Stand For Something or Stand For Nothing

Chapters 1-3

(This is a sample of my new book "Stand For Something or Stand For Nothing" which you buy on Amazon Kindle, Createspace, and Barnes & Noble, I appreciate your support as I try to spread this story)

Review"Ebony Jones-Kuye's autobiography, Stand For Something or Stand For Nothing, is a frank and moving account of her life growing up in the 1970s and '80s in Los Angeles. This nonfiction account reads beautifully, and, at times, I marvelled at the author's skill in telling her story in such a way that the reader is drawn into everything that happened to her and her mother. I mourned at the news of Chucky's passing and cheered as Ebony's intellectual accomplishments were recognized in primary and secondary school. The section of her story that is referred to in the title, namely, the housing battle with Donald Sterling, who essentially denied services to tenants on the grounds of race, reads like a legal thriller. Jones-Kuye states that she wants her story to be an inspiration for others, and, to my mind, she has succeeded brilliantly. Her story is compelling, inspiring and very readable. Stand For Something or Stand For Nothing is most highly recommended (5 Stars)." -Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
"I started this at bedtime and stayed up to finish it. Very inspiring, but sad that people like Donald Sterling still walk among us." -Linda Charron, Goodreads Member

"I hope 'Stand for Something or Stand for Nothing' remains as a testament to how you should always stand up for your principles, no matter the odds against you." -Colleen Lowe, Goodreads Member

"This is an awesome book... Always stand for what you believe in no matter what struggles life may bring your way. There were many things said in this book in which I felt like I was watching my own life or looking at my reflection in the mirror. Great Read!!" -Judy Grady, Goodreads Member

INTRODUCTION

My earliest recollection is living with my mother and 21 year old half-brother in the Princess Apartments on Norton Avenue in mid-town Los Angeles. I was around four years old at the time. Life was good for us in those days. My mother was a professional hairstylist and owned her own salon, so we never wanted for anything. And, the middle-class neighborhood we lived in was culturally diverse and peaceful, so life was good. I truly believed that we were living the American dream.

I didn't know much about my dad or his family, as the only common interest he and my mother had, apart from bringing me into this world, was their involvement with the Nation of Islam, where they'd met. He came around every once in a while, and that was okay; because, although mom, Chucky and I made a relatively small family, the three of us were happy together.

Notwithstanding the fact that most people thought Chucky was more like my father than my older sibling anyway, as he picked me up every day after school to hang out with him and get something to eat before bringing me home.

Charles, or Chucky as we called him, suffered terribly from Sickle Cell Anemia and needed to visit the hospital every other month for blood transfusions. He was constantly in pain. Nevertheless, he never let it stop him from making sure that I got up each morning, ate breakfast and made it to school on time. Chucky was the glue that held our family together and my mom and I adored him greatly.

Yet within a few short years, the life that I had come to know would come undone in ways we could have never imagined.

CHAPTER ONE

IN THE BEGINNING

I was born in 1974 to Kandynce Griggs-Jones and Ernest Jones in Los Angeles, CA on a Tuesday in May. Now, at 41 years of age, the mother of a 21 year old college student, and a newlywed to one of the most wonderful men that I have ever encountered in my life, I am ready to share this story.