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akili amina

akili amina

About

Akili Amina, is a poet/writer who has maintained ayear long blog featuring her poems and journaling her thoughts. Eight of Akili's poems have been published in five literary magazines. Four of her poems have been published in two anthologies. One of the anthologies is on the inauguration of President Obama and the other is calling for change concerning the homeless. She has written a poetic memoir of her life and the history of the African American peoples in her book, "African Heritage, American Experience". We invite you to take a look inside of this wonderful book.

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

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<span style="font-family:verdana;line-height:normal;"></span><div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">By </td><td style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2V0S49LYQJF3R/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#004b91;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Elizabeth A. <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Chapin-Pinotti<img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/carrot._V47081519_.gif" class="custPopRight" alt="" style="border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;vertical-align:-1px;margin-left:3px;" /></span></span></a> (Sacramento, CA United States) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2V0S49LYQJF3R/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#004b91;">See all my reviews</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>African Heritage, American Experience, by poet Akili Amina, is a lyrical journey through the tragedy and triumphs that personify one of the noblest sojourns of the human race. Her words are bold and bawdy and soft and sensuous and tell the history of &quot;...a trio of degrees&quot;, a passage of time and the limitation and wisdom of truth. Her words flow through the pages and capture snapshots of an entire culture and the wider world in which it exists. Amina's poetry depicts the urgency of a culture to make its own way and fit in at the same time - something that all Americans' desire. <br /><br />Humble and proud, Amina puts the world in which we, as American's exist in, in perspective. She captures moments that we all have experienced no matter what our heritage and moments that are uniquely African American. This is a book that should be read again and again. It is heartfelt and positive...without being trite or tired. It is poetry that is modern and filled with history. Amina's words are the wings of freedom upon which the America Dream was born. <br /><br />African Heritage, American Experience is reminiscent of the early works of the great Maya Angelou - and that is no small feet. This woman is a true talent.