Rating: 
Summary: Easy to trash him, hard to refute what he has to say
Review: Anyone dealing with such politically explosive subject matter makes an inviting target for many people. When a conservative black man raised in poverty initiates a frontal assualt on black society in America, too many people will refuse to hear him with an open mind. Which is a shame, because Hamblin makes more compelling arguments than most black political leaders on many of the root causes of ongoing social turmoil in black America.
Hamblin obviously believes that his background entitles him to lash out on topics that would be politically incorrect suicide for most commentators. At times he takes it too far and loses focus, and at times the book begins to read like a transcript of his radio show rather than well-organized writing. And, some of the late chapters lose their zip because they are no longer shocking just to be reading, and digging into their arguments they are really just rehashing the earlier stuff.
That said, some of the chapters will shock, outrage, surprise, and gratify you. Hamblin is not afraid to say what a lot of people are really thinking. Even if you disagree with his views, you must accept that they are legitimate and worthy of consideration. Simply dismissing him is counter-productive and does nothing to address the issues he poignantly raises.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to trash him, hard to refute what he has to say
Review: Anyone dealing with such politically explosive subject matter makes an inviting target for many people. When a conservative black man raised in poverty initiates a frontal assualt on black society in America, too many people will refuse to hear him with an open mind. Which is a shame, because Hamblin makes more compelling arguments than most black political leaders on many of the root causes of ongoing social turmoil in black America.
Hamblin obviously believes that his background entitles him to lash out on topics that would be politically incorrect suicide for most commentators. At times he takes it too far and loses focus, and at times the book begins to read like a transcript of his radio show rather than well-organized writing. And, some of the late chapters lose their zip because they are no longer shocking just to be reading, and digging into their arguments they are really just rehashing the earlier stuff.
That said, some of the chapters will shock, outrage, surprise, and gratify you. Hamblin is not afraid to say what a lot of people are really thinking. Even if you disagree with his views, you must accept that they are legitimate and worthy of consideration. Simply dismissing him is counter-productive and does nothing to address the issues he poignantly raises.
Rating:
Summary: In Your Face Patriotism
Review: Compared to Ken Hamblin, Rush Limbaugh looks like a liberal, Laura Schlessinger is an advocate of sensitivity training, and Pat Buchanan sounds like a wishy-washy moderate with inchoate opinions. Hamblin is no fan of whiners constantly looking for a target to blame so they can dwell in their perpetual victim status. As a child of a welfare family, he brings strong credence to his condemnation of government handouts that enslave generations. He is not craven about attacking misguided multi-cultural mendacity that creates class warfare and demeans patriotism. Among his other beta noirs--loosened morality, anti-American sentiments, feel good education policies that shortchange students, the worship of self-esteem, and liberal politicians whose dumb policies do widespread harm to those they profess to be trying to help.Besides his wise social commentary, Ken Hamblin is a captivating raconteur. Reading about his first visit to the isolated village of Atlantic City, Wyoming (NOT New Jersey) I saw the innumerable stars twinkling in the endless sky, and when he relates his solo scuba diving adventure in the eerie murkiness of Lake Powell, I felt myself actually wanting to come up for air. Ken Hamblin is justified in boasting that he is living the American Dream. To achieve his goals he needed to surmount two kinds of racism. As a young man, many "whites-only" doors slammed in his face, and once he achieved his success he found many rigid liberals unwilling to accept a challenging black voice that did not hew to stereotypical standards. My only complaint is that the book's subtitle "An Unassuming Colored Guy Speaks His Mind About America" contains a completely inappropriate word. Ken Hamblin is about as "unassuming" as a tsunami/earthquake combination.
Rating:
Summary: In Your Face Patriotism
Review: Compared to Ken Hamblin, Rush Limbaugh looks like a liberal, Laura Schlessinger is an advocate of sensitivity training, and Pat Buchanan sounds like a wishy-washy moderate with inchoate opinions. Hamblin is no fan of whiners constantly looking for a target to blame so they can dwell in their perpetual victim status. As a child of a welfare family, he brings strong credence to his condemnation of government handouts that enslave generations. He is not craven about attacking misguided multi-cultural mendacity that creates class warfare and demeans patriotism. Among his other beta noirs--loosened morality, anti-American sentiments, feel good education policies that shortchange students, the worship of self-esteem, and liberal politicians whose dumb policies do widespread harm to those they profess to be trying to help. Besides his wise social commentary, Ken Hamblin is a captivating raconteur. Reading about his first visit to the isolated village of Atlantic City, Wyoming (NOT New Jersey) I saw the innumerable stars twinkling in the endless sky, and when he relates his solo scuba diving adventure in the eerie murkiness of Lake Powell, I felt myself actually wanting to come up for air. Ken Hamblin is justified in boasting that he is living the American Dream. To achieve his goals he needed to surmount two kinds of racism. As a young man, many "whites-only" doors slammed in his face, and once he achieved his success he found many rigid liberals unwilling to accept a challenging black voice that did not hew to stereotypical standards. My only complaint is that the book's subtitle "An Unassuming Colored Guy Speaks His Mind About America" contains a completely inappropriate word. Ken Hamblin is about as "unassuming" as a tsunami/earthquake combination.
