Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

If you don't control your anger, it will control you., 05 Apr 2008
A genuine page turner, powerful and engaging. Cogently describes why hate can destory lives. Why people should try to rise above it.

A lot of authors who have lived on the wrong side of the law, when they come to write their life stories are narcissitic pratts, they paint themselves as being the sharpest card in the pack. O'Mahnoney isn't one of them. Instead he's open, candid and honest. He paints things as they are. Sometimes quite graphically.

The descriptions of Copeland are fair and unflattering. People would have sympathy for him, if hadn't embarked on his bombing spree. Instead he let his anger control his life and subsequently destroy his life and many others. There is no justification for what he did.

This is the kind of book that makes you realise how dangerous and pointless anger is. Once you appreaciate the consequences of anger and hate you don't want to go there. The best way to control anger is to think of the consequences. Which is what this books so very clearly spells out.

Loved it., 04 Jan 2006
I bought this book after accidently stumbling across his website and wasn't dissapointed. The Copeland letters while facinating are only a small part of the book. For the main part it is the story of O'Mahoney's own fascinating life. I simply could not put it down and found myself going through every conceivable emotion, some stories are sickening, others are hilarious and I even found myself crying at the end. I would totally recomend this book.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

If you don't control your anger, it will control you., 05 Apr 2008
A genuine page turner, powerful and engaging. Cogently describes why hate can destory lives. Why people should try to rise above it.

A lot of authors who have lived on the wrong side of the law, when they come to write their life stories are narcissitic pratts, they paint themselves as being the sharpest card in the pack. O'Mahnoney isn't one of them. Instead he's open, candid and honest. He paints things as they are. Sometimes quite graphically.

The descriptions of Copeland are fair and unflattering. People would have sympathy for him, if hadn't embarked on his bombing spree. Instead he let his anger control his life and subsequently destroy his life and many others. There is no justification for what he did.

This is the kind of book that makes you realise how dangerous and pointless anger is. Once you appreaciate the consequences of anger and hate you don't want to go there. The best way to control anger is to think of the consequences. Which is what this books so very clearly spells out.

Loved it., 04 Jan 2006
I bought this book after accidently stumbling across his website and wasn't dissapointed. The Copeland letters while facinating are only a small part of the book. For the main part it is the story of O'Mahoney's own fascinating life. I simply could not put it down and found myself going through every conceivable emotion, some stories are sickening, others are hilarious and I even found myself crying at the end. I would totally recomend this book.

Useful addition to your library, 23 Sep 2000
I found this little book extremely helpful, for both teachers and students. It covers all the main topics but is not intended as a core text - the narratives for each chapter last barely a page (though these might function as an excellent aid to last-minute revision). Rather, Lee includes discursive essays on one or two points of controversy within each field (economy, foreign policy, oppoisiton etc). As usual he is clear and balanced in summarising the views of others, but not afraid to suggest his own thoughts, which he pithily expresses. There are also source questions, including some model answers - a real boon. Invaluable for A-Level and forthcoming A2 courses.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

If you don't control your anger, it will control you., 05 Apr 2008
A genuine page turner, powerful and engaging. Cogently describes why hate can destory lives. Why people should try to rise above it.

A lot of authors who have lived on the wrong side of the law, when they come to write their life stories are narcissitic pratts, they paint themselves as being the sharpest card in the pack. O'Mahnoney isn't one of them. Instead he's open, candid and honest. He paints things as they are. Sometimes quite graphically.

The descriptions of Copeland are fair and unflattering. People would have sympathy for him, if hadn't embarked on his bombing spree. Instead he let his anger control his life and subsequently destroy his life and many others. There is no justification for what he did.

This is the kind of book that makes you realise how dangerous and pointless anger is. Once you appreaciate the consequences of anger and hate you don't want to go there. The best way to control anger is to think of the consequences. Which is what this books so very clearly spells out.

Loved it., 04 Jan 2006
I bought this book after accidently stumbling across his website and wasn't dissapointed. The Copeland letters while facinating are only a small part of the book. For the main part it is the story of O'Mahoney's own fascinating life. I simply could not put it down and found myself going through every conceivable emotion, some stories are sickening, others are hilarious and I even found myself crying at the end. I would totally recomend this book.

Useful addition to your library, 23 Sep 2000
I found this little book extremely helpful, for both teachers and students. It covers all the main topics but is not intended as a core text - the narratives for each chapter last barely a page (though these might function as an excellent aid to last-minute revision). Rather, Lee includes discursive essays on one or two points of controversy within each field (economy, foreign policy, oppoisiton etc). As usual he is clear and balanced in summarising the views of others, but not afraid to suggest his own thoughts, which he pithily expresses. There are also source questions, including some model answers - a real boon. Invaluable for A-Level and forthcoming A2 courses.

