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This accessible introductory book explores the complicated and intimate area of human sexuality from a human rights perspective. It describes how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people around the world are denied their rights, and discusses why these abuses continue into the 21st century. It shows the range of violations inflicted upon people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. A journey through time and across cultures, this book explores one of the most controversial human rights issues of our time. ... Read more

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Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton's powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave.

The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.

Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.
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Customer Reviews (7)

Teach children well
This 1993 non-fiction biography addresses slavery in the U.S., through the spell-binding story of Anthony Burns, who was captured and tried in 1854 Boston as a fugitive slave. Chapters alternate between 1854 and the 1840s, when Burns spent his boyhood and youth as the slave of Virginia plantation-owner Charles Suttle. In 35 children's books, the late Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002) frequently focused on themes of slavery and inequality.

No dry or fictional account, this riveting read-aloud elucidates 19th century heroism culminating in a dramatic denouement before Burns' untimely death at 28 in Canada on July 27, 1862. The epilogue covers repercussions to Boston abolitionists and others who helped him.

The book initiates fine in-class discussions of current-day slavery and abolitionists at Christian Solidarity International, iAbolish (the American anti-Slavery Group) and other groups who seek to end the practice, forever.

The story opens with Burns' Boston abduction. His flashbacks transport readers to his early years in Virginia; these crescendo in his flight from slavery and trial. Hamilton sets historical figures in context and invigorates their fiery sermons, posters and political gatherings with life. She fleshes out the details of Burns' life, from his point of view. He experiences hardships but dares to hope. His story includes suspense and drama that gets children's attention.

Burns suffered horribly. For example, he was once confined for four months to a slave jail in North Carolina, his arms and legs always shackled. In solitary confinement with inadequate hygiene and food, he became seriously ill. Still, Anthony Burns went on to achieve great things.

The book infuses children with the indignation of the abolitionists here portrayed. They were determined to defeat barbarism on American soil. Pastors and politicians, freed men and attorneys, and even some southerners, willingly defied federal laws to advance humanitarian ends, which the U.S. achieved within a decade of these events.

Kids see here a predominantly Judeo-Christian society, willing to accept responsibility for wrongs, amend them and repair to honest labor and nation building. The U.S. freed its slaves 150 years ago, at enormous but willing sacrifice--a gruesome war that took 600,000 lives. By contrast, radical Muslim Sudan today claims it neither condones nor practices slavery, yet indentures some 100,000 black southern Sudanese Christians, according to the New York Times, and systematically murders 1,000 blacks weekly in a genocide that has thus far felled more than 2 million non-Muslim and other blacks. Sudan, with only Islamic human rights, mandates institutional enslavement and discrimination against all non-Muslims.

Hamilton's saga is a fabulous teaching tool. Indeed, she was named Virginia to remind her of her family's roots--and the imperative to use her liberty well. Burns was a hero in every sense of the word, as were those compassionately determined to eliminate slavery in the U.S. This book provides great history. Good teachers will also use it to encourage new abolitionists, until slavers and slavery are utterly defeated, everywhere.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Good class discussion book!
I read this book with my 8th grade English students, and althouth the pace is not at lightening speed, they enjoy it in conjunction with supplemental activities on Black History, true stories of slaves, debates, art activities, and acting out various scenes from the book. We discuss the relationship of Anthony and his white father, the common occurence of slave masters fathering children with their slaves, the lose-lose situations of overseers, the value of freedom versus the unknown of being thrust into a society which does not at all embrace you, the definitions, dangers, and occasional irony of abolitionists, whether or not Anthony is guilty of that with which he is charged, and what he is REALLY on trial for. After we finish reading the book, I bring in 2 lawyers (these can be parents of the children) and get them to help the kids break up into the prosecution and the defense, prepare for a trial, and then we put on the trial the next day. This is a wonderful way to wrap up the book, and the kids take it very seriously.
The book itself is not too graphic in nature (as are many slave accounts because they are true), but it does tell an effective story on which one can easily elaborate in class.

adisgrace to anthony!
first, i would like to acknowledge that anthony burns and the story of anthony burns are great. with that aside, i can now say that the book....WAS AWFUL. it was easy, yet confusing. plus, it was not very deep at all. i learned nothing new. nothing at all. not reccomended for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary. not reccomended period.

