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Brother West: Living And Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (2009)

by Cornel West(Favorite Author)

4.04 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1401921892 (ISBN13: 9781401921897)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

SmileyBooks

review 1: after an extended hiatus from writing/publishing, a memoir was not the work expected from Brother West. Needless 2say, more than a few academics were annoyed by this output. As an aspiring writer/intellectual, I found this piece helpful considering the fact that I have a Cornel West Reader in my stacks. This text is a bit of an orientation into reading the jack-leg public intellectual bluesman. However, the book's co-writer David Ritz doesn't make West nearly as intriguing and tragic as Marvin Gaye in Ritz's Divided Soul. Dr. West is an Everyman compared to Marvin.
review 2: Prior to this book, I knew Cornel West in theory. Now I feel as if I know him a little better in spirit and truth. Plainly put, he’s incredible. His journey has been noteworthy and excee... moredingly adventurous. Since I was so moved by his thoughts on various subjects, I will allow him to speak for himself. Do yourself a favor and add this book to your library.p.41 On Identity:“But the simple truth is that I’m a Christian bluesman in the life of the mind and a Christian jazzman in the world of ideas.”p.59: On Teaching“A teacher. A professor. Connecting the life of the mind to the struggle for freedom. That was it. That would be my life. And just as on that day in the winter of 1961 when, with Brother Cliff, I committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, on this winter day of 1970 I committed to the vocation of teaching. From that time forward, I have never veered from either commitment.”p.160: On Relationships“We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence. Now, the degree to which these values are eroding is the degree to which there cannot be healthy relationships. And if there are no relationships then there is only the joining of people for the purpose of bodily stimulation.”p.183: On Loss“This is when we find out what we are about on the deepest level. We have no choice but to live with this loss, to absorb this terrible blow and see if the wound it inflicts upon our soul can move us to love with even greater purpose and energy.”p.183: On Love“We are who we are because somebody loved us. To be is to be loved.”p.202: On Being Broke“I’d had folk come up to me and say, “Brother West, I’ll never forget the time you reached into your pocket and gave me $300 cause I couldn’t pay the rent.” And the funny thing is, I was behind on my own rent. If I have it and somebody else needs it, its theirs.p.209: On Writing“I could literally feel the fire emanating from my pen to paper- since I’ve never owned or used a computer.”p.216: On Paideia“Paideia represents an unfathomable education in which self-examination and service to others produces a mature, compassionate person willing to speak, live, and sacrifice for truth.”p.225: On Cancer“The irony is that in my life, shot through with terrifying death shudders, I felt no terror in the face of the cancerous threat of death. In fact, I felt a proud sense of gratitude in having been alive, in being alive, and remaining alive after the surgery.”p.236: On Being Teachable“To be teachable is to muster the courage to listen generously, think critically, and be open to the ambiguity and mystery of life.”p.246: On Purpose“….your crucial tasks in life remain the same as mine—to make it from womb to tomb with grace and dignity such that your contributions leave the world better than you found it. The true measure of your humanity will rest upon the depth of your love and the quality of your service to others." less

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