. Alexandra Allen delivers an impressive collection of poetry and prose that embraces readers from all walks of life. She writes with a brilliant fearlessness about politics, hip-hop, loss of innocence, spirituality, and matters of the heart. This introspective piece is about celebrating who you are. It is about learning life lessons.
Tierra Thompson has a chip on her shoulder and an ax to grind. She was born in the hood, and at twenty-one she has grown tired of calling it home. After hustling and being hustled by the dealers around the way, the hard truth is setting in and Tierra has to decide if she is willing to sell her soul to escape the grittiness of the streets.
School’s back in session and there’s a lot of unfinished business to handle. As Lena prepares for her wedding day, she can’t help but think about Denise, her sexy b-ball roommate who almost stole her away. A summer isn’t enough time to get over a true love. Denise just can’t shake the feelings she developed for soon-to-be-married Lena. Should she go for what she wants or leave well enough alone?
Go, Tell Michelle is a collection of letters from African American Women to Michelle Obama compiled by Barbara A. Seal Nevergold and Peggy Brooks-Bertram. Wonderful are the congratulation letters, prayers, and personal accounts of the meaning of having an African American woman as the First Lady.
Joshua and Christophe are twins, raised by a blind grandmother and a large extended family in a rural town on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. They’ve just finished high school and need to find jobs, but in a failing post-Katrina economy, it’s not easy. Joshua gets work on the docks, but Christophe’s not so lucky.
Monday Smith is married to the mayor of New York City and struggles to keep her troubled past a secret. But when her husband’s thirst for high-priced sex leads them down an explosive path of passion, murder, and lies, she has to decide if her marriage is worth saving, and at what cost.
From the ladies who brought you Desperate Hoodwives and Shameless Hoodwives, the streets of Atlanta are hotter than ever with drama, sex, and danger — profilin’ four men desperate for anything but their hood life.
Kidd is an eloquent writer. I enjoyed each character’s uniqueness and appreciated the care taken to develop them that well. I loved the connectedness of the story and semi-flashbacks strategically placed reminding the reader of small, but important details.
Eva Cavell is a woman with an embarrassing secret. She is sexually frustrated and is convinced that her size and race intimidates men. In an attempt to relieve her sexual tension, every Thursday Eva goes to a local movie theater and allows desperate strangers to fondle her in the dark. She allows no eye contact, no phone numbers-and definitely no names.
It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop takes a bold look at the rise of a generation that sees beyond the smoke and mirrors of corporate-manufactured hip hop and is building a movement that will change not only the face of pop culture, but the world. Through insightful anecdotes, scholarship, personal encounters, and conversations with youth across the globe as well as icons such as Chuck D and Maya Angelou, Asante illuminates a shift that can be felt in the crowded spoken-word joints in post-Katrina New Orleans, seen in the rise of youth-led organizations committed to social justice, and heard around the world chanting “It’s bigger than hip hop.”
