"A book cover is a promise that the book itself either keeps...or breaks."

Lowell T.
The covers on the right are my ideas for books yet to be written.

Need I say more? I was going to put a big photo of Sarah, Rush, Glenn, etc. on the cover, but I didn't want to get sued. Beside, it would be redundant, wouldn't it?

As Malcolm once said about "Negroes", "white" Americans have been "took, had and bamboozled" - by other "whites". The latest economic meltdown is just the most recent evidence. But there's a long and sad history, starting with the terms "white" and "Caucasian".

It's about time...isn't it?

What happens when the secessionists finally succeed? You'd be surprised. Or would you?

I just thought of this this morning, January 22, 2010 - the morning after the latest bonehead, anti-American Supreme Court decision.

I was waiting for someone to write this book. But nobody did, so here I am once again to the rescue.

In the tradition of James Weldon Johnson's "Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man" and William Styron's "Confessions of Nat Turner" I thought I'd begin this series of books. Should it be fiction or non-fiction? You decide. Email me at lowellt@hotmail.com with your vote.OK? I'll be waiting here by my modem.

Most sentient beings seem to agree that the consequences of too much capitalism has pretty much put our species on the fast track to extinction. Right? But few are talking seriously about the devastation of our mental atmosphere, especially here in the capitalist capital of the world. Well, let the games begin, here.

Nobody asked me but here's my gratuitous comments on the state of the American Experiment. From George Washington to Booker T.. From Abe to Zsa Zsa, you'll get a second opinion on the gaudy spectacle they call the US of A from a member of its original "captive audience".

Now it can be told - the so-called experts, pundits, scholars, academic wunderkinds, etc., are clueless about so much that what they do actually know "fer sure" doesn't really compare. This is an exposé of the knowledge priesthood - and not a second too soon. I just read a piece by David Brooks on the NYTimes site that is exhibit A in the case against the punditocracy. No, I take that back. Alan Greenspan's "beats the hell our of me" response to Congressional questioning about how his Ayn Rand philosophy proved so wrong in our latest economy crash is Exhibit A. As Malcolm said, in essence, "We been took, we been had and bamboozled" by false profits (misspelling intended).

Out of a Job...And Lovin' it.

Out of a Job...And Lovin' it.
Isn't it about time our politicians told us the truth about the economy...and then design a way to deal with it in our post-industrial nation?

Making a Good Living.

Making a Good Living.
There's seldom been a better time to re-think your priorities. This is not your momma and daddy's job market. Maybe you should think about whether you really want to live their lives. I know it's kinda philosophical, but I'm in one of those moods.

Governed by Greed

Governed by Greed
Taking a hint from Deep Throat in "All the Presidents' Men" (at least in the movie version), I found that almost everything in American life can be understood if you "follow the money". In this book I plan to do just that, starting with our nation's first "killer app", slavery.

THE SKINNERZ

THE SKINNERZ
This is my first attempt at fiction on this site. In fact, it's not really fiction. It's a new category I just made up called Finction or Fuinction. (Don't ask me how to pronounce it). Or you can call it Functional Fiction, which I define as fiction designed to serve a purpose in the real world. I know, I know, real writers aren't supposed to care about that. But since I'm a writer without portfolio, I can do whatever I damn want. Right? Want to find out more, email me at lowelltho@gmail.com, OK?

America, AB

America, AB
How will the election of the nation's first "Black" President change US? Let the speculation begin.

Paying the Skin Tax

Paying the Skin Tax
Stuff happened since I posted this Cover a few weeks ago, 1. I found out somebody had already used "SkinTax" as a title for a poetry book a few years ago. 2. Henry Louis Gates became the poster boy (man?) for paying his Skin Tax and exhibit AA for the phrase. So I changed my title to "Paying the Skin Tax" and wrote a comment on Gates Gate on HuffPost. (Click on the cover if you want to read it).

