| 9 That Add Heft to the Bookshelf |
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| Written by willaveist.com |
Richard Prince's Book Notes™: For Holiday Givinghttp://www.mije.org/richardprince/9-add-heft-bookshelf December 19, 2008 In this second of two columns on recent nonfiction books by or about journalists of color, the emphasis is on history. Among them: a tour of civil rights landmarks, a little-known, multifaceted black journalist who in 1913 was fighting for capitalization of the word "Negro," a full-throated biography of the iconic Ida B. Wells-Barnett and the first African American woman cartoonist. There's also fun, as New York Times Metro reporter Jennifer 8. Lee explores the world of Chinese restaurants.
Wil LaVeist
As reported here in September, LaVeist writes what it felt like to leave a job as a newspaper columnist for a new job in Chicago with the leading African American magazine company, only to be fired after six months because the boss said he went to a conference and decided he wanted to go in a different direction. LaVeist said then, "I share the facts of my personal story only so that readers can know where I'm coming from. I give readers an intimate behind the scenes look at what really goes on with a person who has been blindsided so that others who are going through job loss can be helped. The lessons I share apply to dealing with any type of major loss. Ultimately, the bad things that happen to you are oftentimes what point you to your true destiny. It's all in whether you decide to embrace the bad or be its victim." |
Wil LaVeist