It is no secret that Ebony Magazine-America's one-time venerable go-to publication for black entertainment and political news-is floundering as the newspaper and magazine industries dissipate, triggered by shifting paradigms.

Rumors and speculation abound that Linda Johnson Rice, who took over the reigns following the death of her father John H. Johnson, is putting Ebony up for sale, though she has yet to confirm it. (Her mother, Eunice, also died recently.)

The latest name to surface as an interested party was Magic Johnson. But he told Richard Prince of Journal-isms that talks were off because he was unable to reach an agreement with the company. Johnson Publishing Co. has declined to discuss the matter.

But some insiders and former employees say Ebony's declining circulation and shrinking ad dollars have less to do with the magazine industry's seismic shift from print to cyberspace, but more to do with stunningly bad leadership and management.

Zondra Hughes, a former associate editor at Ebony who is now editor of Chicago's N'Digo magapaper, writes in her new memoir, 'Living the Ebony Life: E-mails From the Plantation,' that the magazine's problems are pervasive and deeply entrenched throughout the culture of Johnson Publishing Co.

The 10th child of music legend Bob Marley is embroiled in a fiery debate with a Las Vegas-based publisher over alleged unauthorized changes to the cover and title of his recently released memoir which threatens to taint the near-perfect image of reggae music royalty, the Marleys.

Ky-Mani Marley, a Grammy Award-nominated reggae and hip-hop artist, penned ,"Dear Dad: Where's the family in our family, today?'' which was released this month by Farrah Gray Publishing in celebration of Marley's 65th birthday.

The issue between author and publisher lies mainly in the extra coverline: "The Story The Marley Family Apparently Doesn't Want You To Know.''

In an online statement, Ky-Mani says the caption is unauthorized: "I did NOT authorize him to make any changes to the cover of my book, nor do I condone any of the captions he has written!''

Further, Ky-Mani told The Gleaner, a Jamaican newspaper, that he was considering legal action against the Gray, saying he simply wanted to tell his story without causing any conflict. He told the newspaper the title was changed from "Dear Dad: The Marley Son Who Persevered From The Streets To Prominence."

But Dr. Farrah Gray, the publisher, stands by the book, saying he worked with Marley every step of the way. He said that Marley wrote the book using a ghostwriter and the interviews were recorded.

Much like the powerful images of Tuskegee airmen in full regalia sidled next to their planes during World War II, the image of Shoshana Johnson being escorted to safety after her captivity in Iraq is indelibly imprinted in the minds of television viewers across the world.

It was especially poignant for African Americans, who saw it as a fleeting moment of vindication for a time when blacks in the military were not acknowledged for their service.



Now, years later, Johnson, a former U.S. Army cook has helped change history again for blacks in the military. She was thrust into the spotlight when, in the early days of the Iraq War, she was shot in both ankles as her convoy of mechanics, cooks and disabled vehicles wandered into the city of Nasiriyah, Johnson writes in her newly released memoir, 'I'm Still Standing: From Captive U. S. Soldier to Free Citizen--My Journey Home.'

The wandering convoy touched off a bloody battle that left 11 U.S. soldiers dead and six abducted and held as prisoners of war, including Johnson and her friend, Jessica Lynch, she writes in the gripping memoir released just in time for Black History Month.

In life, Michael Jackson's aura was as colorful and enigmatic as climate change. He was a tsunami of creativity that has yet to be matched by any other artist.

Unfortunately, he did not know how much he was appreciated when he was alive because, well, he was extraordinarily eccentric and reclusive. And he was dogged by charges of child molestation, some of which he stood trial for and was cleared. There also were relentless rumors of drug abuse and homosexuality. As a result, he was relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi by the likes unseen since Lady Diana. Tabloid headlines were merciless, dubbing him "Wacko Jacko.''

Now, in death his life and accomplishments are celebrated in a new book, 'Michael Jackson: A Life In Pictures,' edited by Yann-Brice Dherbier and Candace Bal.

Set against the backdrop of the idyllic Tawawa House resort in the free state of Ohio, new author Dolen Perkins-Valdez spins a sonorous narrative about the brutal complexities of life and the immorality of slavery leading up to the Civil War in 'Wench.'

The story unfolds through the eyes of Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet, whose friendships develop during their summer visits to Tawawa. But things take a dramatic turn when a stranger enters the scene and challenges their very beliefs.

Any woman who has been run up on by a cheatah will appreciate the hysterically funny new novel the 'M.O.O.D. Lounge: Come As You Are...Come All You Want' by Zondra Hughes, editor of N'Digo, Chicago's largest African American alternative weekly.

The first of a three-part series, the M.O.O.D. Lounge, weaves the tale of three emotionally traumatized women: Eva James, an entertainment publicist, Fawn LaFollette, a porn star, and Drusilla "Dru" Vidal, a prosecutor, whose men subdue them into submission with steamy sex while cheating on them and spending their hard-earned cash on other women.

While the historic election of President Barack Obama ushered in an era of change in geopolitics, it also generated a seismic shift in the talk about racial politics at home and abroad.

What Obama's election did not signify, though, was the arrival of a 'post-racial' America, according to author and journalist Ytasha L. Womack. Instead, it resulted in what she calls "post-black America.''

In her new book, 'Post Black: How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity,' Womack explores the concept via socioeconomic and cultural trends, using diversity as the mechanism for change. She unpacks the ideas through the voices of young professionals, gays and lesbians, and African and Caribbean immigrants, who represent an emerging and complex African American community.