Legit Baller

Average customer rating:

Local Boy does good!

Disappointed

Horrible at best

Great Read

Legit Baller by Jerry Blackshear: An PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review

Legit Baller
Jerry Blackshear
Manufacturer: Black Pearl Books Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0976600722
Release Date: 2005-06-30

Product Description

Jay Bernard has been dedicated to his craft as a baller. That is, until his deeds land him a 14-year bid in the Federal Pen on drug-charges.

Customer Reviews:

Local Boy does good!.......2006-05-22

I remember J.B. from High School, and he was a pleasant person to be around.
I read this book in 2 days and the only problem I had with it was the GRAMATICAL ERRORS!

Personally I think that Mr. Blackshear's Editor and proof-readers FAILED HIM! At one point, I remember reading the same paragraph twice...Who's fault is that?
The storyline was good, but Mr. Blackshear needs to shop around another deal, and have someone PROOF-READ the novel, and reproduce it under another company.

Disappointed.......2006-01-22

I am a real fan of "urban drama" novels and buy at least two every week. However, this book disappointed me terribly; it took me three weeks to read. What was missing? The grit? the street scene in full detail? I don't know, but I usually go through a book in two to three days. This one left me hungry for something else.

Horrible at best.......2005-12-15

I was able to get through the first few chapters of this book. The story was not able to flow very well as the book is overrun with slang terms (he keeps interjecting to explain the meanings) that I swear he must have made up in his shower, b/c depending on what part of the states you are from you will not understand. It is a typical tale of a hustler on lockdown who has Ms. Perfect (educated, intelligent, affluent with a great career) who hangs on his every word praying for the years to go by as she patiently waits for him to be released and get his "legit hustle on". It is also full of typos (who the heck proofreads these things). Unfortunately this book feeds into a lot of stereotypes about African Americans, but I suppose an upside to the situation could be that it at least has black folks reading (even if it is something from this junk-filled literary genre).

Great Read.......2005-10-21

Jerry Blackshear did his thing. This book was off the chain. It was a story about a guy named Jay who made mistakes and had to pay for them with years of his life. Not only did he have to worry about keeping himself out of trouble when he was released, he had to juggle his feelings between 2 different women. Trust me if and when you buy this book, you will not be disappointed. I finished the book in 2 days, and enjoyed every minute of it. Don't pass this book up, it is too great to.

Legit Baller by Jerry Blackshear: An PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review.......2005-08-24

Legit Baller by Jerry Blackshear is the story of one man's struggle is stay legit despite old habits and the streets trying to pull him back in. When we first meet Jay Bernard, he is on lockdown and while there Jay has lost his girl Kim, and the Feds have taken everything......his life as he knew it has changed. While incarcerated, Jay's best friend since grade school Summer proves to be a true friend and they fall in love and prepare for life together once Jay gets out.....of course, there are obstacles but they find their way to each other, as Summer is the Bonnie to his Clyde. After Jay is released earlier than expected, he is determined to be legit and start a new life with Summer. For a while, things seem to go well but Kim, the woman who left when Jay needed her the most is determined to win him back and her boyfriend Paris, the man who took over when Jay got locked up begins to think of Jay as a rival and a confrontation between them sets off a chain of events that may once again land Jay back on lockdown. Legit Ballers is a great urban drama, it is a page-turner from beginning to end. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!! I give this book 4 stars!! Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks

Customer Reviews:

Warning a lot of this is text analyzing scripture.......2007-07-22

The majopr weakness of this volume is that a significant chunk of the last portion of it is dense text wit ha few illustrations on each page of Cerebus analysizing and interpreting the early books of the Torah. I actually don't mind religous comics in fact find them interesting but this isn't comics it's dense not very well written text- if you are interested in Cerebus and comics this books lacks a lot of the quality comics found in earlier volumes. If yo uare interested in Judeo Christian religous interpretations and analysis- my guess is yo uwould be better off with a realo text discussion of the issue than this non-graphic novel.

Next to Scripture, the Most Important Text You'll Ever Read.......2004-08-21

What Dave Sim and Gerhard have accomplished within these pages is of monumental value, both to yourself and to the history of art, theology, and human society. Studying this book has changed my life in several important and positive ways. It is a remarkable introduction to perceiving the shackles and underpinnings of our civilization's warped and manifold ideologies. "Latter Days" may possibly lead the reader to the straight and narrow path of redemption and salvation. Plus, it's extremely funny and beautifully rendered. Possibly the most well-invested $30 you'll ever spend. It's demanding material (thought-wise), but the notes are very helpful and Dave Sim is one of the most lucid, seamless, and orderly writers of English ever. Although it's volume 15 of a single story, I would argue that it's self-contained, and can be enjoyed without additional books. (Of course, I had to start studying the Bible to see for myself...) CONTEMPLATE. THIS. COMIC. BOOK. BEFORE. IT'S. TOO. LATE.

