"A Wealth of Family" by Thomas Brooks: Book Review

A Wealth of Family

by Thomas Brooks

Alpha Multimedia, Inc. (2006)

ISBN 0977462935

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (6/06)

"A Wealth of Family" has something to be enjoyed or learned by people from all walks of life, no matter what your gender, socio-economic background or culture. This is a fantastic book. It centers on Brooks upbringing as an adopted black men who wanted to find his roots. I found it difficult to write this review because his story touched me in so many ways, it was hard for me to narrow down which area I enjoyed the greatest or which part of his life experiences taught me the most. In spite of our differences (gender, race, upbringing) I learned a lot about myself as I read. I admire his ability to see the positive learning experiences that come from experiencing negative situations.

Brooks was raised by a very protective, divorced black woman. They had to struggle financially. He had close extended family in his life and a wonderful male role model. In his youth, he learned that he was adopted. His birth mother was a white woman and his father was an African from Kenya. Brooks developed an interest in finding his birth family so that he could learn about his roots.

Throughout his education, Brooks had to deal with racism and poverty. He experienced racism from his friends and teachers. He attended a predominantly white school. Some of his friends would make racist comments based on ignorance without realizing that their beliefs were wrong. Brooks chose to get his revenge by excelling in academics and athletics. Then he had to deal with black-on-black prejudice by being told that he was "acting white" by his black peers.

Brooks was the first in his family to attend college. This was a whole new learning experience for him. He had to deal with the paradox of trying to show everyone that black people can excel at everything and then being accused of being boastful and arrogant when he would succeed.

After Brooks completed his education, he was contacted by his birth mother. Through her, he is able to meet his siblings in England and contact his father's family in Kenya. After a great deal of effort, he is able to meet his birth father and extended family in Kenya. Brooks is able to connect his adoptive family, his English family and his African family. Now he truly knows his roots.

What I really enjoyed about this book is that the story did not end when he met his mother. He continues on and teaches us about the how much more his life was enriched by being able to combine his family from their different cultures.

I highly recommend this book to be used in African-American studies classes and in Cultural Counseling classes. I think that it would be great to be read in areas of underprivileged youth. Brooks showed that he could overcome all of the hardships in his life and he is actively involved in making a difference in the lives of others.
Brooks writes about how slavery has robbed African Americans of their history and culture. This often leads them to think that they are inferior. Because of his experiences he developed a perspective of himself as a "world citizen, not limited by race, religion, nationality or political ideology." If everyone could develop this view of themselves, there would be an end to racism and we would have world peace.

Automotive Review, 2008 Mazda CX-7

We're on the Road in the 2008, Mazda CX-7

The Good: Nice styling, good handling, decent list of standard features, good curbside appeal, very safe.

The Bad: Road noise is somewhat pronounced, rear seats are low.

Overall: The CX-7 is a sharp looking small SUV, sporty styling while offering a well designed, handsome and functional interior.

The CX-7 is Mazda's five passenger crossover sport-utility vehicle, initially introduced for 2007. The powertrain consists of a 2.3 Liter 4 cylinder turbo engine, outputting 244 horsepower and 258 lb foot of torque, coupled to the front wheel drive, six speed automatic transmission with sportshift! Mazda offers the CX-7 in three trim levels: Sport; Touring; and Grand Touring.

The CX-7 is very sporty, from the five-pointed grille and prominent front fender, up to the A pillar slanting at a 66 degree angle, the Mazda holds true to "the soul of a sports car" slogan. The integrated rounded xenon headlights round out the front corner of the vehicle nicely! It's retains the sharp handling and responsiveness of a car, while offering light duty utility as well.

Safety
The CX-7 scored best marks in Government Front, Driver and passenger, side driver/ rear passenger test as well as good marks in government rollover tests. The 5 passenger SUV has many standard safety features, including: ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist, as well as Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control System. Also standard find side impact door beams, Front/Rear crumple zones, an anti-theft immobilizer and TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), four wheel ventilated disc brakes; Front wheel or Active Torque-Split All-Wheel Drive. The CX-7 has thick D pillars, but the area is very visible using the side mirrors. This Mazda also features a good compliment of six airbags for front and back.

Driving Impressions

The CX-7 is a handles well and although you might expect a v-6 to be necessary for this size vehicle, you'd be surprised how well the 4 cylinder turbo performs. Unlike the turbo of the past there's almost zero lag. The turbo does a great job of compensating for what could otherwise be a lighter duty engine for this rather hefty vehicle.

Handling is solid, responsive and tight (without being numb) and thanks to the four wheel independent suspension you'll feel little road, the response is direct. Road noise is a bit more audible than others, but it's not enough to be troublesome. Consumer Reports rated Mazda's CX-7 as less than average for first year reliability, but we did not note any potential issues during our test drive.

The Way You Feel Inside


Jump into the CX-7 without needing a boost, it's not a huge SUV. Mazda's red and blue lighting combine for a pleasing hue across the clean and simple analogue gauge cluster. Interior styling is handsome and build quality is good, inline with the category.

Function meet form, form meet function: nice looking front/side defrost vents are smartly integrated into the dash, which is stacked to include a centered LCD display, for clock and audio info. Discover a large lockable center console, large enough for a music junkie's CD collection, and more space for snacks. Got power? Plug in to either of the 12v power outlets. Drivers will also appreciate lighting accents that make it easy to see the interior while driving at night, thanks to the indirect blue cabin illumination (on the upper trim). Drivers and passengers delight with lumbar adjustment on front seats, that are also heated (love the heated seats, also on upper trim).

The CX-7 has a good long list of standard features, they include: Cruise Control, AM/FM/CD audio with automatic level control (automatically adjusting the volume (smooth and non intrusive) based on noise levels) fold away brake pedal assembly, LATCH rear child safety seat anchors and tethers, A/C, power door locks, plus more. The CX-7 offers fun, a sporty drive and a bit of utility as well, and gives you alot for your money!

Stowage
For a five passenger SUV, you'll likely be taking the weekend road trip and the CX-7 is ready for the road, with decent and versatile stowage space. Fold the rear seats down (although they don't lay entirely flat, check the photo below) and you'll have 58.6 cubic feet. With the rear seats up find 29.9 cubic feet about average for this class vehicle, and decent space for the weekend warrior or occasional camper. Options exist to extend your storage with a roof rack (100lbs max); and the tow package (towing capacity up to 2000 lbs).

By the Numbers
By the new 2008 fuel rating the FWD CX-7 is rated at 17 city / 22 highway, and we averaged 17.8 MPG on premium fuel, combined (city and highway) driving. (AWD model gets 16 / 21MPG)

Mazda CX-7 Sticker Price
FWD Sport Trim starts at $23,750.
FWD Touring Trim starts at $25,500. and
FWD Grand Touring starts at $26,300.
AWD Sport Trim starts at $24,450.
AWD Touring Trim starts at $27,200.
AWD Grand Touring Trim starts at $28,000