Too often, the stories of many men of color’s lives today are full of waste, violence, struggle, and self-destruction. But there are many men who grow up in challenging circumstances, with all odds against them, and still find success. God Gave Me Some Bad Advice tells of one such success story.

Helene Cooper is “Congo,” a descendant of two Liberian dynasties — traced back to the first ship of freemen that set sail from New York in 1820 to found Monrovia. Helene grew up at Sugar Beach, a twenty-two-room mansion by the sea. Her childhood was filled with servants, flashy cars, a villa in Spain, and a farmhouse up-country.

Going Down South by Bonnie Glover is the APOOO September book-of-the-month (BOM) and it promises to be a good book club discussion. Click on the book link to find out what some members of APOOO are saying about Going Down South.

Gwyneth Bolton appears to have another winner on her hand with her latest release Make It Hot. What happens when a sullen firefighter and a sassy physical therapist encounter each other?

APOOO Reviewer Michelle McKinney says that McBride touches on the past, present, and future of our racially divided country. Song Yet Sung has a lyrical style that runs the full range of emotions and shows the complexity of the human spirit. This wonderfully written work will strike a chord with readers.

On Sunday, APOOO had a wonderful discussion with Jewell Parker Rhodes via our blog talk radio show and, if you missed the show, we invite you to listen to the archived version.

Get off the sidelines. I have learned that making regular deposits into a pity box will not change your life. Waiting for some existential force to fix your life, without you doing anything, is not realistic. You picked up this book because you are seeking more life satisfaction. You know that you want more than the day-to-day grind.

AC Arthur heats up the summer with her latest novel, Indecent Proposal. Nola, Serena and Cally are cousins living in Baltimore. They are successful, independent and comfortable with being single women that have very healthy sexual appetites.

Ezekiel Chambers knew he would never find a woman that would allow him to marry and though he longed for a happy family life since his business life was so successful, his father was never going to give one inch to grant him that opportunity.

Molly is a woman who has lived the equivalent of two lifetimes, a life filled with at times hardship, struggle, triumphs but many challenges, somethimes of near-epic proportions. In spite of this, she has never backed away from a situation or comflict despite the consequences.