Hello, it's Debbie Allen!!! Yes, I like to dance and direct and act and produce and cook but this is the beginning of something new! That’s right "Everyday People" is me putting my two cents on the table about books, theater, film, television, art and other things we all should know about or consider.
Dr. Charles Blockson told me I was a “bibliophile;” a person who loves books, when he visited my home and saw stacks of books in the living room, in the kitchen and in the bathroom. It was my love of books that led me to the Howard University Bookstore (my alma mater) where I found a book called Amistad, a collection of essays and speeches by Black Academicians, religious leaders and philosophers. The preface had a one page summary of the Amistad mutiny, Supreme Court trial and eventual release of the African captives who were sent back home. That little book led me on an 18-year journey that resulted in an Academy Award nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg that starred Matthew McConaughey, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Anna Paquin. I served as producer along with Colin Wilson and had the joy of working with John Williams (Composer -Star Wars, Schindler’s List), Rick Carter (Production Designer - Avatar, Lincoln) and Ruth Carter (Costume Designer - Black Panther). So here we goooo!!!
BOOK OF THE WEEK: Southern Discomfort by Tena Clark
BOOK OF THE WEEK: Southern Discomfort by Tena Clark
Tena Clark's memoir Southern Discomfort is a true coming of age story that reads like a Tennessee Williams play. Set in the deep south in the 50’s and 60’s, where magnolias, catfish, the Bible, guns, alcohol, racism and carnal knowledge collide, Tena's story confronts the heartbeat of America's identity crisis. A crisis of faith, family, freedom and truth. She knew she was gay at six years old.
The daughter of a wealthy womanizing father, a gifted alcoholic-gun toting mother, the youngest of four daughters, Tena was practically raised by Virgie, the Black maid. Southern Discomfort addresses the Jim Crow South and Civil Rights from a young white girl’s perspective standing up for her “Virgie." She turns old southern values upside down by marrying a woman. Talented like her mother, Tena rises to become a Grammy Award winning music producer, loving mother and wife. This story will make you laugh out loud, cry and hope that one day you can stand as tall as Tena.
