Cheryl WhiteDear

40 years of stunning and startling NBA photography that takes your breath away. The poetic quality of this piece of work fills one with awe. You become a child again and want to cut out and frame all your favorites! Some of the greatest-of-all-time defining moments with history-making basketball memories spanning the first five decades of Nathaniel Butler's career. It makes perfect sense, that someone of Nate's caliber would take on this thrilling task. Butler allows us a courtside seat, just like the celebrity fan boys and girls who follow their favorite players across the globe. These NBA legends include Patrick Ewing, Steph Curry, Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Bill Russell, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, David Robinson, Dennis Rodman, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, and many more, and of course my beloved Jason Tatum. Just wish there had been more pics of the 18th banner-hanging 2024 Championship winning, Boston Celtics present team - Bring on banner 19! The images are sweeping and grand, and the exciting thing about this effort is that it transports you back to when you saw it live on TV or if lucky enough, in person. That personally, emotionally, up close experience is priceless. You can even feel the rhythm and it leaves you wanting more!. Though photography is mostly about light and lighting, Nate's capturing of specific moments in time is an extraordinary accomplishment. Mr. Butler, we hail your genius!

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s account of her lived experiences is one of hope and above all, hard work. America’s first Black woman Supreme Court Justice is a force to be reckoned with, a woman who believes in "know thyself", and has an I'll-show-them attitude! As the first Black woman ever confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, she took her seat on June 30, 2022, forever securing her place in history, a place unlike any her parents or grandparents dreamed of for her. What makes a story, a memoir interesting? Hard to say, it's not just a recounting of events. It's how those events build, escalate, plateau, peak, and any number of things that speak to mass appeal. I'm not sure why this story exactly doesn't *feel* interesting, but it just isn't, and I thought it would be. Maybe just a slow start. Ketanji tell her story of a bright, young thing, who only ever wanted to be the best at everything! Which she was, setting the future pattern for her life. She had the discipline, dedication, commitment and focus the path she was on called for, and it was obvious she was equal to the task. She is so very lucky to have found a life partner in Patrick Jackson, a Boston Brahmin surgeon she met as an undergraduate at Harvard. So lucky to be walking through this world with him, in step with a temperament suitability that is lovely. I hope they continue to love each other forever and grow old in unity. KBJ speaks on her talent, intellect, legal ability and two impressive degrees not buying much cache, afterall ... she was just another woman in this man's world. Just a working, married with children mother, who would have to earn respect the old-fashioned way ... you know, the way men did it. And it killed her, the inflexibility of her work schedule, weighing priorities, mother's guilt, she could not be some tearing-up-the-corporate-ladder work vagabond. NO she could not! Then, to discover that her beautiful first-born Talia had a neurological disorder. Her darling girl was diagnosed with hypersensitivity, and had social difficulties, was inflexible and had trouble transitioning from one task to the next. She could not make friends, and there was some bullying at school. Then a further diagnosis of neurodiversity, and finally autism. When Talia and Leila were 12 and 8, they sat the girls down and told them Talia was autistic. Life became just that more stressful. Lovely One starts out just a bit boring, but ultimately transitions to a touching, familial story about a family. One with two diametrically different kids and the village it took to raise them. It is a story of triumph, overcoming adversity, having to adjust expectations, the capriciousness of life, and how to keep on keeping on. The beautiful college essay Ketanji had Leila read to listeners was well written, poignant, potent and courageous. It gave this story yet another special layer. I did not know who Ketanji Brown Jackson was when I started this book. I do believe I have a clearer picture of who she is now, and more importantly why she is. I almost gave up on this story, so glad I stuck with it! My wish for she and her lovely family is God's perpetual light to continue to shine on them, and success on this leg of her journey! ✨️ I believe the 116th Justice will make a good and fair judge. Go live your dream and embrace your destiny Lovely One!

