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Columbia, SC vs. Bakersfield, CA

I’m writing this blog smack dab in the middle of my summer vacation in South Carolina. For those who don’t know: I was raised in Columbia and Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. I went to elementary, middle, and high school there, college at South Carolina State University, and during my 10 years as a professional juggler I always (usually) went home during the summers and anytime I had a long break. South Carolina is and will ALWAYS be my home! I think most everyone has a soft spot for the place where they grew up because of the nostalgia. I do. Living on the West Coast I don’t get to see any of my high school friends, their kids, their parents, no class reunions, no running into old teachers, no seeing the class clown actually turn into something, no seeing the head cheerleader at 300lbs. with a mustache.

No running into old girlfriends and thinking either, “see what you missed (stupid)” or “I missed out on THAT!?” No cheering for my old alma mater at Friday night football games, no traveling with the marching band to competitions, no seeing the town change for the better and worse, no seeing the city grow, no seeing the regular stuff that you get when you grow up in a city. Visiting my family in Columbia really just made me realize how much I missed this place, and I don’t mean just the nostalgia part or that the grass is greener now that I don’t live here anymore. I mean I miss the ENTIRE Southern experience kit and caboodle! This isn’t mean to be a California bashing but if it turns out that way I’m ok with it. So here is my take on why South Carolina (Columbia to be specific) is better than California (Bakersfield) to be specific…

1. South Carolina has nicer people. This category isn’t even close. There is A LOT to be said about Southern hospitality and Southern manners. Joke what you will about the Southern drawl or how naïve people are because they are polite. The bottom line is that, they are polite! I remember when I first moved to Bakersfield (Delano actually was my 1^st stop) and people would look at me like was from planet stupid when I would say hello or speak! Speaking to strangers? What you some kinda’ freak? And it was strange for me to not to get a response back. When we visited SC about 4 years ago we went shopping at ‘Food Lion’ and this guy out of the blue wished me a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ because I was with my son! Can’t imagine and never had anyone do that in Bakersfield. It’s nice being around people who, as a whole, that are like that. It really truly is. Working retail you really get to see the true nature of people and quite frankly, the level of nice just is not there with my California customers! Yeah, yeah, yeah, there are exceptions to every rule but, as whole, Californian customers SUCK when it comes to being nice!!

2. Southern cooking! With all due respect to French and Italian cuisine… shut the hell up! You have not lived on God’s green earth until you have had Southern fried catfish, grits, real baked macaroni & cheese, REAL iced-T (not this watered down brown California piss water), cornbread that tastes like cake, steamed blue crab with Ole’ Bay seasoning, peach cobbler that will make you slap your grandmother, gumbo, jambalaya, and Cheerwine. I couldn’t get to Columbia fast enough to get my face into some steaming goodness of crabs and crab legs! Breakfast is a tofu eater’s nightmare. Grits with honey or sugar or syrup or gravy or butter or hot sauce or any in a combination, a plate full of bacon, toast with more jelly than bread, hash browns so good they would make a Muslim worship Jesus, orange juice with the right amount of pulp, and Jimmy Dean sausage! Fried chicken can be found on many lunch or dinner tables in the South as it’s pretty much a staple of our diet. Anyone who doesn’t eat fried chicken IS NOT from the South! Sorry Charlie! Even the diabetics take a day off every once in a while to enjoy one of the iconic foods of the South. Saying you’re a Southerner that doesn’t eat fried chicken is like saying you’re from Oildale and you’ve never kissed your sister. There really is NO equal to the food of the South and that is one of the biggest things I miss the most. There are a ton of other foods that I could name but to save space I’ll only name a few … crawfish, fried green tomatoes, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, Cajun anything, fried okra, boiled p-nuts, red beans and rice, sweet potatoes, Krispy-Kreme doughnuts, black-eyed peas, and chitterlings (chit-lins). Chitlins, chitlins, chitlins… Ok let me try to explain this “interesting” type of food… IT’S FREAKING PIG GUTS!!!!! And really, please spare me the store about how we (back during the plantation days) made use of every part of that damn pig… seriously!! I don’t care how bad Kunta Kinte was starving I’m sure he would have chosen something else!! That’s just nasty. And if you think that eating that mess is nasty… try hanging around when they are being cleaned and cooked. The smell is so bad sewer rats hang out in McFarland just to get away. I’m Southern but I ‘aint not that damn Southern!

