Rating: 
Summary: Too many errors
Review: This book is a good idea, but the author needs to revise it and print a second edition. Here are some of the many errors:1. Dr. David Satcher who was the president of Meharry Medical and currently the U.S. Surgeon General is not a Kappa, but an Omega man, who was initiated at Morehouse College's Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi. 2. DeHart Hubbard was not the first African American to represent the U.S. in the olympics, George Poage was the first and John Taylor was the first to win a gold medal. It should of said "DeHart Hubbard - The first African American to receive an individual Olympic gold medal, 1924." 3. George L.-P. Weaver was not a U.S. Secretary of Labor, he was "U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for International Affairs, 1961-1969." 4. The AKA hymn was also misquoted. 5. Herman Dreer's book is not from 1911-1961, but from 1911-1939.
Rating: 
Summary: Let us all rise to the challenge!
Review: I read the book. I enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and very comprehesive. I learned. Also, I noticed errors just as many of us probably have. However, I simply made the corrections in my personal copy. I suggest everyone do the same. The author is entitled to mistakes. Let us not scold him and deter people from reading this enlightening book. Let us praise his accomplishment and get together and correct the errors that we notice. After all, Ross got the ball rolling, and maybe with our help he can produce a more accurate 2nd edition. No one wants to be misled. But the information that was inaccurate could easily be corrected. Overall, the book was very good, especially since it was the first of its kind. Ross took the initiative and it should not be too hard for those of us who are members of BGLOs to critique his work. After reading the book, I encourage all of us who have more information to notice those mistakes and not simply complain, but to seek corrections...maybe even through our own works. So, grab a copy to discuss with your organization and submit the changes.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Is Excellent...
Review: I think that Mr. Ross did an excellent job with The Divine Nine. I read the reviews before I bought the book, and after having read the book, I can now determine that people are nit picking. Jesus people, the man wrote a book that had been begging to be written, and some of you are nit picking over whether or not you have the same amount of pages as another organization. Grow Up! Or at least attempt to do something like Ross and write a book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Idea, but too many mistakes!
Review: I was very excited to hear about this book so I rushed out to buy it as quickly as I could. Being a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority I was disappointed to discover that several mistakes had been made in regard to my beloved sorority. The first naming Hattie O'Daniel (the first African American woman to win an Oscar) as a AKA, when in fact she was a SGRHO and the second mistake was getting the wrong name with the wrong picture of our only living founder. For the record Vivian White Marbury is our last living founder (and the last living founder of the orginal great eight, I might add) and Mr. Ross quotes Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little as the living founder. We are so proud of Soror Marbury and to see this misquote is most likely upsetting to all members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. And from reading reviews from my other fellow black greeks I see that numerous other mistakes were made as well. It seems like Mr. Ross simply rushed the book out as fast as possible without covering his research more throughly. And it is true that it would appear that some basis is given towards Alpha Phi Alpha and other select sororities. My husband is an Alpha, and even he thought that the preference towards Alpha was not in the best taste considering the orginal idea behind the book. I commend Mr. Ross for the effort, but something of this importance should not have so many mistakes in it. My Advice? Save your $30 dollars and talk to members of the black greek community to get a better picture of what we are all about.
Rating:
Summary: A for effort, D for content, C overall!
Review: As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, I must say that I was very excited upon finding Brother Ross' book on the shelf at the local book store! I browsed through it and hastily purchased it. Once I got it home and actually read it, much of my enthusiasm began to fade. While I whole-heartedly commend my brother for attempting such a task, I was very disappointed that this book didn't really go deeper into the psychology (?) of being a member of an African-American Fraternity/ Sorority. I would have liked to to learn more about the founders of the organizations and what their mindsets were. Did they have any idea that their envisionings would become such grand realities??? As far as the bias issue goes, would you NOT know more about the organization you are a member of? It seems as if a number of members of the other greek-letter fraternities/sororities wish to negate Alpha's and AKA's places as the First INTERCOLLEGIATE African American Fraternity and Sorority. True, Sigma Pi Phi deserves some attention, but it was not the first INTERCOLLEGIATE fraternity for African-American men. It is not based on college campuses at all! If the word INTERCOLLEGIATE confuses you, I suggest you grab a dictionary. ....but I digress........ It seems as if some of my fellow "Greeks" were biased about this book from the moment they saw the cover. Why else would you all nitpick so? Brother Ross should definitely receive applause for embarking on a task that many others would have run from. This fact we cannot deny! However, by the same token, more careful thought could have been made when choosing the information that would be placed on the pages of this book. In discussions with members of other fraternities and sororities about this book, I found that a number of them were not exactly pleased with their organization's personal business (such as hymns, and the "so-called" meanings of symbols) being displayed for the world to see. It is definitely a bastion of information for those who are not members of our illustrious organizations. For those of us who are members, it is basically just boring review.
Rating:
Summary: Good News & Bad News!
