Don Lemon (1) (1966–)

don lemon is no james baldwin (but who is?) so drawing the comparison does him no favors. there are parts of this - especially toward the late middle and early end - that were particularly well done, and that carried this for me. otherwise it was alright but didn't add much that was new. (and as someone who doesn't consume a lot of visual media, i appreciated his brief analysis of racism and racist portrayals in movies and tv history.)

"I've learned that every loss wields unique impact - the show more inverse of that person's impact on your own life. And this, in microcosm, is the nexus of that urgent plea - Black Lives Matter. Because when Black lives truly do matter in macrocosm, we won't have to hold up Black deaths to prove it."

"The next tragic headline isn't happening on television. It's happening all around us at this very moment." show less

This book is a must-read for any person struggling with meeting the expectations of the African-American community. Journalist Don Lemon discusses his ambiguous life growing up in the Baton Rouge Area, and the secrets behind his winning personality. He confronts: painful memories, racist sentiments, and minority stereotypes. Lemon writes about self-acceptance as he details his rise to fame. He discusses his affection for truth and the bravery that comes with advocating unpopular opinions. show more Lemon shares how his penchant for calculated risks engendered an appreciation for media and ultimately, humanity. Lemon also shares how confronting racism helped him raise hard questions about his familial roots. To any brave reader who feels isolated within his or her own community, this is your story. Lemon explain how special people throughout his career taught him to see the word "NO" as a gateway toward greater ambition. Lemon should be praised for noting how frequently black Americans believe that in order to be black one should perform X, Y, or Z. He defiantly states that the right to be African-American is never based on tastes, associations, or education. show less

I love Don Lemon as a jounalist and I had very high expectations of the book written and read by him on such an important, personal, emotional, current topic. The book felt more like an unfinished Masters thesis, at the moment around B but with a potential to get A.
I also felt it was read too fast and that I had not done my homework (watching a lot of American classic movies, reading The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin and The Caste by Isabel Wilkerson first, etc.).

CNN Newsroom host Don Lemon was a victim of sex abuse as a 5-year-old. He was abused for months by a teenage neighbour.