The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (Religion in America)

Average customer rating:

What weight or legitimacy does a label like heresy have in a Democratic society?
An analysis of the hows & whys of Mormon persecution

The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (Religion in America)
Terryl Givens
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0195101839

Book Description

Nineteenth-century American writers frequently cast the Mormon as a stock villain in such fictional genres as mysteries, westerns, and popular romances. The Mormons were depicted as a violent and perverse people--the "viper on the hearth"--who sought to violate the domestic sphere of the mainstream. While other critics have mined the socio-political sources of anti-Mormonism, Givens is the first to reveal how popular fiction, in its attempt to deal with the sources and nature of this conflict, constructed an image of the Mormon as a religious and social "Other."

Customer Reviews:

What weight or legitimacy does a label like heresy have in a Democratic society?.......2007-03-19

1. Inquisition: The heretic has always been a much graver threat to spiritual solidarity than the infidel. The fires of the Inquisition scorched the lapsed Christian or deviant believer, not the professing Jew or the Muslim.
2. Authority: If the believer accepts whatever is as origin or primary, then anything else is schism or apostasy from the primal, sanctioned order, and authority may legitimately identify and censure such deviance wherever it occurs.
3. Enlightenment: Doctrines peculiar to the LDS: 1. Miracles can be wrought by faith 2. Special revelations are now being given to men through Prophets, Seers, and revelators. 3. The nature of God is not a mystery. Givens says, "Mystification is a concomitant of such discontinuity and is the very heart of Christian tradition." Charles Dickens says Mormonism can be seen as "the refusal to endow its own origins with the mystic transcendence, while endowing those origins with universal import since they represent the implementation of the fullest gospel dispensation ever." "The typical Mormon conception of a miracle is that the miraculous event, though entirely natural, is simply not understood."
4. Republican values: Given the American tradition of innovation and independence and hostility towards authoritarianism and conformity, the attacks on Mormon heresy seem odd. What weight or legitimacy does a label like heresy have in a Democratic society? In American society every Christian doctrine has been widely debated and discussed. Debate, forums, freedom of speech has been fundamental rights protected by Republican government values. "Christians have argued, often passionately, over every conceivable point of Christian doctrine from the filioque to the immaculate conception" . Stephen Robinson states, Mormons are labeled heretics for "opinions and practices that are freely tolerated in other main stream denominations." Freedom of Religion protected and guaranteed religious tolerance and reduced heretical persecutions by a religious governmental entity.
5. Sphere of religion: George Q. Cannon claimed, "the pure Gospel was lost because of propagation, for centuries, by so-called Christian ministers, of the soul destroying and damnable heresy that God cannot or will not speak to man again from the heavens; that God will not reveal his will, send his angels, or exercise his power in the affairs of earth as much as he did in ancient days." Givens says, "What takes Mormonism out of the sphere of religion may be driven by external than internal factors; the shift may be as much a function of rhetorical strategies and political imperatives as it is a consequence of some morphological or sociological evolution". Illinois politicians feared LDS political power. Missourians feared fictional slave revolt myths. Anti-Mormon paralleled many of the same tactics as anti-catholic strategies in the early 1840s. Governor Boggs executive order read in part, as follows, "Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state...Their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you many think necessary...You will proceed immediately to Richmond and there operate against the Mormons." At Far West, the mob had 4,000 men camps nearly with orders from Boggs to exterminate the Mormons. A treaty at Far West allowed the saints to surrender and leave the State.
6. The Christian orthodoxy beliefs are as follows: 1. the Bible as inspired scripture 2. God as a creator 3. Christ as divine redeemer of mankind. Mormonism does not challenge these fundamental tenets claiming the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, Jesus Christ atoned for sin and broke the bands of death through resurrection and Christ is the creator. What Mormonism did challenge was the notion that God spoke to man through prophets, that a great apostasy removed God's authority from the earth, and that a restoration was required; and God reveal new canonical utterances recorded as modern scripture.

An analysis of the hows & whys of Mormon persecution.......1997-08-14

Have you ever wondered at the character of hate and prejudice in a society that claims to revere diversity? Terryl Givens uses the Mormon experience to explain how that happens, and specifically demonstrates the role of fiction in exacerbating persecution.

