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First off, I'll start by saying that I haven't finished reading Jane Raphaely's biography, unedited. Not because it's boring or anything - far from it - but because, in order to have my breakfast on a flight between home and temp-home, I had to pause at the part where she was talking about the stage of life when teenagers tell their parents that they didn't ask to be born. And then, you guessed it, I forgot the book on the plane! But even if I never get it back, unedited - which is what the book is called - is a good enough read to buy another copy. If you're unfamiliar with her, Mrs Raphaely is one of the most revered people in the magazine industry. She was responsible for putting Fairlady onto the map and more popularly, giving South African women their own version of Cosmopolitan Magazine and ultimately building the empire that is Associated Magazines. Even if you have no interest in these women's titles or think Cosmo and 'em are for daft women, you'd be surprised to find out the ideas behind these magazines. I look forward to reading the rest of her story as the emphasis seems to be on just how she did it all. In case you were wondering, her response to teenagers saying they wish they weren't born is simply that parents were making love, not babies, when the children came to be. Awesome, right?

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My friend's are the illest. For my birthday this year, the Nut to my Raisin and a Fig by definition (inside reference, sorry) bought me Martha Cooper's The Hip Hop Files: Photographs 1979-1984. As you may be aware if you are a regular reader of theblagg and/or share our interests, Martha Cooper is a force to be reckoned with.

Not only has she and her camera been at the forefront of documenting graffiti and other elements of the culture while they were in their infancy but she's also published quite a few books that are the result of her access to the New York scene and beyond. This lady's images have provided plenty a screensaver (back when people had those) for Dude and now she's in South Africa.

Following the I ART WOODSTOCK (in Cape Town) and I ART Soweto initiatives that hooked South African artists up with a platform to paint large scale murals comes I ART JOBURG. This go-around, six artists from various parts of the world - including our very own graff guru, Falko and fine artist, Cameron Platter - will get to paint on buildings in the Maboneng Precinct before the end of September.

Who better than Martha Cooper to document the whole process? These photographic finds will culminate in an exhibition of I ART JOBURG, by Cooper, that will be shown in Joburg in October before it travels to Cape Town. Those of you who are attending STR.CRD (which will be in the same vicinity) can enjoy the free I ART JOBURG Talks at the street culture event. In the meantime, definitely read this:

Read This (Maybe)

Usually we don't don't this but uh...*cues R Kelly's Ignition Remix*

Ha! Sorry about that.

No, usually we don't tell you to maybe read a book. If it's on theblagg, we want you to read it. Period. But the reason today's post carries a "maybe" with it is two-fold. First, we haven't really read Sharp Sharp: South Africa Street Style. The second reason is because upon paging through Ed Suter's book, there was plenty of rolling of the eyes and quite frankly, boredom.

The only reason we'd like for you to see it is because on a random day near the home away from home of fratpack's Mr Calibre, someone thought he dresses really well and asked to take a picture of him. This picture is in Sharp Sharp. So maybe this is more of a shameless plug for someone we know who (in our opinion) dresses well.

But in terms of the book itself, peruse it in your local bookstore and then decide whether you'd like to own it. I think Milli (of the Miss Milli B blog) summarised how I feel (even after only paging through it in a store) about this book in her Mail & Guardian article so go over and read that too.

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Joan Morgan is awesome. Many years ago, I bought this book simply because I knew Morgan's byline and well, because I figured I would relate. What I found between the pages of Joan Morgan's When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost: A Hip Hop Feminist Breaks It Down was sheer brilliance.

