She likens the black woman to a "fire-breathing dragon" and a "wild savage boar."
If the black family is to survive, says Shahrazad Ali, the black woman must be "tamed" by the black man.Ali is the author of the controversial "The Blackman's Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman" and a self-described expert on African-American females.
"Any black woman who says she doesn't see herself in my book is a liar," asserts the 41-year-old Philadelphian.
Asked in a phone interview why she depicts black women in such scathing terms, Ali sniffed, "You're white, you don't understand." (Actually, this reporter is an African-American woman, but Ali never asked.)
A widow with 12 children, nine of them adopted, Ali says her main point is this: Black women should submit to black men. "The black woman's disrespect and rebellion against the leadership and authority of the black man is a direct cause of the breakdown of our black family," she opines.
Some African-Americans are alarmed at the reception of the book, published by Ali's own Civilized Publications. Black bookstores report brisk sales.
"It's full of self-loathing," charges Marcia Ann Gillespie, the former editor of Essence and Ms. magazines. "After reading it, I wondered if there are any black women (Ali) likes."
Asked to review the book for a national magazine, Gillespie refused and deposited the Guide in a garbage pail. "It's trash. It's sick," she asserts.