The book is the result of obvious exhaustive research, and is well put together, the arguments clear and concise. It is, however, a scholarly effort in both approach and language. Keep your dictionary handy. You may need it.

I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and recommend the book to Mormons and non-Mormons alike. It's very interesting.

Book Description

"It's an all-stops-out heart-tugger for sure . . . its emotional wallop is earned honestly and uncompromisingly."-Kevin Thomas, L.A. Times

Winner of the Outstanding First Narrative Feature Award at OUTFest (the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival), and the Best Gay Male Feature Film Award at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Combine a hunky, repressed Mormon missionary and an L.A. party boy, sensual sex and knowing humor, and the result is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Christian is a handsome, young man who flits from guy to guy without much of a thought in his pretty little head. So when his roommate Julie discovers that the gorgeous group of young men who moved in next door are Mormon missionaries, they bet on whether Christian can bed one of them. Christian quickly moves in for the kill, identifying Elder Aaron Davis as a repressed homo-and quite a sexy one at that. Their initial encounters have a charged sexual tension, but fear of the devil keeps Aaron's libido at bay. When the two are alone together, Aaron's Mormon missionary roommates interrupt, spot their brother as gay and send him back in shame to his Idaho hometown and embarrassed parents. But in a heartfelt conclusion that brought festival audiences to their feet, love wins out over fear.

The feature film version of Latter Days will be released in January 2004, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place, Wes Ramsey, Steve Sandvoss and Amber Benson.

C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay for the smash hit film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, and makes his directing debut with Latter Days, for which he also wrote the screenplay.

Customer Reviews:

See the movie instead.......2006-02-20

I never thought I would actually ever say this about a book, but at least in this case, you're better off getting the DVD instead. Unlike most books, this one is based on the screenplay instead of the other way around. The book isn't bad, but it really falls flat - there isn't nearly enough depth or color to it. To really appreciate the story (which is very good, by the way) watch the movie and see it come alive with some excellent acting and direction.

"What if he's really the one he's been waiting for his whole life?".......2005-11-25

LATTER DAYS at the first glance seems a little out of the ordinary and is almost unconvincing: a WeHo pretty boy with muscles like fully-baked puffy muffins living in a kitschy apartment falls in love with his Mormon missionary neighbor who is in the closet. Christian Markelli is the typical player of the loose-moral, carefree, long-term-relationship shunning bunch who enjoys quick pleasure. Working at a high-end restaurant which makes prey hunting handy, Christian literally has hooked up with every straight male customer and commemorates each steamy encounter with an entry in his PDA.

So when four young Mormon missionaries set us housekeeping in the apartment across the way, Christian and his friends place bets on how long it will take him to capitulate Elder Aaron Davis, the apple-cheeked, broad-shouldered evangelist who jolts his heart with love at first sight. Christian is stunned; he cannot make out of what it is that is so attractive about this young missionary. For Aaron the encounter evokes his repressed, closeted sensuality rooted in him. Aaron has nursed himself in the safety of the past, and in absolute obeisance to the ways of life the church has so diligently inculcated in him. He does not dare to reciprocate his affection to Christian for fear of harsh persecution from his colleagues.

Above the comic inserts and episodes surrounding the budding romance between the two hangs the significant ideas of self-discovery, revelation, love, for both Aaron and Christian. Aaron has negotiated with himself, and with God, the consequence of the sin of homosexuality but at the same time nudges closer to the tender thought of Christian, who has heartedly declared his love for him. Aaron's discomfit escalates at the thought of his encounters with Christian and throws him into a constant state of enhanced sensuality. Self-discovery of who he is, instead of what he has done, puts him on the mettle to come out to his family and act in defiance of the church's expectations. The strenuous journey to enlightenment affords pain, humiliation and guilt.

For Christian, he has never experienced such an indefinable madness for Aaron has stoically challenged and rebuked his shallow lifestyle. It prompts him to think about true intimacy, about getting to know the person to whom he wakes up in the morning. Christian's revelation is a glum one: that he has been fearful and inept to commitment and true intimacy. At the same time he feels utterly remorseful for getting Aaron into serious trouble with the church.