Anthony Burns rocked my world
My overall view of this book, Anthony Burns, is that it is very slow.It was a good story about freedom and rights, but it could have been fifty-pages shorter.During the last four chapters it talked about Anthonyand his court trial.Every chapter seemed the same which lost my interestquickly. I also think the book had to many characters.I could never keeptrack of which person the author was talking about.I think Anthony Burns'story is a good one, but I don't think it was written very well.Forexample, every chapter was a different season and it would skip years. Anthony Burns had a very inspiring life, fighting for freedom and beingtraded from master to master; however, the overall story was just not veryinteresting.My opinion of this book is that it is a good book about aman's fight for freedom, but it was too slow and slightly confusing.Ithink this book would appeal more to adults or history teachers.

Anthony Burns a slave story
If you are looking for a good book about historical non-fiction book about a slave name Anthiny Burns, I would have to say this books for you! I thought that Anthony Burns: The defeat and trumph of a fugitive slave was aso-so book. I didn't like how the book moved from time to time but otherthan that it had a good plot. The book is about a slave named Anthony Burnswho gets captured and goes on trial and if you want to know any more youshould buy this book! ... Read more

Product Description

Where is Martin Luther King, Jr. when we need him?

So much has changed since the glory days of the civil rights movement -- and so much has stayed the same. African Americans command their place at every level of society, from the lunch counter to the college campus to the corporate boardroom -- yet the gap between the American middle class and the black poor is as wide as ever. Hollywood casts a black actor as president of the United States without provoking a word of protest, but a black man is savagely dragged to his death because of the color of his skin. The hip-hop culture that springs from the imaginations of urban black youth (who are themselves reviled and feared) sweeps across the malls and high schools of suburbia, yet black students still sit together, apart, in the cafeteria. Where can we turn to find the vision that will guide us through these strange and difficult times? Michael Eric Dyson helps us find the answer in our recent past, by resurrecting the true Martin Luther King, Jr.

A private citizen who transformed the world around him, King was arguably the greatest American who ever lived. Yet, as Dyson so poignantly reveals, Martin Luther King, Jr. has disappeared in plain sight. Despite the federal holiday, the postage stamps, and the required reference in history textbooks, King's vitality and complexity have faded from view. Young people do not learn how radical he was, liberals forget that he despaired of whites even as he loved them, and contemporary black leaders tend to ignore the powerful forces that shaped him -- the black church, language, and sexuality -- thereby obscuring his relevance to black youth and hip-hop culture. Instead, King's legacy has become a battlefield on which various forces wage war -- whether it is conservatives who appropriate his words to combat affirmative action, or the King family themselves, who want to control use of the great man's words for a fee.

