Come On People - Cosby & Poussaint - Review 1

I have taken on the task of writing a review for this book over the next couple of weeks. In this and subsequent posts, I will review one chapter in the book. The first chapter is titled: What's Going On with Black Men?

Review
A good read, but after 29 pages, not one new thought or new idea or new solution. Maybe I've heard it all before, maybe I've heard it all before from Dr. Cosby, but the state of Black men in this country is in atrocious shape: highest rate of death due to homicide, highest rate of murder, lowest life expectancy, high suicide rate, highest high school drop-out rate, highest unemployment rate, highest rate of incarceration, and the highest rate of homelessness. As the authors note in the book, "This is madness!"

Even though, I have heard them all before, Cosby & Poussaint do present some cogent solutions to the plight of the Black man in America: tone down the bravado and machismo that pervades our community because it breeds the self-destructive activities that get so many of our men and boys in trouble, stop defining your manhood on getting a woman pregnant, define your manhood by being a father to your children, stop leaving the child rearing of our sons to their mothers, the only person who can raise a boy into manhood is a man, and take advantage of second chances to make something of your life.

Unfortunately, the solutions present a difficult quandary because they suggest a paradigm shift to the prevailing culture of the Black community. What event or person is going to be the catalyst for this change? What is going to be the wakeup call that shakes our community from its 40-year malaise to make our Black men more accountable to their community? I'm afraid the answers to these questions are not presented in the first chapter.
~ End of Review ~

plezWorld encourages you to visit www.BillCosby.com where you can purchase copies of the book and you will find a forum called "The Cos," that is designed for community members to discuss issues beyond those addressed in the book, as well as a place for people to come together and offer solutions.