From Baby Gangsta to Author and Actor

The other day, I finally read my Essence issue from Nov. ’07 (I’ve got so much to read that magazines and books just pile up at my house and yes, I read Essence) and was intrigued by a feature on a recently published memoir, Grace After Midnight: A Memoir by Felicia Pearson.

I’ve always found memoirs inspirational and enjoy the opportunity to glimpse into other people’s lives and tribulations, in a way, that’s exactly why blogs have taken off – people enjoy playing voyeur.

The book and the back story caught my eye and mentally I added it to my ‘to buy’ list. I was also considering passing it off to my friend’s young son, who is very impressed by streets and needs books that both encourage him to read and that will also inspire him to look beyond the world of thugging and deter him from ending up in prison.

Those of you who watch The Wire will recognize the baby faced actress, her story is incredible:

While Felicia is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what’s most remarkable about “Snoop” is what she has overcome in her life. Snoop was born a three-pound cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore. Those streets are among the toughest in the world, but Snoop was tougher. The runt of the ghetto showed an early aptitude for drug slinging and violence and thrived as a baby gangsta until she landed in Jessup state penitentiary after killing a woman in self-defense. There she rebelled violently against the system, and it was only through the cosmic intervention of her mentor, Uncle Loney, that she turned her life around. A couple of years ago, Snoop was discovered in a nightclub by one of The Wire’s cast members and quickly recruited to be one of television’s most frightening and intriguing villains.

I was quite delighted and happy to be reminded when while in the Hachette Book Group USA offices earlier this week I spotted the book on display by their snazzy windows. This one is definitely joining my book pile.

You know, I do a lot of research on Web2.0 and I’ve found that most people outside of tech field really don’t understand what the term refers to albeit I’m sure they come across Web2.0 online everyday. I found this reference at once my favorite sites, clicked, and want to share it with my readers.

“Not only is Web 3.0 described here but Web 4.0 too. All in a handy chart. (Note the piece’s recommendation of Semantic Web: What Is The Killer App? It’s always easier to understand with examples.) Web 4.0 is what they’re calling “The Ubiquitous Web.”

The web is a’changing and believe me, the world is and will be following along.

I’ve also received two new books to review: The Kept Man by Jami Attenberg and
Cibolero by Kermit Lopez.

I’m very interested in reading Cibolero, which is set in New Mexico before it was a state and I’m certain that with amidst all the immigration controversy the book will add some dramatic fuel to fire for readers. Check out the book’s site, it’s pretty cool!

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