Posted in Book Reviews

He Talk Like a White Boy:  Reflections on Faith, Family, Politics and Authenticity

By Joseph C. Phillips

Published by Running Press

To be quite honest, this is not a book I would have chosen off a shelf in Barnes and Noble.  It just is not the kind of book, or so I thought, that I would have bought.  Don’t get me wrong, the cover would have caught my attention in a positive way.  I would have probably glanced at it and said, “Oh, there is that guy that married Denise on the Cosby Show.  Well, now that’s cool!  He was the one with that cute little girl… now what was her name… oh yeah, Raven Simon on the Disney Channel.”  I would have thought on that for a moment and then placed it back on the shelf and walked away.  I might have even gone so far as to mention it to Dan and he would have said something like, “Oh, that’s great.”  Then we would have finished our dinner and moved on.  I would have also been struck by the fact that it mentions the word faith in the title.  I probably would have also guessed that it was a liberal slant on life because most of what Hollywood actors say is usually of the liberal variety of topics.  If I had gone through that process and thought those things I would not have really known what this book held.  I am thrilled that I did not have the chance to put it back on the shelf before discovering what a delight it was to read. 

Joseph Phillips is a delightfully poignant writer.  He is an honest and very real man in this book and I totally appreciate that about this book.  The title suggests possible racial topics and there are some of those in there.  They are not offensive or degrading.  As a matter of fact it is just the opposite.  He encourages us to lift up our life experience, to be educated and in touch.  The book was about so much more than color or race though.  It was about the human experience.  I could totally relate to so many things in this book.  The stories transcend race and connect all of us with personal experiences that are common to all races.  The values reflected here are much the same as my own. I wish more Americans subscribed to the moral and ethical tones in this book.  The things about his childhood were much the same as mine, too.  I am about the same age as Mr. Phillips and we share common themes in our growing up and early adult years.  He loves his country.  He loves his family.  He loves his God.  This permeates the pages of this book and it is so refreshing!  He reminds me, very much, of Bill Cosby. I have read Cosby’s books and this surely reflects that philosophy that has sometimes gotten Cosby in trouble with the media.  I am saying that it is a good thing to go against the grain of society’s thinking.  You can see some of the influence of Cosby in his life as well as other upright and outstanding Americans.  He pays tribute to so many that influenced him along the way.    

Phillips is very practical and logical in his thinking.  He is honest and authentic.  He loves his family and faith.  He is driven to live it out in a way that Hollywood could and should stand up and take notice.  This book is one I would recommend to all adults.  It is so much about being a man – a real man – a rugged cowboy, no question about it man.  He is quite generous in honoring women in a truly respectful way in this book.  I wish more men honored women so warmly and generously.  Women can enjoy this book, and I did thoroughly, but really it is about being a man – an upright and outstanding man.  It is about leading in your family and in your community, giving back and contributing to society in a positive way, living your life for the world to see and having no regrets about the mark you leave.  I found myself agreeing with so much and reminiscing with Phillips over life memories.  I laughed out loud sometimes and just reveled in the truth of so much of what he had to say.  It was truly a great read and one I feel no time was wasted in savoring.  I am so glad I did not have the opportunity to put this book back on the shelf before really reading its beautiful message of being human together.