Kam Williams

Book review: The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House by Roland S. Martin

Wednesday, 03 March 2010 15:39 Kam Williams

“On February 10, 2007, Barack Hussein Obama stood before thousands waiting in the cold in front of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois and made his intentions known: he was running for president. This book traces tracks this journey through my eyes as I covered the improbable road to the presidency of Obama...

Book review: Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays

Tuesday, 29 December 2009 17:33 Kam Williams

“Christmas provides the occasion for a large amount of spending… In the U.S., retail sales during the month of December tower visibly over the volume in adjacent months. What’s distinctive about all this spending… is that the choices are not made by the ultimate consumers… As a result, the massive holiday spending [does] a terrible job matching products with users... To make matters worse, we do much of this spending with credit, going into hock using money we don’t yet have to buy things that recipients don’t really want.”

Book review: Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats

Friday, 27 November 2009 15:52 Kam Williams

“I didn’t know the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, other than to nod hello on those occasions when I saw her at jazz clubs… Mutual friends told me she was press shy… What little we know of her life tantalizes… I heard stories about the fabled Rothschild heiress and friend to such musical titans as Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey and Charlie Parker…

(Book review) Between Good and Ghetto: African-American Girls and Inner-City Violence

Thursday, 19 November 2009 16:20 Kam Williams

“The lives of the inner-city girls and young women profiled in this book are deeply influenced by violence of various kinds. It is not uncommon for adolescent, inner-city girls to witness or directly encounter gun violence associated with drug dealers’ disputes, threats of interpersonal violence, or sexual and dating violence. The everyday world that shapes their ideas and actions is not, however, likely to be familiar to many readers...

Book review: The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 17:07 Kam Williams

“One of the things I’ve heard a lot from young brothers and sisters during my recent travels is ‘I want a woman like Michelle’ or ‘Why can’t I meet a together brother like Barack?’ In truth, they might be that person every day. These young people are seeing the finished product, the result of years and years of work and struggle…

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