Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - In the Shadow of the Statue of Liberty: A Memoir of a Black American by Cleve Overton is a true story, part memoir, part historical commentary -- a Black man's voice over seven decades. This story is told in great, vignettic gulps of time from childhood to adulthood.

Cleve has written about his search to find that elusive Gold Ring, his place on his island and in his less-than-perfect world. It is a commentary on the historical gaps and inaccuracies of an island community and its social issues, of how the author coped with systemic racism and managed to make the system work for him.

The author's rage and frustration were channeled into artistic pursuits and writings, bringing this story into the light from a darkened box of oblivion. The niche he found himself in, Staten Island, remains a microcosm of American society, and his experiences will be familiar to many Black American men. His life-lessons offer food for thought for Americans everywhere, Black or White.

The book, In the Shadow of the Statue of Liberty, is available for $16.95 plus $2 S&H from Diaspora Voices Press, 3301 9th Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017. E-mail: cleveo@aol.com Fax: 202-526-5109; checks/money orders accepted.