Souls of My Brothers: Black Men Break Their Silence, Tell Their Truths and Heal Their Spirits

In their follow-up to the Essence bestseller Souls of My Sisters, Daniels and Sandy gather contributions from black men--from actors, community organizers, party planners and ministers, from Coolio to Busta Rhymes to Mayor Willie Brown--to explore the challenges and triumphs of the African-American male experience. Like the previous book, this volume organizes first-person narratives into themed chapters (e.g.""Power and Respect"";""Your Blues Ain't Like Mine"") introduced by brief editorial commentary, but primarily lets the men speak for themselves. Kevin Greene, the founder of an eponymous film production company, writes about the problem of absentee fathers, which he calls""a cancer eating away an entire culture""; singer Kenny Lattimore eulogizes his mother, who was""my biggest cheerleader, business partner, and confidante."" Not all the essays feel focused: asset manager David King's""The Bottom Line"" compresses his life into three pages and suffers from it; artist and columnist Kheven Lee LaGrone's speedy look at the word""pussy"" fails to make a real argument. Still, this is a varied and fascinating gathering of voices, sure to be appreciated by women seeking an insight into their brothers, fathers, partners and sons, and perhaps even by some men looking for proof that their struggles are shared.