Books for Sale
AN UNWITTING PIONEER
Sypnosis;
In the segregated south, we learned as young black men to stay in our “place.” Scholars define this as “social position,” the position of an individual in a given society or culture. Generally in the “land of the free” one’s place should be fluid. One should be free to navigate and advance along social positions based on economic, academic, or other recognized achievements. In other words, there should be equal opportunity to pursue your desired place; that is the “pursuit of happiness” for which this country stands. Unfortunately, during the days of “Jim Crow” in America, the black man’s place was fixed. The color of his skin placed him in a box that was well-defined and constrained by the existing culture. The stereotypes of low intellect, laziness, sexual promiscuity, and violence were perpetuated in books, media, movies, and schools.
Therefore, any black man who dared to violate his place became a threat to the prevailing norms of American society. The mere act of seeking well-paying jobs commensurate with his education, competing with his white contemporaries, and seeking housing and other accommodations commensurate with his economic means were pushing the boundaries of his place.
As we pursued our happiness, most of us neither anticipated nor were we prepared for this resistance from the prevailing culture. We pursued and accepted jobs consistent with our new college degrees. We followed the natural progression from education to job opportunities. We were not ready for the culture shock. We did not knowingly decide to violate our place. We were common men who were forced to cope in an uncommon place. We became Unwitting Pioneers.
This book is about coping as a black man, growing up during Jim Crow on tobacco row in rural eastern North Carolina. It is about his quest for identity and place somewhere between the black and white cultures, through his college experience and the white world of the US Navy Officer Corps, through the pursuit of a “super grade” level in the federal government bureaucracy, and through navigating the halls of the US Congress as a Congressional Fellow.
This book is about the evolution of a black businessman from president of the country’s largest black-owned construction management firm, to a real estate developer of affordable housing and downtown revitalization. It’s about pioneering the use of public-private partnerships for affordable housing and redevelopment in economically depressed communities. This book is about chasing real estate development deals. It is about business successes, failures, and transformations. It is about the rise to wealth and the fall to destitution. This book is about political and ideological struggles and betrayal. Ultimately this book is about reconciling dual personalities, and coming to grips with self-identity and place, becoming whole, integrating family, job, and other outside interests into one personality, body, soul, and spirit; and finally finding peace through accepting God’s purpose and servant-hood. This book is the story of one of the many unwitting pioneers of Marshall Isler’s generation.
MASCULINITY’S LAST FRONTIER
Sypnosis;
This book explores the fundamental source of masculine traits, and their evolution from God’s original purpose and design, through Satan’s corruption, to the world’s exploitation. For example, in order to ensure procreation, God designed man with an insatiable appetite for sex. In order for males to be the protector and provider as He intended, God made males stronger and competitive. To be the leader of the family, God gave him the rational and intellectual traits to be a problem solver. However since the fall of man Satan and his social, economic, and political systems of the world have exploited these traits to satisfy man’s sinful nature, his flesh.
These are silent and deadly sins which start with the lust of the eyes and flesh, greed, and pride. Silent because they are sins of the heart, where no one knows but the sinner, God, and maybe a consenting partner. Deadly because eternity in hell is the consequence; and man’s mind is the greatest obstacle. Pride can easily convince men that these sins are victimless. In addition, they are condoned and in many cases, even celebrated in the world. This book exposes these lies, tricks and deceptions of Satan; and shows why his strategy presents a special challenge to the sinful nature of men and their masculinity. Finally, the book will explore spiritual weapons, and other resources available to help men overcome the adversary, and ultimately, how God’s kind of love conquers all. If you feel hopeless, you’re not without hope. Join me and let’s overcome Man’s Last Frontier together.