Former welfare dad, Princeton Ph.D., and Baptist preacher, Michael Eric Dyson sets out to find the man who was assassinated when Dyson himself was a nine-year-old boy living in downtown Detroit. And in his quest to unravel the meaning of King, Dyson discovers that the very contradictions embodied in the slain leader's life make him a man for our times. He returns to us a man as radical in his view of social injustice as Malcolm X, who still won the support of the white establishment; a man dedicated to the common good, who gave in to his own appetites; a master of language and rhetoric, who "sampled" the words and ideas of others; a man who despised the unjust distribution of wealth and used its fruits to feed his own people. Dyson rescues from history a Martin Luther King, Jr. who matters today: a man who has as much in common with rap artist Tupac Shakur as he does with the Reverend Ralph Abernathy. Unafraid to confront King's personal life, determined to defend King from the sanitizing forces of historical amnesia, Michael Eric Dyson challenges us to embrace the man who said, prophetically, on the eve of his death, "I May Not Get There With You," and to make him our partner in our ongoing struggle to get to the Promised Land.Amazon.com Review
Provocative preacher-teacher Michael Eric Dyson, known for his hip-hop-style delivery and encyclopedic intellectual powers, heroically tries to update and examine the true legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. for a glib Generation-X world. Calling I May Not Get There with You a work of "biocriticism," Dyson peels away the superficial image of King the man to reveal a complex human being whose work was far from finished or totally understood. "In the last thirty years we have trapped King in romantic images or frozen his legacy in worship," he writes. "I seek to rescue King from his admirers and deliver him from his foes." To that end, Dyson takes aim at neoconservatives like Shelby Steele, who spin King's multiracial dreams into a right-wing call to end affirmative action, and goes after black militants who thought King was "soft" and overlooked the power of his "black radical Christianity." He also criticizes the government's co-opting of King's philosophy in a holiday, as well as what he calls the King family's well-meaning, but destructive, attempts to protect King's legacy. Dyson forces us to accept King for all of his faults--including plagiarism and womanizing--but more importantly allows us to see a real human being who rose to the height of humanity. --Eugene Holley, Jr. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Flawed
An uneven book marred by bad chapters. For instance Chapter 9 tries to relate King to rappers. Did Dr. King swear and use profanities in his speeches from the pulpit? Also there is overuse of rhetoric, repetitiveness and useless digressions (or rants). Is it necessary to know what Mr. Dyson thinks of Clinton - this is a digression.

Nevertheless there are some good critiques. King did not allow women a proper place in the `movement' - the SCLC. For Dr. King women appeared to be playthings.

Also there is good criticism of King's successors - namely Coretta and family in chapter 13.

Worth reading, but flawed
Michael Eric Dyson intends to reveal the "real" Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he posits was a much more radical figure than he is currently remembered as being. To what extent he has succeeded, and to what extent his argument is colored by his own politics, I am really not competent to say.I do think that his characterization of Shelby Steele's The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race In America is inaccurate. One great strength of Dyson's approach is that he understands that communication occurs in a context. So often, I read biographers who examine their subjects' statements as if they were all the result of intensive self-scrutiny, delivered under oath.In fact, without necessarily being dishonest, communication is shaped by its purpose: persuasive people address the audience's concerns, rather than merely expressing their own. Dyson often analyzes King's statements with regard to the intended audience.

I found the book thought-provoking, but somewhat uneven; sometimes I was gripped, other material could only have improved the book by being dropped. Chapter Five, "Black Power", is somewhat vacuous. I was left with the feeling that Black nationalism is an idea that Dyson swears loyalty as proof that he is "authentic," but has little concrete meaning.The contention by Dyson's colleague that begins the chapter, and his response, bears out the suspicion that academics strive to prove the first Grand Duke of Fenwick's contention that yes can be turned into no if one just talks long enough.Personally, I have always thought that Plato, with his Ideals, was the one sitting in a cave looking at shadows, and this is all too abstract for me. I don't really accept Dyson's assumption that freeing Blacks from the ghetto or enhancing Black self-esteem is inconsistent with integration or that Clarence Thomas is the model of an integrated African-American, especially at this stage, let alone that it is King and not George Bush who put him on the Supreme Court.Even if this were a color-blind society, which it is not, all Blacks would be unlikely to all be like Thomas. Dyson holds up the still severely segregated school system as an example of how integration may have cost African-Americans more than they gained "Segregated schools provided a culture of expectation in which black students were taught that they could perform well," and then says, "Studies show that black students in integrated schools complete more years of schooling ... and make higher wages than their segregated peers."The latter sounds more like integration, unfortunately, failed to be successfully enacted, not that it was a bad idea. Worse, the idea of Black Power remains rather nebulous: what does it mean to Dyson, and more to the point, what did it mean to King? If Dyson means this book for non-Black people, he may need to explain more.Dyson's only good point in the chapter is that the Black church, from which King drew so much strength, is the greatest Black institution that has ever existed.

