Strings of Color by Marian L. Thomas

Event: Mindshift 2012

Mindshift 2012 is a panel discussion will be taking place on Saturday March 10, 2012 from
12PM – 2PM.

The event, being held in celebration of Women’s History Month, brings together an eclectic mix of writers and authors will be hosting an open discussion with the public. The event is FREE to the public.

Come Out and be part of the conversation!

Event location: Carson Regional Library, 151 E. Carson St, Carson CA 90745

Contact:
Professor Robyn McGee, California State University Dominguez Hills , robynmarie1973@yahoo.com
Author & Poet Cherise Charleswell, eclecticlifediva@yahoo.com

2011′s Bestselling African American Books

Here’s a list of 2011′s bestselling African American books from Amazon.com.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
   (Berkley, 2011-04-05, Kindle Edition)
   

   The wildly popular New York Times bestseller and reading group favorite. Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who’s always taken orders quietly, but lately she’s unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She’s full of ambition, but without a husband, she’s considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town…

    

2. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
   (Little, Brown and Company, 2011-11-14, Kindle Edition)
   

   The President’s son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes–one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!

    

3. Summer Heat by Sable Jordan
   (Fresh Whet INK, 2011-06-14, Kindle Edition)
   

   Sizzling hot erotic reads from some of the freshest voices in the genre. Summer just got hotter! Featuring the deliciously naughty writings of Ms. Downlow, The Kween, Perri Forrest, and Sable Jordan.In “Downsized”, a successful young architect is attracted to her hot new neighbor, but what seems like a night destined for sexual ecstasy turns frosty fast when assumptions are made.”Ninety Days” is the story of a wife who’s done everything for her man; the marriage, the baby-carriage…and the threesome–all of which he wanted. But when the other woman likes her more than her hubby, she’s forced to choose between family and her newfound sexual desires. Next up is the stirring tale of a woman coming to terms with love, sex, and self. A break-up brings her some needed peace, but a chance meeting sets the “Butterflies in Motion”. The final entry, “Shaken and Stirred”, tells the adventure of a secret agent with a simple objective: Steal a formula while attending the festivities on the villain’s luxury yacht. There’s just one problem–she has no idea it’s a BDSM party.

    

4. The Leak by K’wan
   (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011-09-27, Kindle Edition)
   

   The Leak is a complimentary short prequel story that leads into K’wan’s hit novel, Welfare Wifeys.

    

5. Fated: Torn Apart by History, Bound for Eternity by Carolyn McCray
   (Off Our Meds Multi Media, 2011-05-13, Kindle Edition)
   

   From Carolyn McCray comes a historical romance that will leave you hoping that for once, fate will be kind. You will be gripped from the first page to the last, caught in a love that spans eons and an ancient political intrigue whose consequence still reverberates today. This is truly a masterpiece that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

    

6. Secrets Buried in the Soul (Why Settle For Less?) by Déborah Kabwang
   (2011-04-19, Kindle Edition)
   

   Laurymimi Neeyah Kléber is a recent college graduate, living in Dallas, TX. She is young, beautiful, and very single. She is excitingly moving out of her parents’ house and moving to Atlanta with her best friend, Renee. Upon her move to her new city, things get a little bit complicated. Like every other girl, she wants to feel loved! She hopes to find the “Man of God” that her heart longs for and is longing for the man who will complete her. As she struggles to maintain a Christian lifestyle and to focus on grad school all at once, trouble comes knocking at her door. She suddenly faces one of the most difficult decisions of her life. Will she choose Tony Rose, the “Charming Beau,” who she left behind in Dallas? Or, will it be, Cameron Levi, who just seems too good to be true? Will she compromise and forget everything she stands for just to be with “The One?” Once her decision is made without consulting God, it almost kills her and dramatically flips her life upside down. Love, Lies and Secrets…

    

7. An Invisible Thread by Alex Tresniowski
   (Howard Books, 2011-11-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   “Excuse me lady, do you have any spare change? I am hungry.”When I heard him, I didn’t really hear him. His words were part of the clatter, like a car horn or someone yelling for a cab. They were, you could say, just noise—the kind of nuisance New Yorkers learn to tune out. So I walked right by him, as if he wasn’t there. But then, just a few yards past him, I stopped. And then—and I’m still not sure why I did this—I came back. When Laura Schroff first met Maurice on a New York City street corner, she had no idea that she was standing on the brink of an incredible and unlikely friendship that would inevitably change both their lives. As one lunch at McDonald’s with Maurice turns into two, then into a weekly occurrence that is fast growing into an inexplicable connection, Laura learns heart-wrenching details about Maurice’s horrific childhood.

    

8. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
   (Broadway, 2011-03-08, Paperback)
   

   Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

    

9. Deadly Desires by Ann Christopher
   (Kensington Books, 2011-10-04, Kindle Edition)
   

   How can you plan a future. . .After a desperate struggle to sever ties with her husband, Kira Gregory is suddenly a free woman. She can start a new life without guns, drugs, dirty money, or fear. But Kira’s newfound independence seems too good to be true. And it is. . .When you can’t outrun your past? DEA Special Agent Dexter Brady spent months trying to get Kira’s husband, Kareem Gregory, off the streets, but he has never come to terms with his growing feelings for Kira. He knows that any sort of a relationship with her is a recipe for disaster, but when danger finds Kira again, Dexter will bend every rule, face any enemy, and make any sacrifice to keep the woman he loves safe from harm. . .Praise for the novels of Ann Christopher”…(an) exciting romantic thriller.” –Publishers Weekly on Deadly PursuitP>”Trouble is a sultry romance…” –The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers”A brilliant and tasteful novel about love, tragedy, heartbreak and forgiveness.” –Romantic Times on Risk

    

10. Salvage the Bones: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
    (Bloomsbury USA, 2011-08-30, Kindle Edition)
    

    Winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction.A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch’s father is growing concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn’t show concern for much else. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn’t much to save. Lately, Esch can’t keep down what food she gets; she’s fourteen and pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull’s new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. While brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child’s play and short on parenting. As the twelve days that comprise the novel’s framework yield to the final day and Hurricane Katrina, the unforgettable family at the novel’s heart–motherless children sacrificing for each other as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce–pulls itself up to struggle for another day. A wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty, Salvage the Bone is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real.

     

11. Me And My Bitch by David Weaver
    (SBR Publications, 2011-09-12, Kindle Edition)
    

    What happens when a double crossed female goes to the greatest of all possible extremes to get her revenge? Absolute mayhem! This is a mind twisting, unpredictable, romantic nail biter from the same veins that brought you “A Love Story,” and “Bankroll Squad!”The twists in this book are guaranteed to blow you away all the way to the last paragraph. This is that “I didn’t see that coming” at it’s very BEST!Brisk paced and will not bore you even for a minute. A winding roller coaster of events that will leave you speechless. You will not forget this story!!

     

12. Nasty Secrets by La’Tonya West
    (La’Tonya West, 2011-05-06, Kindle Edition)
    

    Jasmine has a good thing going with her boyfriend, Nathan. He is a hardworking man and gives her anything she wants. Well almost anything…there’s one thing that she wants that he or any other man can’t give her. That’s where his sister Erika comes in. Erika has been having a hard time back in New York, so Nathan asked her to come and live with him and Jasmine for a while until she got on her feet. Big mistake! Erika is openly gay and doesn’t try in any way to hide her love and appreciation of women. From the first time that Jasmine and Erika lay eyes on each other they both realize that there is something between the two of them. When Nathan takes a business trip out of town the two of them explore what has been brewing between them all along but after one steamy and satisfying night together the two of them are hooked. They began a hot lust-filled romance that becomes harder and harder to hide with each encounter. Jasmine soon falls in love with Erika and makes up her mind to break things off with Nathan. She doesn’t want to hurt him but she can’t change the way she feels about his sister. Nathan has been so wrapped up in his work that he hasn’t even noticed what has been going on right up under his nose. Or has he? Is there also a secret that he is hiding? Could it be that work isn’t all that has him distracted?

     

13. Deja (Deja series) by Tajana Sutton
    (2011-05-18, Kindle Edition)
    

    After witnessing the murder suicide of her parents at age 10, being mistreated by her grandmother and betrayed in past relationships, Deja finally found peace in her life. Her best friend Jade introduced her to Xavier Jones. He was the partner/cousin of Jade s boyfriend Jay. She got everything a woman could ever want; the man, the ring, and the baby, but Jay s ex Mona felt that was her position and she wouldn’t stop until she reclaimed the spot. Xavier and Jay had recently retired from the drug game as millionaires but that came with a price and much drama. Xavier s baby mama Latasha wasn t too happy about him either and about him settling down with Deja. She felt she had the baby, so she should have the man as well and she tried everything in her power to break them up until she realized the joke was on her, but it was too late…

     

14. Envy by Lexy Harper
    (Ebonique Publishing, 2011-08-07, Kindle Edition)
    

    Dee and Nina have been best friends since they were little girls and have what everyone thinks is the perfect friendship. In reality Nina is insanely jealous of Dee’s blissful nine-year marriage to childhood sweetheart, Oliver – a man Nina has wanted since she was thirteen. How far will Nina go to steal her best friend’s husband? Would she: a) Tell him that Dee’s been unfaithful to him. b) Give him a blow job that blows his mind. c) Murder Dee. d) All of the above. How well does Dee know her best friend? Will Nina resort to murder to get what she wants? Surely not!

     

15. LAW AND DISORDER: PARTNERS UNDERCOVER by Toye Lawson Brown
    (Books By Toye, 2011-11-10, Kindle Edition)
    

    Morgan Dane lived life on the edge as a member of the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force; hunting criminals was in her blood. Not one to live the fast life or fall in love easily, she prided herself on being focused and not letting outside influences interfere with hunting Cleveland’s most notorious drug dealer, Anton Jackson. Once her beloved partner retires, she fails to make a connection with a number of partners before settling in with Agent Adam Cabrera; the handsome Latino transfer from Miami, Florida. It wasn’t love at first sight or a perfect paring but Agent Paul Hamilton’s mission was to change Morgan Dane’s cold resistance towards love. How will these three work together? Will they find the professionalism to handle the high profile case that they will become deeply entangled in or will they find friendship once common ground has been established? Step in Carmen Maria, the one person to make sure Morgan Dane makes this partnership work with Adam Cabrera on and off the field.Follow the intrigue, suspense and light comedy of this novel of love and hate to find out the twists, turns and events leading up to the perfect match for these displaced team members.

     

16. Deja 2: Unfinished Business (Deja series) by Tajana Sutton
    (2011-02-27, Kindle Edition)
    

    Despite all the drama Deja and Jade had to endure just to be with millionaires, Xavier and Jay, they were finally happy and drama free. Mona and Latasha were finally out of their lives, or are they? After years of hurtful childhood memories, Deja was now content with the life she was dealt and Jade had finally gotten what she longed for. They lived very happy and wealthy lives until they got the shock of a lifetime. The one person they thought was long gone is back for revenge. He wants what he feels belong to him. His plan is to take down any and everybody that gets in his way. But, will Xavier and Jay let that go down? Retired drug dealers turned business men, Xavier and Jay will be forced to re-enter a life they once left behind. You are about to enter a world of love, deceit, and murder. Deja will be left to make a decision between life and death…But who’s?

