book from top to bottom this year and has prepared us for the AP test quite well. The lowest score on our practice tests is a 4. The rest of the class get's 4's or 5's. Our teacher is good, admittedly, but the book has also been detrimental to our success.

The topics are logical and concise, though the book does sometimes wander on certain topics to unrelated applications and whatnot. Though not the most comprehensive, it is a good book.

This book was average.Houston leaves out an important detail in that he says nothing about young Daniel Boone's part as a teamster in the Braddock Expedition to take Ft.Duquesne during the French and Indian War in 1755.While Boone did not play a significant role during the battle(by his own admission he cut loose the horses and took off shortly after coming under fire from the French and Indians)he was one of many famous personalities who were present that day.More importantly,he met one John Finley during this expedition who told Boone about the wild and unsettled lands that he had traveled to on the frontier in what is now Kentuckey.

Houston's Boone is a diminutive book but one brimming with contemporary insights plus editor's annotations into frontier life featuring new stuff on Boone, hide tanning, buffalo, Indians, and early hunter anecdotes. An elegent little book with a gorgeous jacket, a highly collectable bit of old-time Kentuckiana.

Murray State University (Kentucky) history professor Ted Franklin Belue discovered the only known copy of Peter Houston's manuscript about his personal recollections of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, in the Lyman C. Draper papers at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1990. Written in the 1840s by a friend and neighbor of Boone's, the original manuscript was stolen from the author's grandson in 1887, but luckily for future historians, the grandson had, mere weeks before the theft, mailed a copy of the lengthy work to the prolific historian, Lyman Draper. Belue has done a masterful job in presenting this rare piece of Americana to the reading public. Replete with extensive annotations and notes, a pictorial section, and an impressive bibliography, the book goes a long way in shedding light on everyday times on America's first western frontier during the 1770s and 1780s. For those of WWA's membership who believe, as I do, that "western" writing is defined as that which encompasses the entire American frontier experience, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific shores, this book will provide several hours of interesting reading, indeed.--Jim Crutchfield, Managing Editor, Roundup Magazine April 1998, Western Writers of America

Frank and Joe go to Florida to help prevent a ruthless communications firm from sabotaging the launch of another firm's satellite and, also, end up looking for two porpoises stolen from an employee of the space center. For whatever reason, this book never kept my interest. Chet was the only one of the Hardy's friends to make an appearance in this book and, while he does go to Florida, he is absent from most of the book (I won't spoil why for anyone who does choose to read the book). There wasn't much action in the book and the ending was horrible. Some may like this book, but I didn't.

The Hardys go undercover at NASA and end up tracking down porpoises - all as part of the same case! This is a good kids book. I recommend it to all fans of this series.

This book is about satellites and porpoises, and they even have something to do with each other. A good Hardy Boys mystery for kids.

This book is a great disappointment! Bego's sequel to The Queen of Soul happens to be nothing more than what he clips from past articles! If you value your money, don't buy this book. Because all you will read is his first book on her and just old articles about her.

After reading Ms. Frankin's lackluster autobiography, it was almost refreshing to read an unbiased account of the legendary life and career of this soul matriarch. This book is very detailed in tracking the career of Ms. Franklin and tells of the accolades as well as the lowpoints in her career. I found most comical the section in relation to Aretha's infamous fashion sense, but ultimately appauled by that tasteless photo of her in a one peice bathing suit with fishnet stockings showing her backside in concert. How disgusting was that!
I, too, hailed the Queen after her riveting performance of "Nessum Dorma" on the 1998 Grammys and I continue to follow her career in hopes that her legacy continues to be upheld with the upmost respect. I hope that in twenty years, the author can add another update of amazing accomplishments to this edition. Good read.

Now in an updated and expanded edition, Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul is the compelling and inspiring biography of one of the most amazing, remarkable singers with a five-octave voice. The many challenges Aretha Franklin has faced in her life, from parental abandonment to the illness of her sister, are candidly recounted, along with her will to survive and prosper, which can clearly be heard in her soul-stirring music. Highly recommended reading for students of twentieth century American music history, as well as a "must" for all Aretha Franklin fans.

I thought the excesses of the 1980's had long since passed but then comes along this massive (and expensive) volume on Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the Kings of the 80's art scene two decades ago. Sadly, like much art from that period, Basquiat's faux-primitve paintings come across more like deliberate attempts at critical and commercial success than intuitive genius from a true visionary painter. The art world and its consumers were desperate and happy in the 80's to champion "street art" and graffiti with the growing popularity of folk art in the 1970's. The professional art world latched on to it's own, professional artists working in a vernacular style (Haring, Scharf, Basquiat) in order to appear open to less progromatic art. With folk art, critics and museums of modern art were caught looking backward and left behind. Urban street art, positioned as being more sophisticated and hip, was marketed to an eager consumer market. Is this truly great art? Is Basquiat worthy of a ...book signed by a gallery owner (seller)? Is this the best modern art has to offer? Looking at page after page in this retrospective book becomes a tedious task. The words don't add up to the great poetry of Dickens or Whitman. The artwork can be found in its purer form on the streets of any urban city. Try taking a walk through New York city and leave this book behind. ...

I still dind't get this book..but I think it is very nice.My major is visual communication art,so I'm always read books about art.I know many American artist,especially I'm mad about him.If you look his works,you can feel "nature".Maybe It will be a good guide to beginners.

this is the fifth book i have on basquiat and i am very happy to say that most of the works reproduced in this gorgeous book do not appear in any of the other books i have on him. the quality of the work is splendid and the reproductions are gorgeous! and the book is thick and a treat to look at! i would recommend it to anyone who loves basquiat's brillant works. the guy was a genius and he shines in this book!