Brother West: Living And Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Brother West is clearly an awesome orator and writer. His prose is incredible. I got a few new quotes I love out of it and gained insight into the man. I loved that his use of 'brother' and 'sister' extends far past any familial, cultural, ethnic, or political boundary. He is a bit egotistical, self aggrandizing and name droppy, but most people at his level of academic celebrity are. Plus the people he is talking about are awesome. This book took me longer to read than it should have; I had keep stoping to add songs to my Brother West soundtrack and to add titles to my to-read shelf. Well worth my time and I will be reading more from him soon. I've defined 'wisdom books' as ones that both make you want to live a better life and also show you how. This is a very wise book on both counts, and particularly meaningful for philosophers of education. West's explanations, exhortations and illustrations of Socratic and prophetic pedagogy are invaluable. I was moved over and over again by passages like:"Justice is what love looks like in public, just as deep democracy is what justice looks like in practice. When you love people, you hate the fact that they’re being treated unjustly. Justice is not simply an abstract concept to regulate institutions, but also a fire in the bones to promote the well-being of all." (232)"The benchmark of wisdom is the courage to examine oneself fearlessly just as the hallmark of maturity is the courage to exercise constant humility in the pursuit of a noble cause greater than oneself." (245)"Constantinian Christianity produces people well-adjusted to injustice and well-adapted to indifference. Prophetic Christianity produces people maladjusted to greed, indifference, and fear. We vow to love our crooked neighbors with our crooked hearts." (100)"To be a philosopher is both the most serious of vocations and the most playful of dispositions. Serious because the love of wisdom puts everything at stake in one’s thinking and living. Playful because even in one’s deepest moments one still might be wrong and therefore prone to a humbling laughter at oneself. There is a sense in which philosophy is the love of wisdom in the consciousness of folly." (179)"America is not great because it is a nation chosen by God. It is great because people chose to fight for justice to make America more free and democratic. God does not wink at American and close divine eyes to other nations." (187)"I see my role as an educator, as someone who feels both a Socratic and prophetic calling, to implement what Nietzsche called a singing paideia. I am always compelled to remember that paideia represents an unfathomable education in which self-examination and service to others produces a mature, compassionate person willing to speak, live, and sacrifice for truth.... My point of reference as an educator is tied to a mighty mission: unsettling minds and motivating hearts to be forces for good." (216)
What do You think about Brother West: Living And Loving Out Loud, A Memoir (2009)?
interesting, engaging book. wished it included more about his core beliefs and visions....
—superwop
Nice book with an easy going language! Inspirational work by Dr. West.
—Malieka
Phenomenal Book! Very Inspiring and insightful!
—Rabz
