Increasing My Cross-Cultural Consciousness: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XV

 

LETTERS TO MY WHITE MALE FRIENDS
Dax-Devlon Ross

Millions of people are finally realizing that simply not being racist isn't enough to end racism. Now we are not only seeking deeper insight into how racism has harmed Black people but also how it has harmed us all. [This book] promises to help everyone who says they are committed to change develop the capacity to see, feel, and sustain that commitment so we can help secure racial justice for all.

I read this book because I own it. I own this book because it was available at the library for just a quarter. I bought it from the library because I am on a quest to increase my knowledge of and sensitivity to what it's like to be a non-white person in suburban America. I am on that quest because of prompting from our bridge-building deacon at Valley Christian Church. We have a bridge-building deacon because one man was so moved by the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath that he was compelled to help our congregation be part of the solution instead of perpetuating the problem.

While there were a few times when I got bogged down in buzzwords and generalizations, this book was fairly easy to read and absolutely, positively enlightening. (Not to mention challenging as I ask the necessary question: "Now what shall I DO about it?")

First Line: I will never forget one night in Cape Town when I was out at a dance club with a group of fellow law students.

Page 56 / Line 5: Given this context, when you look back on your education, how many Black students can you count in your classes?

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: We have to see this endeavor as essential, not mandatory.

Last Line:  "I don't want to get ahead of myself," I said to Alana, "but I think these guys may be stepping up."

What an Amazing Start for a Book Series: Books I Read in 2024, Vol. XIV

 

ALONG CAME A SPIDER: An Alex Cross Thriller
James Patterson

It begins with the double kidnapping of the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and the young son of the secretary of the treasury. Gary Soneji is a murderous serial kidnapper who wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. And Jezzie Flanagan is the female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read. "James Patterson does everything but stick our finger in a light socket to give us a buzz." - New York Times

When I read The People vs Alex Cross, I said I wanted to back up and read all of Patterson's Alex Cross thrillers...and so here I am at the very first one. What an amazing start for a book series! Alex Cross is ALREADY a character of such depth and breadth, even in this first appearance.

I ran across something that kind of mystified me and gratified me at the same time. There I was, reading a paperback edition of this book from its 25th printing; at least 28 years after the original publication date. The publisher had 25 chances to get it right, and yet I still noticed several glaring typos like the appearance of "he" instead of "the" and from the penultimate page of the whole shebang, "If anyone served to be on death row, it was Soneji/Murphy." (Shouldn't it be "deserved"?)

Another curious thing: I know that I've seen the movie that was made from this book, but there wasn't a single scene in the book that brought to mind anything from the film. That might be a function of me having only seen the movie once...and that was several years ago. (Declaration: It has nothing to do with my age.)

First Line: The Charles Lindbergh farmhouse glowed with bright, orangish lights.

Page 56 / Line 5: Gary Soneji left the farmhouse around 11:30 P.M., right on his schedule.

A Good Line from Somewhere in the Middle: I never miss a good chance to shut up.

Last Line: Peanut Butter Man lives.