Book Select – Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley

In this latest installment of the Easy Rawlins series from beloved and bestselling author Walter Mosley, the L.A. private eye has his hands full with the investigation of a racially charged murder.

Easy Rawlins has started a new detective agency with two trusted partners and has a diamond ring in his pocket for his longtime girlfriend Bonnie Shay. Finally, Easy’s life seems to be heading towards something that looks like normalcy, but, inevitably, a case gets in the way. Easy’s friend Mouse calls in a favor—he wants Easy to meet with Rufus Tyler, an aging convict whom everyone calls Charcoal Joe. Joe’s friend’s son, Seymour, has been charged with the murder of two white men. Joe is convinced the young man is innocent and wants Easy to prove it no matter what the cost. But seeing as how Seymour was found standing over the dead bodies, and considering the racially charged nature of the crime, that will surely prove to be a tall order.

Book Select – THE PLANTS OF SANTERÍA AND THE REGLA DE PALO MONTE. USES AND PROPERTIES

THE PLANTS OF SANTERÍA AND THE REGLA DE PALO MONTE. USES AND PROPERTIES

The forest, the trees, and the plants were the refuge of the fauna and also suppliers of food and elements to prepare medicines. The gods and their dead live in dwellings that were built with branches and leaves. The forest became a sacred place, and human beings had to ask for permission to use its abundant richness. The health-culture connection is a field of interest shared by both social and biological sciences because of the social implications of health issues. Medicine men or healers establish a relation between
health systems and those of religious beliefs. The information collected in this publication describes the mythical properties of herbs and plants in Santería and in the Regla de Palo Monte.

Source – Aureliaediciones   

MallCubano 

Book Select – A Dynamical Theory of Electromagnetic Field

An unabridged, unaltered edition in seven parts, to include: Introductory – On Electromagnetic Induction – General Equations of the Electromagnetic Field – Mechanical Actions in the Field – Theory of Condensers – Electromagnetic Theory of Light – Calculation of the Coefficients of Electromagnetic Induction

Find it Amazon here or Download the PDF 

Book Select – The Laws of Human Nature

Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all – understanding people’s drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves.

We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people’s masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defense.

You can purchase the book on amazon or read the PDF here

Rest in Power Dr. Llaila Olela Afrika

 

I have done work with many healers and ALL give thanks and praise to Dr Llaila Afrika. His work will be carried on with each and every student his wisdom has touched. Take the time and watch some of his work and pick up his books to learn more about health and wellness holistically.

African Holistic Health by Afrika, Llaila O.

The Textbook of African Holistic Health by Afrika, Llaila O

Do a search and learn!

Book Select: 100 Years of Solitude

Book Select: The Sacred Art of Dying

Examines how each of the major religions looks at death by including stories, teachings and rituals that present a comparative religious meaning of death and afterlife. Written in textbook style with journal exercises at the end of each chapter.

You can find it at Google Play 

Book Select – The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress & Jade Dragon : Secrets of the Female/Male Taoist Masters

 White Tigress women undertake disciplined sexual and spiritual practices to maintain their beauty and youthfulness, realize their full feminine potential, and achieve immortality. Revealed here for the first time in English are the secrets of the White Tigress that have all but disappeared from the world. Under the guidance of Madame Lin, the matriarch of a distinguished White Tigress lineage still in existence in Taiwan, Hsi Lai was given the privilege to study these practices and record them from a modern perspective so they will be forever preserved. The vast majority of Taoist texts on alchemy, meditation, and sexuality are directed at male practitioners. The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigresspresents traditions that focus on women, traditions that stem from a long line of courtesans and female Taoists. Translations of the ancient teachings from a rare White Tigress manual dating back 3,000 years explain the sexual and spiritual refinement of ching(sexual energy), chi (vital energy), and shen(consciousness)–the Three Treasures of Taoism–the secret to unlocking eternal youthfulness and immortality

Reveals how the sexual practices of the Taoist Jade Dragon can help men achieve “immortality” through the enhancement of their sexual prowess.

• A companion guide to The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress that focuses on the male side of White Tigress sexual practices.

• Reveals the nine Jade Dragon exercises and other Taoist techniques for achieving the elixir of immortality.

• Offers physical and spiritual solutions for the sexual issues facing men.

