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Ransom bookends her tome on black men in America who have made a positive impact on the lives of all Americans, both historically and at present, with original poetry at the beginning and end. Her words call upon readers to “Respect Yourself and Others,” and then, “Chase Your Dreams.” “Have hope for the future which is essential. And live up to your full potential,” the educator advises in the first while insisting in the latter that one “Stand up for what is fair and right. It does not matter your height. Have empathy, sympathy, and compassion for others. In God’s eyes, we should treat each other as brothers.”
The real substance of the book consists of the nearly 150 pages in between, where a range of black men’s lives and their unique contributions to our society and world are examined and celebrated, each individual occupying his own chapter, complete with basic biographical information and specifics of their differing significant causes and outstanding impacts on society. Ransom includes such diverse individuals as George Floyd, Tyler Perry, Barack Obama, Stephen Harvey, John Carlos, Muhammad Ali, Emmett Till, John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Jessie Owens, Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Charles Richard Drew, Dr. Ralph Bunche, Dick Rowland, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, Elijah McCoy, Nat Turner, Fredrick Douglas, Benjamin Banneker, and too many more to mention in this space. Doctors and inventors, politicians and sports heroes alike, all of the people whose life stories are encapsulated in this marvelous collection share the following in common: they are male, they are black, and, despite harrowing societal conditions and, in many of these cases, either being born into slavery or only one or two generations removed from such, they each in their own way rose to the top of their respective fields and made an absolute difference for the better, for all.
Ransom, it seems, was born to write this book. Her scholarship on the subject and the apparent passion the author is guided by in selecting and sharing the inspiring stories of these men shine through on each page, from beginning to end. Each chapter (and thus, each featured individual) includes artwork and photography to further illustrate and place into perspective the lives of these individuals. Further, at the end of the work of biographical and historical nonfiction, a selection of full-color photographs of the author and her husband (aka Papa Joe), family, and friends showcases in endearing terms the couple’s social group (such as one taken on a Bay cruise), travel throughout the country with family and fellow RV group members, and participation in barbeque cook-off competitions. This personalization of the author and her family, at the book’s end, serves as a nice touch, both visually and in terms of rounding out a bit more about the book’s creator. Taken as a whole, there is much within these pages for readers to enjoy—and much material, undoubtedly, from which one can learn about important work by black men in America, impressively spanning from the early 1730s to the present day.