     

17. Bankroll Squad 2: Kyla’s Revenge by David Weaver
    (SBR Publication, 2011-06-26, Kindle Edition)
    

    ~An instant classic! One of the best urban novels of this year! ~Author of Deadly Sound ~No one twists plots with as much unpredictablility as David Weaver. ~Author of Mother Heart. The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling urban novel, “Bankroll Squad.” The men ruled the streets in the first book, but now the women take center stage in this action packed dramatical love story. David Weaver’s clever plot twists will continue to shock and amaze you all the way to the very last page. Picture “Set it Off” meets “New Jack City” meets “Bonnie and Clyde.” ~Writer David Weaver is poised to be the next big thing. His level of creativity and timing are natural talents that can not be taught. ~Sentinel Press

     

18. This Can’t be Life by Shakara Cannon
    (Infinite Source Publishing, 2011-04-30, Kindle Edition)
    

    Simone, Stacey, and Talise are your typical best friends navigating life. They brush shoulders with entertainment s elite and experience great successes. Simone is living an extravagant lifestyle, which some may say has come to her easily. She doesn’t trust men and is willing to remain guarded to protect herself. Even though star NBA player, Deon Bradford a good guy, looking for a woman to love him for him has her in his sights, and is making every effort to bring down her guard, Simone remains distrustful. She feels that she can do without a man’s love, until an unsuspecting man comes into her life and shows her what true love is really like, but is he who he portrays himself to be or will Deon win her heart? Talise is the romantic, who dreams of a marriage just like her parents. When she meets a man that she knows is her soul-mate, but later finds out that they stand on opposite sides of religion, will this be a deal breaker? Stacey is the brother, the shoulder, and the comic relief, but when Stacey falls in love, he falls hard. Will his need to give into his heart cost him the ultimate price? Once the secrets start tumbling out of the closets and no door is able to contain them, who do you turn to when your reality feels like a dream and you are sure that this can t be life?

     

January’s Upcoming African American Bestsellers

1. Pleasure After Hours (Kimani Romance) by Altonya Washington
   (Kimani Romance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   Working for powerhouse shipping owner Mataeo North is a dream job for Temple Grahame. The jet-setting bachelor depends on her for everything. But there’s just one thing: he has no idea that Temple’s been in love with him since college. Or so she thinks…until the night her studly boss takes her in his arms and uncovers her passionate secret. Mataeo doesn’t make a move without consulting the savvy South Carolina beauty. Now, on the verge of closing a major deal, he needs Temple more than ever. And not just as his right-hand woman and best friend. What will it take to convince this sensual, independent woman that once they’ve crossed the line from friends to lovers, there’s no turning back?

    

2. Five Star Attraction (Kimani Romance) by Jacquelin Thomas
   (Kimani Romance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   Ari Alexander just got the shock of his life. He’s heir apparent to a glittering hotel empire. But the legacy comes with rumors of an explosive family scandal. The last thing the grieving widower needs is Natasha LeBlanc—a stunning consultant with attitude. So why is he so determined to uncover the sensual woman beneath Natasha’s all-business facade?Natasha was hired to protect the interests of the luxury resort chain. But Ari doesn’t seem to realize she’s on his side. Worse, the far-too-sexy brother is arousing desire she’s never felt before, making it impossible to keep her professional distance. From Aspen to celebrity-studded Beverly Hills, Natasha and Ari are caught up in a breaking scandal that could end their five-star love affair before it begins…

    

3. All I Did Was Shoot My Man (Leonid Mcgill) by Walter Mosley
   (Riverhead Hardcover, 2012-01-24, Hardcover)
   

   In the latest and most surprising novel in the bestselling Leonid McGill series, Leonid finds himself caught between his sins of the past and an all-too-vivid present. Seven years ago, Zella Grisham came home to find her man, Harry Tangelo, in bed with her friend. The weekend before, $6.8 million had been stolen from Rutgers Assurance Corp., whose offices are across the street from where Zella worked. Zella didn’t remember shooting Harry, but she didn’t deny it either. The district attorney was inclined to call it temporary insanity-until the police found $80,000 from the Rutgers heist hidden in her storage space. For reasons of his own, Leonid McGill is convinced of Zella’s innocence. But as he begins his investigation, his life begins to unravel. His wife is drinking more than she should. His oldest son has dropped out of college and moved in with an ex-prostitute. His youngest son is working for him and trying to stay within the law. And his father, whom he thought was long dead, has turned up under an alias. A gripping story of murder, greed, and retribution, All I Did Was Shoot My Man is also the poignant tale of one man’s attempt to stay connected to his family.

    

4. Tempted by a Carrington (Kimani Romance) by Linda Hudson-Smith
   (Kimani Romance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   Dallas Carrington has been in love with Lanier Watson ever since they shared a romantic cruise. But she flat out refuses to marry him. What the statuesque beauty doesn’t realize is that the pro baseball star and second-born Carrington son doesn’t give up so easily. Dallas will do whatever it takes…even if it means seducing her all over again.There’s only one man for Lanier. But before she takes her place among the Carrington women, she wants to make sure she truly belongs in Dallas’s glittering world. She isn’t prepared for his sensual onslaught…and the explosion of passion that brands her Dallas’s woman now and always.

    

5. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
   (New Press, The, 2012-01-16, Paperback)
   

   The New Jim Crow was initially published with a modest first printing and reasonable expectations for a hard-hitting book on a tough topic. Now, ten-plus printings later, the long-awaited paperback version of the book Lani Guinier calls “brave and bold,” and Pulitzer Prize winner David Levering Lewis calls “stunning,” will at last be available.In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal.Featured on The Tavis Smiley Show, Bill Moyers Journal, Democracy Now, and C-Span’s Washington Journal, The New Jim Crow has become an overnight phenomenon, sparking a much-needed conversation—including a recent mention by Cornel West on Real Time with Bill Maher&mdas;about ways in which our system of mass incarceration has come to resemble systems of racial control from a different era.

    

6. A Seductive Kiss (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray
   (St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2012-01-31, Kindle Edition)
   

   Bestselling author Francis Ray celebrates the lifelong bonds between the Grayson family and their friends—with a heartwarming love story years in the making…Dianna Harrington is known throughout the world as “The Face”—the stunningly beautiful spokesmodel for her family’s fashion empire. She could probably have her pick of any man she wants. But Dianna would rather kick back and relax with a good friend— namely Alex Stewart, who she’s known, and harbored a crush on, her whole life…Ever since they were kids, Alex has been Dianna’s protector and pal, a shoulder to cry on. But as the brother of her best friend, Alex always seemed untouchable. Now a handsome, successful New York lawyer, Alex never realized how lonely Dianna’s life has been—or how innocent she is in the ways of love. Alex wants more than anything to reach out to her, to heal her heart. But is his desire worth the risk? After a lifetime of longing building up between them, something’s gotta give. Maybe all it takes is just one kiss…

    

7. Quita’s DayScare Center (The Cartel Publications Presents) by Gina West
   (The Cartel Publications, 2012-01-16, Paperback)
   

   Some daycare centers have your child s interest at heart…Quita’s Daycare center is not one of them! Quita never pretended to run a professional center. So when her license gets revoked, after a spiteful parent complains to the Office of Child Care services, because her bad son Lil Goose was kicked out of the center, Quita feels relieved. Now she can offer cheap prices and beat the legal competition in her neighborhood. Out from up under the rules that O.C.C enforces, she crams twenty kids in a center built for eight. Her motto is, Pay the vig or watch your own kid. Although the center’s conditions are unsavory, she brags about fat pockets and fly gear. But what happens when Cordon, the son of Flex, a well-known drug dealer, goes missing? She has to answer to him and her life, as well as the lives of her staff members, is threatened. Quita’s DayScare Center introduces you to the worst parents in the world and their offspring. You’ve never read a book like this before we guarantee it! You’ll think twice before you drop your kids off again. At least we hope so!

    

8. Reckless Seduction (Kimani Romance) by Gwynne Forster
   (Kimani Romance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   Haley Feldon’s work with the United Nations means everything to her. She cares more about social progress than filling her social calendar. But that doesn’t stop media mogul Jon Ecklund from pursuing the elegant beauty.Jon’s used to getting what—and who—he wants. And he’s not going to let anything get in his way of knowing Haley. But pain from her past—and a surprise from her future—threaten to destroy everything they’ve started to build. Now Jon’s on a mission to open Haley’s heart…if only she’ll let him.

    

9. Fraternity: In 1968, a visionary priest recruited 20 black men to the College of the Holy Cross and changed their lives and the course of history. by Diane Brady
   (Spiegel & Grau, 2012-01-03, Hardcover)
   

   The inspiring true story of a group of young men whose lives were changed by a visionary mentor   On April 4, 1968, the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., shocked the nation. Later that month, the Reverend John Brooks, a professor of theology at the College of the Holy Cross who shared Dr. King’s dream of an integrated society, drove up and down the East Coast searching for African American high school students to recruit to the school, young men he felt had the potential to succeed if given an opportunity. Among the twenty students he had a hand in recruiting that year were Clarence Thomas, the future Supreme Court justice; Edward P. Jones, who would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature; and Theodore Wells, who would become one of the nation’s most successful defense attorneys. Many of the others went on to become stars in their fields as well.   In Fraternity, Diane Brady follows five of the men through their college years. Not only did the future president of Holy Cross convince the young men to attend the school, he also obtained full scholarships to support them, and then mentored, defended, coached, and befriended them through an often challenging four years of college, pushing them to reach for goals that would sustain them as adults.   Would these young men have become the leaders they are today without Father Brooks’s involvement? Fraternity is a triumphant testament to the power of education and mentorship, and a compelling argument for the difference one person can make in the lives of others.

    

10. Sanctuary Cove (A Cavanaugh Island Novel) by Rochelle Alers
    (Forever, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Sometimes love is the simplest choice of all.Still reeling from her husband’s untimely death, Deborah Robinson needs a fresh start. So she decides to pack up her family, box up her bookstore, and return to her grandmother’s ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island. The charming town of Sanctuary Cove holds happy memories for Deborah. And, after she spies a gorgeous stranger in the local bakery, it promises the possibility for a bright, new future.Dr. Asa Monroe is at a crossroads. Ever since the loss of his family, he has been on a quest for faith and meaning, traveling from one town to another. When he meets Deborah, the beautiful bookstore owner with the warm eyes and sunny smile, Asa believes he has finally found a reason to stay in one place.As friendship blossoms into romance, Deborah and Asa discover they may have a second chance at love. But small towns have big secrets. Before they can begin their new life together, the couple must confront a challenge they never expected . . .

     

11. Sinners & Saints by Victoria Christopher Murray
    (Touchstone, 2012-01-10, Paperback)
    

    TEAM JASMINE or TEAM RACHEL? Bestselling and award-winning novelists Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley bring their favorite heroines together in a novel that will delight their legions of fans. Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical first ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides. When a coveted position opens up—president of the American Baptist Coalition— both women think their husbands are perfect for the job. And winning the position may require both women to get down and dirty and revert to their old tricks. Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current first lady of the coalition steps in . . . a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them. Double the fun with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors.

     

12. Open City: A Novel by Teju Cole
    (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2012-01-17, Paperback)
    

    A haunting novel about national identity, race, liberty, loss, dislocation, and surrender, Teju Cole’s Open City seethes with intelligence. It is a profound work by an important new author who has much to say about our country and our world.Along the streets of Manhattan, a young Nigerian doctor doing his residency wanders aimlessly, reflecting on his relationships, his recent breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. Though he is navigating the busy parts of town, the impression of countless faces does nothing to assuage his feelings of isolation. But it is not only a physical landscape he covers; Julius crisscrosses social territory as well, encountering people from different cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journey—which takes him to Brussels, to the Nigeria of his youth, and into the most unrecognizable facets of his own soul.