True story of courage in a six year old girl, 07 Nov 1998
Wonderful, powerful, humbling true story of Ruby Bridges, a six year old African American girl in 1960, sent to integrate an elementary school in New Orleans. Children of the 1990's will be speechless with astonishment when they come to understand the ugliness of racism. Ruby's calm perseverance, academic commitment, and gracious forgiveness are powerful lessons for all of us, parents as well as children. MUST READ FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. Ruby's story makes it all make sense.

This moving book drew a first grade class closer together., 05 Oct 1997
As a first grade teacher, I read this book with my students. We talked about how it must have felt to be Ruby, to have adults screaming at you, to be the only child in school. We talked about how lucky we are that everyone can be together in our class and ended with a group hug. The first graders wrote a touching letter to Ruby and are eagerly awaiting a reply from her. This book allowed my students to understand racial tensions from another 6 year old's point of view.

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

If you don't control your anger, it will control you., 05 Apr 2008
A genuine page turner, powerful and engaging. Cogently describes why hate can destory lives. Why people should try to rise above it.

A lot of authors who have lived on the wrong side of the law, when they come to write their life stories are narcissitic pratts, they paint themselves as being the sharpest card in the pack. O'Mahnoney isn't one of them. Instead he's open, candid and honest. He paints things as they are. Sometimes quite graphically.

The descriptions of Copeland are fair and unflattering. People would have sympathy for him, if hadn't embarked on his bombing spree. Instead he let his anger control his life and subsequently destroy his life and many others. There is no justification for what he did.

This is the kind of book that makes you realise how dangerous and pointless anger is. Once you appreaciate the consequences of anger and hate you don't want to go there. The best way to control anger is to think of the consequences. Which is what this books so very clearly spells out.

Loved it., 04 Jan 2006
I bought this book after accidently stumbling across his website and wasn't dissapointed. The Copeland letters while facinating are only a small part of the book. For the main part it is the story of O'Mahoney's own fascinating life. I simply could not put it down and found myself going through every conceivable emotion, some stories are sickening, others are hilarious and I even found myself crying at the end. I would totally recomend this book.

Useful addition to your library, 23 Sep 2000
I found this little book extremely helpful, for both teachers and students. It covers all the main topics but is not intended as a core text - the narratives for each chapter last barely a page (though these might function as an excellent aid to last-minute revision). Rather, Lee includes discursive essays on one or two points of controversy within each field (economy, foreign policy, oppoisiton etc). As usual he is clear and balanced in summarising the views of others, but not afraid to suggest his own thoughts, which he pithily expresses. There are also source questions, including some model answers - a real boon. Invaluable for A-Level and forthcoming A2 courses.

True story of courage in a six year old girl, 07 Nov 1998
Wonderful, powerful, humbling true story of Ruby Bridges, a six year old African American girl in 1960, sent to integrate an elementary school in New Orleans. Children of the 1990's will be speechless with astonishment when they come to understand the ugliness of racism. Ruby's calm perseverance, academic commitment, and gracious forgiveness are powerful lessons for all of us, parents as well as children. MUST READ FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. Ruby's story makes it all make sense.

This moving book drew a first grade class closer together., 05 Oct 1997
As a first grade teacher, I read this book with my students. We talked about how it must have felt to be Ruby, to have adults screaming at you, to be the only child in school. We talked about how lucky we are that everyone can be together in our class and ended with a group hug. The first graders wrote a touching letter to Ruby and are eagerly awaiting a reply from her. This book allowed my students to understand racial tensions from another 6 year old's point of view.

A tremendous read!, 29 Aug 2007
I was born in South Africa in 1968 so I lived through much of what Padraig O'Malley describes in his book. Being a middle class white person my perspective on the apartheid South Africa that I lived in was always going to be somewhat narrow. I recall Mac being part of the first democratic governement but I have difficulty picturing his face!

The best part about this book is the way that it is written. O'Malley is certainly no sycophant to Mac. Each chapter is introduced by giving context to Mac's words which follow later in the chapter thereby making it an excellent history book as well as imparting the personability of Mac. It is written is easily readable English!! Only occasionally does O'Malley demonstrate how clever he is by using "big" words. Many more biographers would do well to pay attention to his style.

My understanding of South African history has been very much enriched by reading this book and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of what the struggle was all about. I found the final chapter especially fascinating and probably not what I expected when I started the book ....

Sad but true, 24 Apr 2008
I watched Paul Cannoville play right at the end of his career. He was a talented player but I was saddened to read how his life had spiralled after he finished playing.
It makes shocking reading and I finished the book in one sitting as I simply had to know how things worked out.
I'm delighted Paul seems to have emerged the other side in one piece but this book should be compulsory reading for any apprentice starting out in the game - not every player becomes a millionaire with their picture in every tabloid.
I hope Paul found writing the book helpful and I wish him all the best.

