the man behind straight dope

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writing about someone, regardless of how well you know them, can be tricky. you want your readers to get to know the man behind the book. you can't just say, "he's my crazy but most of the time lovable friend!" well, this is exactly how i feel about one of my best friends. his book, straight dope: a 360 degree look into american culture, will be unveiled on march 6th.  however, you can get a paperback copy on amazon or on kindle. of course, i will not give away any more details of the book, as the title says, it is mostly self-explanatory.  however, i believe that any book, it is important to get to know about the author. if you're anything like me, any type of disclosure on the author makes me come back for more.

leron barton (wait, who? i almost never call him that!) is definitely one of the most retrospective people i know. it is a skill any writer should have, or anyone in general should have.  straight out of the mid-west, kansas city mizzou to be exact, he headed my way (although he missed me by a couple of hours) and ended up living in san diego (i am from l.a.) for almost 6 years.  whether he'll admit this or not, he's definitely a fresh coast homie, almost like a cali kid.  while i know some things about his past and his life back in kansas city, this isn't TMZ so you won't find those details here. however, his drive to become a better person and knowing when to take responsibility and turn things around, were most likely results of his past.

do you know what the word perseverance means?  every time i hear that word, i definitely associate leron with it.  i'm not trying to play the race card on this post, i hope none of you will take this the wrong way.  we all know that it is not easy being a person of color in america but you can't ever tell leron that he will not make it because he will prove you wrong.  since i have known him, he has been talking about this book and since then, there have been many bumps along the way, professional and personal.  guess what, he finished the book in a time where a life transition happened and he never looked back.

one thing i wish this book would convey about the author is his humility.  in my opinion, that virtue ranks high in my book, next to integrity and honesty.  regardless of his accomplishments, he never forgets where he came from and will never speak and act like he is better than anyone and this was evident right from the moment he decided to write the book in a narrative form based on other people's story.  you can read more about his process on his publication page, but when you alter your vision of writing a book because you want the entire experience to become an intimate conversation, you no longer become the writer - you become one of them.  leron wanted the people he interacted with to feel comfortable. it wasn't one of those "i am the writer and you should feel priviledged to be in my book" moment. instead it was "i am leron, i am grateful that i can share your story."

don't forget to save the date: march 6th. in the meantine, please go check out mainline publishing for more backstory on straight dope.  oh, and yes, he is my crazy but most of the time lovable friend and a blogger, too!