3. Weather. One of the prettiest things about the South (especially in the mountains) is the changing of the leaves. OK, fine this isn’t a “Southern” thing but you get my drift. Oh California’s leaves (the 4 we do have) do change colors: from brown to black when they catch fire! And, oh my goodness, we get rain! Rain for crying out loud! I never thought I would get as excited as I did when we hit our first rainstorm in Texas! Those raindrops were so big and fat that I thought we ran into Hurricane Oprah. When I was a kid my mom used to take my sister and me outside and we would dance in the rain and splash in the puddles. Simple and inexpensive, yet I’m still writing about it 30+ years later. It was nice to share that with my boys this time. The South is also green, green, green, green, green, green, green, green, green, green, and green! I’ve about had it with this constant shade of brown I see here! The only time I want to see a lot of brown is on my birthday when my wife wears… (damn, never mind). Actually, hold on I’ll be back… (38 minutes later) I miss being able to open the windows in my house and not having the window sill fill up with dirt in 12 minutes! Valley fever? Ummm… never heard of Southern fever, unless you mean NASCAR.

4. The women! Yeah… you knew it was coming! Sorry (not really) I’m a man that absolutely loves females. Period. Nothing wrong with that so if you have a problem then you can kiss my natural black boo-tay!! J Save that metro-sexual crap for the San Francisco crowd. I’m a man and this man loves women! Period! Anyway… back to the blog. Southern woman just have IT! I can’t explain “it”, I can’t draw “it”, I can’t define “it”, but I know I love “it”. That Southern accent, those daisy dukes, that country-fed booty, riding around in Jeeps! Oh, did I tell you? South Carolina has the most jeep per capita of any city in America? They do. Just ask the Accounting firm of Frost, Sez, & Sough. There is nothing sexier than seeing a woman drive a Jeep… well unless she’s driving a Jeep naked… talking on an iPhone 3G…and heading toward Wing Stop…and Can’t no women fill jeans like the women of the dirty South. Save the fake breasts, the implanted lips, the bleached hair, and the fake valley accent for the ones that really need it. You’ll notice that I didn’t put any links to the beautiful Southern Women. That’s because I haven’t looked for them because I’m afraid of what I might find! J Actually let me go check… yeah I just looked and I couldn’t in good conscience post any of them here. Hehehehehehehehehe… NOT!! What am I, the Pope? Here you go: That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what I’m talking about 2!

Look, you love where you’re from and I’m from the South. It’s funny how God works things out though. During my juggling career I told myself that I would never live in California. So what happens? The FIRST week, after 9 years of touring, I’m in California I meet my future wife in Delano. I did a show at her school and the rest is history. I don’t hate California; I just miss the hell out of South Carolina. They’re just different. The environment is different, the people are different, the food is different, the mentality is different, the scenery is different, the demographics are different, and the way of thinking is different, and the way of life is different. Maybe not wrong, but different.

Should there be a Black author's section in bookstores?

Should there be a Black author section inside a bookstore? I say yes. Others say no, and others could really care less. When I worked at another bookstore they did have a Black author section and no one really said anything. When I started working at Russo’s Books they didn’t have one and the owner told me why. I approached him with a proposal on why we should have one and he (after some reservations) agreed.

I have two reasons for wanting a Black author section. Oh, and the reason I’m saying “Black author” instead of “African-American author” is because I’m sick and tired of going through name changes. Who decides on what to call us? The people that hate us? The people who stand up for us? Part of the reason Black people have so much trouble STILL is because no one, including ourselves, have known what to call us. We were first and foremost African. Then we nigger, colored people, people of color, afro-American (never understood that one), African-American, and in and out of history….Black. How well would a baby function if you called it a different name every couple of years?

But I’m wwwaaayyyyy off target so let me get back. The two reasons I have are economics and lack of exposure. As a small, independent, proud family owned bookstore we have to find ways to compete in this economy. Having an excited book seller is just one bullet in the machine gun of book retail. I have always loved to read. And I love sharing with people what I read and why I read what I read. So when people come into Russo’s Books it’s my job to get them the book they want but it’s also my job to introduce them to a book or author that might not read otherwise.

Although Black authors have enjoyed much of the success as other authors they are still over looked when it comes to promotion and merchandising in stores. Yeah, there are the ones that have managed to “cross-over”, like Alice Walker (‘The Color Purple’), Maya Angelou (‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’), and Walter Mosley (‘Devil in a Blue Dress’), but that’s not good enough. So it becomes my pleasure and my job to pick up the slack.

Let me ask you. Have you read anything by a Black author? Most people haven’t and I don’t think it’s because they are avoiding them on purpose. I think part of the reason is preconceived notions. For instance; I’ve never read a Nora Roberts novel. Why? Because of my preconceived notions. I don’t want to read a sappy love story. Are all of her works sappy love stories? Probably not but until I try one I’ll never know. The same example can be used for Black authors. I also think when a lot of people think Black authors they automatically think “street”. While this may be true of some, it’s certainly not the status quo.

Black authors write about love, loss, science fiction, current events, horror, death, life, comedy, error, humor, spiritually, disease, politics, religion, sex, history, the military, and art like everyone else. So what’s the difference? Most of the characters are Black and I don’t care what anyone says, we ALL relate easier with people who look, think, act, sound, eat, smell, and have similar experiences like us. Think I’m lying? Ok, look who your friends are. Who are you married to? Who do you sit with at lunch? Who do you hang out with? Who do you text the most? Who knows all your secrets? There’s nothing wrong with having those friends, I’m just proving a point.

Having a Black author section in a bookstore just means that I can have the authors’ I love in one area and not scattered around the whole store. For whatever reasons, publishers have chosen not to promote successful Black authors as they do White authors. I’ve been in the book business for a little and that is just the truth. I would love to pass out colorful bookmarks, advanced readers copies, and information flyers by Black authors. But I can’t give away what I don’t receive.

Independent bookstores also have to compete with the big boys. Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon, Sam’s Club, and Costco are just one part of the competition. Apathy for reading, the internet, working overtime, parents not caring if their kids read or even KNOW how to read, ridiculous discounts, teachers being told to test, test, test, test, test, digital TV, iPod, and people not knowing how to relax are some of the others. So if there is something that I can do to help bring revenue to store where I work then I’m going to do it. Hand selling books is something that I enjoy and take great pride in. And since I’m very passionate about Black authors it just makes sense that I have an area to talk about, promote, and sell their work.

I don’t read Black authors exclusively but I do make sure that every other book I read is by a Black author. I enjoy literature and I really do think that if people would check out a book written out of their comfort zone they might be pleasantly surprised! I love to recommend books and all you have to do is come into Russo’s Books @ ‘The Marketplace’ and I’ll be more than happy to introduce you to some of the most talented authors in the business today! And in case you haven’t heard, we are having one of them come to our store. Eric Jerome Dickey has had numerous books on the NY Times Bestsellers list and is one of those writers that just has “it”!

The “it” being the natural and enviable talent to tell a story. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; we have too many authors and not enough storytellers. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet one of the authors that makes me proud to have a Black author section and one whose books I’m more than happy to recommend. April 16^th 7:00 pm! Be there or you will really miss something special.

Books I've read in 2008...thus far....

1. 'Troy: Fall of Kings'.  By: David Gemmell.  ISBN# 9780345477033 (9.8 stars)

2. 'Natural Selection' by Dave Freedman.  ISBN# 9781401302092 (9.4 stars) 

3. 'Harlem on Lock' by Karen P. Williams.  ISBN# 193396734X (7.7 stars)

4. 'The Black Door' by Velvet.  ISBN# 9780312358259 (9.5 stars)

5. 'Blasphemy' by Douglas Preston.  ISBN# 9780765311054 (9.7 stars)

6. 'Sweet Georgia Brown' by Cheryl Robinson.  ISBN# 9780451222282 (9.0 stars)

7. 'Money, Power, Respect' by Erick S. Gray.  ISBN# 9781933967363 (5.5 stars)

8. 'The Appeal' by John Grisham.  ISBN# 9780385515047 (9.3 stars)

9. 'The Sweetest Taboo' by Risque.  ISBN# 9780345496287 (9.2 stars)

10. 'Domain' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9780812579567 (8.4 stars) 

11. 'Diablerie' by Walter Mosley.  ISBN# 9781596913974 (9.5 stars)

12. 'Get Money Chicks. by Anna J.  ISBN# 9781933967172 (7.5 stars)

13. 'Goliath' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9780765300645 (9.8 stars)

14. 'The Climax' by Allison Hobbs.  ISBN# 9781593091842 (9.4 stars)

15. 'Sister, Sister' by Eric Jerome Dickey.  ISBN# 9780451201010 (9.0 stars) 

16. 'Succulent: Chocolate Flava II' by Zane. ISBN# 9781416548836 (9.6 stars)

17. 'Memnon' by Scott Oden.  ISBN# 9781932815399 (9.7 stars)

18. 'Pleasure' by Eric Jerome Dickey. ISBN #9780525950455 (9.5 stars)

19. 'Genghis: Lord of the Bow' by Conn Iggulden.  ISBN# 9780385339520 (9.7 stars)

20. 'Sexcapades' by Honey B. ISBN# 9780446582285 (9.4 stars)

21. 'The Last Jihad' by Joel C. Rosenberg  ISBN# 9781414312729 (9.8 stars)

22. 'Seduction' by Velvet  ISBN# 9780312358266 (9.6 stars)

23. 'Tempest Tales' by Walter Mosley.  ISBN# 9781574780437 (9.8 stars)

24. 'More 5 Minute Erotica' by Carol Queen.  ISBN# 9780762429943 (8.9 stars)

25. 'The Last Days' by Joel C. Rosenberg.  ISBN# 9781414312736 (9.5 stars)

26. 'Hooker to Housewife' by Joy King.  ISBN# 9780312354084 (8.0 stars)

27. 'The Last Patriot. by Brad Thor.  ISBN# 9781416543831 (9.8 stars)

28. 'Something on the Side' by Carl Weber.  ISBN# 9780758215789 (9.5 stars)

29. 'Resolution' by Robert B. Parker.  ISBN# 9780399155048 (8.5 stars)

30. 'Blaze of Lightning Roar of Thunder. By Helen A. Rosburg.  ISBN# 9781932815641 (7.0 stars)

31. 'The Ezekiel Option' by Joel C. Rosenberg.  ISBN# 9781414303444 (9.6 stars)

32. 'The First Lady' by Carl Weber.  ISBN#  9780758215765 (8.9 stars)

33. 'The Copper Scroll' by Joel C. Rosenberg. ISBN# 9781414303475 (9.4 stars)

34. 'Just Too Good to Be True' by E. Lynn Harris.  ISBN# 9780385492720 (9.5 stars)

35. 'Big Juicy Lips' by Allison Hobbs.  ISBN# 9781593092078 (9.6 stars)

36. 'Takeover' by Lisa Black.  ISBN# 9780061544453 (8.3 stars)

37. 'Honey Flava' by Zane.  ISBN# 9781416548850 (9.1 stars)

38. 'Highest Price for Passion'.  ISBN# 9781593090531 (6.0 stars)

39. 'Legion' by William Altimari.  ISBN# 9780972872607 (9.5 stars)

40. 'Shattered Souls' by Dywane D. Birch.  ISBN# 9781593091101 (9.0 stars)

41. 'From the Streets to the Sheets' by Noire.  ISBN# 9780345508485 (9.5 stars)

42. 'Tsar' by Ted Bell.  ISBN# 9781416550402 (9.7 stars)

43. 'Gutter' by K'wan.  ISBN# 9780312360092 (9.5 stars)

44. 'Betrayal' by Velvet.  ISBN# 9780312375836 (9.6 stars)

