Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black ...
Half a century after brave Americans took to the streets to raise the bar of opportunity for all races, Juan Williams writes that too many black Am...
read full description
reviews
Feb 06, 2008
Hugh
rated it: 
Imagine one aging man who gives one single speech with such power that he prompts another man to write a book. Bill Cosby gave a stirring, scathing, passionate speech on the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education case and Juan Williams wrote Enough. Cosby asked, "What good is Brown vs. Board if nobody wants it?" and decried the decline of the black family in America over the last fifty years. Cosby was born at a time when around 80% of black children had marri
More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 18, 2007
Ed
rated it: 
Blacks in America fail to recognize that the face of the emeny is us !! Time to stop looking to be saved, save ourselves.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 03, 2011
Let me start by saying that I am not African-American, so this feels like an "outsider looking in" discussion. I do live in Birmingham, AL though, where talks of race, economics, education and history are brought to the forefront of discussion, news, etc. every day.
With that disclaimer out of the way...
I thought Juan Williams did a fantastic job of shining a light on the social ills of the past 50+ years.
I thought his arguments were well constructed and clear. And I found it very hard More...
With that disclaimer out of the way...
I thought Juan Williams did a fantastic job of shining a light on the social ills of the past 50+ years.
I thought his arguments were well constructed and clear. And I found it very hard More...
Dec 18, 2011
Frederick
rated it:
Juan Williams, Enough. MCRI[return]September 15th, 2006[return][return]Juan Williams, Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure that are Undermining Black America–and What We Can Do About It. Crown, New York. 2006.[return][return]The major shortcoming of Juan Williams book is that he doesn’t go far enough. But more of that later. It should first be said that he goes very far indeed, saying much that has needed to be said for years, if not decades. No mean achievement.
More...
Sep 08, 2011
Richard
rated it:
There are many laudatory reviews of Enough here on Goodreads. Appropriately so, I believe. I concur with the preponderance of opinion that Enough has an important message and is well-written. Mr. Williams at times writes quite passionately about his subject, and with good reason.
There are several places in the book where Mr. Williams and I part company, but none of them are central to his message. One example of this is his contention that the Constitution supported slavery, using More...
There are several places in the book where Mr. Williams and I part company, but none of them are central to his message. One example of this is his contention that the Constitution supported slavery, using More...
Nov 27, 2008
Tim
rated it:
Juan Williams' Enough is a riff on Bill Cosby's speech at the celebration of the golden annivesary of the Brown vs Board of Education decision in which Cosby took civil rights leaders and many African Americans to task for not taking advantage of all of the hard work that was done to achieve the rights that all Americans now enjoy. Williams expands Cosby's thesis and write about black leadership (mired in victim mentality), hip-hop culture, materialism, educational reforms that do not work, welf
More...
Jul 30, 2011
Alan
rated it:
Though Juan Williams repeats himself, he makes a very clear point: Bill Cosby was correct and courageous in calling out the black community leaders for their failure to speak and act against the current state of black culture in America, notably the high value given to hip hop artists and sports stars and the low value for education, marriage, and family responsibility. Williams notes that most current black American leaders are still fighting for civil rights although progress requires more fo
More...
Sep 26, 2007
Aron
rated it:
A very accessible and sobering look at African-American poverty by Juan Williams that takes the form of a call to arms in support of Bill Cosby and his education/strong family/personal responsibility argument.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 10, 2012
Michel
rated it:
I was reading this for Black History Month. It is unfortunately not history, and by no means changing for the better. As Paul Kennedy was saying, more Blacks are in jail in America than was necessary to maintain apartheid in South Africa. The schools are spectacularly failing Black children (the euphemistically called "achievement gap"), so how does the future look? And the Black leadership (which supported Clinton against Obama until April 2008, because he was to educated to be "
More...
Apr 23, 2008
Emiliano
rated it:
Critique by someone who understands "black America" and provides pointed facts and statistics to support his contentions. Juan Williams does not appear to be one of these intellectuals in an ivory tower looking down upon the subjects he is focused on.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 09, 2012
Adriene
rated it:
Bill Cosby is without a doubt one of the greatest men of our time. His lessons and passion about Black America go without saying. It is also his sincerity in promoting the message about the plague of disinterest in our youth that ultimately reverses all the work done by their ancestors. Juan Williams takes that message that Cosby delivered during the dinner at the college, in the presence of the NAACP, and he extends upon the urgency. This book will take you through a roller coaster of emotions.
More...
Jun 30, 2010
Stephanie "Jedigal"
rated it: 
Interesting and very fast read. Williams' style is both conversational and well-organized. I purchased b/c I like the author as an NPR correspondent, and am interested in race issues. Although I'm white, I live in St. Louis, and am directly impacted by race issues in my community.
Author uses Bill Cosby's controversial speech in 2004 at the 50th anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education, which made school segregation ("separate but equal") illegal. He exam More...
