Book Of Life Haki Mudhubuti (don L. Lee)

Haki R. Mudhubuti (Don L. Lee) has always written about black unity, as the titles of his previous works should indícate: Think Black, Black Pride, and We Walk the Way of a New World. But in Book of Life (Broadside Press), we find even stronger convictions, hotter words, and images so concrete they almost become brutal at times.

"Afrikan Men" contains images like: if a rat is chewing at your baby's skull you don't negotiate you kill it rise dash-on flash dodgin skyscrapers vacant lots & evil highs with a feel for the earth for land for yoself comin rise transform reborn renurtured in purpose in goodness in direction new

Even more stunning is the 48-page poem which gave the book its name. Divided into 92 sections, this final work of the book offers guidelines for living and building a better life. Although aimed at black people, this poem is equally important to white, red, brown, and (Mars probes willing) green people. Anybody. Everybody.

Various sections deal with identity, processed foods vs. natural foods, treatment of the elderly, cities, culture, you name it. If it's important to life, Madhubuti comments on it here.

Book of Life is written in everyday language, which makes Haki's ideas more easily understood to those of us who don 't read poetry with a dictionary handv. His poems are out front and for real.

-Bill Hogg