Letters to a Young Brother ~ Hill Harper
 
I will admit that I approached this book with serious trepidation.  After all, Hill Harper (although somewhat underrated) is not necessarily one of the hottest actors of our times.  In all honesty, he plays every role the same.  So what makes me think this would be a good book?  TJ did.  She read it and gave it her thumbs up.  So I trotted on down to the library and picked it up.  I started reading yesterday evening at probably about 8pm while I watched Veronica Mars.  I finished it at 10:30pm.  This book is absolutely amazing.
 
Hill Harper has taken what some would call pearls of wisdom and transformed them into life lessons between men.  He covers topics such as friends and family, school and hard work, money, sex, integrity, character, dreams, and visions.  The lessons, intermingled with true life stories, were written in letter format.  Letters from him to a certain young brother.  In some chapters he included an email from the “young brotha” that he would answer and then forward on to some of his friends for their answers as well.  Friends like Nas, Barack Obama, Gabrielle Union, Ray J, Venus Williams, Anthony Anderson, and several others; all of which gave advice from a real people standpoint.
 
As I was reading I kept thinking to myself “this shouldn’t be just for young men/boys….everyone should read this.” This book is so good that it should be required reading for all young black boys as they approach that wonderful time of puberty and growing into a man. If you are a parent or you are giving this book to a young boy…please read it first. Although it is really an awesome guide for young men, it WILL bear discussion and conversation. I think that’s one of the motivating factors behind the book. So many of our young black men have just been set loose on the world with no guidance and instruction. Don’t do that with this book. Be prepared to follow up with your own infusion of life lessons and sets of values.
 
There’s not alot more that I can say about this book without repeating all of the lessons that Hill Harper wrote about.  I will say that my opinion of him as a person has changed greatly.  His committment to this project and what it means is admirable and speaks volumes about his character.  I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my oldest nephew to read.
 
For a different review, you visit TJ’s site.
 
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars on the Original Diva scale (even though I disagreed with his policy on only buying a car with cash.)