Review of Black Suffering
1 posts
[i][Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Black Suffering" by James Henry Harris.][/i] [rwc=id484367-125]4 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]This book, Black Suffering, as its name implies, centers on the pain and suffering borne and experienced by African-Americans in history and the world today. We cannot overemphasize the injustice perpetrated against them. From this book, one understands the importance of individuals to acknowledge and be conscious of the existence of this apparent phenomenon—the suffering of Blacks. Hence, the need to fight against all forms of injustice against them. The book also contains the past and present causes of their sufferings. What drives prejudice and injustice against people? Is it done out of love? What emotions do you think this book will elicit from a reader?
Readers will gain insights into historical practices and laws that ensured racial superiority. James Henry Harris explained and analyzed the suffering of people of color through the use of creative non-fictions, personal experiences, anecdotes, excerpts from the work of others, mostly people relevant in history, and several others. He also cited some philosophers and theologians to elaborate on the suffering of Blacks. You can only discover who they are by reading this book.
The author acknowledged the suffering peculiar to women. He mentioned women who had to fight racism and also stand against patriarchal views unfair to them and enforced by their fellow Blacks. This reinforced my belief that many oppressed people are willing to take the position of the oppressor in situations where they may be more privileged. Here’s a common scenario you might have observed—a white person oppresses a black person. The black husband oppresses his wife. The woman oppresses her children or relative. Or vice versa. This makes one wonder, shouldn’t a person who has suffered injustice be in a better position not to mete out the same against another? The author saw these women as excellent, and I loved that he acknowledged this.
At different points of reading the book, it sounded philosophical, historical, and theological. However, the theological aspect isn’t enough to deter a non-religious person from reading this book. The author gave reference to Queen Vashti of the Bible, and I read about her from a unique perspective. When I got to that side of the book, I said to myself, “there’s finally a book that portrays Vashti in an intriguing light.”
A reasonable part of Black Suffering was simple and easy to understand. However, I found some parts of it difficult to grasp, and this slowed down my reading.
There were certain repetitions spread all over the book, and although they weren't many or obvious, this is worthy of note. On the other hand, the author used endnotes, and this, understandably, is totally at his discretion. However, from my experience and observation, it is always better to use footnotes in e-books for a reader's easy access to a reference.
This book was professionally edited, as it contains a few errors. Considering the consciousness of the Black experience it will instill in one, and the knowledge one will gain from reading the book, it deserves a perfect rating. Therefore, I’m giving it four out of four stars.
Anyone interested in the above explanation of this book will find it engaging, and I recommend it to them. ****** [i]Black Suffering [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=484367]on Bookshelves[/url]
Readers will gain insights into historical practices and laws that ensured racial superiority. James Henry Harris explained and analyzed the suffering of people of color through the use of creative non-fictions, personal experiences, anecdotes, excerpts from the work of others, mostly people relevant in history, and several others. He also cited some philosophers and theologians to elaborate on the suffering of Blacks. You can only discover who they are by reading this book.
The author acknowledged the suffering peculiar to women. He mentioned women who had to fight racism and also stand against patriarchal views unfair to them and enforced by their fellow Blacks. This reinforced my belief that many oppressed people are willing to take the position of the oppressor in situations where they may be more privileged. Here’s a common scenario you might have observed—a white person oppresses a black person. The black husband oppresses his wife. The woman oppresses her children or relative. Or vice versa. This makes one wonder, shouldn’t a person who has suffered injustice be in a better position not to mete out the same against another? The author saw these women as excellent, and I loved that he acknowledged this.
At different points of reading the book, it sounded philosophical, historical, and theological. However, the theological aspect isn’t enough to deter a non-religious person from reading this book. The author gave reference to Queen Vashti of the Bible, and I read about her from a unique perspective. When I got to that side of the book, I said to myself, “there’s finally a book that portrays Vashti in an intriguing light.”
A reasonable part of Black Suffering was simple and easy to understand. However, I found some parts of it difficult to grasp, and this slowed down my reading.
There were certain repetitions spread all over the book, and although they weren't many or obvious, this is worthy of note. On the other hand, the author used endnotes, and this, understandably, is totally at his discretion. However, from my experience and observation, it is always better to use footnotes in e-books for a reader's easy access to a reference.
This book was professionally edited, as it contains a few errors. Considering the consciousness of the Black experience it will instill in one, and the knowledge one will gain from reading the book, it deserves a perfect rating. Therefore, I’m giving it four out of four stars.
Anyone interested in the above explanation of this book will find it engaging, and I recommend it to them. ****** [i]Black Suffering [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=484367]on Bookshelves[/url]
You are not logged in. Please log in or sign up to view members replies, participate in the discussion, and access more features.
