A Love Letter to Black People: Audaciously Hopeful Thoughts on Race and Success
I was recently asked if I would consider writing a few sentences of endorsement for the above mentioned book that would be included on the website and/or on the inside of the book.
A Love Letter to Black People explores the unique way high achieving Blacks today have learned to view the role of race in the pursuit of their success and why, for the love of the Black community, we must all apply these lessons. Love Letter is written from [the authors] own personal experiences as a former Fortune 500 executive turned author and entrepreneur and from the results of interviews and surveys performed with more than 100 high achieving Black entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and community leaders. Love Letter, which will be released in January 2009, is written with the intent to inform, inspire and, most importantly, uplift Black people.
I wrote my review and it was included on a webpage of review from a wide range of people:
"A Love Letter to Black People is a thoughtful, insightful and provocative book on what we, as a people, need to do to succeed and prosper despite some of the disparity and roadblocks that still exist for us. Through examples and commentary from Young Successful Blacks (YSB's), Brian shows us how and why we need to not only love each other, but also, most of all, ourselves. We need to let go of the baggage of past wrongs; the voices of acceptable failure and get back to the greatness we are (and should continue to be) as a people. A must read for our youth."
The book was just released. I highly recommend it.
Dear Lisa,
I am proud to announce that my latest book, A Love Letter to Black People: Audaciously Hopeful Thoughts on Race and Success, has been released. This book has been a labor of love for me, so I am appreciative of and humbled by the overwhelmingly positive early reaction to the book so far. Already, book reviewers and community leaders who have read advance copies have said the following about Love Letter:
* Beautifully written, uncompromisingly insightful, and 'get-out-of-your-chair' motivating
* Real. Raw. Refreshing.
* Could inspire a revolutionary transformation in our way of thinking
I strongly recommend this book to anyone - of any race - whether as an interesting sociological study or an inspiring handbook for success
My first questions was, Why Me? The author answered that question:
I have chosen to contact you specifically and seek your help because you represent what this book is all about. The success you have demonstrated in your rise to a leadership position with an African-American focused organization such as the National Sales Network and your willingness to accept the responsibility of leadership embodies one of the central messages of the book. As Black people, we have an obligation to “lift as we climb.” As you demonstrate for us every day, if we love each other enough to uplift the Black community through our thoughts and actions, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. It would be an honor for me to be able to count you among the supporters of A Love Letter to Black People.
I was honored and of course, agreed to read the book (I'm getting an advanced copy) and will share my comments after a thorough reading. I read an excerpt and so far so good. We (in blogland and in living rooms & dens) have been discussing the very topic of this book for the past month since the airing of the documentary (BIA) on the Controlled/Constant News Network. You know what I'm talking about and I don't need to give any more publicity to a series that I personally don't believe represented or discussed what it really mean to be BIA. After watching it, I realized that we (my family) was didn't fit in to the story. What does that mean? Guess we are Black-ish in America. Whatever. There was no solution, no conclusion, no nothing - as if what they portrayed was the final word on what it means to be BIA. Uh, Not so much. It's a tad more complicated than that ish they showed.
When I received this request and read the except, I thought - "Well, maybe this might be a better, more introspective, realistic representation or dialogue." We will see. Probably will get burnt at the stake...he might talk about responsibility, accountability, self-love, self-respect. All heresy and worthy of getting you burned at the black stake.
I invite you to read the excerpt and join me in a conversation. I'd like to hear what you think...about the book, about the subject, about being BIA.
I invite you to read the excerpt and join me in a conversation. I'd like to hear what you think...about the book, about the subject, about being BIA.
A Love Letter to Black People: Audaciously Hopeful Thoughts on Race and Success is a book sure to challenge and inspire those who have this type of deep affection for the Black community but also deep concerns for its future. In so many ways, Black people are a people in peril, a people in need of love. Despite the fact that the most successful Blacks have never been more successful, in so many ways the Black community is struggling more than ever to succeed. Love Letter argues the prosperity, if not survival, of the Black community depends upon its willingness to abandon its current, outdated attitudes regarding race and success and address the following questions:
· How can we love ourselves enough to get out of our own way?
· How can we love each other enough to put each other first?
· How can we love our children enough to make their world dramatically better than ours?
These and many other questions are answered in A Love Letter to Black People.
Love Letter is aptly titled because its inspirational feel strikes an excellent balance between tough love and self-congratulation, delivering its message by inspiring rather than scolding or patronizing its readers. The obvious nod to Senator Barack Obama in its subtitle foreshadows one of the central themes of the book, the notion that Obama’s success on America’s political stage reveals lessons which the Black community must heed, the new mindset required to be successful and Black. Ultimately, Love Letter is a passionate plea to the Black community to
wholeheartedly embrace this new mindset.
The credibility and insightfulness of the discussion in Love Letter is bolstered by a supporting survey about race and success completed by more than one hundred young, Black entrepreneurs and corporate and community leaders. In fact, some of the most profound parts of Love Letter are the survey responses from these young, successful Blacks (“YSBs”) weaved throughout each section of the book. The YSBs were asked to offer their opinions on provocative racially charged topics such as “acting white” and the “right way” to be successful and Black. The responses to these questions are inspirational, thought-provoking and sometimes more provocative than the questions themselves. The result is a powerful exploration of the mindset that will drive Blacks to future success or doom them in its absence. Love Letter concludes triumphantly with a call to action that will leave its readers forever changed.
A Love Letter to Black People is dynamic social commentary that is sure to inspire deep thought and positive action among its readers. Love Letter is a must read for
those who love Black people and just can’t help it!
