He Talk Like a White Boy: Reflections of a Conservative Black Man on Faith, Family, Politics, and Authenticity

by Joseph C. Phillips

Overview

As a young student, Joseph Phillips once overheard someone say of him, "He talk like a white boy!" The Denver native never thought that speaking correctly would cause others to question his authenticity as an African-American. Little did he know what lay in his future. His choices in music, politics, faith, and family have given rise to many accusations of his not being "black enough." As an actor, Joseph has encountered even more pointing fingers, this time for not being liberal enough for Hollywood. With a frank voice and a loving heart, this brilliant, conservative and outspoken African-American man presents a series of funny and thought-provoking essays that speak to the simple fact that authenticity is far more complicated that one's choice of words or music

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786744053
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	12/10/2008
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	403 KB

About the Author

Joseph C. Phillips is an actor, writer, lecturer, and social commentator best known for his role on The Cosby Show as the character Denise's (Lisa Bonet) husband, Lt. Martin Kendall. As a social commentator, Joseph's writing has appeared in Newsweek, Los Angeles Daily News, Essence, Upscale, USA Today, and more. He writes a weekly syndicated column, "The Way I See It," and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. Please visit him at www.josephcphillips.com.

Editorial Reviews

Phillips is not your typical Republican: he's a television actor, a sometime stay-at-home dad-and a proud black man. At his best, riffing on the difficulties of not conforming to stereotypes in a nation that refuses to shed them, Phillips is thought provoking and moving. With a memoirist's eye for incident, he writes about sitting out eighth-grade pickup football games, caught between the team of white boys he'd grown up with and the team of black boys who complained he lived in "Honkyville." He's acute on the absurdity of racial perceptions, as when he gets scripts that call for "an African-American neurosurgeon with street smarts." But his political essays often read like blog entries, heavy on outrage and rhetoric (the latter sometimes snappy), and feather-light on nuance and evidence (the latter sometimes dubious). They may draw cheers from those who share his faith in G.W. Bush, but won't persuade those who don't. Phillips's opinions (e.g., on faith, character and the pitfalls of affirmative action) may be the driving force behind his writing, but it's his lived experience that is likely to persuade readers of all colors-black, white, red or blue-that he has something to say. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Best known for his role as Lt. Martin Kendall on The Cosby Show, conservative actor Phillips is a lecturer and social commentator who writes a weekly column that appears in various newspapers. His use of proper English, rather than language from the 'hood, earned him a certain reputation; it was said that "he talk like a white boy." In these essays, divided into five thematic sections-"Character," "Family," "Faith," "Idealism," and "Identity"-he pays homage to famous black men like Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King, speaks of his love for cowboys and Westerns, remembers his mother's suicide, comments on women and feminism, gives his thoughts on parenting and marriage, shares his religious beliefs (he's a Christian), bashes Hollywood liberals like Dustin Hoffman and Alec Baldwin for their outspokenness on President Bush and the Iraq War, and expresses anger at Hollywood generally for its racism when it comes to casting black actors. Phillips is an excellent and perceptive writer, driving home his points with wit and wisdom, but it's unlikely that he'll convert any of his detractors. Recommended primarily for conservative readers and fans of the author.-Ann Burns, Library Journal Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal