The first book that we have selected is “Before I Forget” by Leonard Pitts, Jr. This novel is about a ’70s soul music singer who discovers in 2007 that he is dying. He hopes to improve his relationship with his son and father before he dies. There are a lot of twists in this story! Please pick it up and give it a read this month. I can’t wait to discuss it with you.
Hey Rhonda! What’s up sis! I am looking forward to picking up the read you suggested! God bless you sis! Camille
Good Afternoon friends. I am so excited to have you join me in this book reading adventure. Our choice for the first, “Before I Forget,” by Lenard Pitts, Jr., is a fascinating read.
Okay what we want to do first to break the ice, is to have acknowledgements from each of you. So give us a short intro as to who you are and in what city/state you live.
The next step will be for me to post a question and each of you will take a turn in responding. There will be room for you to ask questions, too.
Hello. I am based in Atlanta, GA.
This is your mother. As you know, I am in Atlanta.
Ronald, I’m in High Point, NC
Hello everybody. It seems as if we could do this by phone.
Well. I guess we’ll get started.
Question #1 –
How are the lyrics of “My Prophecy” lived out in this story?
“My Prophecy”
I see a world where children live on emptiness
And empty men live on war
And lies go by with alibis
‘Til nobody knows what the lies were lying for
But for all the pain that ever was
I see a world that never was
And I believe I surely do believe one day the world will see
This is my prophecy
Hi! Rhonda, I’m a friend of your Aunt Saundie and Aunt Glayds. We meet years ago. This is a wonderful book. I read it last year and enjoyed it. from Columbia, Md.
As I read the book, I read over the song. I was quite caught up in the story because it was quite similar to something we were working with at the time. However, the song is quite profound. We have only to look at what is happening in our society today to understand what Pitts means in the song.
Hi Guys, I read the book and love it!
The lyrics are a message of hope in the midst of what in this novel are many fractured souls. When you think of the charcter Jack the senior James Moses Johnson he spends years in prison because of pride and ultimately a lie of guilt that belonged to his friend Cooley.. His son, Moses the singer grew up knowing his father only as a broken evil menace. In spite of all Moses had seen, and with all the knowledge of death knocking at his door and his father’s he did not give up, he believed in a better future for his heir, Trey, for whom he ultimately gave his life.
We are sending kids off to war in a country that many, or most of them have never heard of. Their parents think it is a patriotic thing for them to get killed for a reason only the politicians know. They certainly don’t know why they are fighting. They will tell you for the freedom of the Afghany or the Iraqi people. Not knowing what these people think of as freedom. We want them to be a part of “this world that never was”.
So you say, how did we get here from this book?
I thought this book was a must read for everyone but I have been disappointed to know that most people have never heard of it.
Hi Aunt Saunie and Glenna:
I am so happy to have you joining us. Aunt Saunie you are so supportive. Anyway please read our first question and give me your thoughts. Thanks
Gail, you have done a wonderful job in giving a synopsis of the book. For the reasons you expressed, I thought the book was great, I see something different in the song. There is hope in the story.
Okay, we have two Ronalds, how do we tell you apart? Maybe “Ronald I” and “Ronalde II”
Rhonnie you are too much. This is so deep! Your lyrics are quite fitting. The children/ young adults in Before I Forget are living in a violent/ false perception of life. Honesty, is lost on so many of us. We lie and live lies. If we are not caught as Ty was not actually caught or found guilty, we consider ourselves abiding citizens. However, as I how told many a child that I taught whether you are caught or not, a thief is a thief and a lier a lier.
I appreciate Ty’s final sense of morality and honesty. He was guilty, and man enough to accept the consequenses of his actions.
What do we have in life really? Love (God), family, and good friends these important things!
Question No. 2
Is there a favorite character in this book for you, and why?
Hi Sister Saunie and Glenna, so glad you made time in your busy schedules to join us.
Questions
3. Tash and Trey vs. Mary Willis and Dog
How do the dynamics/relationship between these mothers and their sons contribute to the consequences in their lives?
4. What definition of a good man do you see in Jack, the senior of the trio?
5. Can the knowledge of illness such as Alzheimer’s be a source of strength?
Believe it or not my favorite character is “Dog.” I got caught up in this young man’s efforts to rise up out of his situation. How do you do that when all the family you know is doing everything in their power to pull you back down to the bottom of the barrel? He garnered a measure of strength from Ronnie his girlfriend pregnant with his child. In the end it was not clear to me whether Ronnie was turning against him while in the hospital, or if she was simply tired. Anyway, Dog’s mom put the nails in his cross and for him it was all over. I quote from the book “sometimes we do things we don’t want to do for people we love . . . ” A terribly flawed mother, a mother who told him to “throw your life away for your brother.”
Oh well, Aunt Saunie, thank you for giving me credit for the lyrics, but unfortunatey they are not my words. Those lyrics are from the book and are the from the 1974 no.1 on the charts song of Moses Johnson.
Okay everyone, thank you so much for your contributions,
Until next time,
Peaceful Blessings Love,
Rhonda
Nice put up! I am just beginning out in neighborhood management/advertising media and attempting to learn to do it nicely – sources like this text are incredibly helpful. As our company relies in the US, it?s all a bit new to us. The instance above is one thing that I worry about as well, the way show your individual real enthusiasm and share the fact your product is beneficial in that case.
Beneficial Blog! I had been simply just debating that there are plenty of screwy results at this issue you now purely replaced my personal belief. Thank you an excellent write-up.
I together with my friends were examining the excellent advice on your website and so without warning I had a terrible feeling I never expressed respect towards the blog owner for these products. All of the men finished up consequently glad to read them and have in effect actually been making the most of these things. I appreciate you when getting simply considerate and then for getting varieties of high-quality areas innumerable individuals are really the need to know about. My fair regret for not revealing appreciation to sooner.