Dyson's later psychobabble (chapter 8) about what King's adulteries meant to him strikes me as equally empty. Personally, I don't have heroes: there are people that I admire for particular accomplishments and traits.I could admire no-one and nothing if I held out for perfection, and I'd have no friends if they were waiting for me to be perfect.So I agree emphatically with Dyson that King's personal misconduct does not negate his enormous public accomplishments. I wish that he had left it at that.

Dyson also takes the opportunity to go off on a tangent about Hip Hop (chapter 9). Hecompiles a long list of similarities between King and Tupac Shakur, but many of them do not rise much above the fact that they were both men and both black, while others involve traits that King considered to be his flaws.As Dyson has repeatedly warned us not to be overly reverential, he might ask whether he elevates Shakur or denigrates King.At several points, Dyson acknowledges the significant point that the difference is that King regretted his less admirable traits and the Hip Hop artists seem to celebrate them, but then he ignores that insight for most of the chapter. The best he seems to be able to come up with is to argue that Hip Hop artists are also angry, but it is what King did with his anger that made him great.

I also wonder about how fair Dyson was to the King family (chapter 12). He mentions in the middle of the chapter that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was insensitive to the needs of a family with modest means suddenly bereft of its breadwinner.Coretta King's attempts to profit by King's legacy are not systematically reviewed in light of her need to support a family, let alone her desire to create the King Center. King's failure to provide for his family in the event of an early death that he was sure was coming may be seen as a failingto equal his marital infidelities.Dyson is a bit vague about the King family's track record as activists, especially Coretta King, which would give them a bit more moral standing. Still, Dyson raises some very good points about the difference between inheriting copyright and inheriting moral standing. I found this to be one of the most interesting chapters.

Praise, unfortunately, always seems to be briefer than criticism; this is a book worth reading for those contemplating the legacy of King and remembering the distance that we still have to go.Be sure to read the notes, as they often contain a great deal of information, and can be very interesting. The book includes a bibliography and index.

Testify!
I find it very refreshing when a product of multiculturalism throws a wrench in the system and violently turns against his masters.In this provocative (though unsurprisingly silenced) work of pop scholarship college diversity program poster-child and hip hop "expert" Eric Dyson sets to work on deconstructing the white-washed image of Martin Luther King, Jr. that the American left has successfully promoted without opposition for the past four decades.

But wait a minute, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American patriot, someone who was deeply devoted to the ideals of its Founding Fathers and simply wanted to tinker with a few of the more archaic aspects of American society (Jim Crow) so that everyone could at least have a fair shot at the American Dream.I must admit that up until a few months ago I was captured (more like poisoned) by this ridiculous myth, probably more so than most even.The story of King's life seemed so inspiring, who wouldn't want to believe in it?

Turns out pretty much everything taught about MLK in public schools are at best half truths and all of the most hideous aspects of his life go completely unmentioned.As Dyson tells us, the truly radical aspects of King's ideology - such as his close association with the American Communist Party - are silenced specifically to keep African Americans in check.Undoubtedly, but these facts are suppressed specifically to keep suspicious whites in a state of unthinking, unquestioning silence as much as anyone else.Dyson didn't have to dig very much to uncover this information, even King's closest associates and biggest financial backers were Communists.

Dyson also quotes some of King's most damaging speeches and interviews on economics that leave little doubt about what King's larger social and economic objectives actually were."Oh, gee willickers!," the multiculturalist will scream, tearing the hair from his head, "You've got it all wrong - King only promoted the positive aspects of Communism."Well that all depends on just what you think the "positive" aspects of Communism really are.Let's see, King patently endorsed the redistribution of wealth, destruction of the military, labor's seizure of private business, abolition of private property...oh but don't worry, no Gulags!