45. ' The Last Oracle. by James Rollins.  ISBN#  9780061230943 (9.5 stars)

46. 'Sexual Jeopardy' by Richard Jeanty.  ISBN# 9780976927785 (9.0 stars)

47. 'Gladiatrix' by Russell Whitfield.  IBSN# 978-0312534882 (9.6 stars)

48. 'The Right Mistake' by Walter Mosley.  ISBN# 9780465005253 (9.7 stars)

49. 'E is for Exotic' by Alison Tyler.  ISBN# 9781573442831 (9.0 stars)

50. 'Extreme Measures' by Vince Flynn.  ISBN#  9780743270427 (9.8 stars)

2007 Books

1. 'The Pirate Queen' by Alan Gold.  ISBN# 0451217446 (7.5 stars)

2. 'Crave' by Darnella Ford.  ISBN# 0312304072 (8.5 stars)

3. 'The Runaway Jury' by John Grisham.  ISBN# 0385339690 (9.0 stars)

4. 'My Woman His Wife' by Anna J.  ISBN# 0975306626 (8.5 stars)

5. 'Under the Eagle' by Simon Scarrow.  ISBN# 0312278705 (9.0 stars)

6. 'Between my Thighs'. by Naija.  ISBN# 0977623505 (7.0 stars)

7. 'The Innocent Man' by John Grisham.  ISBN# 0385517238 (9.5 stars)

8. 'Harlem Girl Lost' by Treasure E. Blue.  ISBN# 0345492641 (8.3 stars)

9. 'The Silence of the Lambs' by Thomas Harris.  ISBN# 0312195265 (9.6 stars)

10.'X-Rated Bloodsuckers' by Mario Acevedo.  ISBN# 0060833270 (8.7 stars)

11.'Killing Johnny Frey' by Walter Mosley.  ISBN# 159691226X (9.2 stars)

12.'Hood'(King Raven Trilogy, Book 1).  ISBN# 978-1595540850 (9.0 stars)

13.'Every Thug Needs A Lady' by Wahida Clark.  ISBN# 978-0758212887 (5.0 stars)

14. 'Fledgling' by Octavia E. Butler.  ISBN# 978-1583226902 (9.9 stars)

15. 'Men of Bronze' By Scott Oden.  ISBN# 978-1932815184 (9.6 stars)

16. 'Hood Rat' by K'wan.  ISBN# 978-0312360085 (8.5 stars)

17. 'Telegraph Days'. by Larry McMurtry.  ISBN# 978-0743250788 (8.5 stars)

18. 'Thong on Fire'. by Noire.  ISBN# 9781416533023 (8.1 stars)

19. 'Troy: Shield of Thunder'. by David Gemmel. ISBN# 9780345477019 (9.1 stars)

20. 'Sleeping with Strangers' by Eric Jerome Dickey.  ISBN# 9780525949992 (9.7 stars) 

21. 'The Loch' by Steve Alten. ISBN# 9780976165927. (9.7 stars)

22. 'Kindred' by Octavia E. Butler.  ISBN #9780807083697 (7.5 stars)

23. 'Little Black Girl Lost' by Keith Lee Johnson.  ISBN# 9780974702551 (6.9 stars)

24. 'The Song of Hannah' by Eva Etzioni-Halevy.  ISBN# 9780452286726 (8.0 stars)

25. 'Genghis: Birth of an Empire' by Conn Iggulden.  ISBN# 9780385339513 (9.8 stars)

26. 'Imaro' by Charles Saunders.  ISBN# 9781597800365 (9.4 stars)

27. 'Indigo After Dark, Volume 1'.  ISBN# 9781585710508 (6.9 stars)

28. 'Cycle of the Werewolf' by Stephen King.  ISBN# 9780451822192 (8.0 stars)

29. 'Creme' by T. N. Baker, Tu-Shonda Whitaker, and Danielle Santiago. ISBN# 9780976789413 (8.2 stars)

30. 'Sacred Bones' by Michael Byrnes.  ISBN# 9780061146077 (9.6 stars)

31. 'Dangerous' by Leo Sullivan.  ISBN# 9780977880447 (8.1 stars)

