Review of The Metamorphosis of Frank Benson Jones

[LinaMueller]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Metamorphosis of Frank Benson Jones" by Frank Benson Jones.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Metamorphosis of Frank Benson Jones by Frank Benson Jones is a biographical book that tells the fascinating life of an African American who was born in a segregated America. Even though I've read the bios of over 100 people, I must admit that I've rarely seen somebody who has gone through so many transformations in a single lifetime. Frank appears to have lived five lives in one: he was an army pilot, airline pilot, bookstore owner, and member of the Black Panthers. The author practiced insurance fraud, became a Muslim, and converted (or rather, reconverted) to Christianity at the end of his life.

I must stress that one of the essential qualities of this book is the message of unity and love. Born in Missouri in the 1930s, the author witnessed the feeling of living in a secluded environment. After going through several uncomfortable situations where he was treated as different and inferior, he harbored in his heart a desire to fight for his people and a particular hatred towards white Americans whom he saw as his natural enemies. Over time, however, he realized that there are good and bad people in every race, and he was finally able to shake off the hatred and embrace Christianity's message of love in all its fullness.

Another notable point worth mentioning is the author's critical sense. In the first pages, the reader realizes that Frank has always been an intelligent young man and did well in various tests and situations. However, his analysis of the historical events he experienced is very well thought out. For example, the author perfectly describes how the Black Panther Party began as a legitimate grassroots movement seeking equality and was kidnapped by freeloaders who had specific agendas and wanted to channel the dissatisfaction of certain sectors of the African American community to achieve personal goals. He realized this when he was in Denver and saw that some people started to advocate Marxism-Leninism. That's when he decided to change course.

I enjoyed this book so much that I can't name a single flaw. The only grammatical error I found was a misspelling of Sarah Vaughan's name: the author wrote "Sarah Vaughn." This error is irrelevant, though. No one in their right mind can say that the book is not professionally edited.

On the whole, The Metamorphosis of Frank Benson Jones deserves four out of four stars. It is a relevant book that discusses social issues in an intelligent, captivating, and critical way. There is nothing negative to mention. I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding structural inequalities in the United States. However, I found many racial slurs, profanity, and medium sexual content. That's why I do not advise that anyone under 16 years old read it.

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The Metamorphosis of Frank Benson Jones
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[collinsogw555]

Great review, the book has a lot of twists and I would want to read it.