Hsi Lai continues the work he began in The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress by exploring more fully the male role in Taoist sexual transformation. As with those of the White Tigress, the techniques of the Jade Dragon are part of a disciplined sexual and spiritual practice. The goal for the Jade Dragon is health, longevity, and immortality through external and internal regimens for the enhancement and accumulation of the Three Treasures of Taoism–ching (sexual and physical energy), qi (breath and vital energy) and shen (spiritual and mental energy).

The author presents the nine Jade Dragon exercises that strengthen erections, enlarge the penis, increase semen quantity and quality, prevent premature ejaculations, and enhance sexual energy. He also details herbal remedies for revitalization that address both physical and spiritual sexual components, as well as ancient Taoist breathing and meditative practices and sexual stimulation techniques that amplify sexual intensity in order to create the elixir of immortality. Concluding with the importance of the interactions between and interdependence of White Tigresses and Jade Dragons, Hsi Lai shows the reader how these ancient Taoist secrets can be incorporated into a contemporary lifestyle.

28 Black Picture Books Not About Boycotts, Basketball or Buses

When I made the first of these lists back in 2016 I had no idea the places it would go: Libraries, schools and families all over the world continue to share it even now, and I am humbled by its reception. I’ve long threatened to do a sequel to that list, so here it is. Same old librarian, all new tricks. Same rules apply:

1) Titles that came out within the last ten years (or so).
2) A spread in the gender of the protagonists.
3) Shine light on typically ignored aspects of black life. Nothing against history, but we aren’t exactly hurting for books on slavery. We could do with some more books about fishing, owning pets, and generally any other hobby children have. (That said, this list caught a lot more history than the last one.)

The books are not ranked in any way. Creator(s) are noted: Author/Illustrator.
See you in the stacks, but more importantly, buy some books!

 

1. Freedom in Congo Square
   (Carole Boston Weatherford/R. Gregory Christie)
   I lean out of historical stuff for these lists, but this book was too strong to ignore. A look at the birthplace of jazz, and how Congo Square was just about the only place that could have happened.

 

2. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
   (Derrick Barnes/Gordon C. James)
   Anything that alleviates the drama of taking a child to the barbershop should be celebrated. A beautifully done and warm book about learning to love your hair, the process of maintaining it, and the unique experience of barbershop traditions.

 

3. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
   (Javaka Steptoe)
   This is the 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner, and for good reason. Get hip to one of the greatest names to ever grace the art world in this completely accessible narrative done in a playful and informative style.
   
4. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
   (Margot Lee Shetterly/Laura Freeman)
   By now you’ve probably seen the movie and read Shetterly’s original adult version of this story. This is a fine encapsulation of the women scientists who went unheralded for years, now specifically for younger children.
   

 

5. Big Hair, Don’t Care
   (Crystal Swain-Bates)
   Nobody loves their hair more than the irrepressible narrator of this book. Perfect for any child that may struggle with self-esteem because of their crown.
   

 

6. My Friend Maya Loves to Dance
   (Cheryl Willis Hudson/Eric Velasquez)
   A strong and beautifully rendered take on an otherwise common childrens book topic. And how about that co-ed dance class, eh?
   

 

7. I’m a Pretty Little Black Girl!
   (Betty K. Bynum/Claire Armstrong Parod)
   This book takes the ugliness of colorism and turns it completely on its head, celebrating all the shades black girls come in.
   

 

8. Mae Among the Stars
   (Roda Ahmed/Stasia Burrington)
   A warm and engaging take on the childhood dreams and observations that made Mae Jemison – the first African American woman to travel into space – put on a helmet.
   

 

9. Hey Black Child
   (Useni Eugene Perkins/Bryan Collier)
   A poem-as-book self-esteem building exercise best done out loud. Emphasis on the loud.
   

 

10. Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me
    (Daniel Beaty /Bryan Collier)
    I’m a sucker for a book with a present and affectionate black father in it, and while this one roped me in with that promise, it takes matters further by actually being about what it’s like when your father isn’t present.
    

 

11. Ruth and the Green Book
    (Calvin Alexander Ramsey, Gwen Strauss/Floyd Cooper)
    The infamous Green Books and the circumstances that made them necessary during segregation are conveyed here in a careful and intelligent way.
    

 

12. The Ring Bearer
    (Floyd Cooper)
    Lots of stories out there about flower girls. Almost none about ring bearers.
    

 

13. Early Sunday Morning
    (Denene Millner/Vanessa Brantley-Newton)
    Denene Millner has parlayed her best-selling success in writing non-fiction into a full-blown imprint deal that lets her publish children’s books with a focus on black creators, so if you see a book with “Denene Millner Books” across the top (see #2 above), get it. Early Sunday Morning is a delight of a book, roping in several black traditions in a beautiful package.
    