Author uses Bill Cosby's controversial speech in 2004 at the 50th anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education, which made school segregation ("separate but equal") illegal. He exam More...
Apr 23, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
A superb look at what creates and perpetuates poverty. Although written about Black America these are principles and patterns that appply to all people. Several sections should be required high school reading--they would be great discussion starters concerning education, work, marriage, personal responsibility and the true nature of leadership.
Apr 11, 2008
Jwjohnsen
rated it:
I read this after hearing an interview with Juan Williams about the book on NPR. It really got me thinking, but as a member of the non-black community I could only really just shake my head at the end and think, man, I hope someday this gets fixed.. It makes me wonder, however, if there are ways that we as whites work to perpetuate false ideas of who we are based on what we read, watch, and listen to. Is our media merely a reflection of our reality, or is it (more likely) an element that shap
More...
Jun 03, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
All Bill Cosby ever said was that education, hard work, refusing to objectify women, and not engaging in crime or supporting criminals were the foundation to a happy, healthy, successful life -- that was all. Sounds like common sense to me (and NO, I am NOT white or Republican, not even close). It was nothing that countless civil rights leaders (the TRUE ones) had not said before. How he could be so maligned for speaking the truth is sad, bizarre, and absurd, and speaks volumes of our society. M
More...
Feb 18, 2009
I just start reading this book, so far I like the way It starts off with Bill Cosby downing the poor blacks, then some one points out his faults.
Jun 30, 2010
Tasha
rated it:
Eh. I wholly agreed with Williams' argument before I even cracked open the book, so I wasn't really changed or inspired by the time I reached the end. I would, however, recommend this book to people who disagreed with the controversial remarks Bill Cosby made at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Brown v. Board of Ed. If you have any doubts about the value of Cosby's crusade, read Enough and perhaps you'll be convinced. Warning: Williams is a much better NPR correspondant than author. He'
More...
May 28, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
Williams skillfully covers the controversy over Bill's Cosby's speech on the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
Feb 23, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
While this book is mainly directly to African Americans, everyone can learn a lesson from this. Mainly, get an education and get a job before getting married. Don't get married until you are 21, and do get married before having kids. Then, once you have kids, give them your love and attention. Statistics show that following that advice will severely cut your chances of living in poverty.
This book is easy to read and full of good advice on how to live your life. I've listened to Juan Willia More...
This book is easy to read and full of good advice on how to live your life. I've listened to Juan Willia More...
Sep 02, 2011
Jw
rated it:
If I were president of the world, every black high school junior would have to read this book.
Apr 22, 2009
Matthew
rated it:
A sometimes uncomfortable screed against the ills plaguing low income, black America.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 09, 2009
Kristimgreen
rated it: 
The points in this book are applicable to everyone. It focuses on the situation of the African Americans, but similar conclusions can be drawn about anyone in terms of what people have sacrificed for us and how we've thanked their legacy. Women marched to get voting rights proving that they were smart enough and capable, for women now to just play dumb and think it's cute. Or how most of us blame our bosses, or spouses, or professors, or someone else on why we're not happy or succeeding. So st
More...
Dec 16, 2009
Marion
rated it:
This book isn't simply another huge tome bemoaning the state of black people in America and pointing fingers at everyone that could possibly be to blame, it's really a rallying cry for all Americans to better themselves, and for the affluent black community to start sending a message that there is hope, that they can look to their community for support, and that hard work and good education still counts for something. I got so excited about this book when I first read it, and I really need to go
More...
Sep 21, 2011
Naomi
rated it:
Wow..Wow..Wow..This book was FANTASTIC! Williams and Cosby were dead in this book. I can see, however, why this book received the backlash and criticism from black leaders.
Mar 11, 2008
Jenny
rated it:
I decided to hold my nose and read a book written by someone who works for Fox News. Fortunately, the author has other credentials which mitigate Fox News! The book has a conservative flavor, isn't perfect, and probably should have been written by Bill Cosby, but it is provacative and offers a valid viewpoint to the debate on the state of contemporary black culture.
Oct 15, 2007
Raghie
rated it:
Great read. I loved the way he used common sense to prove his point so much that I found myself underlining passages and sharing with friends. Juan does a great job of asking the question, "where are our black leaders?"
I recommend this book not just to adults but also our youth.
I recommend this book not just to adults but also our youth.
Aug 22, 2009
David
rated it:
Highly recommended. An honest and frank appraisal of the civil rights issues and the continued problems facing America--black, white, hispanic, whatever--because of red herrings phony leaders, and "learned helplessness."
Jul 22, 2008
Jeremy
rated it:
A bit over-exampled, but Juan Williams takes up the Bill Cosby mantle to try to change the culture of failure he finds so pervasive in black society. I was uncomfortable with how much I agreed with his perspective.
