 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com New York Times best-selling author Cornel West is one of America’s most provocative and admired public intellectuals. Whether in the classroom, the streets, the prisons, or the church, Dr. West’s penetrating brilliance has been a bright beacon shining through the darkness for decades. Yet, as he points out in this new memoir, “I’ve never taken the time to focus on the inner dynamics of the dark precincts of my soul.” That is, until now. Brother West is like its author: brilliant, unapologetic, full of passion yet cool. This poignant memoir traces West’s transformation from a schoolyard Robin Hood into a progressive cultural icon. From his youthful investigation of the “death shudder” to why he embraced his calling of teaching over preaching, from his three marriages and his two precious children to his near-fatal bout with prostate cancer, West illuminates what it means to live as “an aspiring bluesman in a world of ideas and a jazzman in the life of the mind.” Woven together with the fibers of his lifelong commitment to the prophetic Christian tradition that began in Sacramento’s Shiloh Baptist Church, Brother West is a tale of a man courageous enough to be fully human, living and loving out loud. |
Average Customer Rating:   Rosa Parks:My Story It is a glimps into the life of a genius who shares the same challenges as ordinary citizens. Not only does the individual genius sacrefice for mankind, those who care for him and love him sacrefice although, it is not usually voluntarily. Blues Brother Since I like Cornel West, and am inspired by him and his work; it was a given that I would have good things to say about his memoir: Brother West:Living and Loving Out Loud. I do like the book:very much. The best thing about it is that it chronicles his development to a point he may not have expected to land in life.
His self-description as "a jazz man in the life of the mind, and a blues man in the world of ideas" is a colorful way to sum up the fact that he has uniquely taken the mantle of Martin Luther King. In his speeches and other public appearances, West lovingly bears witness to the pain and struggles of the poor and disposessed; and relentlessly challenges
us to be our best selves all the time. Said another way: West, like King, can walk with crowds and keep his virtues, and talk with kings, but not lose the common touch. All people seemed to count with them, but none too much. How easy it would've been for King and West to rest on their academic laurels, and retreat to the ivory tower. Each chose the opposite path, and we are all the better for it. Both King and West belong to all of us. This is probably part of the reason that West's most intimate personal relationships have been so painful for him.
I hear those who say the book is shallow in places-especially the little he actually writes about his own son, and their relationship. It's not necessarily a weakness of the book, though. It's just West's recognition of his own human frailty; and that he is work in progress. West's letter to his children late in the book is deeply moving.
This book is an important reminder that the people we grow up with and befriend; and the music and books we gravitate to are not just personal window dressing. They actually can shape lives in ways we never imagined. For that, I thank brother West. A Personal Glimpse I am someone who has always admired, appreciated and learned from the brilliant insights of Professor West. This memoir is lively and engaging, and gives us a personal glimpse into the true nature of this amazing man.
It is good to have a better understanding of the people and events that shaped his world view, and we come away from this book feeling more connected. It is an excellent read, and I do recommend it. Livin' & Lovin' Brother West's Living and Loving Out Loud nonfiction memoir left me with several emotions. Laughed when he "suddenly looked up and saw, without question, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life." I think this was about the fourth time I ran into this line in the book, and this was just about at the halfway point.
Teared a little thinking about the deeper message beneath the conflict and rage and struggles he identified. Maybe if he would slow down, I kept thinking, he just might find that instead of (my quote) "filling a bucket up with sand and totting it uphill, he just might see there's sand at the top of the hill too." I don't say this disrespectfully; I really felt for `beautiful' Brother West. But all that energy debating so many issues wore me out! Instantly got me to seeing physics at work. World affairs, either way, can't change by much???... even if every man dropped the pail and walked uphill without it.
I was so very relieved, not forgetting exhausted too, when I reached the end and found after all of the theology courses, and lectures, and reading that West never, and I was tickled each time I saw him clutching onto it, but he never abandoned his faith. Very fiery and catapulting read. Puts Brother West in context for us and for him Why four stars?
This book grabbed me from the beginning. The opening line, "I'm a bluesman in the life of the mind and a jazzman in the world of ideas" is the typical poetic verse I've come to expect from Cornel West. It had me thinking, "That's deep...wait..what?" My familiarity with Cornel West propelled me forward. I knew those words would (1) soon make perfect sense if I kept reading, and (2) not be the only words or phrases to leave me curious as I read his memoir.
The story of his life is very interesting. It contains many welcomed surprises and deeply human moments that the distant "fan" may forget about when revering a celebrated man like Cornel West. Ultimately, I came to know exactly what he meant by "bluesman in the life of the mind" and "jazzman in the world of ideas." For that alone, I would have given the book five stars.
However, there was one particular disappointment that I have with his memoir. Throughout the book, West reaffirms his relationship with his dad and the importance of that relationship in his life. He cherish his role as a son. Unfortunately, he didn't cover the relationship he had with his own son. He mentions him, but omits any stories related to their interactions throughout their life together. In addition, he offered no explanation as to why this information was absent. That is why I took away a star.
This book was an important read for me. I would recommend this book. |  |
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