32. 'Smonk' by Tom Franklin.  ISBN# 9780060846817 (8.1 stars)

33. 'Dark Dreams' by Various.  ISBN# 9780758207531 (3.0 stars)

34. 'Fly on the Wall' by Trista Russell.  ISBN# 9781893196315 (9.2 stars)

35. 'The Dark River' by John Twelve Hawks.  ISBN# 9780385514293 (9.7 stars)

36. 'These are my Confessions' by Joy King, Electa Rome Parks, Cheryl Robinson, and Meta Smith.  ISBN# 9780061193118 (8.9 stars)

37. 'The Abduction' by Mark Gimenez.  ISBN# 9781593154639 (9.8 stars)

38. 'Road Dawgz' by K'wan.  ISBN# 9780970247247 (3.1 stars)

39. 'Meg' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9780385489058 (9.8 stars)

40. 'Deliver me from Evil' by Mary Monroe.  ISBN# 9780758212177 (8.5 stars)

41. 'Empire Rising' by Sam Barone. ISBN# 9780060892463 (9.0 stars)

42. 'Ladies' Night Out' by Electa Rome Parks.  ISBN# 9780451220257 (8.7 stars)

43. 'Hood' by Noire. ISBN# 9781416533030 (8.5 stars)

44. 'Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush' by Charles Saunders.  ISBN# 9781597800662 (9.8 stars)

45. 'Money for Nothing' by Edward Ugel.  ISBN# 9780061284175 (9.5 stars)

46. 'Walking with Enemies' by Eric Jerome Dickey.  ISBN# 9780525950387 (9.8 stars)

47. 'The Trench' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9780786011148 (9.8 stars)

48. 'The Lost Diary of Don Juan' by Douglas Calrton Abrams.  ISBN# 9781416532507 (9.6 stars)

49. 'The First Commandment' by Brad Thor.  ISBN# 9781416543794 (9.8 stars)

50. 'Them' by Nathan McCall.  ISBN# 9781416549154 (9.6 stars)

51. 'Meg:Primal Waters' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9780765308900 (9.8 stars)

52. 'Flexin & Sexin' by Various Authors.  ISBN# 9781934230961 (9.5 stars)

53. 'Spartan' by Valerio Massimo Manfredi.  ISBN# 9781416561606 (8.5 stars)

54. 'Bona Fide Gold Digger' by Allison Hobbs.  ISBN# 9781593091194 (9.0 stars)

55. 'Midnight Rambler' by James Swain.  ISBN# 9780345474466 (9.7 stars)

56. 'The Aftermath' by Anna J.  ISBN# 9780977624744 (8.1 stars)

57. 'Whispers in the Night'  ISBN# 9780758217417 (8.2 stars)

58. 'Still Hood' by K'wan.  ISBN# 9780312360108 (9.0 stars)

59. 'The Fight for Rome' by James Duffy.  ISBN# 9781590131121 (9.8 stars)

60. 'Fish' by T.J. Parsell.  ISBN# 9780786720378 (8.6 stars)

61. 'Every Dark Desire' by Fiona Zedde.  ISBN# 9780758217382 (2.5 stars)

62. 'The Shell Game' by Steve Alten.  ISBN# 9781599550947 (9.9 stars)

63. 'Blonde Faith' by Walter Mosley.  ISBN# 9780316734592 (9.0 stars)

64. 'L.A. Rex' by Will Beall.  ISBN# 9781594482656 (9.1 stars)

65. 'Vigil' by Gina Cox.  ISBN 9780965254090 (8.8 stars)

66. 'I am Legend' by Richard Matheson. ISBN 9780312865047 (9.5 stars)

67. 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' by Jaz Parks.  ISBN# 9780316020466 (8.0 stars)

68. 'Playing for Pizza' by John Grisham.  ISBN# 9780385525008 (9.2 stars)

69. 'Dutch' by Teri Woods.  ISBN# 9780967224947 (9.6 stars)

70. 'Dirty Red' by Vickie M. Stringer.  ISBN# 9780743493635 (8.3 stars)