Predictably the trail of putrid scandal doesn't end there.In what has become a recurring theme amongst American leftists King possessed a voracious and positively uncontrollable appetite for cheap prostitutes.The point in mentioning this type of degenerate behavior at all is so Dyson can tie King's participation in the Civil Rights movement to the anti-objectivity counter-revolution that occurred subsequently thereafter.Here as well King was quite an active critic of the military (not JUST Vietnam), did interviews with pornographic magazines, generally did everything in his power to undermine sensible restraints wherever they existed, and ensured that a whole generation was indoctrinated into loving themselves and living for themselves only.Most important in all of these activities by King were the rumblings of what would later become known as "Affirmative Action."

Dyson of course supports this development unconditionally and who could blame him, he is where he is precisely because King and his predecessors (backed by the Federal Government) were able to intimidate employers, agencies, and universities into adopting certain "hiring policies" favorable to African Americans.Noticably missing however in this book is elaboration on King's despicable intellectual dishonesty and theft (60% of his doctoral thesis at Boston University was stolen from another student) of other people's work throughout the entirety of his career.

The story of "Dr." King is not an entirely uncommon one for political figures and needless to say his story is hardly inspiring.Indeed, it's typical even for the most violent political leaders to take a relatively egalitarian approach in the beginning, only to shed this facade once they start gathering steam in favor of uncompromising authoritarianism.Vladimir Lenin was an outspoken critic of the Czar and railed against the regime for its suppression of political speech, exploitation of the working class, and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.Well, we all know how that turned out.I seriously doubt that Martin Luther King, Jr. was any different.Just as another reviewer pointed out, if he were alive today I'm sure he'd be right there with Al Sharpton and Jesse falsely accusing random college students of rape, petitioning to get O.J. Simpson reduced bail, and doing anything he possibly could to exacerbate whatever racial tensions still exist in this country.

Why Dyson thinks this new version of King is great for black folks is anyone's guess, frankly I don't care.I'm just glad I don't have to listen to this hippy nonsense anymore and for that I am thankful.

An interesting expose
I agree with Dr. King's message of harmony and peace.At the same time I can appreciate Dyson's exposure of aspects of King's personal life that most authors do not address (an obvious exception is "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down").In a very real sense it leads to questioning Dr. King's sincerity in asking others to value the character of a person and not the color of their skin.Dr. King was an admirable figure in American history; I wouldn't go as far as the author in saying he might be the most important American ever; that's a bit over the top. I've read a lot on the subject; this book is worth reading.

Fascinating
I have always been fascinated with Dr. King as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. I love the work that Dr. Dyson did in writing this book, because he is authentic in talking about Dr. King the man - strengths, weaknesses and all - while exposing the myths about him. Being African-American, I can understand why many within our community woud want to scold Dr. Dyson for exposing Dr. King's dirty laundry. I, however, consider it not only essential, but relevant that we talk about the true humanity of our leaders (espcially one as esteemed as Dr. King) to avoid the danger of us elevating them as idols. It is a great reminder that God uses people (albeit flawed people) for magnificent works in a fallen world. This is a great book that I highly recommed!! ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 8675 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Race and politics in histories of the 20th-century US working class.(Behind the Backlash: White Working-Class Politics in Baltimore, 1940-1980; Victory at Home: Manpower and Race in the American South During World War II; Civil Rights Unionism: Tobacco Workers and the Struggle for Democracy in the Mid-Twentieth Century South; Black Freedom Fighters in Steel: The Struggle for Democratic Unionism)(Book review)
Author: John Hendrix Hinshaw
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 56Page: 251(17)

Article Type: Book review

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2007. The length of the article is 9258 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Militant mothers fight poverty: the Just Society Movement, 1968-1971.(RESEARCH NOTE / NOTE DE RECHERCHE)
Author: Margaret Hillyard Little
Publication: Labour/Le Travail (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 59Page: 179(19)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more