READ THIS BOOK...REGARDLESS OF SKIN COLOR
588322
A previous reviewer called this "a rip-off of Indian culture"  after seeing the author in person at a book signing and later  "researching" his background. . . . . Please, do not judge a book  by its cover or a shaman by his skin. At least read the book's intro by  Robert Bly and what he says about "Secrets of the Talking  Jaguar."
SHAMANS:  "The Mayans call shamans  "spirit-lawyers," that is, men or women who go to the spirits and  try to argue them into giving a benefit of some sort to human beings. Mayan  tradition does not teach that the Gods want people to be sinless or  perfect, but to believe that the Gods love beauty, eloquence, fine clothes,  great music, fine poems, bravery, high animal spirits, and gratitude."
TONGUES LIKE PUPPIES:  "At conferences I've seen men and women weep  when Martin Prechtel talks of the complex and rich village life of the  Maya. The listeners realize how much more open their lives in youth would  have been if their beauty had been honored as the young ones are honored in  Santiago Atitlan, and if they'd had a chance to be kissed by the invisible  faces "'with tongues like puppies.'" They also weep when they  realize how men and women, though they speak separate languages, can fly  together like the two wings of a bird."
INDIGENOUS SOUL  " . .  . If we can be quiet, this book will be a bucket that drops down toward the  water of our indigenous soul. All the words that Martin writes here amount  to a meditation on this soul as a natural force. Whether we are Swiss or  Mayan or American, the indigenous soul, threatened all over the globe,  still lives inside each of us. We can rejoice in its abundance, its  ingenuity, its determination not only to exist but also to continue giving  its gifts, if we will turn and meet it."
Bly says it all.  You will  experience a "Journey to the Heart of the Indigenous Soul" no  matter what your ethnic background or skin color. The indigenous soul is  within all of us. Read this book and decide for yourself. -- Bill Arena
3837012
Loved this book!  As an African-American woman in the same age group as the author, I can relate to her struggles, also as a person of colour living with depression I applaud her openness.
As I read (devoured) her work it took me on a wonderful and enlightening journey.
2891483
I read this book a while back so I don't remember all the characters, however, the effect the book had on me will not so easily be forgotten.  As an African-American I "felt" this book.  I felt the pain and suffering of the family from slavery to freedom, and the pain of separation from other African-Americans based on the degree of blackness.  It was a tough read and I really took my time to digest it.  I would strongly recommend it to anyone and everyone who wishes to have a sense of what it REALLY was like to live in America during this period.  And to better understand, maybe, the mentality of those who believed -- and still believe and practice -- this horrible system of measuring people and determining their worth by the degree of color.  It's wonderful that the book held something of a happy ending but that happiness came with a price -- a heavy price.  An excellent book!  A must read.  Great for book club groups.  Bravo, Ms. Tademy.
3628502
...and not strictly the problem of a particular race.  I very much appreciated this author's honesty in confronting racial bias via her characters, and revealing their growth as they worked through their own stereotyping.  I especially liked that LaShondra and Stelson finally realized that their identities and common ground was in their faith in God, not their skin color.  In other words, they GREW into this conviction, just as they had individually grown into believing God's way was best regarding their sexuality.  Not every thoughtless assumption or comment is maliciously intended, after all; often it's just born of ignorance (as in not previously encountered and processed, NOT stupid).

In our country at this time, there seems to be a very determined element intent on keeping our citizens divided along racial lines, when most of us would be very happy to just become "color-blind," and go on with our lives together.

Another thing I was especially glad to know about LaShondra is that she wore eyeglasses.  Some sort of vision correction is used by most people in North America, but one would never guess by reading most romance novels.  :D

I would have given this five stars, but there were a couple of places where dialog was divided by paragraphs within the same quote.  It made it difficult to know who was talking, in those few cases.  These few occurrences  may have simply been a formatting problem when converting the text for Kindle use, though.

