Chicken Soup for the African American Soul: Celebrating and Sharing Our Culture, One Story at a Time (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

I had shunned the chicken soup series a few years ago. As inspirational as they were they were not representative of the diversity in the western world and too eurocentric. When I heard about this book I thought I'd give it a try and it's nice to read something different yet very inspirational at the same time. It helped me understand a culture different from mine yet similar at the same time. I hope a chicken soup for the south asian's soul will be next, profiling stories of those who trace their origins to the indian subcontinent and relating to their religions, cultural values and so forth in the north american context.

I have read many in the chicken Soup for the Soul series and like me many of you might only buy the ones that seem to call to you like if your a mother you get the mother one and if your a sister you get that one etc... But I tell you this sometimes you learn your best lessons or gain more from books that are not in your normal realm of reading or that has a cultural background that is not the same as yours. I mention this because I am Caucasian/American Indian and I learned more and received more from this book in the series than any other one I have read. The stories made me laugh, cry and rejoice! Here are some of my favorites in the order in which I was moved by their stories... Confessions of an Ex-Con By Dennis Mitchell, Something Unbelievable (Mary Spio) , Ripples in the pond (Tyrone Dawkins) The Opening of a New World (Malcom X) Black Children DO read (Wade Hudson) Remembering Eric (Tracy-Clausell- Alexander) In Sickness and in Health ( Dorothy C. Randle) It Runs in the Family (Jarralynne Agee), Life After Death ( Ivonne Pointer). As an avid reader and member of Oprah's book club I read a lot of books. "Confessions of an Ex-Con" by Dennis Mitchell was one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. WOW, talking about someone who has overcome obstacles and uses those experiences in his seminars to help others transform their lives! This book is a MUST read. My life has been forever changed for the better. Dennis Keep using the talents God has given you to make a difference.

I happen to be one of the contributors of this edition of Chicken Soup. So, since I'm privy to some inside information... let me just say that this Chicken Soup was way past overdue. Maybe precisely because of this, the stories in this book are simply a powerhouse collection. If you are a fan of the Chicken Soup series, or you love to read a good story, or you simply need something to lift your soul, you've go to read this book. When I finally got my hands on a copy of this book, of course I read my story first; but then, my husband and I cuddled in bed and started to read each story one by one. Until 2 AM that morning, we were enthralled by every single piece. Needless to say, for the following week this became our bedtime reading. Some stories made us laugh out loud, some made us cry, some made us simply go mmhm, but every single one made us celebrate the uniqueness of our heritage. When you buy this book, don't keep it to yourself. Give it as a gift (Christmas, New Year, birthdays, anniversaries, appreciation) to all your friends (the white ones too) and relatives. This is a gift that will last a lifetime and one that we should pass on from generation to generation. It is indeed the story of how we've overcome, and how we keep on doing it time and time again. By the way, our favorite stories (all of them really), but here's our "bestest" list: Five Garbage Bags and a Dream,The Lady at the Bus Stop, Over the Wall, My Father's Son, Where's Your Notebook?, The Fragile Eight, A Hardworking Man's Hand, Light at the End of the Tunnel, At the End of My Block, Lord When Will This Journey End?, I Owe You an Apology, Sister I'm Sorry, The Nod, Guess Who We're Playing?, Angels All Around,Living History, Hand-Me-Down Love, It Runs in the Family, The Bionic Woman is Black, A Magical Moment with Ali.....

The light shines in this compilation of uplifting stories of the strength, power and resilience of African Americans. From its opening story until the final chapter, the reader is standing in triumph of how wonderful we are as African Americans. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SOUL engages the readers with stories that inspire, empower and strengthen African-Americans. The stories are placed into categories that best suit the feelings that are trying to be invoked. The chapters include: From Strong Roots, Celebrating Family, Triumph and Resilience, Accepting Me Loving You, Praise, Worship and Prayer, Lessons Learned and Making A Difference. There are stories written by unknown authors and authors such as Maya Angelou, Leslie Banks, Tracy Price-Thompson, Dr. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. All the stories were wonderfully written and felt so timely in that they convey feelings of strength that one would garner from stories that relish in our beauty and strength as African Americans. Although I enjoyed all the stories presented, there were a few that really embraced me with their warmth they include: Fried Chicken and Collard Greens, More Alike Than Different, Cold Hands, Warm Heart, A Magical Moment With Ali and Life After Death. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOUL builds upon the foundation of strong, resilient and purposeful people. It illustrates that our strong groundwork has helped to make us the people that we are today. Through slavery, discrimination, poverty and statistics that have killed many of our dreams, we still persevere and this book reinforces the realness of the culture. Readers will be proud of this collection and no matter what race, everyone will gain a little light of understanding from a group of strong people whose souls have been enriched from the past, present and future. Reviewed by Cashana Seals of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

At a time when books, music, movies and television produce many negative images of African Americans, this book is a gentle flow of warm air on the cold hard thoughts about African American people. This book is written for all people. You come away from the stories with a new appreciation of a people who are almost never portrayed in a positive light. Lisa Nichols has gathered stories that will warm your heart and inspire you to evaluate your position on certain issues. This is not the typical collection of stories which blame men or other races. These stories celebrate the African American culture with examples of love, kindness with a few miracles to dropped in. My favorite story is by Mike Jones, he gives a pure loving tribute to the multicultural aspect of this country.