As well written as all Colson Whitehead's books invariably are, but considerably less interesting than it's prequel Harlem Shuffle. Book two is really more of the same, with the usual suspects doing what crooked people do, by that I mean bent cops and bent people. I believe what makes this book less compelling is the poor narrative that fails to drive the story. The cutthroat world of the furniture business is riveting, I know ... but the urgency needed to tie book one to book two is missing. Once a thief, always a thief ... for Carney to have been a good boy for the past four years is frankly unlikely. I think if we had seen him dipping his hand in from time to time would have been more believable. If he had continued to rub shoulders with the contemptible, dishonest underbelly of corruption that was so much a part of his Harlem Shuffle life would have made much more sense. I think CW lost his way with this sequel and will have to work his way back if there is a book three.

Another, not particularly interesting, In Death installment that advances the intriguing trajectory of the life of murder cop Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Just home from a lovely vacation in Greece and Ireland with the delicious Roarke, her husband, not even twenty-four hours later she is called to an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, a stick-up-his-ass retired Internal Affairs Captain, a man that most people seemed not to particularly like, and surrogate father to friend Don Webster. At first glance, it looks like suicide, but the closer Eve examines the scene, the more suspicious she becomes ... Eve's gut says it's homicide. While in the process of putting a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs, Greenleaf made more than a few enemies - Eve smells payback. Book fifty-seven ends satisfyingly enough with a closed case, but does little to advance team Eve and Roarke's personal story. You soon see why this book is not that great, maybe even a little boring. Just like the one before it - Encore In Death. There is little to no Summerset, barely any Galahad, a stingy cameo appearance from Nadine, and hardly a peep from Whitney and the usual suspects - Eve's bullpen. There is very little satirical dialogue between Eve and Peabody, and glaringly missing, the one-up-manship between Eve and Summerset. A bit like eating a meal that looks satisfying, goes down OK, but doesn't sit all that comfortably, and you're not happy about it. If JD Robb has run out of ideas, I would love if she could give us more of Eve's backstory, allow us some insight into Eve when she was in uniform, either at the academy or under Feeney after he offered her homicide. Or maybe Summerset's backstory as a medic at the end of or during the Urbans. Roarke's criminal past - endless stories to mine. Eve's captaincy, there's been no chatter on that for a while. Where did Eve's love of coffee come from? How did Roarke pick up his impressive computer skills and when/how did he get the unregistered equipment that allows him to avoid Compuguard's eagle eye? And the coup de grâce ... maybe it's time for Eve and Roarke to start on building their family, they have to leave those BILLIONS to someone, why not their own kids! Not sure if Robb is aiming for 100 books, but this could be a good place to call it a day, by wrapping up with some of these stories. Huh! Now these would make for some really interesting stories!

Like Sheryl Sanberg's Lean In, this is another humble brag about a life and lifestyle that 98% of us know nothing of. For the 1 percenters and those who aspire to be in that bracket a book like this with its, so NOT compelling title, may be amusing if not necessarily helpful. For the blonde, blue-eyed influencers who do everything but tell the truth about their perfect kids, posh lives and movie star handsome and so very helpful husbands are actually like, this is sanctimonious testimony that the rest of us are clearly doing it wrong. I struggled to finish this book and it was because I didn't like it. Because the title is so disingenuous, everything that follows, falls apart. It occurred to me, somewhere in the middle and then again near the end ... a thought that kept alluding me. It would pop in, vanish and then resurface - I recognized this woman, I know her, I see her! MK is a narcissist. It will only ever and always be about her. Nobody else really matters. She is consumed by her work, with very little left to give. Feels like her two boys may have been gaslighted, but I doubt her husband and colleagues are fooled. Liking your job does not make you a bad mother but don't pretend to be something you're not. No one is fooled, not even you! I guess we'll get at the truth when the, all grown up kids are in therapy and the estranged husband decides to speak out. In the meantime, this drivel does not have to suffice. There are millions of books on this subject matter that are much more relatable if not necessarily helpful. I just got done reading, Screaming On The Inside and wanted to stand up and cheer! Not only does Jessica Grose share a Black insight from moms who have made this journey, she calls these experts by their full name and not just to bolster her story or name drop. Until you have a live in housekeeper and chef, an available babysitter or grammy who pops in conveniently, several bottles of Montrachet, the entire 8 seasons of Blackish and plenty of the ready, you are just gonna have to figure s@#t out for yourself! Truly, none of these books will, but they continue to write and publish them!