PositiveThe Washington PostIf stories can be haunted by their own narrative, then The Awkward Black Man is a must-read for the retired ... One of the best stories in this book, \'The Letter,\' explores the different degrees of life, from infidelities to suicide, and in relationships, not just with women, but between fathers and sons ... What doesn’t work are the references to race and identity. The character Laertes Jackson sounds too much like Cornel West without a suit. What can make African American literature \'awkward\' is when race becomes the center of things and we only see the sun and not the moon ... The Awkward Black Man is a collection that meditates on health, aging and life. It’s the type of book that can restore one’s balance without a cane.
Bud Selig, with Phil Rogers
PositiveNew York Journal of BooksHow Selig’s childhood love for a game resulted in him becoming an owner is what makes this book an interesting read ... For The Good of the Game is about labor conflicts. It’s about the ongoing battle between players and owners. At times the problems documented by Selig in his book are not good for the game ... Selig’s book reveals the personality and interests of many of the baseball owners. Some of them are only interested in what’s good for their team. Selig in his book often compares major league baseball with the National Football league. Why is one sport more successful than the other, and shouldn’t baseball be held to a higher standard? This belief is the moral compass at the center of Selig’s book ... an insider’s look at what makes the game of baseball so amazing and joyful to watch ... Selig has also given us a book that captures his love for the game. There is goodness here, a transforming goodness.
Yuval Taylor
PositiveNew York Journal of BooksAnother book about Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and the Harlem Renaissance is much like watching the film Casablanca again. One knows the ending but is always happy just waiting for it ... Yuval Taylor’s Zora and Langston is much like an old map trying to find a new world ... He draws upon unpublished papers and interviews. A considerable amount of his writing is dependent on books already written. This at times creates a borrowed term paper or thesis quality ... Taylor’s writing is still enjoyable and people new to the careers of the two African American writers will feel comfortable and curious ... Zora and Langston provides a comprehensive overview of the literary disagreement that over the years puzzled scholars ... intriguing, funny, and filled with much speculation.
Ross Gay
PositiveNew York Journal of Books\"The contents of the book can best be explained if one can imagine a conversation between Walt Whitman and Thich Nhat Hanh ... Throughout the book Gay establishes an interesting degree of intimacy with the reader ... The Book of Delights should take a reader a year to read. There is no need to rush when one can savor the small treats on each page. If nothing else this book will instruct you how to oil your body. Not even Whitman taught us this.\