DuhMocracy in America

DuhMocracy in America
We Americans love to lambast our politicians as we cynically watch them being bought and sold by our Monetary Masters. But what if we suddenly had to actually run the country ourselves? What if the much-touted "People" were really in charge? I'm talking about your idiot cousin and your barely sentient uncle J? Scary isn't it? I like to think of this book as the new millennial sequel to Tocqueville's 19th century tome, "Democracy in America". But, what do you think? Email me at lowelltho@gmail.com. BTW: I just my first vote from Dennis L.. He gives ""Duhmocracy..." Title 9; design 5" (which he upgraded to 6 after he realized my scratchy style was on purpose).

I came up with this when atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens launched their attack on all things religious a few years ago. At first, not being faithful to any particular religion myself, I thought it was good to finally hear from the non-believing peanut gallery. 

But then I read reviews and parts of each book and felt a little conflicted.

On one hand, I liked their pluck and their willingness to express what many people think but would never think of saying.  They all were pretty articulate and even entertaining in their own ways. But they each expressed their faith in no-faith with a snarky certainty that rubbed me the wrong way. I thought, "There's got to be a better answer to this age-old conflict than this". "Faith in Good" is my answer. If you'd like to find out more, email me at lowelltho@gmail.com.

In 1957, a business journalist named Vance Packard wrote a book that woke Americans up to the dark magic of the ad industry, The Hidden Persuaders. Weapons of Mass Manipulation is its new millennial successor, not written by a journalist, but by moi, a man who spent his adult life creating ads. I guess you could call me a recovering adman, putting my communications skills to better use.

How much should we know about the self-appointed guardians of our freedom? More than we do. My idea is based on the old journalist's motto, "If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out".

Monday, February 15, 2010

Maybe I'm a little biased but....

the book I just rated on the upper left, "Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority" is unusual for this site. Why? Because it's one I helped write.

Unlike the others on the right-hand side where I propose ideas for books yet to be written, this is one I actually spent about a year working on with the guy whose name is on the cover, Tom Burrell. I'll have more to say about that experience later. But now, I just want to pull your coat to the book itself.

As my fellow Chicagoan Studs Turkel might have said, "Take what I have to say with a huge dose of salt...But take it."  "Brainwashed" is  probably one of the most important books written in this country in, er...uh,,,ummm, ever. If you think you're educated and you haven't read it, you're fooling yourself.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Talk about variety! Thanks for putting it all together like this. :)

Lowell said...

You're welcome Anon. I'm just getting started.

Lowell

Douglas Scott Treado said...

Lowell- Loved your stuff! "Ideas Made Manifest!"....I would like to stay in touch with you...Am writing this from Edenton, NC...after 25 years in NY...
I put your link on my Facebook site: Freeman Zygote
Keep it up!

Lowell said...

Thanks Douglas,

I try, I try. But it's folks like you who like what I do who can do the most to help me keep doing it by spreading the word to your friends...on FaceBook and wherever else they may be.

Lowell

STUDIO MAINOR said...

LT, what it be. Digging these new covers. we'll new to me, anyway. Checking out your sponsors. Glad to see them here.

P.

Ms. Sick And Tired said...

I truly Thank You, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Tom Burrell, for writing this book. It is so necessary in these times, and really speaks to problem of the anti-Black media war machine.

My focus is mainly on the treatment of Black women in the media, but I do realize that the ultimate goal of the mainstream media campaign - the destruction of a strong, successful Black community through the dissolution of Black relationships - has the same affect across both genders for African Americans.

Thank you both for such a powerful book and saying what so many others seem afraid to say.

Lowell said...

Ms. Sick and Tired,

Thank you for your comment and compliments.

But since "Brainwashed" came out last year, I have been trying to get Tom Burrell to fully acknowledge my contribution and to fulfill the terms of our agreement.

Unfortunately he has proven to be another part of the problem, not the solution. I'm still looking for a lawyer who will take my case based on its merits and my evidence...and not purely on how much money they think they can get out of it.

That said, the book is still a very important one. I'm actually working on my own book now, "African Americans in Chicago" for Arcadia, the nation's largest publisher of local/ethnic photo histories.

After that, I'll be working on a book that I think will go much further than even "Brainwashed" to change the way "black" folks, "white" folks and people all over the world think about the myth of "race" and America's role in creating and perpetuating the idea of white supremcacy.

Wish me luck, OK?

Lowell "Race Man" Thompson

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