Conversation : How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships

by Harper, Hill

• ISBN13: 9781592405787
• ISBN10: 1592405789
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-07
• Publisher: Gotham

Summary

In his first book for adults, the New York Times bestselling author sparks honest dialogues between men and women, in the tradition of Steve Harvey's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. Only 34 percent of African-American children today are raised in two- parent households, a sharp contrast to 1966, when 85 percent of black children were raised by two parents. In provocative but heartfelt words, Hill Harper takes on these urgent challenges, bringing a variety of issues out of the shadows. In The Conversation, Harper speaks to women and men with clear-eyed perspective, covering topics such as: The roots of the breakdown in the black family . The myth that there are no mature, single, black male professionals What women can do to alleviate the "heaviness" they sometimes attach to dating ? What men can do to break the cycle of being a player? The difference between sex and intimacy. Bridging the communication gap. Self-worth and net worth, and why you should never settle for an unworthy partner. Capturing the conversations Harper and his friends frequently have, this book is destined to be one of Harper's most healing contributions.

Author Biography

Hill Harper is the author of the bestseller Letters to a Young Brother, which won two NAACP awards and was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association in 2007, and the New York Times bestseller Letters to a Young Sister. He stars in CSI: NY and holds degrees from Brown, Harvard, and the John F. Kennedy school of Government. He lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Crisis of Our Shared Destiny	p. xiii
The Conversation Begins
Man in the Mirror	p. 3
What We Say, Mean, and Do	p. 15
Letters from Don and Robin	p. 23
He Say/She Say: Who's to Blame	p. 32
What Brothers Want	p. 42
Men Speak I	p. 52
What Sisters Want	p. 62
Sisters' Soiree Chat I	p. 65
Mr. and Mrs. Butta Worth
Will Mr. Right Please Stand Up?	p. 75
The Language of Men	p. 82
Nagging	p. 85
Fishing for Compliments	p. 86
Dropping Hints	p. 87
Checking Baggage: The Lightness of Being	p. 95
Status vs. Potential: Looking at the Obamas	p. 102
Trying Not to Sleep in the Bed You Made
Commit-Men-t	p. 111
Men Speak II	p. 114
Eros vs. Sex/Lust vs. Love	p. 119
Premarital Sex	p. 127
Contraception	p. 128
Sexual Experimentation and Compatibility	p. 131
Porn	p. 132
Cheating: Reindeer Games	p. 136
Men Speak III	p. 145
Complicating Matters	p. 149
Dating a Divorcé	p. 150
Dating with Kids	p. 152
Going, Going, Gone: Crossing the Color Line	p. 158
Sisters' Soiree Chat II	p. 166
Men Speak IV	p. 175
Pulling Up the Roots
E-Race-ing the Rules	p. 181
Mad Money	p. 188
Anger, Forgiveness, and Learning to Let Go	p. 196
Men Speak V: Marriage from a Man's Perspective	p. 202
The Way Forward
The Conversation Party	p. 211
The Morning-After Debriefing	p. 234
Man Up!	p. 236
Three to Be Free	p. 246
Addendum: Conversation Questions	p. 260
Acknowledgments	p. 266
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