Post-modern rap, 26 Feb 2006
This is a post-modern take on race, racism, and particularly anti-racism in Britain between 1945 and 1985. Its fundamental suggestion seems to be that traditional Marxist approaches are not fully helpful in appreciating the value and significance of race issues. The book's emphasis is towards the Afro-Caribbean experience and looks closely at the anti-racist movements of the seventies and also and the popular music of the black 'diaspora' in Britain, the US and the Caribbean. In doing so it picks out the importance of culture as expressed in the life of the community and suggests revolution by a kind of cultural assertion.

Parts of the book verge on the unintelligible - 'These diverse elements combine syncretically in struggles to reconstruct a collective historical presence from the discontinuous, fractured histories of the African and Asian diasporas' - is fairly typical. Nevertheless Gilroy's enthusiasm and commitment comes through, he was there, you can smell the silk-screen presses making posters for Rock against Racism and get real insight into for instance what really happened on the Broadwater estate or the Bristol riots. There is a lot of detail and in my view a careful balance is maintained.

Gilroy adds a lengthy intro from 2002, somewhat more detached and resigned, but preserves his sense of humour. This is a very valuable overview of our 'multicultural society' for anyone who wants to penetrate the media waffle.

an exceptional political memoir about South Africa, 24 Apr 2001
Gillian Slovo, 1997: Every Little Thing; my family, my country London: Abacus.

By any standard, this is an exceptional political memoir about the meaning of commitment to the cause of a multi-racial South Africa. Gillian, the daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo, has given us a profound insight into the tensions between the public and private lives of her parents, two of the ANC's best-known figures. Starting with the murder of her mother in Maputo in 1982, the author moves by a series of flashbacks from her childhood recollections of the verdant suburbs of Johannesburg in the early 1960s to years in exile and ultimately, the triumph of the ANC, the new South Africa and Joe's untimely death from cancer in 1995. But this is no simple memoir: it is a search to piece together the private identities of two exceptional political figures whose children perceived them only in fleeting glimpses during the turbulent years of confinement, exile and separation. Against Joe's wishes, his journalist daughter has pieced together the private lives behind the politics. This is a book about the emotional price paid by the Ruth, Joe and their children for 30 years of political struggle, a story told with an exceptional lucidity and compassion. It is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how grim was the struggle against apartheid.

G W Irvin

Emotionally moving and intellectually challenging, 06 Jan 2001
I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive account of the author's relationship with her parents. It works on so many levels. It gives insights into South African politics and society from an unusual perspective. The description of Joe Slovo's funeral from the daughter's perspective is particularly strong. It discusses the tension between public and private duties - again from the perspective of a daughter who is honest enough to admit to some resentment towards the time spent by her parents in political struggle.It also deals with the story of the daughter's search for the "truth", and her doubts as to the word's meaning.This is a common enough theme in many post-modern novels; rarely has the theme been rooted in such rich soil. The scene in which the author meets one of the men responsible for her mother's murder is emotionally moving and intellectually challenging.

tyson review, 14 Jul 2006
This book is the best book i've read in ages. It goes into depth, and kept me reading on and on. shows him from many differnet angles.

Tyson : The true story, 13 Apr 2006
Great book. Well structured,bringing to the monster to life in the form of words. The chilling start to the book and the overall structure of the first chapter draws the reader in and the subsequent chapters take you on a trip of destruction. Cashmore makes an excellent insight into the image of Mike Tyson and how he tries to keep away the stereotype of Tyson being a bad boy. He develops the image of Tyson as a black role model and how the black culture has changed since 1966.

The comparison of Mike Tyson with Sonny Liston is scary but evitable. Lets hope we are wrong.

Excellent read, if you buy one book on Tyson, buy this one

The Tyson parts are OK, 30 Mar 2006
If you are interested in Tyson this book has something to offer, however you must be prepared for a completely blinkered view of the US from an Englishman. We are constantly subjected to one side of a story in an attempt to show the times in which Tyson had the greatest part of his career. Listen to this for example, 'There are few images in the popular imagination more terrifying to whites than that of a minatory black male.' Now in case you are wondering, no there are no statistics, research or other evidence to support this flawed and entirely racist remark. Or this, 'When a black man rapes a white woman, it reiterates a centuries-old fear about the propensities of black men and the vulnerability of white women.' Again, absolutely no supporting evidence. Or try this for size, 'Here was the surly black brute, dark, sinister and dangerous, a throwback to days when lynching or emasculation were the prescribed methods of taming bestial black males...'. Noone so far has considered Tyson bestial except for Cashmore. These are just some examples of the breathtaking racism and bias throughout this work. I bought it first time I saw it in a bookshop but I would certainly advise against buying it. Each section about Tyson is followed by a chapter on the US racial condition at the time which is loosely related to Tyson and allows a stage for Cashmore to present his often flawed racial arguments and opinions. The main problem with this book is Cashmore tries to be too clever, if he stuck to a book about Tyson it would have been good, if he had stuck to an analysis of racism in America then that too would have been good, this instead is a mishmash of nonsense wrapped around Tysons career and life. Don't buy this but take a look for a laugh at the nonsense someone who should know better has put together.

