Chocolate Thoughts: Short Stories, Essays, and Poetry from the Hearts and Minds of Real Black Men

I have never read a book that spoke so much to the issues I have had with Black men in my own life. The stories concerning love and relationships are real. They touch you way deep down inside. At times my emotions were all over the place. Some of the stories regarding love are so beautiful that it made me just melt on the spot. Every one of the short story, essay and poetry resulted in me gaining unbelievable insight into Black men. I will forever be different and see Black men as different. In some cases that is better and in other cases that isn't good, but that is life. I like it so much that I purchased two more books even before I finished the book. Chocolate Thoughts was so good I wanted other people I care about to read what I was reading so that we can talk about it. This is definitely the type of book that is going to cause many a conversation. You will find yourself laughing, crying and praying. I will never forget Chocolate Thoughts and never will you.

I loved the writings. My heart was moved. Chocolate Thoughts is definitely going to be one of the hottest books out. Reading all of the writings through first person gives the reader a level of connection and kept me interested. Lately, I have had only tears of frustration and hurt, but the reading of Chocolate Thoughts brought tears of joy and laughter. I was moved by the writings because it challenged me to think about how I look at my own views and past relationships. One of the best things about Chocolate Thoughts is that you feel as if you're getting secret information that nobody else is privileged to know about concerning Black men. Clearly I enjoyed it and recommend it with a smile.

If every man could love and appreciate their mate with such conviction that nature itself takes notice of that particular relationship, our society would most certainly be a different world. We fail miserably in knowing that it is not how much you love but the way in which we love. Mr. Guitard through the simplistic eloquence of his literary ability has definitely demonstrated that. Superbly written, I herald his work. He truly must be a scholar of Langston Hughes and James Baldwin.

In Chocolate Thoughts, it appears that one very intuitiveauthor has been able to capture the essence of the Black man. The "man" or "men" in the essays go from being angry frustrated in "Time Bomb" to syrupy sweet in "Who's Fault Is It". This book reinforces what I have always believed: Black men experience a full range of emotions - not just the anger and machismo that are often used to hide their vulnerability. It is comforting to hear such varied thoughts and feeling of our Black men in a down-to-earth, yet intellectual, and non-X-rated voice.

I have never had the pleasure of knowing a love so true as described in "Dedicated To You". Reading my eyes teared. I want to know the type of love that can be equated with that of Jesus' love for his people. You have me thristy for that type of love. I never conceived the notion that a man could ever love a woman so deeply. Just the fact that love must have been felt before describing in writing, a ffirms the fact that it does exist and leaves the reader hungry for more. I want to know more about this person. I want to know how they attained this level of happiness and completion. I must say that I went to sleep last night imagining a love so true and almost convinced myself