Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, April 25, 2001, Page 18, Image 18

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    Page 6
April 25,2001
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Temptations of a Rising Star
BkJALULtLlis_lH«MAi!
W arner B ooks ; 2001
D eb o rah A n n e P e te rso n is
grateful for her loving fam ily,
loyal friends, and the peaceful
Georgia town that has sheltered
her since childhood. But most o f
all, she gives thanks to God for
giving her a phenomenal voice.
Every time D eborah sings her
heart out in church, sh e’s trans­
ported by spiritual jo y and a se­
cret dream o f superstardom that
glorifies God before people all
over the world. Her dream seems
hopeless... until handsom e rap­
p er and hom etow n-boy-m ade-
good Triage Blue hears her sing.
W ith Triage’s help, D eborah’s
dem o tape lands on the desk o f
Lavelle Roberts, one o f the R& B
industry's biggest stars. Before
she knows it, Deborah is hired as
o n e o f L a v e lle ’s g la m o ro u s
backup singers and is plunged
into a lifestyle far beyond her
sm a ll-to w n w ays. U n d e r the
guidance o f sultry singer Phoebe
iffN N EDY SCH oq ,
I**
MeMenamins
G arland, D eborah finds h e rse lf
at the hottest p arties, w earing
in c re d ib ly fan cy c lo th e s, and
m aking m ore m oney than sh e ’d
ev er th ought p o ssib le . In the
m idst o f all the ex citem en t, she
discovers th at her gratitu d e and
affection for the d o w n -to-earth
T riage is b lossom ing into so m e­
thing m ore. Y et in a w orld w here
having it all is n ev er enough and
m e g a -ta le n t c a n ’t sh ie ld you
fro m l o n e lin e s s a n d p a in ,
D eborah is about to face c h a l­
le n g e s sh e n e v e r im a g in e d .
T hrough the sheer, b a c k b re a k ­
ing w ork o f to u rin g - and d e a l­
ing w ith out-o f-co n tro l egos
she m ust w ork harder than ever
to put aside tim e for personal
prayer and w orship. T ested by
the tem ptations o f the road, and
o fT ria g e him self, D eborah m ust
struggle to h o ld fast to her faith.
Paul Robeson
A Legendary Black Renaissance Man
CLASS BEGINS
W ITH A
HEARTY BREAKFAST
Monday through Saturday: 7am to 10:30am
Sunday: 7am to 11:30am
5736 NE 33r<l • Portland, Oregon
/
(503) 249-3983 • w tvw .m cm cnam ins.com
A n A rtist ’ s J ourney , 1898-1939
B y P aul R obeson , J r .
J ohn W iley & S ons , I nc .; 2001
Paul Robeson was inarguablyone
o f the most impressive figures o f the
twentieth century. As this unprec­
edented biography makes clear, the
essential facts o f his life are near
le g e n d a ry .
A c to r,
sin g e r,
scholar .and activist- Robeson domi­
nated his era. His father was an
escaped slave; his mother, a de­
scendant o f distinguished ffeed-
men. With a law degree from Colum-
bia; a professional football career;
title roles inE ugeneO ’N eill’splays
and in Shakespeare’s “Othello”; and
a concert and film career in America
and Europe, Robeson redefined the
black male image.
But an intensely private side o f
Robeson is now revealed in “The
Undiscovered Paul Robeson.” At
last, we can know the whole man.
Here is the intimate story ofhow the
preacher’s son emerged as a force
o f breathtaking courage, principle,
and compassion.
Haunted by childhood trauma
and pitted against brutal racists, he
battled against his enemies with a
w arrior’s heart. G uided by his
father’s credo - the importance o f
living up to his own potential, and
the strong belief in his ability to
achieve - he looked at the entire
human race as a single, though di­
verse, family o f equals. Although
his youth spanned the Harlem Re­
naissance and the rise o f the Ku
Klux Kian, he resisted politics for
years. Later, flowering as an artist in
Europe, he emerged as a fierce sym ­
bol o f anti-colonial and antifascist
struggles around the world. This
was the powerful Paul Robeson who
returned to New York as a superstar,
ready to challenge America to keep
his promise.