LIFELINES: The Black Book of Proverbs


About the authors

Yvonne McCalla Sobers, a former educator who studied at the University of the West Indies, is currently a human and community development consultant,. She is also a human rights activist and researcher. Yvonne writes fiction and non-fiction, and is also the author of “Delicious Jamaica!: Vegetarian Cuisine“. Apart from a decade spent in Ghana and England, Yvonne has lived all her life in Kingston, Jamaica.


Askhari Johnson Hodari, Ph.D., an Africana Studies scholar and activist, earned degrees from Spelman College and Howard University. A former professor of African American Studies, she is the author of “The African Book of Names“. Originally from South Carolina, she was raised in Maryland and she now lives in Birmingham, Alabama.



About the book

Inspired by the biblical Book of Proverbs, LIFELINES: The Black Book of Proverbs (Random House, 2009) by Askhari Johnson Hodari and Yvonne McCalla Sobers, is a wondrously illustrated collection of aphorisms, witticisms, and sayings from Africa and the African Diaspora that will entrance, entertain, and enlighten readers of all ages.


*Birth and Parenting: “When a yam does not grow well, do not blame the yam; it is because of the soil.” (Ghana)

*Marriage: “Getting married is nothing: it is assuming the responsibility of marriage that counts.”(Haiti)

*Money Problems: “The poor person does not experience poverty all the time.” (Ghana)

*Peace and War: “To engage in conflict, one does not bring a knife that cuts but a needle that sews. (Kiswahili)

This book of proverbs is uniquely arranged by life cycle themes from birth to death and speaks to the tragedy and triumph in between. Unforgettable vignettes showing how African proverbs comfort, inspire, and instruct during different phases of life.

LIFELINES sharpens understanding of how traditions, civilization, and spirit survive and thrive, despite centuries of loss of freedom, family, identity, language, land, and wealth.

More about Lifelines:
http://www.lifelinesproverbs.com/

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