All in all, an excellent read.  Thank you, Michelle, for such an insightful novel.
1581835
Excellent book!! Extremely intelligent read!! It sheds light on the demonstrative behavior of "white" people and why America will always be a blood stained country that (has and always will) strive and prosper from dehumanizing others. A country build on capitalism where Indians were bamboozled into thinking they could benefit from a partnership with whites and Africans were labeled an inferior species by all of the "top white" minds in that time period is a very disturbing beginning. Additionally, having the politicians, the churches, and the institutions of higher learning all in unison about how to manipulate and dehumanizing people for the profit of "their" ideals is sickening. Since the advent of this culture whites have been able to "pass down" all sorts of property: slaves, live stock, vessels, acreage but then question why other races can not "do better" or wonder why people are upset that only whites are the predominant race in the "1%". When you can pass down free wealth while making sure no other race flourishes there will always be hatred. I am a mathematics educator and do not get to read leisurely often, but this book captivated me. I knew the history of the slave trade influenced churches, but I had no idea to what extent. All blacks are no where near how we are perceived, nor are whites; but when you have a book that is written so well and lays out historical facts as to how whites have and always will profit from the enslavement, dehumanizing, and killing of other races; it is very easy to not trust them.
2580020
This is one of those rare books that is not bent on being politically correct, but brutally honest. Written in a genuine style, this is a must read for anyone looking to understand American history, psychology, and how we can work together to rise above the slave mentality -- all of us, black, white, brown, yellow, whatever.

Pick it up, great read.
445981
Best book I ever read. First read it in high school and then reread it many times. As a white person who is a member of a minority group, I relate to and sympathize with his plight. 40 or 50 years ago and beyond was no time to be a minority and have a brain. You paid the ultimate big price.
1774170
I have only recently started looking at White Priveledge and racism in a very new light.  Most white people, including myself, have a true blind spot about our assumptions about people of color as well as about being white.  This book&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Learning-to-Be-White-Money-Race-and-God-in-America/dp/0826412920/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Learning to Be White: Money, Race, and God in America</a>, which I am still reading, opened my eyes to how we, at a very young age, start learning to recognize difference between races from our caretakers.

Thandeka writes about childhood incidents which are only too common, such as, parents making it clear that a new friend of color is not a welcome friend and not welcome in the home, a new boyfriend of color, also not approved of or welcome. As children we accept thi s, as we depend on our caretakers (parents) for love and a place of belonging.

There is much that white people take for granted that is ours simply because we are white.  As Thandeka states it, we, as white people are "in the driver's seat."

Thandeka also writes about the difficult assimilation of immigrants to the United States and how these people have been taught to become racist by the white people with power.  A very difficult read at times, not a "fun book," but very eye-opening. A book I recommend reading to illuminate those blind spots about race.
1699306
Have problems with people of color?  Read this wonderful book and you may have a change of heart.
3188670
No matter which age group you belong to, this book will put you in the shoes of this brave writer and survivor, and give you a true sense of what she endured...very moving, very well written...Please consider gifting this book to all the teens and reading-age children in your circle. I am deeply impressed! Buy it now...
1740287
I stumbled on a programme  on the cable  that suggested that this book as a required reading for all non - whites. The fact that I have invited family and friends to read this book is a testament to its value to all people especially to those of colour.  the author was able to ( as she clearly intended) present the big picture, putting many issues and unanswered questions regarding race, sexuality, family and education was  into perspective. This book has changed my perspective on  life and clarification many unanswered questions.
3129108
I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

Small Great Things takes the good, the bad, and the ugly of racism and tells the story from all sides. It's a powerful story that shines a light on not only the glaringly obvious acts of racism, but also on the small everyday occurrences and comments that go unnoticed, get ignored, or are overlooked. It was hard to read at times, but it's sadly a reality for many and is something we all need to be aware of in order to promote change, acceptance, and compassion for all.

The attitude of Turk and his buddies made my blood boil. White supremacy makes me so angry and I have no time for anyone who behaves in the manner that Turk and his friends do in this book. I found his sections hard to read, I could feel my anger and blood pressure rising with every word. It saddens me to know there are people like this in the world today.

White privilege is something that is hard for many people to understand and accept. It's easy to ignore or to overlook and claim it doesn't exist. It does. It's something I think you need to experience to truly understand, and reading this book gives you a good idea of how common it really is. It certainly gave me something to think about. I was taught from a young age to be considerate of all no matter their colour, religion, or sexual orientation, but it's easy to forget that not everyone treats others in this way. It's too easy to tune out what's going on around you.

I'm sure many of us think we get it, but do we? Are we truly aware? How much don't we see because we've seen it so often that we just don't see it anymore? How often do we not speak up because we don't want that hate or prejudice redirected onto ourselves? There is so much hate in the world over something as simple as the amount of melanin present in a person's skin. We are all one race, the human race. We are all the same. We're different shades of one colour and we all need to embrace that.

There is so much more I want to say and that is what is great about this book. It opens so much up for discussion and I have had a good few deep conversations with my son while reading this book.

I have already recommended it to many of my friends and looking forwards to discussing it with them.
349547
Ms. Moody's account of growing up in Mississippi, dirt poor, often going hungry and dealing with rampant racism; the impact of realising that people were being killed and brutally simply for the color of their skin, is like no other book I've read on the subject. She is a smart young lady and sees that education is the only way out of where she began in life in a 'rotten wood, two room shack'. She also chronicles her efforts in the civil rights movement and in trying to encourage other African Americans to register to vote, she put herself at risk of being killed on many occasions. However, she doesn't come across as wanting anyone to feel sorry for her; I would call her a most stoic individual. I will be interested to see if I can find anything else she's written; I'd like to see if her 'I wonder' in response to how they would find freedom when they went to Washington was ever answered for her. Extremely moving book! I read it in one day.
3490865
Absolutely amazing story, told from very timely points of view.  I could not put it down.  It truly opened my eyes, because I do not feel I am racist either.  Now I look at the concept of racism in a more expanded light of understanding, in recognizing differences in people; not colorblind but color aware, my "white privilege", and standing up for others in order to make a change.  I love how Jodi researches thoroughly, so you know her story is accurate, heartfelt, and digs deep.  This one did all of that and more!!!  Thank you, Jodi, for another fantastic learning experience into the human soul.
4612405
If I could give this book TEN stars, I certainly would. It is worth this and in it's weight of salt. I would even go one step further and say every African American and anyone else who want to understand us, they need to take the time out and read the book. seriously. I sat down and read this book, and I tell you she wrote some things on there that blew me. We are what we eat, what we eat, what we are. We just are. She really brought food for thought within nine points. And she added a pamphlet made by the late Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961)founder of a school for African American womaen in Washington D.C called "Twelve Things The Negro Must Do" that was published somewhere between the 1890s to early 1900s in which she spoke of twelve things we must do in order to thrive as a society. The points made by Ms Burroughs were prophetic especially when she stated in Point Three that he must run his community "UP" not "DOWN". and that "some race (believe it or not) is going to outdo the Anglo-Saxon completely and that it can be the Negro race if the Negro gets sense enough. Civilization goes up and down that way." Whoa! now, this lady was only born a mere ten or so years from slavery, yet she wrote on what was to come. That blew me away. It was like this lady and Ms Hunter were hand in hand with what they were saying and in a way that was spooky. But I tell you, they both were right. we dropped the ball. we talk a good game but didn't do jack. and sometimes you get a person to point out what you need, and Ms Hunter along with Ms Burroughs has done it. Great book for every African American library.
2889033
I've only just begun reading The Token Black Guide and can already see what a gem this book is. As a white person who does say "I'm not racist," and I really work to not be racist, I know there is a cultural residue of it that lingers despite all my own efforts to erase it. This book will certainly help me root out and eradicate those vestiges. It should become a part of your justice and equality toolkit as well. Thanks, Don Guillory, for writing this guide.
4140741
The primary message of this excellent book is that people must learn to see beyond racial distinctions. The author particularly emphasizes the distortion of truth and the injustive of identifying people with that element of their heritage perceived (by some) as "lowest", especially "black" African heritage. Both "white" supremacists and the "black" movement castigate mixed-race "black"/"white" people who claim an identity other than "black"... meaning that they are apparently supposed to ignore their other heritage.
The author's ideal is that "race" should not matter at all. He makes the excellent point that "races" are imaginary constructs based only on superficial physical similarities. Modern nation-state-based "ethnicities" are similarly illusory, being legal fictions.
As an intermediary measure before a raceless soceity can really develop, the author would simply like to see mixed-race have the freedom to acknowledge what they really are, and not be forced to identify with one or anotehr of the "races" their ancestors may have been.
Mr. Byrd uses the Bhagavad-Gita, an important Hindu scripture, to make this point, as well as to show the real solution, which is to recognize that the real identify of all humans is that of the "race" of conscious beings. According to Krishna, in the Gita, the "soul" or the living being is the consciousness. When we collectively see this as the common characteristic between us, then the superficial characteristics of our, and our ancestors', bodies will cease to have any meaning.
I found BEYOND RACE to be thoroughly enjoyable and very important book. It will benefit anyone who reads it, but perhaps will resonate most strongly with those of us whose bodies are mixed-race. As a mestizo or metis who has studied the Gita for over ten years, I was delighted to find this book which so ably brings out an application of its teachings from this new perspective and remaining completely within the message of the Gita.