reviews

Promise, by Ron Tinsley, is far and away the best memoir I’ve read in years. This book provides a view of a subculture that to date has been inadequately described. The evolution of Mr Tinsley from his childhood in the poorer areas of Cincinnati, through the military, artistic years in Hawaii, and family and business life after, offers an insightful look at the complicated issues of being Black in America. This book, I believe, will end up being on the required reading of multiple college courses. Best of all, it is readable and fun. I finished in one sitting, it’s that well written. I loved it. 5 stars!!

While often light-hearted and whimsical, Ron shares how he could have gone the way of some of his friends: prison or shot on a street corner. From the perspective of more than 50 years in the legal profession, I have seen countless others who lacked his moral compass and who drowned early in a wasted life. It’s a tale worth reading, especially by those grown up with privilege.

A must read! Ron’s reflections have a candor and heart that is refreshingly frank and insightful. It’s an important book that I hope will be included in curriculum throughout our country. Humble and matter a fact, his humanity comes through as he addresses essential issues that hold gravity in our world.

What a life! The racism Tinsley chronicles is infuriating, and he chronicles it — as well as other alternately funny and surprising life adventures — with writing that is both crisp and reflective. —

I really have only one quibble with Tinsley’s book, and it’s a lone sentence in his Preface: “I am not a writer.” I beg to differ.

A powerful story of personal triumph.