This book consists of eighty-seven (87) "songs of love" that I have personally selected for analysis. It is actually the final chapter from the fourth volume of my series, "Love Songs You Might Want to Hate." I saved it for last for a reason: it is the most warmhearted chapter in the entire collection and as such, it deserved to be a book of its own. After all, the original title was "True" Love Songs." With that having been shared, I coined the phrase "LifeNotes" to be more than just journal entries or diary references. These are more mental, more cerebral than anything else. The feelings that we have and exhibit that represent love come in many forms and for many reasons. We love our children, our parents, our relatives, some of our friends and when it comes to the oppressed, it appears that we even have love for those who have proven to be our enemies. This book is about love but it is not sugar-coated. I write using terms that some people may find offensive. But then again, some people find love offensive. Some people do dirt, commit crimes, kill and claim that they did it out of or because of love. In this case we say, "to each his own" and then move along collecting more "lifenotes" as we wander through life gathering new experiences with each passing day. In some of my analyses you will see how I take a look at the "games" that are played in the name of love, some of the negative responses to the abuse of what is viewed as love, and some of the long-term impact that losing a love can have on one's mind and life. Sometimes it is not a pretty picture. But the key is to overturn the actual and continue to pursue the possible. That's why it's called life and that is why I call the collection of these 87 selections, and the trials and triumphs therein, "lifenotes." If you ever really loved someone, you never just stop on a dime and move on, as some of these songs may imply. "Moving on" simply means that you are attempting to deal with or address the hurt you may feel. But when all is said and done, tomorrow is another day and life goes on. As you can probably tell, this is the most subjective and biased book on the topic of "love" that you may ever read because it consists of MY own selected songs, songs that bring back memories and have made their way into my lifenotes. What follows are MY choices, my views of what the "true" love songs are. That is why as a writer and thinker, I reserve the choice to make selections such as these and then share then with you all, who are mostly followers, readers and people who are easy to influence. These songs all bring something to the table that we can use in our own personal lives or, at very least, be able to relate to on some level. And that is what makes them "true.
About the Author: Matthew C. Stelly is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working on a degree in Urban Education and Community Policy. He holds three Master's degrees: Urban Studies (1982), Urban Education (1983) and Political Science (2000). He is working toward his doctorate in Community Policy/Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the former editor of the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, former director of the Great Plains Black Museum and the Plano (TX) African American Museum, and lead archivist for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas. Stelly has more than 2,500 articles in print and has won two national essay competitions. He is the founding director of the largest African-American neighborhood group in Nebraska, the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parents Union. He is publisher and editor of the Triple One News, a two-time nationally recognized newsletter. He is the father of five children - Mandla, Malik, Clariece, Charisse and Shannon -- and remains actively involved in community organizing and neighborhood development in several cities, including Milwaukee and Omaha.