Black Paradox: The Folly Over Skin Colour By: Marilyn A. Massiah Black Paradox: The Folly Over Skin Colour explores an absurd and deeply harmful notion of white supremacy based wholly on an irrelevant basis held by the Caucasian race that their pale skin is inherently superior to their counterparts with dark skin. Despite the presence of centuries old advancements in learning and scholarship in every area of endeavor by the African race, this paradox persists among those who had little or no schooling on the subject when this folly was at its maximum. As a result, easy racial mixing which is the natural workings of society, they perceive as a strange or insuperable handicap. This is a story of a young American Peace Corps volunteer on assignment in idyllic Guyana in 1969 when he confronted a younger Sydney Parker with questions about how people of different races and ethnicities can coexist in relative harmony. Sydney only understood the question when she moves to the United States herself and uncovered the chilling reality, not personally, the young man spoke of: A nation gripped in a moral crisis of abject hatred and feticism with pigmentation prejudice through documentaries on the Civil Rights Struggle. From her unique Caribbean perspective, the author analyzes, scrutinize and exposes America’s detrimental obsession with race, reproducing negative stereotypes, repeating untruths over and over, is a devilish act and one of the greatest scams in the name of white privilege and structural impediments preventing others from advancing. The Civil Rights Movement, Guyana’s society that bred many productive and well-adjusted expatriates and many examples of Black excellence that undermines the absurdity of white supremacy, Black Paradox serves to remind us that the madness of racism rooted in the folly of skin colour is corrosive to a peaceful society.

Four people intent on killing themselves meet through the suicide website Black Paradox: Maruso, a nurse who despairs about the future; Taburo, a man who is tortured by his doppelganger; Pii-tan, an engineer with his own robot clone; and Baracchi, a woman who agonizes about the birthmark on her face. They wander together in search of the perfect death, fatefully opening a door that leads them to a rather bizarre destiny... -- VIZ Media

Over a half-century since Ralph Ellison wrote the classic book Invisible Man, black men have been trying to become visible. In various ways, black men have sought to get the attention of the world. An intense quest to become seen, heard, and felt has manifested itself in rebellious and counterproductive behavior. Whether it is the baggy pants, the bandana, the braids in the hair, the earring, or the tattoo, black men have desperately striven for visibility. Perpetual gang warfare and an overemphasis on living a glamorous lifestyle have derailed many young black men from achieving success in the U.S. Author Renford Reese examines how young African American males have unwittingly accepted one model of black masculinity. The acceptance of this "tough guy" model is having detrimental consequences on an entire generation of young black men. The book's thesis is supported by a survey the author conducted of 756 African American males from the ages of 13-19 in Los Angeles and Atlanta. This survey attempts to gauge the attitudes, perceptions, and basic knowledge of young African American men regarding black public figures. One component of this survey is a Realness Scale that the author constructed. Along with this survey, interviews were conducted with various young black males to find out why they, or many of their peers, have embraced the gangsta-thug persona. The results of the survey and interviews are fascinating. Although the primary focus of this book is on the young black male's acceptance of the gangsta-thug image and his enthusiastic embrace of society's stereotypes, this book also looks at the unkindness of the system. One would be naive to dismiss the historical impact of discriminatory policies and the systemic perpetuation of stereotypes in U.S. society. Hence, this book examines the internal and external influences on the current black male identity. American Paradox and Reese's vists to prisons in California have already begun to pay off. In the Summer 2004 issue of Cal Poly Pomona & the Community, writer Jennifer Parsons talks about Reese's efforts, mentioning that Reese keeps a note in his briefcase from a 31-year-old prisoner serving time for manslaughter. According to her article, the prisoner writes, "I used to love being looked up to for all the wrong reasons. Now, though, I'm on a whole new script. My goal is to turn my misfortunes into a fortune. I want to help inner city kids avoid situations such as my own." He goes on to say, "I look forward to your visit. There is so much in that book that I would like to speak with you on." "...Reese raises serious questions regarding the state of life among African American youth that cannot be ignored. The book, an excellent source for discussion of issues in the black community and race relations in the US, will surely be controversial. Summing up: Highly recommended." -- CHOICE Magazine, October 2004 "American Paradox: Young Black Men . . . is an eye-opening read that brings to focus some the contemporary social issues that black and white America are reluctant to discuss. I would highly recommend it for courses in sociology, political science, and black studies." -- Journal of Urban Affairs, November 2006

a political and sociological analysis of the black community from the view of two black Conservatives

The inspiration for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem! Over 1 million copies of the Three-Body Problem series sold in North America PRAISE FOR THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM SERIES: “A mind-bending epic.”—The New York Times • “War of the Worlds for the 21st century.”—The Wall Street Journal • “Fascinating.”—TIME • “Extraordinary.”—The New Yorker • “Wildly imaginative.”—Barack Obama • “Provocative.”—Slate • “A breakthrough book.”—George R. R. Martin • “Impossible to put down.”—GQ • “Absolutely mind-unfolding.”—NPR • “You should be reading Liu Cixin.”—The Washington Post The Dark Forest is the second novel in the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series from China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu. In The Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries' time. The aliens' human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth's defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he's the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead. The Three-Body Problem Series The Three-Body Problem The Dark Forest Death's End Other Books by Cixin Liu Ball Lightning Supernova Era To Hold Up the Sky The Wandering Earth A View from the Stars At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In a comprehensive survey of this highly pertinent subject, leading academic Sandy Black examines the way the fashion industry is changing to accommodate the environmental concerns of the twenty first century. She exposes the naked truth behind the clothes we wear, exploring alternate practices and assessing their feasibility. Using case studies of designers from the catwalks and the high street, including Katharine Hamnett, Marks and Spencer and Linda Loudermilk, the book illustrates how these processes are finding their way into the industry, and shows how ethical fashion has moved on from its traditional connotations of hemp shirts and rope sandals. Fashion and environmental awareness are two concerns that do not comfortably sit side by side. Over the past ten years, high street fashion, led by global chains, has become ever more affordable and disposable. The sourcing of materials, the manufacture and the distribution of clothes have become the dirty secrets of the beautiful industry. Eco-Chic continues Black Dog’s commitment to the environment and to responsible design. Lavishly illustrated, it is a timely publication that will appeal equally to the fashion conscious and environmentally aware.

The "black family" in the United States and the Caribbean often holds contradictory and competing meanings in public discourse: on the one hand, it is a site of love, strength, and support; on the other hand, it is a site of pathology, brokenness, and dysfunction that has frequently called forth an emphasis on conventional respectability if stability and social approval are to be achieved. Looking at the ways in which contemporary African American and black Caribbean women writers conceptualize the black family, Susana Morris finds a discernible tradition that challenges the politics of respectability by arguing that it obfuscates the problematic nature of conventional understandings of family and has damaging effects as a survival strategy for blacks. The author draws on African American studies, black feminist theory, cultural studies, and women’s studies to examine the work of Paule Marshall, Jamaica Kincaid, Edwidge Danticat, and Sapphire, showing how their novels engage the connection between respectability and ambivalence. These writers advocate instead for a transgressive understanding of affinity and propose an ethic of community support and accountability that calls for mutual affection, affirmation, loyalty, and respect. At the core of these transgressive family systems, Morris reveals, is a connection to African diasporic cultural rites such as dance, storytelling, and music that help the fictional characters to establish familial connections.