Hi Dena:

I guess what floors me is Oprah's quote...no great selection of books out there. "books worth sharing had become harder to find". Granted there are lots of trashy or so-so books authored by boldface names. Probably it was purely a business decision

I saw Oprah at a party last week for the women's cable and internet programmer, Oxygen. She's a partner and was there to celebrate its 2nd year. I believe it was the day that the above news hit the press. My thoughts were about how this "little colored girl from the deep South" has come to influence the media and what America reads. I'm very proud of her.

Like you, my buying decisions haven't been influenced by her endorsements. But I do pick up a book and wonder why she thought it was a great read.

When I go to the African-American book section, I'm often disappointed by the titles. The themes are always about our oppression, our anger, our drugged out lives and our defeat. It's hard to find books about our triumph over slavery, our contribution to the Americas and in other parts of the world. Instead we get a steady stream of "Bull Whip Days"...sorry but I hate that title...or "I snatched your Mama's pocketbook because I am a revolutionary.."

We have many many talented authors whose books are not promoted or published by the giants in industry.

So it's up to Afrigeneas and other important African-American cultural organizations to move the stories penned from our hearts into the mainstream.

K