Busboys and Poets Books

Progressive books to activate your mind and community

Staff Picks

Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place
Edited by Melvin McLeod

1. No situation is impossible to change.
2. A communal vision, outstanding strategy, and sustained effort can bring forth positive
changes
3. Everyone can help make a difference
4. No one is free of responsibility
- Four Truths from Kazuaki Tanahashi in "Mindful Politics"

This extremely satisfying collection demonstrates that Buddhism need not be a solitary pursuit. Divided into three sections - View, Practice and Action - this anthology contains idealistic, yet practical essays on many of the most pressing issues of today: environmentalism, racism, globalization and conflict. Many of the strongest contributors are the usual suspects (Bell Hooks, Thich Nhat Hahn, H.H. The Dalai Lama), but some of the gems come from lesser know writers. Jigme Thinley's piece on Bhutan's approach to governance (Gross National Happiness) presents a great ideal that is being put into practice. Perhaps the most amusing piece is from Richard Reoch. His true story, "A Buddhist Brawl," is the closest thing to a zen koan in the collection. As a counter-point to the religious right, this collection could not be more perfect for spiritual progressives.

reviewed by Don Allen

Party Of Black
By Truth Thomas/MouthMark Books

Party of Black by local poet Truth Thomas is a bona fide Washington D.C. collection of poetry. It is also a ‘poet's book’ of poetry. Thomas writes with three eyes. The first two focus on DC as he knows it: the Eastern Avenue DC, the small town DC, the DC he remembers moving to as a child from Knoxville, Tennessee, and the DC that is a microcosm to the rest of the world.

Hurricane Katrina appears herein as well. Mississippi emerges as in the guise of a woman, where GOP preachers are taken to task, and gentrification makes a guest star appearance.

Thomas's third eye focuses inward. The love poems are tremendous! "A Time to Kiss" is one stand out that focuses on the sanctity of a kiss and the power that is hidden within a well-timed one. Other poems like "Confessions" and "10thgraderSpeak on Prevention" also show the devoted husband and concerned father within the poet.

In truth, (pardon the pun), Party Of Black is a collection of poems that enthrall, inform, and incite. Thomas offers up a moving debut of poetry that takes you into the experience that is DC, global, and overwhelmingly human.

reviewed by Derrick Brown

I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Michael Eric Dyson

A spiritual leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is modestly mentioned in schools to children and remembered primarily on one day; but his contributions to our country today are worthy of daily recognition to say the least. Apathy was never part of his agenda, yet there has been a significant gap of interests in the last forty years. Race and class remain just as dividend between America and Black America. Before we expect, time and indifference will have passed and consumed us of all our human experiences. Survival essentially has become more than just providing yourself with basics; it has become the constant struggle to realize the imbalances of a post-modern world and still live with them. King’s movement and its transitional decline post-Civil Rights era reflect this. Historians, writers and teachers all struggle to determine what is myth and how these influence our overall perceptions of individuals and their roles within an era or framework of time. Dyson’s dissertation of King, the leader vs. the man, demonstrates the ultimate function throughout history of defining and re-defining.

reviewed by Saba Sebhatu

A Black Way of Seeing: From “Liberty” to Freedom
By Paul Robeson, Jr.

There is no such thing as a color-blind society. Race in itself by definition is subjective. Our understanding of race is dependent upon our ability to visually define it. Here in Robeson uses this premise from the title through the text. He deconstructs for the reader systems of inequality maintained by history, government, worldviews and language. An excellent expose of the planned injustices of the United States, and why structurally Blacks continue to place last. Robeson discuses everything from the Constitution and September 11th to the stolen elections of 2004. He carries more than his fathers name; they share the same drive for truth and reverence for justice. A must read for anyone invested in the betterment and progression of these United States.

reviewed by Jennifer Arrington

CHILDREN'S TITLES...

Sofie and the City
by Karima Grant, illustrated by Janet Montecalvo

In this immigration story, a little girl from Senegal finds her new big city home in the United States "ugly." While she struggles with the new surroundings, language and culture, she reports during frequent phone calls to her grandmother living back in Senegal all of her fears and loneliness. With encouragement from her grandmother and a little luck, Sofie makes a new friend. At her grandmother's advice, Sofie makes her world "pretty."

reviewed by Jen Wolfe

I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death
by Jan Thornhill

Don't be fooled by the title - this is not a dark and gloomy book. With multiple color photographs on each page interspersed with bright, colorful graphics, this guidebook to all things dead is visually stunning and crammed full of useful answers to tough questions. From life expectancies to extinct species, this slim volume seems indispensable to a parent or teacher with kids asking questions about death or dying. Because of the scientific approach, there are lots of photographs that aren't for the squeamish (like the page on scavengers), but the author encourages the reader to say "yuck" if something is gross. Plus, the author does not shy away from difficult topics like "when people kill people" and "when people die." This title is probably not for kids under 7 or 8, but is ideal for kids from 9 to 13.

reviewed by Don Allen

Archived Staff Picks

2021 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
two blocks from the Cardozo/U Street Metro.
Contact: General Manager Don Allen 202.387.POET

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Busboys and Poets.

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-- Kathryn Williams, art teacher, Norwood School.

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