LATTER DAYS, though a sweeping romantic story it advertises to be, teaches us a lesson or two in relationship. It might have gone a little far with the miracle and the angel's singing but it's what fiction does after all. Neither Aaron nor Christian has ever felt the way he feels about anyone in his entire life - the snuggly feeling that "it's got to mean something." Yet they are both somewhat fearful to conform to this heart's calling. What if he is really the one he's been waiting for his whole life and he lets him go? In a world where everyone dances with one eye on the door, like we are all waiting for that next something better to walk in, LATTER DAYS calls us to be genuine with ourselves and promises the reward will be right around the corner.

Nice and entertaining with useful insights to Gay Mormons.......2005-06-07

Several friends recommended the movie, but I could not find a copy. But I did find the book, and read it. It is a rather slender gay love story, endearing on its own terms, and pleasantly written. It definitely shows its roots as a movie script.

I at first thought the love story implausible, especially the fate of Aaron in dealing with his feelings about his church, until I did some research on the internet, and discovered the Mormon Affirmation web site and Mormon PFLAG. Aaron is lucky to have escaped a worse fate, and to have lived the happy ending in the book.

I have family who are Mormon, and as such am interested in the LDS Church and its teachings, not for myself, but to understand better. This book indeed filled in another piece of the puzzle. I would have hoped, however, that the Mormon background to the story might have been written about with more depth and research.

A Stretch but Charming !.......2004-12-21

Hardly completely plausible, this book is nonetheless a charming and whimsical look at star-crossed lovers who meet in the cross-section of religion and the gay fast lane. Rewarding but not necessarily satisfying.

As you get older, you realize that most cliches are true..........2004-10-18

...so says Anderson Cooper in his latest article in "Details" magazine. I think he's right.
"Latter Days" was fun and moving. No, it wasn't "A Tale of Two Cities", but who needs soggy literature? Our economy sucks, our soldiers are dying, and I, for one, enjoy some decent but lighter entertainment. "Latter Days" isn't fluff, but it's not going to send you off to cut your wrists, either. We need more books like this (and yes, this adaptation is WAY better than the film). We need hope and humanity in the face of the radical religious right. "Latter Days" gives us that.
So, Janeh, get a life. Stop the hard-fisted book reviews and dust off that unpublished manuscript you're obviously holding against other published authors who are enjoying the success you wish you had. I hate sour grapes. Lighten up, and let the rest of us enjoy "Latter Days".

Average customer rating:

thank goodness the book was free
New York???

Cheyenne in New York: A Novel
Jack Weyland
Manufacturer: Bookcraft
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1570089094

Customer Reviews:

thank goodness the book was free.......2004-03-16

I didn't know I was reading a religious book until about 1/3 of the way through. I'm sure this is a good book for the naive mormon girl who doesn't know the real world. The way the main character was depicted in the begining makes his transformation seem unfathomable. If Cheyenne's parents raised her so independent and confident, why would they question her "boyfriend" like she's not an adult and she's not smart enough to make her own choices. I didn't think the storyline was believeable and I believe this book should be kept in the mormon family. If you're not mormon, don't even bother picking it up, not an intelligent read.

New York???.......2003-06-06

I thought Jack Weyland was a sheltered, happy-go-lucky, LDS guy. I thought his books were a little cheezy and were for little girls. Then I read Cheyenne in New York. It was one of the greatest books I've read this year. And I'm in college! He depicted the characters feelings well, and there were unexpected twists in the story. I've had the privilege of having Jack Weyland as my LDS Bishop, and have come to know him. He is an awesome person with a lot of stories to tell, and he tells them well. This book is amazing...not the typical Jack Weyland book! I would reccomend it to anyone of any age...

One in Thine Hand: A Novel Set in Modern Israel

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Great Read
Accurate portrayal of Mormon thought
A fantastic insight into our religious similarities!

One in Thine Hand: A Novel Set in Modern Israel
Gerald N. Lund
Manufacturer: Deseret Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875791255

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2004-04-08

This book teaches a lot not only about history and the 7 days war but also about comming closer to the Savior and what he can mean to each of us.

Accurate portrayal of Mormon thought.......2003-04-13

Summary:
Brad Kennison has just returned from Viet Nam. Before that he served a mission for the Mormon Church. Now, at 24, he isn't sure what he wants to do with his life. Feeling like he needs to get away from Utah, he takes the money he saved up while in the service and heads to Israel - he doesn't know why nor does he know what he is looking for, but Israel is where he feels drawn to. On the way he becomes acquainted with a newly converted Mormon, Ali, who is from Jerusalem, was [type of religion], but was converted to Mormonism while studying in the U.S. Brad and Ali become good friends and Ali helps him get situated in Jerusalem. Brad didn't really have any plans, but hoped to stay in Israel for a couple of months and hopefully find a job.