     

13. Private Arrangements (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson
    (Kimani, 2012-01-24, Mass Market Paperback)
    

    No man has ever tempted her like this…Nikki Cartwright can’t believe Jonas Steele—the Jonas Steele—has chosen her for a high-profile marketing venture. It could make her career. But when she remembers the kiss they once shared, a kiss so intimate it sent their desire skyrocketing from simmering to blazing, Nikki knows she must guard her heart against the seductive Phoenix playboy as if her life depends on it.Jonas has no problem making their professional relationship personal. With the beautiful and talented photographer within his reach, he can erase her from his system once and for all. From a whirlwind Las Vegas affair to jet-setting across four continents, this Steele discovers getting Nikki out of his system is easier said than done, and now he wants her to belong to him heart and soul—as the woman of his most passionate fantasies.…

     

14. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
    (Wendy Lamb Books, 2012-01-10, Hardcover)
    

    We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful is the motto of Deza Malone’s family. Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But the Great Depression hit Gary hard, and there are no jobs for black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother Jimmie go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie’s beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is the Mighty Miss Malone.

     

15. When the Thrill Is Gone: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley
    (NAL Trade, 2012-01-03, Paperback)
    

    Leonid McGill can’t say no to the beautiful woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash and a story. She’s married to a rich art collector. Now she fears for her life. Leonid knows better than to believe her, but he can’t afford to turn her away, even if he knows this woman’s tale will bring him straight to death’s door.

     

16. Forever Soul Ties by Vanessa Davis Griggs
    (Dafina, 2012-01-01, Paperback)
    

    When one woman is caught in the act of her greatest transgression, it’s the beginning of her greatest transformation. . . It started innocently: a coincidental meeting between old high school friends–first loves–at Butterfly’s business, The Painted Lady Flower Shop. Then came lunch, then confessions of unhappy marriages, loneliness. It went on that way for years between Butterfly and Ethan. That’s how they built the soul tie–the bond that, despite their devotion to God, has now led to adultery. And as with all things done in secret, they’ve been found out. Well, Butterfly has. As a leader in her church, Butterfly is suddenly cast into the spotlight. But she soon realizes she’s being used as a pawn to bring down a new pastor–a young man who is upsetting tradition by preaching about real-life issues real people deal with. People like Butterfly. And as she faces a challenging search for truth, forgiveness, and the real meaning of love, she may finally break out of her cocoon. . . “There are enough tears, hugs, and lessons learned before summer’s over to appease readers, young and adult, who like a good dose of faith with their fiction.” –Publishers Weekly on Ray of Hope “Griggs address[es] the challenges of living by Biblical rules with homespun humor. Fans will be pleased.” –Publishers Weekly on The Truth Is the Light”A smart novel that addresses an issue that many in the church shy away from–divorce–with frank realism.”–Library Journal on Practicing What You Preach”Vanessa’s rich stories of faith in action always hit the writing trifecta–they make you laugh, cry, and yearn for more.” –Angela Benson, National bestselling author”I absolutely love Vanessa’s unique writing style. She is one of a kind.” –Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author

     

17. Ruthless by Shelia M. Goss
    (Urban Christian, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Shelia M. Goss brings readers a modern day retelling of David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba Richards has just discovered that she has a half-sister who needs her help. Sheba’s long lost sister isn’t too happy about their reunion, though, since she has a lot of problems of her own. Sheba’s dealing with her husband’s boss, who wants her all to himself. After succumbing to his advances, Sheba gets pregnant, and there’s no question about who the daddy is, since her husband has been overseas for the past three months. David King is the CEO of one of the largest media conglomerates in the country. Few people know that David has a calling on his life, but he’s been running from it. He thought having fame and fortune would fulfill the need. Only after Sheba gets pregnant does he realize the error of his ways. Praying for God’s mercy, David tries to right a wrong. Whether he will succeed or fail remains to be seen. With a long lost half-sister and a husband who will surely feel betrayed, Sheba’s life is filled with turmoil. Will David be her knight in shining armor as he professes to be, or is her nightmare just beginning?

     

18. Diary of a Stalker by Electa Rome Parks
    (Urban Renaissance, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Electa Rome Parks paints a powerful portrait of a crazed fan who can’t seem to close the book on the affair after a one-night-stand with a famous author—and who will stop at nothing to make him hers. Even if that means killing him…Bestselling author Xavier Preston is used to women throwing themselves at him. On top of being a successful writer, he’s also tall, dark and sexy as sin. He’s always relished the attention, in fact, and is ever-willing to entertain the erotic urges of women wanting to get between more than the covers of his novels. Except once he meets Kendall, he decides it’s time to put his womanizing ways behind him and devote himself to her entirely. Well, almost…Gorgeous Pilar is the last decadent treat Xavier decides he’ll help himself to—thinking they are both on the same “no strings” page. Except behind Pilar’s fine façade beats the heart of a raving maniac—a fatally attracted fan addicted to the kind of hot loving only Xavier can give her. And she’s not about to let him get away from her so easily. So what starts out as a discreet dalliance soon spirals into a deadly game of obsession and pain—which can only have one winner…

     

19. Promises of Seduction: The Durango Affair\Ian’s Ultimate Gamble (Arabesque) by Brenda Jackson
    (Kimani Arabesque, 2012-01-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Two classic Westmoreland novels from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Brenda JacksonThe Durango Affair”I’m having your baby.”Savannah Claiborne’s simple statement sets off an avalanche in Montana ranger Durango Westmoreland’s carefully ordered life. Suddenly an unforgettable night of passion with the hazel-eyed beauty has turned into a lifetime obligation for the confirmed bachelor.But Westmoreland men always honor their responsibilities, and leaving Savannah to raise his baby on her own is not an option.So he proposes and she accepts…with one condition—theirs will be a marriage in name only.Ian’s Ultimate GambleWinner takes all…Casino owner Ian Westmoreland thinks he’s seen the last of Brooke Chamberlain—that is until she checks in to his resort claiming to need a little R & R. Brooke betrayed him years before, and Ian is willing to bet there’s more to her visit than she’s admitting.No woman even came close to igniting the heat and passion inside him as Brooke once did. And if Ian is going to discover what she’s hiding, what better way than by seducing her? But in this game of bedroom cat and mouse, the stakes are very high. Raising the question, will Ian’s wager pay off?

     

Zone One: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

2011′s African American Political Bestsellers

1. The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey D. Sachs
   (Random House, 2011-10-04, Hardcover)
   

   For more than three decades, Jeffrey D. Sachs has been at the forefront of international economic problem solving.  But Sachs turns his attention back home in The Price of Civilization, a book that is essential reading for every American. In a forceful, impassioned, and personal voice, he offers not only a searing and incisive diagnosis of our country’s economic ills but also an urgent call for Americans to restore the virtues of fairness, honesty, and foresight as the foundations of national prosperity.As he has done in dozens of countries around the world in the midst of economic crises, Sachs turns his unique diagnostic skills to what ails the American economy. He finds that both political parties—and many leading economists—have missed the big picture, offering shortsighted solutions such as stimulus spending or tax cuts to address complex economic problems that require deeper solutions. Sachs argues that we have profoundly underestimated globalization’s long-term effects on our country, which create deep and largely unmet challenges with regard to jobs, incomes, poverty, and the environment. America’s single biggest economic failure, Sachs argues, is its inability to come to grips with the new global economic realities.Yet Sachs goes deeper than an economic diagnosis. By taking a broad, holistic approach—looking at domestic politics, geopolitics, social psychology, and the natural environment as well—Sachs reveals the larger fissures underlying our country’s current crisis. He shows how Washington has consistently failed to address America’s economic needs. He describes a political system that has lost its ethical moorings, in which ever-rising campaign contributions and lobbying outlays overpower the voice of the citizenry. He also looks at the crisis in our culture, in which an overstimulated and consumption-driven populace in a ferocious quest for wealth now suffers shortfalls of social trust, honesty, and compassion. Finally, Sachs offers a plan to turn the crisis around. He argues persuasively that the problem is not America’s abiding values, which remain generous and pragmatic, but the ease with which political spin and consumerism run circles around those values. He bids the reader to reclaim the virtues of good citizenship and mindfulness toward the economy and one another. Most important, he bids each of us to accept the price of civilization, so that together we can restore America to its great promise.  The Price of Civilization is a masterly road map for prosperity, founded on America’s deepest values and on a rigorous understanding of the twenty-first-century world economy.

    

2. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
   (Viking Adult, 2011-04-04, Hardcover)
   

   Years in the making–the definitive biography of the legendary black activist. Of the great figure in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins’ bullets at age thirty-nine. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man. In death he became a broad symbol of both resistance and reconciliation for millions around the world. Manning Marable’s new biography of Malcolm is a stunning achievement. Filled with new information and shocking revelations that go beyond the Autobiography, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America, from the rise of Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan to the struggles of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties. Reaching into Malcolm’s troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents’ activism through his own engagement with the Nation of Islam, charting his astronomical rise in the world of Black Nationalism and culminating in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X will stand as the definitive work on one of the most singular forces for social change, capturing with revelatory clarity a man who constantly strove, in the great American tradition, to remake himself anew.

    

3. Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now by Touré
   (Free Press, 2011-09-13, Hardcover)
   

   In the age of Obama, racial attitudes have become more complicated and nuanced than ever before. Inspired by a president who is unlike any Black man ever seen on our national stage, we are searching for new ways of understanding Blackness. In this provocative new book, iconic commentator and journalist TourÉ tackles what it means to be Black in America today.TourÉ begins by examining the concept of “Post-Blackness,” a term that defines artists who are proud to be Black but don’t want to be limited by identity politics and boxed in by race. He soon discovers that the desire to be rooted in but not constrained by Blackness is everywhere. In Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? he argues that Blackness is infinite, that any identity imaginable is Black, and that all expressions of Blackness are legitimate.Here, TourÉ divulges intimate, funny, and painful stories of how race and racial expectations have shaped his life and explores how the concept of Post-Blackness functions in politics, society, psychology, art, culture, and more. He knew he could not tackle this topic all on his own so he turned to 105 of the most important luminaries of our time for frank and thought-provoking opinions, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Perry, Harold Ford Jr., Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Glenn Ligon, Paul Mooney, New York Governor David Paterson, Greg Tate, Aaron McGruder, Soledad O’Brien, Kamala Harris, Chuck D, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and many others. By engaging this brilliant, eclectic group, and employing his signature insight, courage, and wit, TourÉ delivers a clarion call on race in America and how we can change our perceptions for a better future. Destroying the notion that there is a correct way of being Black, Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? will change how we perceive race forever.

    

4. Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family by Condoleezza Rice
   (Three Rivers Press, 2011-10-11, Paperback)
   

   Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist.  Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman – and the first black woman ever — to serve as Secretary of State.  But until she was 25 she never learned to swim. Not because she wouldn’t have loved to, but because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he’d rather shut down the city’s pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950′s, Birmingham’s black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last.  But by 1963, when Rice was applying herself to her fourth grader’s lessons, the situation had grown intolerable.  Birmingham was an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told — or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks.  Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics.  Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts.  From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community.  Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command.  An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated.  Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news – just shortly before her father’s death – that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor.   As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling. This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl – and a young woman — trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world and of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community, that made all the difference.From the Hardcover edition.

    

5. The President’s Girlfriend by Mallory Monroe
   (AUSTIN BROOK PUBLISHING, 2011-08-16, Kindle Edition)
   

   When Regina Lansing, an activist attorney from Newark, New Jersey, catches the eye of the President of the United States, she assumes it’s because of her outspoken stance against his tough policies. But when they meet, and sparks fly, she discovers the soul mate she never dreamed would come her way. Walter “Dutch” Harber, the gorgeous bachelor president, has his hands full with a combative Congress and an upcoming reelection bid. But when he meets Gina, this voluptuous black woman with all the right curves, he finds in her a strong, independent equal who keeps him intellectually-challenged publicly and sexually-energized privately, so much so that he becomes convinced that he has finally met the love of his life.But Washington politics won’t give this interracial couple an easy ride, as they must battle forces from within and forces from without that seek to tear down everything they have fought so hard to build up. And just when they thought they had endured every knockout punch imaginable, another curve is tossed their way with the kind of implications, the kind of jarring reality, that can not only destroy a love affair, but can bring down an entire presidency.

