African America's  3rd Rail, SGL  by Max Smith

In addition, the race factor is essential to this book, and different African Americans are relevant to his story. Smith along with many others has paved the way for me and many others to be honest and proud about myself as a person. His determination, honesty, and tenacity is embedded with in the pages of "African America's 3rd Rail: SGL." At first, my perspective of this book was that it was too historic and kind of boring. Then, I realized the significance of this book from both a political and historic perspective. These events that Smith was a part of, has life easier for me as a person in today's society.

Life is almost never dull, and it can take a person in unexpected places. Smith 's "African America's 3rd Rail: SGL began with family background information. His mother was a Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority member, so was his mother's younger sister. His aunt and uncle were the first to get a color television set in their neighborhood: Lincoln Heights. It is clearly evident that Max Smith was clearly aware of all the different groundbreaking events that was occurring. 

Max Smith

He informs his readers about Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He begin standing up for himself as young boy, and he definitely displays this when he is able to beat up the school bully Johnny Mac.

Taking a stance as a youth enable him to do other things in his life. For instance, he was able to tell his parents and family members that he was gay, and he even joined the gay liberation council once he started attending Michigan State University. Fighting for human rights and being part of rallies was important to him, and this adamantly shown through his act of political and cultural activism. Smith even reflects on how some conservative religious people fail to acknowledge homosexual, and he delves into how some of them are even corrupted with dishonesty about themselves.

The sincerity, historic and political factors is a chance for people who wants to intellectually enhance their knowledge about African Americans, homosexuals, and the fight for human rights is implemented in "African America's 3rd Rail: SGL. There is still a fight equality in the world, but the progression of where society once was is pleasing, and Max Smith is definitely a activist that has engaged in many different rallies, events, and organizations over the years. Reading this book has been an inspiration to me, and I hope it will inspire more people to be politically, socially, and historically aware of the different events and ideas that occur in the world.

No More Tomorrows: Two Lives, Two Stories, One Love By Rodney Lofton Simon & Schuster

Growth is significant in this story, but acceptance is what helps this story unfold and flourish. Mark is a HIV Positive man that meets Kevin at his celebration party, which was for him surviving another year with HIV. Both of them captured the attention of each other at the party, but they didn't really interact with each other with the exception of their brief introduction by friends to each other. However, their lives would drastically change because of one phone call. Kevin ended up calling Mark the day after the party, and he was constantly thinking about Mark's appearance and demeanor during the party. Kevin's constant yearn for more knowledge can be inferred as his motivation to make the phone call to Mark, but he also wondered how this gentleman was infected with HIV. Kevin's phone call to Mark led to them dating, and they begin to grow on each other with each date.

In spite of the growth of their friendship, these men still had deep feelings enclosed in their hearts for each other; they failed to discuss them because of fear. Kevin and Mark's uncertainty about each other led to a big argument between them. This argument led to a strong foundation and their unconditional love for one another. Kevin and Mark's friends saw the change in their demeanors, and they even shared the intimacy of pleasure sexually; despite Mark begin HIV positive. Kevin had gotten over his fear of Mark being infected with fear, and he was happy to finally be in a monogamous relationship.

Rodney Lofton

Mark was finally able to love again, and he was happier than he had ever been. With happiness, sometimes sadness is not to far behind, but they still displayed their affection. Although, Kevin and Mark would have a civil union marriage; Mark would eventually die from HIV. Kevin managed to stay by Mark's side the entire time until he had to say goodbye to his life partner. Sadness is usually always there when death takes a love one, but the precious memories that you shared with them can be engraved in your heart forever.

Rodney Lofton's " No More Tomorrows" is a book that every black gay male should take the opportunity to read, or for that matter "every gay male should read." The HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that changes the lives of individuals in society, but this shouldn't constitute discrimination or prevent people who are infected with this disease from being loved. "No More Tomorrows" presents growth, love, happiness, pleasure, and sadness, but this book can also help to open the minds of people who have conservative views about HIV/AIDS.

Now make no mistake. Unraveled is mostly well written, but the author peoples his/her world with enough cowardly bitch-and-moan whiners, homophobes, liars and ‘holier-than thy-ers’ to build another West Angeles Church Babylonious shrine. 

Unraveled: Sealed Lips, Clenched Fists

By D. Fostalove (iUniverse 291 pps)

Chauncey, a struggling journalist, and Destiny, an unmotivated welfare recipient, have been in a toxic live-in relationship for four years. Chauncey, while at a concert with his low-life, alcoholic cousin Frazier, meets Thai, a decent and proud gay man. Though Thai has unhidden romantic feelings for Chauncey, their friendship is noble and platonic, but because Destiny is the girlfriend-from-hell (“We fight good and we sex good,” she proudly tells Chauncey in her twisted idea of a come on), Chauncey spends a great deal of time in Thai’s company crying on his shoulder. 

Nothing much else happens in this story of any considerable consequence except domestic argument after domestic argument. Chauncey is too much of a milquetoast to leave Destiny, Thai is too unrealistically patient to send Chauncey packing, and cousin Frazier is too much of an asshole to illicit any sympathy when tragedy comes calling. 

I very much like Chauncey’s mother and found the chapter devoted to his returning home to her most compelling, but even here we are faced with a woman who is subtly condescending and antediluvian. 

Arguably the two greatest narcissistic, cry-baby, racists, bitch-glorious heroines in modern literary history are Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlet O’Hara (“Gone With The Wind”) and Tennessee Willams’ Blanche Dubois (“A Streetcar Named Desire”) but those authors walked that literary tightrope with such impeccably inventive and daring-do dexterity that we have been forever endeared to the very nasty qualities these characters imbued. But Fostalove’s Destiny is one of the most unlikable bitches ever committed to paper. 

The author also shoots him/herself in the foot with an over dependency on dialogue and precious little narrative, and the characters’ responses to anything are overly physical and emotionally anemic—cracking necks and knuckles, rolling eyes, staring up at the ceiling. 

Watching the lives of people unravel and fall apart is easy fodder for empathy and sympathy, but the characters here are so cold, unfeeling, and angry, that, after finishing this book, I felt mostly the same way. 

Urban Scholar Learning Academy presents 2 benefit performances of Stanley Bennett Clay's "Armstrong's Kid" Saturday, August 8, 2009. 6 pm and 8 pm. Lucy Florence Village Theatre 3351 W. 43rd St. L.A. 90008. 323.293.1356 or 323.707.7732

Deep Breaths Poetry - Leo Shelton

Reading some of his poems is like hearing a heartbeat bouncing against the pavement, which can be frightening because he is grappling with the issue of racial identity in some of his poems. Whispers is the section of the book that I enjoyed the most because it presented the stereotypical views of an American African male in What's A Brutha To Do? and Undeserved Fame. Although, America has come a long way as a country, these are subjects that can be political and people sometimes are afraid to encounter them in life.

What's A Brutha to Do? begins with Shelton stating: "When greatness is demanded/ What's a brutha to do?" Expectations as well perfection is sometimes demanded by friends, relatives, supervisors, teachers, etc. This can be stressful for some African American males especially if they're paving a path for others to follow. Shelton even highlights that sometimes African American males "Stand by the side/ And wish he were someone/ Worthy of a reservation." People makes decisions because of their priorities, and they shouldn't be categorized because other individuals.