With Ali's help, Brad is introduced to Levi Shadmi, who owns and runs a hotel. But the person that is really relevant to the story is Levi's daughter, Miri (short for Miriam). Miri is a fireball and ardent Israeli ... Miri and Brad start out as arch enemies, but as they get to know each other better their relationship becomes romantic and they fall deeply into love. But, there is a major problem - Miri is [type of religion] and Brad is Mormon. Both religions look down upon marrying someone outside of the faith, so Miri and Brad have to work that out before their relationship can move ahead.

My Comments:
I gave the book two stars for being fairly well-written and accurately portraying a Mormon mentality. Though I am no expert on the Middle East, it appears that Gerald Lund does have some knowledge of Israel and uses it throughout the novel to good effect. The story itself isn't too bad, though there are some pretty incredulous occurrences (specifically the Rambo-esque scene when Brad, Miri, Nathan, Sarah, and Ali break out of an Egyptian military camp). For the most part, the book makes sense.

As for the drawbacks... Well, the first is the actual premise - that Brad was guided to Israel to find Miri specifically. In a sense, that philosophy does represent the beliefs of some Mormons (among other religious groups) that there is one person that we are destined to find and marry, but, since I no longer believe it, it's kind of a silly plot device. Also, the book is subtly laced with Mormon patriarchal/traditional gender ideology. Especially when Miri pretty much gives up her life, her religion, her family, and her homeland to become a Mormon ... stationed in Salt Lake; feminists would have a heyday with this novel.

But the major criticism I have of the novel is that it is written from a 'Mormons are right' perspective. Though I think Lund is trying to capture the idea that Mormons consider marrying outside of the Church, in the end, Brad would rather give up what could potentially be a wonderful relationship for religion. There are multiple problems with this (perhaps not with the story but with that mentality). First, why does the [type of religion] have to give up her religion to pacify the Mormon? Why can't it be the other way around? Or, why don't they just love each other and continue to believe what they believe? Of course, Lund would argue that both religions, being as exclusive as they are, would punish such an arrangement. He is right, but that leads to my next point - the divisiveness of religion. Throughout the book, whether intentional or not, Lund continuously illustrates how divisive religion can be. Ironically, he portrays Mormonism as being as divisive as say, Judaism and [type of relgion], but the point is that religion is still problem causing. And the last point concerning the 'Mormons are right' perspective is that, though Lund does an accurate job of portraying the Mormon perspective, I don't really know enough about Jews or Muslims to know if he is accurately portraying their perspectives - but I have a sneaking suspicion that he is not. What's more, because Mormonism tends to be as exclusive as it is, Mormons that read this book may actually think that all Jews and Muslims think the way they do in the book and, of course, that they will all eventually convert to Mormonism. Well, in case anyone reading this thinks that way, the chances of all Jews and Muslims converting to Mormonism is between pretty slim and none.

Overall, though the book is interesting, unless you are Mormon, it will leave a nasty after taste - the religious idea that only Mormons are right and everyone else is wrong and must eventually convert. Perhaps the book does some good for Mormons by helping them begin to see other perspectives, but ultimately, the book just argues that the other perspectives are wrong. If you're Mormon, you'll probably enjoy it. If not, well, read it at your own risk.

A fantastic insight into our religious similarities!.......2000-03-31

Gerald Lund has produced a book that looks into three distinct religions, Judaism, Islam and Mormonism and surprisingly, brings them all together in a way that will do nothing but help one procure love for their fellow men. The main character, Brad Kennison, comes to Jerusalem following the Vietnam War hoping to find some meaning and direction in his life. Through his friendship with Ali, the friendly and proud Arab to his love-hate realtionship with Miriam, the shopkeeper's spitfire daughter, Brad finds a lot more than expected and learns lessons about life and religion that change his life...and will change yours as well.

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Shattered, A Novel [Audio Book] 4 CDs

Manufacturer: Covenant
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

[Leather Set] The Work & The Glory [9 Volumes]

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[Leather Set] The Work & The Glory [9 Volumes]
Gerald Lund
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000K3RQMW

[Reprint Edition] Sex Life of Brigham Young

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[Reprint Edition] Sex Life of Brigham Young
Kishkumen Cooper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Return unto me;: A religious novel
Addie Spaulding Stowell
Manufacturer: Pageant Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007G5W1Y

Title of Liberty (A Novel of Helaman & Moroni)

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Title of Liberty (A Novel of Helaman & Moroni)

Manufacturer: Acme Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1555170390

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