    

6. The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World by Dave Zirin
   (Haymarket Books, 2011-10-04, Hardcover)
   

   Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympicpodium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconicimages of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the menbehind the salute, lifelong activist John Carlos.John Carlos is an African American former track and field athlete, professional football player, and a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. He won the bronze medal in the 200 meters race at the 1968 Olympics, where his Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. The John Carlos Story is his first book.Dave Zirin is the author of four books, including Bad Sports, A People’s History of Sports in the United States, and What’s My Name, Fool? He writes the popular weekly online sports column “The Edge of Sports” and is a regular contributor to SportsIllustrated.com, SLAM, Los Angeles Times, and The Nation, where he is the publication’s first sports editor.

    

7. Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America by Melissa V. Harris-Perry
   (Yale University Press, 2011-09-20, Hardcover)
   

   Jezebel’s sexual lasciviousness, Mammy’s devotion, and Sapphire’s outspoken anger—these are among the most persistent stereotypes that black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized.In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women’s political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States. (20110314)

    

8. The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency by Randall Kennedy
   (Pantheon, 2011-08-16, Hardcover)
   

   Timely—as the 2012 presidential election nears—and controversial, here is the first book by a major African-American public intellectual on racial politics and the Obama presidency. Renowned for his cool reason vis-à-vis the pitfalls and clichés of racial discourse, Randall Kennedy—Harvard professor of law and author of the New York Times best seller Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word—gives us a keen and shrewd analysis of the complex relationship between the first black president and his African-American constituency. Kennedy tackles such hot-button issues as the nature of racial opposition to Obama, whether Obama has a singular responsibility to African Americans, electoral politics and cultural chauvinism, black patriotism, the differences in Obama’s presentation of himself to blacks and to whites, the challenges posed by the dream of a postracial society, and the far-from-simple symbolism of Obama as a leader of the Joshua generation in a country that has elected only three black senators and two black governors in its entire history. Eschewing the critical excesses of both the left and the right, Kennedy offers a gimlet-eyed view of Obama’s triumphs and travails, his strengths and weaknesses, as they pertain to the troubled history of race in America.

    

9. Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home by Anita Hill
   (Beacon Press, 2011-10-04, Hardcover)
   

   From the heroic lawyer who spoke out against Clarence Thomas in the historic confirmation hearings twenty years ago, Anita Hill’s first book since the best-selling Speaking Truth to Power.In 1991, Anita Hill’s courageous testimony during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings sparked a national conversation on sexual harassment and women’s equality in politics and the workplace. Today, she turns her attention to another potent and enduring symbol of economic success and equality—the home. Hill details how the current housing crisis, resulting in the devastation of so many families, so many communities, and even whole cities, imperils every American’s ability to achieve the American Dream. Hill takes us on a journey that begins with her own family story and ends with the subprime mortgage meltdown. Along the way, she invites us into homes across America, rural and urban, and introduces us to some extraordinary African American women. As slavery ended, Mollie Elliott, Hill’s ancestor, found herself with an infant son and no husband. Yet, she bravely set course to define for generations to come what it meant to be a free person of color. On the eve of the civil rights and women’s rights movements, Lorraine Hansberry’s childhood experience of her family’s fight against racial restrictions in a Chicago neighborhood ended tragically for the Hansberry family. Yet, that episode shaped Lorraine’s hopeful account of early suburban integration in her iconic American drama A Raisin in the Sun.  Two decades later, Marla, a divorced mother, endeavors to keep her children safe from a growing gang presence in 1980s Los Angeles. Her story sheds light on the fears and anxiety countless parents faced during an era of growing neighborhood isolation, and that continue today. In the midst of the 2008 recession, hairdresser Anjanette Booker’s dogged determination to keep her Baltimore home and her salon reflects a commitment to her own independence and to her community’s economic and social viability. Finally, Hill shares her own journey to a place and a state of being at home that brought her from her roots in rural Oklahoma to suburban Boston, Massachusetts, and connects her own search for home with that of women and men set adrift during the foreclosure crisis.  The ability to secure a place that provides access to every opportunity our country has to offer is central to the American Dream. To achieve that ideal, Hill argues, we and our leaders must engage in a new conversation about what it takes to be at home in America. Pointing out that the inclusive democracy our Constitution promises is bigger than the current debate about legal rights, she presents concrete proposals that encourage us to reimagine equality. Hill offers a twenty-first-century vision of America—not a vision of migration, but one of roots; not one simply of tolerance, but one of belonging; not just of rights, but also of community—a community of equals.

    

10. American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin
    (Knopf, 2011-08-23, Hardcover)
    

    A panoramic yet intimate history of the American left—of the reformers, radicals, and idealists who have fought for a more just and humane society, from the abolitionists to Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky—that gives us a revelatory new way of looking at two centuries of American politics and culture. Michael Kazin—one of the most respected historians of the American left working today—takes us from abolitionism and early feminism to the labor struggles of the industrial age, through the emergence of anarchists, socialists, and communists, right up to the New Left in the 1960s and ’70s. While the history of the left is a long story of idealism and determination, it has also been, in the traditional view, a story of movements that failed to gain support from mainstream America. In American Dreamers, Kazin tells a new history: one in which many of these movements, although they did not fully succeed on their own terms, nonetheless made lasting contributions to American society that led to equal opportunity for women, racial minorities, and homosexuals; the celebration of sexual pleasure; multiculturalism in the media and the schools; and the popularity of books and films with altruistic and antiauthoritarian messages. Deeply informed, at once judicious and impassioned, and superbly written, American Dreamers is an essential book for our times and for anyone seeking to understand our political history and the people who made it.

     

11. The Black History of the White House (City Lights Open Media) by Clarence Lusane
    (City Lights Publishers, 2011-01-01, Paperback)
    

    “Clarence Lusane is one of America’s most thoughtful and critical thinkers on issues of race, class and power.”—Manning Marable”Barack Obama may be the first black president in the White House, but he’s far from the first black person to work in it. In this fascinating history of all the enslaved people, workers and entertainers who spent time in the president’s official residence over the years, Clarence Lusane restores the White House to its true colors.” –Barbara EhrenreichThe Black History of the White House presents the untold history, racial politics, and shifting significance of the White House as experienced by African Americans, from the generations of enslaved people who helped to build it or were forced to work there to its first black First Family, the Obamas.Clarence Lusane juxtaposes significant events in White House history with the ongoing struggle for democratic, civil, and human rights by black Americans and demonstrates that only during crises have presidents used their authority to advance racial justice. He describes how in 1901 the building was officially named the “White House” amidst a furious backlash against President Roosevelt for inviting Booker T. Washington to dinner, and how that same year that saw the consolidation of white power with the departure of the last black Congressmember elected after the Civil War. Lusane explores how, from its construction in 1792 to its becoming the home of the first black president, the White House has been a prism through which to view the progress and struggles of black Americans seeking full citizenship and justice.Dr. Clarence Lusane has published in The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Baltimore Sun, Oakland Tribune, Black Scholar, and Race and Class. He often appears on PBS, BET, C-SPAN, and other national media. The author of several books and former

     

12. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance–A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power (Vintage) by Danielle L. McGuire
    (Vintage, 2011-10-04, Paperback)
    

    Rosa Parks was often described as a sweet and reticent elderly woman whose tired feet caused her to defy segregation on Montgomery’s city buses, and whose supposedly solitary, spontaneous act sparked the 1955 bus boycott that gave birth to the civil rights movement. The truth of who Rosa Parks was and what really lay beneath the 1955 boycott is far different from anything previously written. In this groundbreaking and important book, Danielle McGuire writes about the rape in 1944 of a twenty-four-year-old mother and sharecropper, Recy Taylor, who strolled toward home after an evening of singing and praying at the Rock Hill Holiness Church in Abbeville, Alabama. Seven white men, armed with knives and shotguns, ordered the young woman into their green Chevrolet, raped her, and left her for dead. The president of the local NAACP branch office sent his best investigator and organizer to Abbeville. Her name was Rosa Parks. In taking on this case, Parks launched a movement that ultimately changed the world.The author gives us the never-before-told history of how the civil rights movement began; how it was in part started in protest against the ritualistic rape of black women by white men who used economic intimidation, sexual violence, and terror to derail the freedom movement; and how those forces persisted unpunished throughout the Jim Crow era when white men assaulted black women to enforce rules of racial and economic hierarchy. Black women’s protests against sexual assault and interracial rape fueled civil rights campaigns throughout the South that began during World War II and went through to the Black Power movement. The Montgomery bus boycott was the baptism, not the birth, of that struggle. At the Dark End of the Street describes the decades of degradation black women on the Montgomery city buses endured on their way to cook and clean for their white bosses. It reveals how Rosa Parks, by 1955 one of the most radical activists in Alabama, had had enough. “There had to be a stopping place,” she said, “and this seemed to be the place for me to stop being pushed around.” Parks refused to move from her seat on the bus, was arrested, and, with fierce activist Jo Ann Robinson, organized a one-day bus boycott.The protest, intended to last twenty-four hours, became a yearlong struggle for dignity and justice. It broke the back of the Montgomery city bus lines and bankrupted the company.We see how and why Rosa Parks, instead of becoming a leader of the movement she helped to start, was turned into a symbol of virtuous black womanhood, sainted and celebrated for her quiet dignity, prim demeanor, and middle-class propriety—her radicalism all but erased. And we see as well how thousands of black women whose courage and fortitude helped to transform America were reduced to the footnotes of history.A controversial, moving, and courageous book; narrative history at its best.From the Hardcover edition.

     

December’s Bestselling African American Books

1. Bachelor Undone (Kimani Romance) by Brenda Jackson
   (Kimani Romance, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   Every woman wants him. But he only wants her.When Darcy Owens leaves snowy New York for some Jamaican fun in the sun, the city planner isn’t expecting to meet the hero of her fantasies. But the sexy, sun-kissed man she sees her first day on the beach comes pretty close. Until he turns out to be York Ellis, the drop-dead-gorgeous but supremely arrogant ex-cop who thinks she needs his protection…and his passion.When York looks at Darcy, he knows she’s the woman he’d give his life for. So when Darcy finds herself in peril, the security expert vows to safeguard her. Now it’s not only his body at risk. It’s his heart he’s in danger of losing when she tempts him with the one thing the sworn bachelor never dreamed he’d find: passionate, glorious love.

