Mark Whitaker (1) (1957–)

This one will be on Ron DeSantis's shit list for sure! A thorough recounting of one pivotal year, 1966, when the movement for integration transformed into more radical change. It features in-depth looks at Stokely Carmichael, John Lewis, James Meredith, Martin Luther King, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson; SNCC, the Black Panther Party, voting rights, and the Vietnam War. It's all here, as the talented writer and researcher concludes convincingly that this was the year that everything changed, especially for white sympathizers, who had to be convinced that it was more appropriate to focus on defeating white racism than on organizing southern Black communities, which proved to be a painful fissure. The author's thesis is that movements like the Black Power effort usually required a charismatic leader in order to succeed. He believes that Malcolm X was that leader, and that his assassination slowed down the coming cataclysm. I think he gives short shrift to Fred Hampton, the murdered leader of the Chicago Black Panther Party, who could have been as influential as Malcolm, had he lived. This is an inside look at a most underappreciated time of radical change that impacted every gain and loss that followed.

Quote: "The media took it as a threat, as something sinister to white folks. In our minds, what it really meant was Black empowerment - the power to control our own destiny."… (altro)

Cosby: His Life and Times by Mark Whitaker is a very good and thorough biography of a fascinating man. It grounds Cosby's life and work in his roots growing up in poverty, his family, his love of jazz and art, and shines an important light on his great humanitarian efforts.

It manages to be sympathetic without becoming hagiographic, critical but not muck-raking.

If I have one major source of disappointment in this biography, it's that I hoped for a more critical exploration of the controversial and outspoken comments that Cosby has made in recent years regarding race relations in this country and the problems faced by black Americans.

Clearly, there's backstory and nuance underlying these comments which was largely missing in the press coverage at the time. Mr. Whitaker relates this backstory in detail and provides a needed nuance to our understanding of Cosby's opinions. Knowing this backstory helps us to see that Cosby's opinions on this subject aren't as extremist and out-of-touch as he was portrayed in the media when he made them. It's also important to note that Cosby has done a great deal of admirable boots-on-the-ground work to address these problems—he's not just a talking head.

Contrast this controversy with the essentially important influence that Cosby's television shows had on race relations during the latter half of the 20th century, and it's clear that he has been an overall force for good in our culture.

At the same time, I feel that this book is occasionally a bit too apologetic. At times, I feel that Mr. Whitaker isn't quite critical enough, that he glosses over Cosby's flaws a bit too glibly.

Stylistically, I found the work quite engrossing and readable. I think Mr. Whitaker uses a few too many exclamation marks for a serious biography and he tries too hard to end his chapters with dramatic cliffhangers.

He tends to build up stories from Cosby's life a bit too much. He creates dramatic introductions to tales which then turn out to be anticlimactic in their ordinariness.

Aside from Mr. Whitaker's slightly over-inflated sense of drama and slightly too uncritical portrayal, Cosby is a highly informative work and a worthy treatment of an important entertainer and humanitarian.

NOTE: The word "humanitarian" is loaded when it comes to the subject of Bill Cosby. It's widely known that several women have accused Cosby of rape and sexual assault, a pattern of reported incidents dating back into the 1980's. There was a civil suit in 2004 that was settled out of court, but never any criminal charges against him.

In this context, calling Cosby a humanitarian is problematic.

Mr. Whitaker makes no mention of these rape and assault accusations in his book, despite them being common knowledge. I'm curious to know why he chose to omit this. These allegations haven't been proven in a court of law but they're far better attested and more substantive than mere gossip. The absence of this aspect of Cosby's life is glaring.

Given the omission of this information from the book, I remain unsure of how to address this issue in this book review.

I also recognize that Cosby has done great work to assist Americans living in poverty and has provided tremendous support to education throughout his life. It's for those reasons that the word "humanitarian" applies.… (altro)

A fantastic history of the characters living on the hill in the first half of the 20th century. Pittsburgh is a city of immigrants from all over the world. Just visit the Cathedral of Learning and tour the nationality rooms if you don't believe me. That is the city's strength, but also its curse. This plays out in the destruction of the neighborhood called "The Hill" where blacks made their homes and businesses.
Whittaker brings the people living there alive, describing local characters like the numbers runners, the talented sons and daughters like Strayhorn, Garner, Horne and the sports figures like the Homestead Grays of the Negro leagues. But the most delightful chapter is the final one that outline the life and career of August Wilson the playwright. If you are unsure about purchasing this book, do it just for the final chapter.
Whittaker writes with the nuances of a talented man, describing the blues and jazz so you can hear it, the plays so you can feel it. He goes into detail on the construction of the songs and stories so you understand that he knows what he is talking about, not just lip service.
I wish there had been more photos, particularly of the neighborhoods and the less than famous residents but this doesn't detract from the book.
This book is a keeper.… (altro)