 

14. Tea Cakes for Tosh
    (Kelly Starling Lyons/E. B. Lewis)
    I am also a sucker for grandmothers. This is a political treat of a book that touches on family, slavery, and the importance of traditions.
    

 

15. Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day
    (Tameka Fryer Brown/Charlotte Riley-Webb)
    This book brims with examples of a diverse and well-rounded neighborhood life with irrepressible art to boot.
    

 

16. This Is the Rope
    (Jacqueline Woodson/James Ransome)
    The prolific Woodson has been killing the book game for a while now, and this picture book offering takes a common playful activity – jumping rope – and connects it to notions of legacy and history without being heavy-handed.
    

 

17. I’m a Big Brother Now
    (Katura J. Hudson/Sylvia L. Walker)
    A good one for that soon-to-be-a-sibling who wants to know what life after the new baby is going to look like, and what their job is.
    

 

18. Lily Brown’s Paintings
    (Angela Johnson/E. B. Lewis)
    Every child loves to paint, but few of them are as talented as budding art forger Lily Brown, who tries her hand at capturing the styles of the masters.
    

 

19. Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
    (Katheryn Russell-Brown/Frank Morrison)
    A beautifully illustrated and sound-rich biography of important (yet unheralded) trombone player Melba Liston.
    (Note: On my first list there was a book about current musical herald Trombone Shorty, so it was good to find a book that essentially says “These things come from traditions. Yes, even the trombone players.”)
    

 

20. Fishing Day
    (Andrea Davis Pinkney/Shane W. Evans)
    A girl and her mother go fishing is just about the surprising premise I found this time around. Alas, of course, Jim Crow appears. A reach-across-the-aisle tale.
    

 

21. Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon
    (Ruth Forman/Cbabi Bayoc)
    An ode to Philly brownstone summertime life, this is a vibrant and slightly dialect inflected book-length poem. “Today Was a Good Day” for kids.
    

 

22. The Hat That Wore Clara B.
    (Melanie Turner-Denstaedt/Frank Morrison)
    A black woman’s church hat is a sacred thing. They come with their own stories and rituals, and this book does a great job of relaying the layers of tradition associated with them. Black church childrens books are practically a genre unto themselves, and this title is a standard bearer.
    

 

23. Not Norman: A Goldfish Story
    (Kelly Bennett/Noah Z. Jones)
    Most kids want pets, but this kid is not feeling Norman the Goldfish. Fish don’t do anything cool…or do they? A cute study in appreciation, responsibility that has a nice wry touch that makes reading it aloud a lot of fun.
    

 

24. The Moon Over Star
    (Dianna Hutts Aston/Jerry Pinkney)
    Any story that has a young girl make her cousins build her a spaceship in the backyard is pretty much gold. A period piece (1969) with a wink at Mae Jemison (see #8), suggesting that there just might be enough books about black women and space to make a proper school unit.
    

 

25. The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
    (Pat Zietlow Miller/Frank Morrison)
    Two girls face off in a dramatic foot race before the big parade comes featuring Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph. There’s way more drama than I gave a book about a foot race. Like, I got invested.
    

 

26. Hank’s Big Day
    (Evan Kuhlman/Chuck Groenink)
    I was confused by this book because the first half of it focused entirely on the adventures of Hank the Pill Bug. I feared the black girl on the cover was mere decoration, only to discover halfway through the book that Hank has essentially been making his way to Amelia, who as it turns out is his best friend. A wonderful testimony about friendship featuring an engaging young girl and her buddy the pill bug.
    

 

27. Grace for President
    (Kelly DiPucchio/LeUyen Pham)
    What better time to instill the message in our youth that their civic duty moving forward should largely be to make us forget 2017 ever happened.
    

 

28. Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans
    (Phil Bildner/John Parra)
    Another New Orleans-focused entry with a ton of heart. Based on the life of French Quarter sanitation worker Cornelius Washington, who was a real character. It is a great slice of community life of the most unique city in America after one of its most trying times. Don’t worry: The hurricane part is brief. It’s mostly neighborhood love. Also, any opportunity to get a room full of kids to yell “Hootie Hoo!” unapologetically simply must be taken advantage of.
    

Book Select – Their Eyes Were Watching God

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston’s beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston’s masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published – perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature

You can find it online with a quick utilization of the Googles