    

2. King’s Pleasure (Arabesque) by Adrianne Byrd
   (Kimani Arabesque, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   The sexy King brothers own a successful bachelor-party-planning business and a string of upscale clubs across the country. What could be better than living the single life in some of the world’s most glamorous cities?Finding a woman worth giving it up for…Jeremy King’s brothers may have turned in their player cards, but that just leaves more action for him. Like the gorgeous, bikini-clad party crasher who saunters into the Malibu bachelor bash he’s hosting. Leigh Matthews wants Jeremy, but just for one last fling. And what Leigh wants, she gets.Unable to forget their amazing connection, Jeremy is stunned when weeks later Leigh hires his company—to plan her bachelorette party. Leigh has her reasons for getting married. But after their night of unbridled pleasure, Jeremy doesn’t believe she’s truly in love. Now he’s got six weeks to convince her that their incredible Malibu night was only the beginning.…

    

3. My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man by Frank Cascio
   (William Morrow, 2011-12-05, Hardcover)
   

   Everyone knows Michael Jackson—the myth. This is the revealing true story of Michael Jackson—the man. To Frank Cascio, Michael Jackson was many things—second father, big brother, boss, mentor, and teacher, but most of all he was a friend. Though Cascio was just a few years old when he first met Jackson in 1984, at the peak of the pop star’s career, Jackson was at the center of his life for the next twenty-five years, allowing Cascio to observe firsthand the greatest entertainer the world had ever seen. In that time, he became the ultimate Michael Jackson insider, yet remained publicly silent about his experiences. Until now. In My Friend Michael, Cascio refutes the rumors, lies, and accusations that have accumulated over the years, providing a candid look at the Michael Jackson he knew for more than two decades. Offering an uplifting and definitive account of the legend, Cascio details how he grew up alongside Jackson, traveling the world with him on concert tours and eventually working for him. Through this lens, Cascio captures Jackson’s most private and tumultuous moments, while also setting the record straight on the entertainer’s notorious and misunderstood lifestyle—from his Peter Pan reality and his sexuality to the false allegations against him. As Cascio shows, there was a great deal more to Michael Jackson than the headlines about him have suggested. Cascio reveals his friend in all his complexity, bringing to light his passions and joys as well as his flaws and eccentricities. Including stories about Jackson that have never before been made public, Cascio creates a balanced, human look at the pop star, one that shows Jackson as the very real person he was—a lively friend with an endearingly juvenile sense of humor. What emerges is a clear-eyed yet deeply respectful portrait of Jackson—a man who was at times unremarkably average but also terribly scarred by his life in the spotlight. Packed with never-before-seen photos, anecdotes, and insights, My Friend Michael is a trove of Michael Jackson lore that both celebrates his life and redefines our understanding of the man behind the myth.

    

4. Winter Kisses (Kimani Romance) by A.C. Arthur
   (Kimani Romance, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   After “the love of her life” broke her heart, Monica Lakefield vowed never to trust a sexy, sweet-talking man again. Dubbed the Ice Queen, she hides her hurt beneath her cool, corporate facade. Until the workaholic Lakefield heiress arrives at an exclusive Aspen resort…and discovers hunky Alexander Bennett in her room!As CFO of his own company, Alexander works hard and plays harder. After being tricked into a vacation by his matchmaking relatives, he finds himself snowbound with the reserved yet sinfully sexy Monica. In front of a roaring fire, with the snow falling outside, he’ll show the all-business businesswoman what real passion can be. He’ll take nothing less than her kisses. Her heart. And all the love she has to give…

    

5. Comfort of a Man (Arabesque) by Adrianne Byrd
   (Kimani Arabesque, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   At thirty-eight, Brooklyn Douglas has her hands full raising a teenage son and running her own business. What she doesn’t need is everybody and their mother trying to hook her up with a “good man.” The last “good man” Brooklyn was with turned into a no-good husband, who left her for another woman. Can’t she just have a mind-blowing love affair with no strings attached? Somebody like the handsome, broad-shouldered brother at the bar.…As a successful businessman, Isaiah Washington is used to going after what he wants, and what he wants is Brooklyn. Too bad the lady isn’t extending any invitations. But when fate lands Isaiah in Atlanta for the summer, he’s ready to do whatever it takes—from slow kisses to showing up when it counts—in order to melt her heart. Because when it comes to real love, there’s no such thing as a perfect man. But there is such a thing as the right one…

    

6. California Connection 3 by Chunichi
   (Urban Books, 2011-12-01, Paperback)
   

    

7. Love in Play by Zuri Day
   (Kensington Books, 2011-12-06, Kindle Edition)
   

   Zuri Day spins a captivating and sexy tale of taking charge, letting loose, and playing for keeps. . .With her curvaceous full figure and a mega-successful magazine career, Dominique Clark is finally large-and-in-charge of her life. The last thing she needs is romantic drama–especially in the form of her son’s football coach, Jake McDonald, a man who’s used to calling the shots. Yet when their instant attraction leads to a sizzling all-night sexual marathon, they agree that several rematches are in order just to get each other out of their systems. The loving is good, but their differences of opinion have Dominique’s head screaming time out. Her heart, however, wants to stay in the game. . .“A completely entertaining love story…Day’s use of humor and good sense creates a completely readable novel.”–RT Book Club on Body By Night“Day spins an erotic…tale of love in unexpected places.” –Publishers Weekly on Lessons From A Younger Lover“The pages of Body By Night are dripping with fire and desire.” –The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers“Day writes with zest and sensual appeal. The descriptions of food edge the bedroom scenes, but not by much.”–Publishers Weekly on What Love Tastes Like

    

8. Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless by Kiki Swinson
   (Dafina, 2011-12-01, Paperback)
   

   Essence® bestselling authors Kiki Swinson and Noire double down in these sizzling novellas about sex, money, and too much of a good thing. . .Shamelessly Rich Kiki SwinsonExclusive parties, high-end rides, designer everything–for Virginia Beach heiress Megan Rich, it’s just an ordinary day. And one taste of Duke Chambers’ thug loving has her spending like crazy to keep him primed, hot, ‘n ready. But when her parents cut off the cash flow and Duke comes up with a revenge plan, this poor little bad girl has one dangerous life-changing choice to make. . .Puttin’ Shame in the Game NoireZsa Zsa, Malisha, and Kiki will do anything for a man who’ll pay their bills and keep them in the style every trophy wife deserves. These gorgeous sistahs are using every lie, trick, and scheme in the book to seduce wealthy NYC police officer Noble into making one of them his one and only. But sometimes the only way to win is to know when to walk away. . .”Kiki captures the heat of the streets.” –Wahida Clark”Noire is Dickens for the age of dojah, donuts and dawgs.” –Publishers Weekly on Hood

    

9. Need You Now (Kimani Romance) by Yahrah St. John
   (Kimani Romance, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
   

   When Kayla Adams wants something, she goes after it. But the take-no-prisoners mogul may have met her match in gorgeous alpha male Ethan Graham. The ruthless billionaire takeover king—and Kayla’s secret girlhood crush—is hotter than an Atlanta August night. He’s also made it clear he’s going to acquire Kayla’s beleaguered family enterprise…and will do whatever it takes to get it!Ethan plans to own a lot more than Kayla’s high-profile company. The glamorous president of Adams Cosmetics drives him wild with desire, but acts indifferent to the playboy’s sensual charms. Until they share their first kiss. Then Ethan comes up with an offer the alluring Southern beauty can’t refuse. Marry him and they’ll merge their divided interests in a passionate takeover that will make them partners in everything…maybe even love.

    

10. A Compromising Affair (Arabesque) by Gwynne Forster
    (Kimani Arabesque, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    In her beloved Harringtons series, Gwynne Forster introduced the sexy, wealthy brothers from Maryland. Each found his perfect match, and now their family and friends are searching for happily-ever-afters of their own….Scott Galloway has always known how to get what he wants. A U.S. Ambassador at thirty-six, he’s got ambition to burn. His latest goal—settle down and start a family. But finding the right candidate isn’t easy. Especially when the one woman he can’t stop thinking about is the one he ruled out years ago.Accomplished and successful in her own right, Denise Miller has never forgotten Scott, in spite of their disastrous first meeting. And now that their mutual friendship with the Harrington family has brought them together again, Denise is more and more intrigued. Scott is strong enough to stand up to her—and she could be the loving, equal partner he needs. But with hearts this stubborn, and passion this wild, can they find the compromise that leads to forever?

     

11. The Blackstone Promise: Beyond Business\A Younger Man (The Blackstones of Virginia) by Rochelle Alers
    (Harlequin Blaze, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Beyond BusinessSheldon Blackstone, CEO of a legendary stud farm, has a lot to be grateful for, along with regrets. But Renee Wilson, his new administrative assistant, will show him it’s time to look beyond past mistakes and think about the future.Renee has her priorities straight—a good job and a safe place to raise her unborn child. Blackstone Farms offers both, though the attraction she shares with Sheldon keeps cooler heads from prevailing. Can Renee afford to surrender to passion?A Younger ManWhen Kumi Walker finds Veronica Hamlin stranded, he offers to fix her tire in exchange for a home-cooked meal. It isn’t long before he realizes his interest in Veronica is the real thing. Can he convince her their age difference doesn’t matter?Though Veronica has turned down Atlanta’s most eligible bachelors, she can’t resist this younger man. But giving in to desire would mean ignoring the scandal their affair would create, and risking everything for love.

     

12. Private Luau (Kimani Romance) by Devon Vaughn Archer
    (Kimani Romance, 2011-12-01, Kindle Edition)
    

    Raquel Deneuve prides herself on her ability to make any bad-rap celebrity look good. But the Honolulu image consultant takes on the challenge of her career when she’s hired by former NBA hotshot Keanu Bailey. The hard-partying playboy has a rep for never getting serious with any woman. That spells trouble for Raquel when she starts falling for her seductive client.To the world, Keanu is the ultimate bad boy. But he’s determined to prove them wrong—especially when he meets Raquel. The part-time hula dancer and sultry beauty soon has him moving to the age-old rhythms of passion and romance. Transformed by Raquel’s sensual touch, the infatuated sports star knows he’s become a one-woman man. As pleasure flames into love in their private island oasis, can Keanu turn Raquel into a one-man woman?

     

13. Ran Away (Benjamin January Mysteries) by Barbara Hambly
    (Severn House Publishers, 2011-12-01, Hardcover)
    

    The new Benjamin January novel from the best-selling author – RAN AWAY. So began a score of advertisements every week in the New Orleans newspapers, advertising for slaves who’d fled their masters. But the Turk, Hüseyin Pasha, posted no such advertisement when his two lovely concubines disappeared. And when a witness proclaimed he’d seen the “devilish infidel” hurl their dead bodies out of a window, everyone was willing to believe him the murderer. Only Benjamin January, who knows the Turk of old, is willing to seek for the true culprit, endangering his own life in the process . . .

     

14. Full Figured 4 (Plus Sized Divas) (Carl Weber Presents: Plus Sized Divas) by Anna J.
    (Urban Trade Paper, 2011-12-01, Paperback)
    

    With his Full Figured series, Carl Weber brings together some of Urban Books’ hottest authors to entertain readers with their stories about the lives and loves of beautiful full-figured women. This time Anna J. and Natalie Weber bring the heat.After a humiliating public divorce from Sean King, stockbroker to the stars, all Valencia McKoy has left is her hair salon, The Real McKoy. She drowns her sorrow in gallons of butter pecan ice cream, until a friend finally convinces her to see a psychiatrist. Dr. Alexander Thornton finds it hard to keep his composure when the stunning, curvaceous Valencia walks into his office. As Alex finds himself falling for his patient, will he be able to maintain his professionalism and help her regain her self-confidence?Thirty-year-old Amber Couture is used to having things her way. She’s got a six-figure income, a fabulous home in a gated community, and her pick of men who just love her exaggerated curves. Trevor is a mechanic who works in her family’s car dealership. His bedroom skills are so good that Amber might not even notice he’s got other motives. Stephen has plenty of money in the bank, but he can’t rock Amber’s world the way Trevor does. And then there’s Robert. He’s been after Amber for six months, but she won’t give him a first date. Would it make a difference to her if she knew how much money he just inherited? This full-figured diva will have to decide which is better when it comes to men: quantity or quality?

