Book Reviews
B OOK
R EVIEWS
by Kam
Williams
‘Blacklash — How
Obama and the Left Are
Driving Americans to the
Government Plantation’
“There is this strange
notion that because I am
black I should agree with all
black people… I don’t like
Obama because he’s doing
a horrible job…President
Barack Obama’s adminis-
tration has advanced poli-
cies that are taking the
country backward and his
spending habits are out of
control…
I also don’t like the way
some of the old-school black
leaders have created and
perpetuated a message of
victimization among their
black constituents… almost everything I was exposed to
growing up was wrong... ”
— Excerpted from the Introduction
‘Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to
Happily Living & Loving Together’
J
amillah and David Lamb’s love
story is a rarity, a real-life fairy-
tale. They’ve pretty much
remained inseparable since falling in
love at first sight, and God has recent-
ly blessed their union with a delightful
daughter, Kaira.
And to think that heir paths could
just as easily never crossed. After all,
he was born and raised in New York
City and she in Chicago, and they
attended college in different cities.
But fate came into play after gradua-
tion, when they both were hired by the
same investment firm, even though
Jamillah was stationed on the West
Coast, while David was on the East
Coast. One day, his head was turned
by the picture of an attractive col-
league in a staff photo on the office
wall, and he said to himself, “I’m
going to marry that girl.”
So, he made it his business to meet
Jamillah, and when the two were final-
D
eneen Borelli is an African-American conservative
whose message of limited government has made her
very popular with the Tea Party movement. Lately,
she’s been a frequent guest on such Fox News Network
shows as Fox & Friends, Geraldo Rivera, Sean Hannity and
Neil Cavuto, to name a few.
Ms. Borelli apparently has a number of bones to pick with
the black community, starting with taking President Obama
to task for “turning America into a welfare nation.” A big
hint that she might have an anti-Obama agenda is the fact
that she placed a blurb from TV host Glenn Beck on the
front cover of her new book, “Blacklash.”
Yes, that’s the same Glenn Beck who once unapologeti-
cally referred to the president as a “racist… with a deep-
seated hatred for white people.” Deliberate polarization
appears to be an approach which resonates with Ms. Borel-
li, who begins by quoting some of the hateful tweets and
emails which have been directed her way.
While the vile comments she picked to reprint certainly
were uncalled for, I am sure she’s also received plenty of
other letters criticizing her political point-of-view without
ever resorting to cursing or slurs. Even I have occasionally
been the butt of snarky remarks which went way over the
line, but I prefer to dismiss such attacks as the rants of the
lunatic fringe rather than give them any credibility.
By contrast, for some reason, Ms. Borelli sees a need to
inform her readers on page 1 that she’s been called a “Tea-
bagging [N-word]” and a “white [B-word]” and worse. I
guess that’s supposed to generate sympathy.
However, it struck me as a transparent attempt to play the
victim, which is ironic because she is particularly fond of
excoriating black folks for having a victim mentality that
keeps them stuck on the “government plantation.” With
incendiary chapter headings like “How Black Leaders Fail
Us” and “The NAACP as Liberal Front Group,” “Black-
lash” is otherwise basically a boring rehash of right-wing
Republican talking points.
Besides Obama and blacks in general, Ms. Borelli takes
potshots at many advocates of African-American causes:
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Reverend Al Sharpton,
Reverend Jesse Jackson, even the First Lady. The only thing
that makes the book unique is the fact that jaw-dropping
assertions like “Welfare is an incentive for women to keep
pumping out babies” in this case happen to be coming from
the lips of an African-American female.
All I ask of my readers is that you keep any feedback you
have for the author of “Blacklash” civil, however misguid-
ed the self-hating sister might be.
Page 12 The Portland and Seattle Skanner April 11, 2012
ly introduced at the company’s Cali-
fornia headquarters, they instantly fell
head-over-heels for each other. The
couple’s feelings only intensified dur-
ing their whirlwind courtship and con-
tinued to be nourished by their
marriage, partnering as entrepreneurs,
and starting a family.
Given how Jamillah and David had
flourished seeming so effortlessly, it
was only natural that, over the years,
friends would frequently urge them to
share the secrets of their success with
the world. The upshot of that sugges-
tion is Perfect Combination: Seven
Key Ingredients to Happily Living &
Loving Together, a book that is as
much an introspective memoir as it is
an instructional how-to tome.
As producers of the hit Off-Broad-
way play ‘Platanos Y Collard Greens’
it makes sense that they chose to pub-
lish their sage insights in recipe form.
Thus, each chapter ends with a sum-
mary of “Key Ingredients,” under
headings like “Lighten up!” and “It’s
about balance,” followed by sensible
tips for “Cooking with Love,” such as
“Plan a surprise date for your partner”
and “Write a love letter to each other
describing your first date.”
The precious pearls of wisdom are
served up gourmet chef-style. Consid-
er this cute recipe for finding balance
in a relationship which calls for: “2
Heaping Cups of Appreciation, 1 Cup
of Self-Knowledge, 1 Cup of Modesty
and 1 Cup of Trust.”
An ongoing, Off-Broadway tale of
black-on-black love and devotion
overdue for the limelight!
Originally
Published
on
AALBC.com (The African American
Literature Book Club)
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com