Sure, there were some aspects I could relate to like the conflict between being a black woman and down for the cause at it were but still cherishing a culture that in some aspects, doesn't seem to see women as human at all. But there was also a lot that I learned about other people's perspectives, about the very real role that love plays in bad decision-making and obviously, about American hip hop. Through personal anecdotes (she's truthful about flaws and really funny) and statistical research, Morgan - whom you may have also seen in the My Mic Sounds Nice documentary about women in hip hop - really does break it down. I guess Amazon's synopsis can give you a better idea:

In this fresh, funky, and ferociously honest book, award-winning journalist Joan Morgan bravely probes the complex issues facing African-American women in today's world: a world where feminists often have not-so-clandestine affairs with the most sexist of men; where women who treasure their independence often prefer men who pick up the tab; and where the deluge of babymothers and babyfathers reminds black women who long for marriage that traditional nuclear families are a reality for less than 40 percent of the African-American population.

Read this!

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By now, every South African household should own at least one copy of I Write What I Like. No dog ears, please. There's not much I can say about the collection of Steve Biko writings but I reckon if you're old enough to read and care about your place in the world, you should read this. Go ahead.

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I finished this book this month and I have to be honest, I went in expecting it to be a laborious read. Sometimes, as amazing as she is and with exceptions like Sula, some people may find it hard to stick with Toni Morrison books. But I was pleasantly surprised to not have the urge to put Home down. From cover to cover it's an endearing story about the ashes left behind when wars pack up what's left of a society and move on. A broke and ironically named Frank Money returns from being deployed in Korea but he comes back with less than what he had going in. He's lost his two best friends, a woman whom he adored and, it seems at times, his mind. Now he must go home before his younger sister dies and attempt to resurrect what the war tried to kill in him by conquering his past. For real though, read this.

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Fela Kuti is undoubtedly one of the most revered African icons - not just in a musical sense - period. It's only natural that there would be plenty of people who try their hand at telling his story. But perhaps, the one that should be the go-to story of the man and the music is one he penned himself. Sort of.

Before his death, the Nigerian legend invited longtime friend and Afro-Cuban journalist, Carlos Moore, to his home and over a few days, he told him the story of his life. And what's better than hearing it from the horse's mouth? The result was Fela: This Bitch Of A Life, one of the most compelling biographies I have ever read. It is also the only book, now in its third print, to give the accounts of all of Kuti's wives.

Moore made headlines when he took the producers of the FELA! Musical to task for attempting to use him and the book as the source of the musical without proper remuneration or credit. It was quite a treat to watch Moore tell this lawsuit story but more importantly, the tale of his friendship with Kuti. Moore addressed a packed crowd at Xarra Books in Newtown a couple of years ago and I remember artist manager, Mutsai Musa and I being anxious to get the poetry over and done with so we could hear from the writer. He even told us that originally, Fela wanted to call his biography "This Motherfucking Life" but Moore talked him out of that title.

Fela: This Bitch Of A Life is deep and deeply unapologetic and even if you aren't an afrobeat fan, you'll find the book to be an interesting read.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the darling of the literary world today. Both, I guess, on the continent and abroad. The Nigerian author has proper stans. And with good reason. By now, you've probably heard that the rights to one of her most popular books, Half O A Yellow Sun, were bought by someone who sees Thandie Newton as a fit actress to play Olanna. Hmkay. Production is currently underway and I must say I am rather nervous about the outcome of the film. Not just because I am a bi fan of Adichie's work but because I really believe Half Of A Yellow Sun is some of the finest storytelling of our time and really should be read and not merely spoonfed on celluloid. But who cares about the written word? theblagg does. So, instead of telling you to go and read Half Of A Yellow Sun, we'd also encourage you to check out The Thing Around Your Neck which is a collection of short stories by Adichie. Published in 2009, the stories are funny, dramatic, insightful, thought-provoking and easy to read. Especially for those of you who would rather see the movie than read the book when it comes to any author's work. Read this.

BONUS: We really enjoyed her TED Talk and perhaps you will too:

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I would salivate over this biography (written with D Michael Cheers) when it still sat on my brother's desk, begging me to read it. My brother was still busy with it so I couldn't grab it from him. It's called Readers Courtesy...or something.  I think he'd received Still Grazing: The Musical Journey Of Hugh Masekela from a ladyfriend. I can't quite remember. What I do remember is that he ran through these pages like Dude and I used to run through 2 litre Coca-Cola bottles back when we still drank it. See, Mikko? I did quit the stuff.