     

15. Why Don’t American Cities Burn? (The City in the Twenty-First Century) by Michael B. Katz
    (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011-12-07, Hardcover)
    

    At 1:27 on the morning of August 4, 2005, Herbert Manes fatally stabbed Robert Monroe, known as Shorty, in a dispute over five dollars. It was a horrific yet mundane incident for the poor, heavily African American neighborhood of North Philadelphia—one of seven homicides to occur in the city that day and yet not make the major newspapers. For Michael B. Katz, an urban historian and a juror on the murder trial, the story of Manes and Shorty exemplified the marginalization, social isolation, and indifference that plague American cities.Introduced by the gripping narrative of this murder and its circumstances, Why Don’t American Cities Burn? charts the emergence of the urban forms that underlie such events. Katz traces the collision of urban transformation with the rightward-moving social politics of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century America. He shows how the bifurcation of black social structures produced a new African American inequality and traces the shift from images of a pathological black “underclass” to praise of the entrepreneurial poor who take advantage of new technologies of poverty work to find the beginning of the path to the middle class. He explores the reasons American cities since the early 1970s have remained relatively free of collective violence while black men in bleak inner-city neighborhoods have turned their rage inward on one another rather than on the agents and symbols of a culture and political economy that exclude them.The book ends with a meditation on how the political left and right have come to believe that urban transformation is inevitably one of failure and decline abetted by the response of government to deindustrialization, poverty, and race. How, Katz asks, can we construct a new narrative that acknowledges the dark side of urban history even as it demonstrates the capacity of government to address the problems of cities and their residents? How can we create a politics of modest hope?

     

16. Money Never Sleeps: A Millionaire Wives Club Novel by Tu-Shonda Whitaker
    (One World/Ballantine, 2011-12-06, Kindle Edition)
    

    The bling is brighter, the drama is amped up, and the delicious beauties from Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker’s Millionaire Wives Club are back for a second season of backstabbing, divorce parties, and family sagas. Lights, camera, action! Milan, Jaise, and Chaunci are the gorgeous, high-rolling divas starring in the hit reality show Millionaire Wives Club. As they struggle with love, lies, lust, and the pressures of sudden fame, their friendships turn into catfights that keep the cameras following all their malicious moves. Milan is finally engaged to Kendu, the man of her dreams, and though things look perfect on the outside, distrust and jealousy are crumbling their romance. Jaise has found the love she so desperately craves, but her son, Jabril, remains the No. 1 man in her life—for better or for worse. And Chaunci, the independent, single mom who doesn’t feel she needs a man, is contemplating taking the plunge into a deep love affair—but will the man she chooses have room in his life for her? Add to this crafty cast Vera, a venomous new vixen who plays the game better than any of them, and you’ve got a season even more scintillating than the last.From the Trade Paperback edition.

     

17. A Lover’s Dream (Arabesque) by Altonya Washington
    (Kimani Arabesque, 2011-12-15, Kindle Edition)
    

    CAN MIXING BUSINESS AND PLEASUREAuthor Michaela Sellars has a successful writing career, but love and security have always eluded her until a research trip takes a surprisingly romantic turn. Quest Ramsey and his brother Quaysar belong to one of Seattle’ s most successful families, and Michaela is in town to profile them for an upcoming biography. Falling in love with gorgeous, confident Quest—and having him fall for her in return—is the ultimate dream come true ADD UP TO LOVE?Quest is reluctant to be featured in Michaela’ s tell-all book, but something about this beautiful woman has captured his attention and keeps him coming back. With little reservation, he lets her into his life and his heart. But when Michaela uncovers a secret that threatens to ruin his family name, she’ ll have to choose between the integrity of her profession, and the love she never thought she’ d find.

     

18. Perfect Peace: A Novel by Daniel Black
    (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011-12-06, Paperback)
    

    The heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern family’s attempt to grapple with their mother’s desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never have When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon’ be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.” From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.

     

19. Twelve Gates to the City by Daniel Black
    (St. Martin’s Press, 2011-12-06, Hardcover)
    

    A novel of self-discovery, family bonds and the healing of one small southern townTwelve Gates to the City is the much-anticipated sequel to Black’s acclaimed debut, They Tell Me of a Home. In this novel, Sister assumes the voice of the narrator, speaking from the spirit realm, telling her brother TL things he could have never known about their family. She constructs the story as a series of spiritual revelations, exposing to readers both who she was in the years of TL’s absence and how every event in his life was an orchestration for his return. TL in the meantime is back in Swamp Creek, to stay this time, but he’s still haunted by his sister’s death. His decision to become the Schoolmaster is the only thing he’s sure about, and his impact upon the students becomes palpable. But he still doesn’t know what happened to Sister. As he searches for ultimate truth, he discovers the secrets and beauty of Swamp Creek. Twelve Gates to the City is a novel about spiritual revelation, and communal healing, ushered in by one who finally realizes that his gifts were bestowed upon him, not for his own glory, but for the transformation of his people.

     

20. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
    (Amistad, 2011-12-27, Paperback)
    

    Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education. Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

     

Bestselling Basketball Books in 2011

1. Shaq Uncut: My Story by Shaquille O’Neal
   (Grand Central Publishing, 2011-11-15, Hardcover)
   

   Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Fu. The Big Daddy. The Big Shaqtus. Wilt Chamberneezy. The Real Deal. The Big Shamrock. Shaq. You know him by any number of names, and chances are you know all about his legendary basketball career: Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. After being an All-American at Louisiana State University, he was the overall number one draft pick in the NBA in 1992. In his 19-year career, Shaq racked up 28,596 career points (including 5,935 free throws!), 13,099 rebounds, 3,026 assists, 2,732 blocks, and 15 All-Star appearances. These are statistics that are almost as massive as the man himself. His presence-both physically and psychologically-made him a dominant force in the game for two decades.But if you follow the game, you also know that there’s a lot more to Shaquille O’Neal than just basketball. Shaq is famous for his playful, and at times, provocative personality. He is, literally, outsize in both scale and persona. Whether rapping on any of his five albums, challenging celebrities on his hit television show “Shaq Vs.,” studying for his PhD or serving as a reserve police officer, there’s no question that Shaq has led a unique and multi-dimensional life. And in this rollicking new autobiography, Shaq discusses his remarkable journey, including his candid thoughts on teammates and coaches like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley. From growing up in difficult circumstances and getting cut from his high school basketball team to his larger-than-life basketball career, Shaq lays it all out in SHAQ UNCUT: MY STORY.

    

2. West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life by Jerry West
   (Little, Brown and Company, 2011-10-19, Hardcover)
   

   He is one of basketball’s towering figures: “Mr. Clutch,” who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers’ resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring “Showtime” to Los Angeles, creating a championship-winning force that continues to this day. Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells his story-from his tough childhood in West Virginia, to his unbelievable college success at West Virginia University, his 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his relationships with NBA legends like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Unsparing in its self-assessment and honesty, WEST BY WEST is far more than a sports memoir: it is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration.

    

3. Basketball Junkie: A Memoir by Chris Herren
   (St. Martin’s Press, 2011-05-10, Hardcover)
   

   I was dead for thirty seconds.That’s what the cop in Fall River told me.  When the EMTs found me, there was a needle in my arm and a packet of heroin in the front seat.At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his family’s and the city’s dreams on his skinny frame. His grandfather, father, and older brother had created their own sports legends in a declining city; he was the last, best hope for a career beyond the shuttered mills and factories. Herren was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonald’s All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee team’s quest for the state championship.  Leaving Fall River for college, Herren starred on Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State Bulldogs team of talented misfits, which included future NBA players as well as future convicted felons. His gritty, tattooed, hip-hop persona drew the ire of rival fans and more national attention: Rolling Stone profiled him, 60 Minutes interviewed him, and the Denver Nuggets drafted him. When the Boston Celtics acquired his contract, he lived the dream of every Massachusetts kid—but off the court Herren was secretly crumbling, as his alcohol and drug use escalated and his life spiraled out of control.  Twenty years later, Chris Herren was married to his high-school sweetheart, the father of three young children, and a heroin junkie. His basketball career was over, consumed by addictions; he had no job, no skills, and was a sadly familiar figure to those in Fall River who remembered him as a boy, now prowling the streets he once ruled, looking for a fix. One day, for a time he cannot remember, he would die. In his own words, Chris Herren tells how he nearly lost everything and everyone he loved, and how he found a way back to life. Powerful, honest, and dramatic, Basketball Junkie is a remarkable memoir, harrowing in its descent, and heartening in its return.

    

4. When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks by Harvey Araton
   (Harper, 2011-10-18, Hardcover)
   

   The late 1960s and early 1970s, in New York City and America at large, were years marked by political tumult, social unrest—and the best professional basketball ever played. Paradise, for better or worse, was a hardwood court in Midtown Manhattan. When the Garden Was Eden is the definitive account of how the New York Knickerbockers won their first and only championships, and in the process provided the nation no small escape from the Vietnam War, the tragedy at Kent State, and the last vestiges of Jim Crow. The Knicks were more than a team; they were a symbol of harmony, the sublimation of individual personalities for the greater collective good. No one is better suited to revive the old chants of “Dee-fense!” that rocked Madison Square Garden or the joy that radiated courtside than Harvey Araton, who has followed the Knicks, old and new, for decades—first as a teenage fan, then as a young sports reporter with the New York Post, and now as a writer and columnist for the New York Times. Araton has traveled to the Louisiana home of the Captain, Willis Reed (after writing a column years earlier that led to his abrupt firing as the Knicks’ short-lived coach); he has strolled the lush gardens of Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s St. Croix oasis; discussed the politics of that turbulent era with Senator Bill Bradley; toured Baltimore’s church basement basketball leagues with Black Jesus himself, Earl “the Pearl” Monroe; played memory games with Jerry “the Brain” Lucas; explored the Tao of basketball with Phil “Action” Jackson; and sat through eulogies for Dave DeBusschere, the lunch-bucket, 23-year-old player-coach lured from Detroit, and Red Holzman, the scrappy Jewish guard who became a coaching legend. In When the Garden Was Eden, Araton not only traces the history of New York’s beloved franchise—from Ned Irish to Spike Lee to Carmelo Anthony—but profiles the lives and careers of one of sports’ all-time great teams, the Old Knicks. With measured prose and shoe-leather reporting, Araton relives their most glorious triumphs and bitter rivalries, and casts light on a time all but forgotten outside of pregame highlight reels and nostalgic reunions—a time when the Garden, Madison Square, was its own sort of Eden.

    

5. The Whore of Akron: One Man’s Search for the Soul of LeBron James by Scott Raab
   (Harper, 2011-11-15, Hardcover)
   

   “If there was an opportunity for me to return to Cleveland and those fans welcomed me back, that’d be a great story.”—Lebron James Scott Raab is a last vestige of Gonzo Journalism in an era when sanitary decorum reigns. Crude but warmhearted, poetic but raving, Raab has chronicled—at GQ and Esquire—everything from nights out with the likes of Tupac and Mickey Rourke to a moral investigation into Holocaust death-camp guard Ivan the Terrible to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, but the book you hold in your hands is neither a story nor a job: The Whore of Akron is the product of lifelong suffering, and a mission bound with the meaning of existence. Raab sat in the lower bowl of Cleveland Stadium on December 27, 1964, when the Browns defeated the Colts for the NFL World Championship—the last sports title the declining city has won. He still carries his ticket stub wherever he goes, safely tucked within a Ziploc bag. The glory of that triumph is an easy thing to forget—each generation born in Cleveland is another generation removed from that victory; an entire fan base “whose daily bread has forever tasted of ash.” LeBron James was supposed to change all that. A native son of Akron, he was already world famous by the age of seventeen, had already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, was already worth $90 million to Nike. He seemed like a miracle heaven-sent by God to transform Cleveland’s losing ways. That the Cavaliers drafted him, the hometown prodigy, with the first pick of the 2003 draft, seemed nothing short of destiny. But after seven years—and still no parade down Euclid Avenue—he left. And he left in a way that seemed designed to twist the knife: announcing his move to South Beach on a nationally televised ESPN production with a sly title (“The Decision”) that echoed fifty years of Cleveland sports futility. Out of James’s treachery grew a monster. Raab, a fifty-nine-year-old, 350-pound, Jewish Santa Claus with a Chief Wahoo tattoo, would bear witness to LeBron’s every move, and in doing so would act as the eyes and ears of Cleveland itself. (He did not keep this intentions a secret and was promptly banned by the Miami Heat.) The Whore of Akron is an indictment of a traitorous athlete and the story of Raab’s hilarious, profane (and profound) quest to reveal the “wee jewel-box” of LeBron James’s very soul.

