Forward From this Moment

PRAISE FOR LEONARD PITTS, JR.:The 2004 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary was  awarded to Leonard Pitts Jr. of The Miami Herald for his fresh, vibrant columns that spoke, with both passion and compassion, to ordinary people on often divisive issues. -Pulitzer organization Leonard Pitts, Jr. is the most insightful and inspiring columnist of his generation.  Tavis Smiley As a long-time reader and admirer, I find there is only one thing to question about Leonard Pitts being awarded the Pulitzer Prize: What took them so long?  Bob Costas He refuses to be predictable or to rest on his considerable laurels. He is funny when you think there's not a smidgen of humor to be found, enraged at the very moment we thought we no longer cared, and he shakes us up just when we're so certain we have it all figured out. In other words, he makes us better for having read him. What a gift. In sparse, often electric prose, Pitts challenges us to be bigger than we thought possible, and then shows us how to get there.  Connie Schultz, Cleveland Plain-DealerPRAISE FOR LEONARD PITTS, JR.'S BECOMING DAD: This is a book about black men and fatherhood. But it is also much more....Pitts writes with a sensitivity and an eloquence that illustrate how these problems transcend race and gender. A must-read for anyone who has ever had a father--or has not.  Miami Herald In sharing his own harrowing story and the stories of other men, too, in this poignant book, Leonard Pitts Jr., convinces us that we must reassume the distinguished role of father to reclaim our children and ourselves. -Bill Cosby Thoroughly absorbing a readable, well-balanced, impassioned account that touches not just the black family, but all who care about children. -Kirkus Reviews