Review: After reading Ross' work, I have both good and bad news! The good news is that I commend the author for undertaking such a project and for presenting African American fraternities and sororities in a positive manner! So, for this, Mr. Ross should receive "props" in attempting to chronicle and research the history of Black Greek brotherhoods & sisterhoods, which until recently have been largely neglected by scholars, researchers, and other individuals. The bad news is that Mr. Ross' work is far from being a "meticulously researched history" of African-American fraternities and sororities, as he claims it to be. As a matter of fact, there are some instances in which the author's data is incorrect. Such is the case with the AKA hymn, which Mr. Ross misquotes. How hard is it to copy the correct national hymns from fraternity/sorority webpages? Afterall, this book does resemble one great big "cut & paste" from various chapters' websites straight into Ross' manuscript. Furthermore, the sections comprised of chapter interviews are awkward. It seems that Mr. Ross was attempting to illustrate the qualities and characteristics of each organization (such as community service, brotherly & sisterly relations, etc.), but his presentation of such data is quite ineffective! He interviews an undergraduate and graduate chapter of each organization, which is supposed to represent the entire fraternity or sorority...now how "meticulous" is this? Lastly, Mr. Ross romanticizes and over-exaggerates the history of certain organizations. For instance, while he introduces the other sororities in a calm, simple, and unenthusiastic manner, the Delta's section begins with praises and anthems: "When you speak of organizations and women who have had a profound impact on American society,... who have changed the lives of all women,...and who [represent] the future of African Americans, you must always look to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc." (215). Don't get me wrong--Delta's have had a positive impact on American culture and society, but so have Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho. Ross' presentation of this information might give individuals a very biased view of the success, function, and achievements of Greek-lettered organizations. So, I suggest that individuals read it with an open mind and a "fine-tooth comb!" And by the way, Mr. Ross, I'm still waiting for a list of bibliographic sources and works to accompany this "meticulous" research!
Rating:
Summary: First of it's kind, but a few errors
Review: This book is a good brief summary of the nine major African American fraternities and sororities. I found several errors. Dr. David Satcher, who was president of Meharry Medical College and is now the United States Surgeon General was listed on the prominent members of Kappa Alpha Psi list. He was not a Kappa, he was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Dr. Satcher was initiated at Morehouse College's Psi Chapter.
Rating:
Summary: informative-yet be careful
Review: This book was very informative. I enjoyed reading about the other BGLO's. The author accomplished his task, and that I applaud him. However, as a member of AKA, I am offended that our beloved AKA song was misquoted. Not to mention that the editor of this book is a member also. Which leads me believe that there may exist other misquotes.
Rating:
Summary: Divine 9: A Nice Attempt, but Ross Falls a Little Short!
Review: Mr. Ross did a nice job of presenting some of the history of the black greek letter organizations. However, he failed to mention the first black fraternity, Sigma Phi Phi (Boule) which was founded in 1904 and Kappa Alpha Nu, so some of the rich past was left out. Despite his bias to his organization and to others, he does put together a good prespective of what greek life was and will be like in the 21st Century. In his own history, he did not mention that his founders kicked two of the original members out, and one of them was prominent in getting APHIA started as a Literary Group of African American Students! If you want the truth, lets tell it. However, give the brother props for his attempt. I did read the entire book, and highlighted a few errors, Dr. David Satcher is not a NUPE, but a Q. Very little history on the origin of the Pan Hellenic Council started by Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Psi Phi? Why did Kappa want to join Sigma? Sigma was the 1st Fraternity to move out west. The 2nd Sigma Chapter was Beta Chapter at Wiley College in Texas, 1915. Just like his Alpha History Books was on the shelf for 6 years, I can say this one will be on my self, just the same. Okay, but not worth the $30.....
Rating:
Summary: A Monumental Achievement - don't major in the minors!
Review: I have been a member of my organization for over 20 years. I can unequivocally state that this book of the first of its type that I have ever seen. With the possible exception of Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, there has been no comprehensive reference book for Black Greek-Lettered Organizations (BGLOs) before "The Divine Nine." With that said, I feel it is important that we not get mired in the details of "whose picture is on the cover" or "what chapter of the book had more pages." I am not a member of Alpha Phi Alpha or Alpha Kappa Alpha but I had no problem with those organizations being the only ones featured on the cover. (The truth is that those WERE the "first" of the college-based BGLOs ... credit and homage should be paid where they are due.) To use those things as a reason to fault the book borders on the petty and cheapens the spirit of unity and community that our organizations truly represent. If one reads the book and takes it in the proper context, they will find that each organization (INCLUDING the ones that everyone may not be totally familiar with!) receives excellent and respectful coverage from the author. This is not a "history" book for individual organizations nor is it an academic dissertation - it is an overview and celebration of the ENTIRETY of the BGLO system and should be viewed as such. Remember: This book is the first of its kind to be published anywhere at any time. If one considers the hugeness of the task of working with nine different organizations and compiling accurate, up to date information about each of them, Mr. Ross is to be lauded for simply having the boldness and vision to step up to the challenge. Based on the way our organizations have been burned by unbalanced and/or slanted coverage of our organizations in the past, I can only imagine the difficulty he may have had in gaining enough trust from the National leaders of the respective organizations to gather this information! I will close by simply saying that all members of BGLO's (as well as those who are interested in learning about BGLOs) will be educated, enlightened, and ultimately made proud by what has been printed in this excellent work - I recommend it highly!
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