If you don't control your anger, it will control you., 05 Apr 2008
A genuine page turner, powerful and engaging. Cogently describes why hate can destory lives. Why people should try to rise above it.

A lot of authors who have lived on the wrong side of the law, when they come to write their life stories are narcissitic pratts, they paint themselves as being the sharpest card in the pack. O'Mahnoney isn't one of them. Instead he's open, candid and honest. He paints things as they are. Sometimes quite graphically.

The descriptions of Copeland are fair and unflattering. People would have sympathy for him, if hadn't embarked on his bombing spree. Instead he let his anger control his life and subsequently destroy his life and many others. There is no justification for what he did.

This is the kind of book that makes you realise how dangerous and pointless anger is. Once you appreaciate the consequences of anger and hate you don't want to go there. The best way to control anger is to think of the consequences. Which is what this books so very clearly spells out.

Loved it., 04 Jan 2006
I bought this book after accidently stumbling across his website and wasn't dissapointed. The Copeland letters while facinating are only a small part of the book. For the main part it is the story of O'Mahoney's own fascinating life. I simply could not put it down and found myself going through every conceivable emotion, some stories are sickening, others are hilarious and I even found myself crying at the end. I would totally recomend this book.

Useful addition to your library, 23 Sep 2000
I found this little book extremely helpful, for both teachers and students. It covers all the main topics but is not intended as a core text - the narratives for each chapter last barely a page (though these might function as an excellent aid to last-minute revision). Rather, Lee includes discursive essays on one or two points of controversy within each field (economy, foreign policy, oppoisiton etc). As usual he is clear and balanced in summarising the views of others, but not afraid to suggest his own thoughts, which he pithily expresses. There are also source questions, including some model answers - a real boon. Invaluable for A-Level and forthcoming A2 courses.

True story of courage in a six year old girl, 07 Nov 1998
Wonderful, powerful, humbling true story of Ruby Bridges, a six year old African American girl in 1960, sent to integrate an elementary school in New Orleans. Children of the 1990's will be speechless with astonishment when they come to understand the ugliness of racism. Ruby's calm perseverance, academic commitment, and gracious forgiveness are powerful lessons for all of us, parents as well as children. MUST READ FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. Ruby's story makes it all make sense.

This moving book drew a first grade class closer together., 05 Oct 1997
As a first grade teacher, I read this book with my students. We talked about how it must have felt to be Ruby, to have adults screaming at you, to be the only child in school. We talked about how lucky we are that everyone can be together in our class and ended with a group hug. The first graders wrote a touching letter to Ruby and are eagerly awaiting a reply from her. This book allowed my students to understand racial tensions from another 6 year old's point of view.

A tremendous read!, 29 Aug 2007
I was born in South Africa in 1968 so I lived through much of what Padraig O'Malley describes in his book. Being a middle class white person my perspective on the apartheid South Africa that I lived in was always going to be somewhat narrow. I recall Mac being part of the first democratic governement but I have difficulty picturing his face!

The best part about this book is the way that it is written. O'Malley is certainly no sycophant to Mac. Each chapter is introduced by giving context to Mac's words which follow later in the chapter thereby making it an excellent history book as well as imparting the personability of Mac. It is written is easily readable English!! Only occasionally does O'Malley demonstrate how clever he is by using "big" words. Many more biographers would do well to pay attention to his style.

My understanding of South African history has been very much enriched by reading this book and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of what the struggle was all about. I found the final chapter especially fascinating and probably not what I expected when I started the book ....

seen thought a mothers eyes, 19 Sep 2007
a truthful heartbreaking story told by the mother of emmett till. one of the worst cases of unfair justice in the world. nothing can ever change what happened, but we can learn from it and hope and pray that some thing like this never happenes again. the film to kill a mockingbird had nothing on this true life case. i hope and pray that emmett and his mother mamie are at last united in heaven, save in each others arms. how his mother kept her sanity after this is beyond belief, but she did and formed the emmett till players in memory of him, a truly beautiful mother in every sence of the word...God bless you mamie for opening our eyes to racial hate and showing how to respond with love and forgivness.....