    

6. The Ecstasy of Defeat: Sports Reporting at Its Finest by the Editors of the Onion by Editors of The Onion
   (Hyperion, 2011-10-11, Paperback)
   

   The Sports Page As You’ve Never Seen It Before From painfully obvious steroid revelations to sex scandals and superstars who announce trades in over-the-top TV specials, the wide world of sports can often seem too ridiculous for words. Well, attention sports fans: In The Ecstasy of Defeat, the editors of The Onion offer the laugh-out-loud funny and long overdue lampoon of sports culture you’ve been waiting for. Filled with the very best of The Onion’s bench-clearing sports coverage. No topic escapes the satirical slap of America’s Finest News Source, and the book covers not only mainstream sports–such as baseball, basketball, and football–but also lesser sports, sports culture, and special events like the World Cup and the Olympics. Featuring all the players, teams, and sports we love–and love to hate–The Ecstasy of Defeat is a must-read for sports nuts and Onion fans alike.

    

7. Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won by Tobias J. Moskowitz
   (Crown Archetype, 2011-01-25, Hardcover)
   

   In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost.Drawing from Moskowitz’s original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as bestselling author Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships;  the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees’ tendencies in every sport to “swallow the whistle,” and more.Among the insights that Scorecasting reveals: Why Tiger Woods is prone to the same mistake in high-pressure putting situations that you and I are Why professional teams routinely overvalue draft picks The myth of momentum  or the “hot hand” in sports, and why so many fans, coaches, and broadcasters fervently subscribe to it Why NFL coaches rarely go for a first down on fourth-down situations–even when their reluctance to do so reduces their chances of winning. In an engaging narrative that takes us from the putting greens of Augusta to the grid iron of a small parochial high school in Arkansas, Scorecasting will forever change how you view the game, whatever your favorite sport might be.

    

8. Blind Love by Mark O’Neal
   (Underdog Publishing, 2011-06-16, Kindle Edition)
   

   Maurice had decided to get plastered after a hard day of searching for his missing fiancee, Gabrielle. She disappeared a week before their scheduled wedding in June, and Maurice had been searching for her the entire summer to no avail. The police couldn’t find any evidence to suggest that she was murdered, so they called off their search efforts. Maurice conducted his own search efforts, and the despair of being unsuccessful had taken its toll on him.Maurice tried to get his mind off of things by focusing on his sister Erin’s and his best friend and teammate Malik’s wedding instead that was taking place on the last weekend in August. He began to put the pieces of the puzzle together once his friend Agent Stanton told him that Gabrielle was hiding out from her sociopath ex-boyfriend. He would soon discover that Gabrielle wasn’t the woman he thought she was, and their inevitable meeting would have dire consequences.

    

9. The Defender (Kindle Single) by Jordan Conn
   (The Atavist, 2011-07-06, Kindle Edition)
   

   Manute Bol was the first African-born player in the NBA and, at seven foot seven inches, the tallest. In the 1980s and 90s he was also among the league’s most fearsome shot-blockers and its most beloved figures. Off the basketball court, however, Bol’s story was more remarkable than most fans ever knew. Activist, gambler, joker, rebel—Bol was a complex man whose fate was inextricably bound with that of the Sudan, his homeland. Writer Jordan Conn traveled to southern Sudan to explore Bol’s remarkable path from Africa to the NBA, his rise to stardom and fall into obscurity, and his final role as a renowned humanitarian and key figure in his homeland’s independence. Conn’s account, the latest Kindle Single from The Atavist, is a funny and moving portrait of a man who lived a life befitting his outsized body. Jordan Conn is a freelance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He contributes regularly to SI.com, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Slam, and Draft, among others.

    

10. Jewball by Neal Pollack
    (2011-10-05, Kindle Edition)
    

    From the bestselling satirist and memoirist Neal Pollack comes a funny, gritty historical noir about a tough Jew on the brink and about a great American game coming into its own.1937. The gears of world war have begun to grind, but Inky Lautman, star point guard for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, America’s greatest basketball team, is dealing with his own problems. His coach has unwittingly incurred a massive gambling debt to the German-American Bund. His main basketball rival is self-righteously leading public protests against the rise of homegrown American fascism. And his girlfriend wants him to join a Jewish student organization that’s all talk and no action. It’s more than Inky can deliver. He just wants to play ball and occasionally beat people up for money. The tides of history are flowing against a guy like Inky. Can he make his free throws and still make it through the season alive? This…is Jewball.

     

11. Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball (Stories from a Hall-of-fame Sports Broadcasting Career) by Terry Pluto
    (Gray & Co., Publishers, 2011-11-04, Paperback)
    

    Legendary broadcaster Joe Tait is like an old family friend to three generations of Cleveland sports fans. This book celebrates his hall-of-fame career with stories from Joe and dozens of fans, media colleagues, and players. It’s co-written with Joe by award-winning sportswriter Terry Pluto. What made Joe Tait so special? Fans believed him. He was “one of us.” He made the game come alive, and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind–even when it might get him in trouble with the coach or the owners. He was a throwback, a purist. Despite the bling and flash that has become so much a part of pro sports, for Joe the game always came first. Northeast Ohioans know Tait best as the voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He called the radio play-by-play from the team’s first year in the NBA, 1970, until his retirement in 2011 (with the exception of two years in the early 1980s). His animated voice and no-nonsense announcing brought the excitement of the game home to listeners, from the “Miracle at Richfield” to the LeBron James years.

     

12. Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Don Van Natta Jr.
    (Little, Brown and Company, 2011-06-02, Hardcover)
    

    This is the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics.Then Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world.A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, WONDER GIRL is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.

     

13. Reed All About It: Driven to be a Jayhawk by Tyrel Reed
    (Ascend Books, 2011-10-01, Paperback)
    

    Of all the wonderful players who have worn the crimson and blue for the University of Kansas basketball program through the years, only one can claim to be the “winningest” Jayhawk of all — Tyrel Reed. Reed, who concluded his playing career in March 2011, has written a new book that chronicles his time with the Jayhawks — Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk. The book published by Ascend Books of Overland Park, Kansas, is co-written by long-time Topeka Capital Journal Sports Columnist Tully Corcoran.Reed was a champion on the court — as part of the Jayhawks’ National Championship in 2008 — and in the classroom, as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member. He was part of more wins than any other player in the storied history of the Kansas program.The son of a coach from Burlington, Kansas, Reed developed into an important leader and “glue guy” for the Jayhawks. He was an excellent outside shooter, sinking 170 three-point field goals in his career, and a clutch free throw shooter, with an .810 success rate.In his book, Reed describes what it was like to play for Coach Bill Self, how the game has changed with “one-and-done” freshmen players, and how he was able to excel academically despite the demands of basketball practice and road trips.Told with heart and good humor, Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk, is a must-read for any fan of college basketball.

     

14. Physical Education (Murder 101 Mystery) by Maggie Barbieri
    (Minotaur Books, 2011-11-22, Hardcover)
    

    College English professor and sometime amateur sleuth Alison Bergeron would’ve been thrilled to hear that her husband, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, was leaving Homicide if that were the whole story, but it turns out that Bobby’s next assignment is even worse—undercover. As if worrying about his involvement in a case he won’t talk about at all wasn’t bad enough, Alison is forced to take over the women’s basketball team at St. Thomas after the coach dies of a heart attack during a game. She may not know much about basketball, but she’s no stranger to sleuthing, and it isn’t long before she suspects that the coach’s death may be more than unexpected but premeditated as well.With Bobby deep undercover and Alison always on her way to deep trouble, it’s only a matter of time before they run smack into each other in Physical Education, the latest in Maggie Barbieri’s charming Murder 101 mystery series.

     

2011′s Vampire Bestsellers

The bestselling books featuring African American vampires in 2011.

1. Dead Locke by Asil
   (Asil, 2011-07-27, Kindle Edition)
   

   Gabriel Locke is shot by his wife and best friend and left for dead. He plots revenge when he returns to the world of the living as a vampire.

    

2. Thick Blood by Cotton Carpenter
   (2011-10-21, Kindle Edition)
   

   Just when Kingston was about to give up on the slim pickings at the club that night, Lavish walked by and intoxicated him with the scent of fresh blood. Mother Nature made a surprise visit and ruined her evening, but was it really ruined? Kingston wasn’t just a vampire, he was a world class freak. He saw the thick diva that Lavish was and knew she’d be a feast. He just didn’t expect her to have an effect on him that filled him with as much ecstasy as he could give to her. This is an erotic e-single by Cotton Carpenter that will quench your blood lust.

    

3. Endless Love (Fantasty Knights) by Marilyn Lee
   (Marilyn Lee Unleashed, 2011-06-12, Kindle Edition)
   

   Erin has spent most of her life feeling as if she’s waiting for a nameless lover from a previous life. When she meets the tall, gorgeous Aleksander Storm, he shows her extraordinary sensual delight. So much so that he might almost be her lost love–except she’s certain the lover is question was black and Aleksander is a gray-eyed blond. Unable to resist her instant attraction for him, Erin soon finds herself torn between a flesh and blood man and a fantasy lover. Aleksander Storm has waited several life times for an opportunity to win Erin’s heart. Just as they become lovers and he thinks she’s finally ready to be his, she remembers her previous love. Aleksander will do everything he can to convince Erin to reject her old lover and give him a chance to fulfill his promise of an endless love.

    

4. Best Black Vampire Story by Donna Monday
   (2011-03-23, Kindle Edition)
   

   Rochelle Prescott is adrift. After experiencing the tragic loss of her fiancé, Everett, she decides to take a trip through upstate New York—hoping to find a little solace for her bruised soul. Tired and hungry, she pulls into the town of Venice Springs. A local directs her to what seems like a charming, old-fashioned bed and breakfast inn. However, as Rochelle is about to find out, the Sleepy Trail Inn offers more than cozy comfort for weary travelers.Every guest is a potential meal for the black vampires who own this quaint old place. In spite of her best efforts, the unsuspecting Rochelle finds herself falling under the spell of the handsome Darius Champion. Will her love for the master vampire lure her into the world of the immortals forever?Darius Champion has lived his life to the fullest. During his 200 plus years of walking the earth, he has satisfied his every whim and lust. Having grown weary of the fast life, he settles down in upstate New York. Yet, there’s a place deep down in his heart that yearns for true love and companionship. While he is master of his home and the town of Venice Springs, there is one thing he’s not in control of—his heart. Will his blind love for one woman cause him to lose everything he cherishes—including his life?BEST BLACK VAMPIRE STORY is much more than a vampire romance, you’ll be drawn into a world of love, lust and terrifying power, where vampires have taken over an entire town against its will. All of the intriguing action leads up to a final clash between vamps and townies where one group must win over the other or perish.NOTE: This book was originally published under the title of THE BEST BLACK VAMPIRE STORY YOU’VE EVER READ (paperback).Want more great stories? Click on the author name above to see more titles.

    

5. Ultimate Breed (The Ultimate Chronicles) by Erosa Knowles
   (Sitting Bull Publishing, 2011-03-19, Kindle Edition)
   

   Time is running out for the Vampire Breeder Skye, in more ways than one. Her car is attacked while enroute to give birth, a huge bounty is placed on her head and a Vampire Hunter attacks her. And that happens in one day. Her Were-Hyena security team calls in Adrian Vail, a mercenary who gets results. He’ll get her to safety, keeping a step ahead of the Bounty Hunters and the master-minds behind the threats. One thing for sure, he’s never met anyone like her and fights the attraction with each breath. After the lost of his daughter, women with children were off limits. Her strength intrigues him. Her beauty captivates him. Can he maintain a professional distance while saving her life?