Ok, back to Ntate Hugh. Back in those days, my brother wasn't much of a reader. He had a bedroom recording studio where all his friends could stink up his room, what did he need to read for? I'm only teasing. Once he allowed me to get his hands on his copy, the book and I were inseparable. Something in me shifted. I was already a massive fan of the jazz icon and I'd still pay good money to watch him live, any day.

But, you know how they say you should never meet your idols? This was kind of like that, but in a good way. It's like meeting your idol, finding out he's a fcuk-up but loving him anyway because he was able to find a place to be ok with who he is "when he's alone, naked and in the dark" (as a friend once said) and still reveal all of that work-in-progress-ness to us.

For someone who is so revered, I don't see how that's ever easy. We're not talking about El Debarge being honest about his drug use here. We're talking about a man who received a birthday card from an incarcerated Nelson Mandela. Surely, he didn't owe the readers an explanation. But he showed us his building blocks anyway. So if you've ever wondered just how one survives exile, how volatile Mirriam Makeba really was and who Hugh Masekela is, then pick this book up.

Also, last month, the Encounters Film Festival screened ALEKESAM, a documentary about the relationship between Hugh Masekela and his son, Sal, as the latter embarks on a musical journey of his own. Try to see it wherever you can. Here's the trailer:

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We absolutely love Tina Fey. So when he published her laugh-out-loud autobiography, Bossypants, getting our hands on it was a no-brainer. The woman who brought us Liz Lemon, spot-on impersonations of Sarah Palin and, of course, that funny "the N-Word makes me uncomfortable" tough talk pseudo-rap on Childish Gambino's Royalty mixtape has had a very interesting life. From awkward moments on a cruise ship, improv anecdotes and of course, working on Saturday Night Live, it's all in Bossypants. The book cover is also the cherry on top. How can you not love Tina? Read this. 

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Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

Popular writer, Mr Fox, can't stop killing the leading ladies in his novels. That's, of course, until his imaginary (or is she?) muse, Mary, shows up and wants him to feel what the ladies in his books feel. Folklore. Vignettes. Crazy. Cool. Funny. Unputdownable.

Girls Got Kicks

Been trying to get this book for a few months now. Last year, Female Sneaker Fiend founder, Lori Lobenstine decided to publish the awesome Girls Got Kicks photodocumentary book. It's not a coffee table book, this is the one you climb into bed with and develop the screwed-up face with each turn of the page. With photographs by Amanda Lopez, Lori - a legend in the game - rounded up some of the most passionate sisters whose kick game is unmatched. Some you may know - like Va$htie and Claw Money - and others you'll be meeting for the first time. Last year, I found out not one bookstore in the country has it in stock so I've been trying to buy it through my other connects. If you're not in South Africa and see it somewhere or find another way to get it, can you buy two? You know I'm good for it...

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When I picked up Dawn, the first of the Lilith's Brood trilogy of books by Octavia E Butler, I knew very little about the series and much less about the author. Although I read it through the library's assistance, this is a series I plan on purchasing. Because the books at the library are so old (this series is from the late 80s), the copy I picked up still has the title "Xenogenesis" emblazoned on the cover. The sci-fi series has since been renamed Lilith's Brood and if you ever get to read it, you'll know why.

It is many years since the human race has gone to war and destroyed itself and its planet. On another, far away, Lilith is a the woman chosen to awaken the surviving human beings after they are rescued/captured by an alien species that prizes trade above all other things. Needless to say, things don't bode well for the female and Dawn deals with the obstacles Lilith faces in seeking the trust of her fellow humans and the understanding of a totally foreign species to her. The second and third books, Adulthood Rites and Imago, respectively, deal with the first constructs or hybrid (alien and human) that are direct descendants of Lilith and what's in store for those who come after them. You may click HERE to get a little more info. theblagg recommends this read. Let us know if you've already had the pleasure to read the trilogy.