Rating: 
Summary: Required reading for anyone living in darktown.
Review: Darktown. Black trash. Brood mares. Ken Hamblin speaks the truth, a truth that is bare and bold and harsh. So harsh, in fact, that some reviewers make claims that he uses no facts and two sentences later cite his use of factual events in an attempt to disparage him. This book has driven the Left mad because a kid from the ghetto has learned that the American Dream is alive and well, whether you are black, brown, or white, if only you would embrace it. I think this book should be in every poor and rural school in the country. It is an outstanding tome on what it means to be an American.
Rating:
Summary: Proud Aunt Jemina
Review: Growing up on the outskirts of Darktown i.e. Brooklyn, NY, I know all to well what it's really like. I escaped Darktown, the Ashberry's of the world and becoming a Broodmare. I actually utilized and survived (!) the Public School system in NYC and graduated. I never fit in with the mentality of the people in Darktown, yes I think I am better than they are. I did not like being in a town where the epitome of success is how you can milk the system and how much $$ you make selling drugs. I escaped Darktown and I left without looking back! Am I sellout for choosing not to raise my little boy in a revolting Garbage dump of a city? Revering a disgusting rat infested town created by the people who claim to love the "ghetto" is absurd. Success and a proper education isn't "acting white." Understand that speaking proper English, learning science and arithmetic is one of the only ways to success. Ebonics is ridiculous, we are encouraging baby talk for black people! Would you encourage a baby to continue baby talk or encourage them to speak to be understood? I am not ashamed of my skin color, I am ashamed of the association people make with my skin color and Darktown! I am pursuing the American dream, I never dream of the "Ghetto." I am educated and successful in my life and there is nothing that Darktown can offer me. I have not turned my back on anyone, I have only looked to the future where everyone should be looking for themselves! The Dark Town mentality described in Hamblin's book is so accurate and true to life you can change a few minor details and have it fit the Darktown in *your* area! His political ideals and agendas are right on, we have to rid our country of the... liberals for Black people to truly be free from them (our)selves! Everyone should read this book -- black people so they can see for themselves that it is okay to escape Darktown and join other Americans in perusing the dream, white people and non black people so that they see we are not all like the those in Darktown.
It should be on the reading list of ALL inner-city schools! KEN HAMBLIN FOR PRESIDENT!!
Rating:
Summary: Proud Aunt Jemina
Review: Growing up on the outskirts of Darktown i.e. Brooklyn, NY, I know all to well what it's really like. I escaped Darktown, the Ashberry's of the world and becoming a Broodmare. I actually utilized and survived (!) the Public School system in NYC and graduated. I never fit in with the mentality of the people in Darktown, yes I think I am better than they are. I did not like being in a town where the epitome of success is how you can milk the system and how much $$ you make selling drugs. I escaped Darktown and I left without looking back! Am I sellout for choosing not to raise my little boy in a revolting Garbage dump of a city? Revering a disgusting rat infested town created by the people who claim to love the "ghetto" is absurd. Success and a proper education isn't "acting white." Understand that speaking proper English, learning science and arithmetic is one of the only ways to success. Ebonics is ridiculous, we are encouraging baby talk for black people! Would you encourage a baby to continue baby talk or encourage them to speak to be understood? I am not ashamed of my skin color, I am ashamed of the association people make with my skin color and Darktown! I am pursuing the American dream, I never dream of the "Ghetto." I am educated and successful in my life and there is nothing that Darktown can offer me. I have not turned my back on anyone, I have only looked to the future where everyone should be looking for themselves! The Dark Town mentality described in Hamblin's book is so accurate and true to life you can change a few minor details and have it fit the Darktown in *your* area! His political ideals and agendas are right on, we have to rid our country of the... liberals for Black people to truly be free from them (our)selves! Everyone should read this book -- black people so they can see for themselves that it is okay to escape Darktown and join other Americans in perusing the dream, white people and non black people so that they see we are not all like the those in Darktown.
It should be on the reading list of ALL inner-city schools! KEN HAMBLIN FOR PRESIDENT!!
Rating:
Summary: Ken Hamblin nails it!
Review: Hamblin exposes the condescending, self-congratulating , self-serving liberal establishment that has exploited black Americans for the last 3 decades. The liberals, who claim to be so "tolerant", reveal their true intolerance when Hamblin speaks the truth about their leftist, anti-American agenda. He's a great American!
Rating:
Summary: Ken Hamblin nails it!
Review: Hamblin exposes the condescending, self-congratulating , self-serving liberal establishment that has exploited black Americans for the last 3 decades. The liberals, who claim to be so "tolerant", reveal their true intolerance when Hamblin speaks the truth about their leftist, anti-American agenda. He's a great American!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: If you read Pick a Better Country with an open mind, I think you would have to agree with a lot of what Mr. Hamblin says, but if you don't have open, you would probably call him an Uncle Tom. Mr. Hamblin opinion is that people should stop complaining so much, and realize that anyone can make it in this country, if they really try. My only problem with the book is that I think he tone was a bit harsh when referring to black people who live in the ghetto, other than that, I through the book brought out a lot of good points.
| 