    

6. Sasha, Queen of Darkness by Maxx
   (LMInc, 2011-01-25, Kindle Edition)
   

   Sasha, beautiful, sexy, sensual and Mother of all Vampyre, roams the streets of Los Angeles stalking and devouring her prey.

    

7. Hurricane: A Novel by Jewell Parker Rhodes
   (Washington Square Press, 2011-04-12, Paperback)
   

   In the stunning conclusion to award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes’s mystery trilogy begun in Voodoo Dreams and Moon, Dr. Marie Lavant, descendent of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, must confront a murderous evil in New Orleans.Dr. Marie Levant aka Leveau, great-great granddaughter of Marie Laveau, has achieved fame and notoriety for saving New Orleans from the wrath of a vampire. Now she’s taking a break from the city, heading up the highway to DeLaire. She doesn’t know this backwater town, but an elderly woman called Nana has been expecting Marie to arrive and save her and others in this God-forsaken place from sickness and death.Yet all of Marie’s powers can’t bring life back to the corpses she finds in a house by the road. Nor can she force those who know how they died to say so or to confess. Were the crimes committed by shape-shifters, vampires, and ghosts—or by living men and women? And even as Marie searches for answers, a hurricane threatens to break the levees of Louisiana and cause unimaginable destruction.Jewell Parker Rhodes blends magic and man-made evil and weaves New Orleans’s past and present into a spine-tingling mystery that is masterfully crafted and deeply haunting.

    

8. Brookwater’s Curse Volume I by Steven Van Patten
   (Authorhouse, 2011-01-17, Kindle Edition)
   

   Christian Brookwater is a former Georgia plantation slave who became a vampire during the 1860s. His long, tumultuous life takes a complicated turn when he is forced to travel to modern-day Senegal to rescue a child from a vengeful werewolf prince. It is here that Christian uncovers a plot that would throw the entire vampire nation into a civil war. To stop this, Christian must betray his best friend and mentor, an influential Italian vampire who nurtured him during his vampiric infancy. Christian is a member of a nocturnal law enforcement community that safeguards the secrets of the creatures of the night. This involves the killing of werewolves and other deranged monsters; something Christian excels at. But his fraternization with humans and his incessant need to kill racists vexes his superiors, who threaten to execute him if he doesn’t curtail his ‘racial impulses’. Christian also suffers from a rare condition that makes intercourse with human females especially dangerous. Christian’s other mentor is a four hundred year old vampire samurai lord who teaches him the arts of war and sacrifice, and has a knack for appearing whenever things become desperate.Of course, the warrior’s code can’t replace the desire for love, as Christian discovers when he becomes enamored with a human female in the 1940s. Despite Christian’s affliction, the two lovers raise a child together and for a while, our vampire gets a taste of true happiness.Some years later, his family life ends tragically as Christian loses his great love and becomes estranged from his teenaged son. Heartbroken, Christian embarks on a series of illuminating, yet sinful adventures as he migrates to a new home: Harlem, New York.

    

9. Voodoo Dawgz by Jess Mowry
   (Anubis, 2011-05-08, Kindle Edition)
   

   Evil always lingers in a land where men have enslaved other men. Such evil is discovered by Kodi Carver, a fourteen-year-old African-American boy from Cleveland, Ohio who spends his summers in the Old French Quarter of New Orleans. There, with the help of Raney Douglas, his alligator-wrestling, bayou cousin, he assists his magical Aunt Simone with Voodoo ceremonies for tourists in the courtyard of his aunt’s haunted house. By day, Kodi and Raney roam the steamy streets of the Quarter, where other kids sell Voodoo charms and vampire teeth, or dance and sweat for money. By night, Kodi and Raney become Voodoo-boys in loincloths and bones.The audience thinks it’s all showtime, though much of the magic is on the real. Kodi himself is his aunt’s apprentice, though he often doesn’t do his homework or carefully study his Voodoo lessons, which sometimes gets him in trouble. On the earthly level, Kodi’s father believes that his son is safer in New Orleans than the violent neighborhoods of Cleveland. Ironically, Kodi is almost gunned-down on his aunt’s doorstep by an eight-year-old wannbe thug named Newton, who was sent out to kill to prove himself worthy of membership in a gang called The Skeleton Crew. Kodi and Raney capture Newton and eventually discover that the real power behind the Skeleton Crew is the evil ghost of a slave-trader whose bones lie in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. In order to save the gang members from self-destruction, death — or worse — and free them from their long-dead master, Kodi and his own gang of Voodoo Dawgz, including a young street dancer, a girl who sells ice-cream, and a pale, mysterious Vampire-boy, must fight the ghost on his own turf… the storm-lashed midnight graveyard.

    

10. Red Door (The Colored Door Series) by A.E.H. Veenman
    (Exobia, 2011-04-27, Kindle Edition)
    

    Some demons you simply can’t get rid of. Whether past sins haunt you in the afterlife, or a sadistic, oversexed homosexual vampire hosts your stay in Purgatory—one way or another, you got to get in to get out. No truer words were spoken, as far as Benjamin Shine is concerned.The story, Red Door, introduces Shiny B to the rules and regulations of his current existence. Punishment for his first offense in Purgatory starts his transformation, both as a re-animated human and the eventual vampire into which he’ll turn. His retribution is toward his criminal activity with partner, Jo-Jo, one instance where a burglary went sour and turned into the kidnapping of a small girl.As Detective Shine, he must assist the Tangelo family in recovering their daughter, taken during preparations for her fifth birthday party.Meanwhile, Shine must find the elusive Natasha, a woman he believes is his girlfirend. He meets her at 238 Merchant Drive—her work place at Cohen & Cohen Insurance Underwriters—and due to their apparent domestic conflict, he stays at 54 Hillside Avenue, room 171. His prisoner number 23854171.He lies in the shoddy hotel room and wonders how to repair the broken relationship. Also, on his mind is the fact that Warner bit him—and he’s changing.How many doors can Benjamin Shine pass through to reach salvation?

     

11. The Vampire and The Vegan, Book I: Food by Merlene Alicia Vassall
    (Technical Assistance & Support Consultants, 2011-03-05, Kindle Edition)
    

    Pearl, a temptress vampire living in Washington, DC, discovers that the blood of her next would-be victim, Salaam, lacks that certain something she craves – necromantic energy that comes from eating meat. Yet he may offer her something that she needs even more… Through fast-paced prose peppered with surprises, The Vampire and The Vegan explores the complex relationship between a carnivore and her food.

     

12. Vampire Whore by Adenike B. Lucas
    (lulu.com, 2011-03-02, Paperback)
    

    Desperate and alone in a new city, Bianca pledges her allegiance to Daddy, a notorious pimp in the capital city. Daddy preys on Bianca’s beauty and promises her a life that she never dreamed of, but it comes to a screeching halt when Daddy suspects Bianca is having an affair with one of his high rolling business partners. Leon, the mysterious stranger that catches Daddy’s attention with his abundance of money meets the beautiful Bianca knowing that the search for his eternal love is over. The feelings between the two of them are mutual, and Leon vows to make Bianca his no matter what the cost. Follow Bianca as she experiences betrayal through life and love, and the choices she makes to be happy could end up changing her in death.

     

13. Fledgling: A Novel by Octavia E. Butler
    (Seven Stories Press, 2011-01-04, Kindle Edition)
    

    Fledgling, Octavia Butler’s first new novel in seven years, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of “otherness” and questions what it means to be truly human.

     

14. Brookwater’s Curse Volume II by Steven Van Patten
    (, 2011-01-17, Kindle Edition)
    

    In the vampire nation, the civil war Christian Brookwater sought to prevent has become a harsh reality.On one side stands the High Counselors. Once considered great and benevolent rulers, their web of deception has unraveled, revealing them to be nothing more than self-serving power mongers. To preserve their reign, the High Counselors have begun a bloody campaign that threatens to wipe out all of the monster races, starting with their own. These Founding Fathers of Vampirism are all gifted with extraordinary powers that surpass anything ever seen in the history of living monsters. There are four of these god-like creatures, but none as destructive and devious as High Counselor Emmanuel, a demon that can destroy another’s life essence with the mere brush of his ominous left hand. All over the world, thousands of vampires stand ready to do Emmanuel’s bidding, including a group that has embraced a doctrine that is frighteningly similar to the religious right-wingers found in the human world.Lord Ebichara Tanata leads the opposing army that seeks to overthrow the High Counselors. With Japan’s deadliest samurai vampires willing to march into certain death at his word, Lord Tanata has fortified his numbers by joining forces with the rachasas, a race of shape-shifting cat people who have their own axe to grind with Emmanuel.As Christian helps Lord Tanata take on the High Counselors, he uncovers many horrible secrets. It’s not long before Christian becomes a bigger target than his samurai mentor. What he finally discovers will not only change the course of the war, but will have a startling impact on everyone he cares about, including his unborn child.

     

15. It’s Time by Kat Davis
    (Club Lighthouse Publishing, 2011-04-05, Kindle Edition)
    

    Richard, a fairly young vampire by vampire standard has decided to buck the status quo and fight the establishment. Surrounding himself with others who felt the same way he did and had an axe to grind with the Brotherhood, an elitist group of vampires, he started a war. The war would shake the foundation of the Supernatural world.Amazed and annoyed by Richard‘s actions, the Brotherhood’s governing body, the Elders call out their top enforcer, Patrick. He sought to quash the uprising. He tried force and when that didn’t work, he tried negotiation.To aid Patrick in his endeavour, the Elders released a weapon of mass destruction in an attempt to annihilated Richard and his followers. The weapon had side effects that rebounded and killed Brotherhood members.Disheartened by losses on both sides, Richard and Patrick agree to meet to find a viable solution to end the war. The enemies soon realized they had been childhood best friends. They are upset to be on opposite sides of the struggle but neither is willing to surrender.As their present commitments try to separate them, their past friendship refuses to be forgotten. They struggle to find a way for all sides to be happy. Will they succeed?

     

16. Cesar by Julian M. Coleman
    (CreateSpace, 2011-05-13, Paperback)
    

    “Julian M. Coleman’s César is a supernatural tale in the same vein as Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches series. Both authors make forays into the vampire and witch (voodoo priestess) mythology and locate their stories in the Louisiana bayous. No doubt Coleman was greatly inspired by Rice, but he explores territory unique to the vampire genre and delves into the historical, albeit fictitious, paranormal world of African Americans in Louisiana. Like Rice’s books, Coleman’s novel is charged with eroticism. Where Rice’s work sometimes contains homo-eroticism, César is strictly heterosexual. The sexual scenes are frequent and hardcore but not gratuitous. Coleman’s writing is melodious, rhythmic, and lyrical. César could join the ranks of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In.” – LEE GOODEN, FOREWORD CLARION REVIEWS

     

17. Fierce (Volume 1) by Sharon Young-Bishop
    (CreateSpace, 2011-08-12, Paperback)
    

    “Fierce” is the first book in a series of African American Vampire Books called The Ebony Immortals. FIERCE is a love story, filled with adventure and intrigue. What if you found out that everything you ever knew to be truth in your life was wrong? That is the dilemma facing Elizabeth Devonhouser, a charismatic dress designer, dealing with the loss of her parents, while raising two younger, extraordinary siblings. Her entire world turns upside down with passion and desire, when she meets a mysteriously interesting man. And finds herself drawn into his world of magical diversions and immortality. Come share the fascinating journey into their world.

     

News: Author Derrick Bell, Law Professor and Rights Advocate, Dies at 80

Derrick Bell, a legal scholar who saw persistent racism in America and sought to expose it through books, articles and provocative career moves — he gave up a Harvard Law School professorship to protest the school’s hiring practices — died on Wednesday in Manhattan.

See more at New York Times.
By FRED A. BERNSTEIN
Published: October 6, 2011