Diary of a Tired Black Man

Diary of a Tired Black Man is high concept and low quality. It was written, shot, and produced by Tim Alexander. I don’t think it is because of any laziness on Tim Alexander’s part, I just simply think it’s hard to make a film. It’s a little bit documentary, a little bit feature film. It’s the story of a Black man who has divorced a Black woman and the personal and relationship issues that led to their separation.

The film has a good message; don’t carry your baggage from a former relationship into your present one. The issue of some Black women, and men to be honest, punishing their current partner for the mistakes of a past one is valid. Tim Alexander also focuses on how the problems between men and women while raising a child lead to generational problems in terms of relationships in the community. I was also very impressed by a portion of the film where the lead character, James, had to come to terms with his own role in choosing a woman with whom he was not a good match. I think that helped the film simply being a female bashing answer to men bashing films and books. For these reasons alone it’s worth giving a look. That’s the good.

The bad is abundant as well. The acting is not great throughout most of the film, although the lead actor Jimmy Jean-Louis does a good job. Tim, when interviewing people on the street came across as aggrieved at times. Sometimes messages in the film that could have been delivered with subtlety were delivered with way too much force. In other words he lays it on kind of thick. It also gets a little long near the end. However, over all the film had a worthwhile message and is worth watching. Despite some rough patches, the good moments are really excellent. I rate it a rent.

The Ditchdiggers daughters

The Ditch Diggers Daughters could be called, “how to raise successful children” or “how to overcome any limitations”, or even “how to ignore naysayers and raise young people”. I’ll just call it a really good family biography. Dr. Yvonne Thornton recounts how her father raise five daughters with the belief that they could all do anything that they wanted to do. Her father, Donald Thornton, dug ditches at one point of his life and managed to get his children educated, helped them become brilliant musicians who played the Apollo, and became educated and independent women. Mr. Thornton did this by any means necessary, ignoring an and all obstacles, including his own pride, to get his children where he wanted them to be.

The book is an easy read. I rate it a buy. I started reading it in a book store and couldn’t put it down. It is rare for the story of rising from poverty to the middle class is documented in book form. Dr. Thornton does a great job recounting the life of her father, and her family. This book is a good tool for showing that determination can help one overcome racism, poverty, and many other obstacles. It’s a great book.