As the last living leader of the Civil Rights Movement and an American hero to many, Congressman John Lewis continues to work toward building a better world. He was a key player in the struggle to end segregation; a campaigner and friend to presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy until his assassination; a confidant to Martin Luther King Jr., whose vision and efforts Lewis carried on to subsequent generations; one of the thirteen original Freedom Riders; and an eyewitness to many momentous occasions in American history over the last fifty years of working in public service.

Despite being rejected, hated, and jailed-and even after being witness to betrayal, corruption, and conspiracy-Congressman Lewis believes that the people can work together toward lasting social change and asserts that worldwide change can be achieved through nonviolent means. In his inspirational new book, Congressman Lewis shares his life story-the lessons he learned as one who dreamed, worked, and struggled in America’s last revolution-and describes the work he believes is necessary to move this country forward. He declares that to revolutionize society, we must first revolutionize ourselves, and if we want to demand transformation of others, we must first be the change we seek. Social evolution starts from within, Lewis says.

Each chapter of ACROSS THAT BRIDGE discusses one virtue-faith, patience, truth, love, peace, study, and reconciliation-that, when combined with all the others, comprises Lewis’s philosophy of life. By sharing personal stories that focus on political and social events throughout history, Lewis discusses the moments where he came to understand the power of those virtues and reflects on the moments that challenged his commitment to them as well.

ACROSS THAT BRIDGE reflects the values of patience with persistence, progressive faith, and principled behavior that can lead to individual and collective transformation. It is this kind of persistence, faith, and moral authority that can bring about what Lewis calls “creative disruption” and usher in a nonviolent revolution of values bringing about fundamental social change.

“Democracy is not a state; it is an act. It is a series of actions we all must take to help build a Beloved Community.”
-Congressman John Lewis

NCM Publishing
June 5, 2012
Paperback

Playing 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer has delivered a complete profile. The One draws on interviews with more than 100 people who knew Brown personally or played with him professionally. Using these sources, award-winning writer RJ Smith draws a portrait of a man whose twisted and amazing life helps us to understand the music he made.

The One delves deeply into the story of a man who was raised in abject-almost medieval-poverty in the segregated South but grew up to earn (and lose) several fortunes. Covering everything from Brown’s unconventional childhood (his aunt ran a bordello), to his role in the Black Power movement, which used “Say It Loud (I’m Black and Proud)” as its anthem, to his high-profile friendships, to his complicated family life, Smith’s meticulous research and sparkling prose blend biography with a cultural history of a pivotal era.

At the heart of The One is Brown’s musical genius. He had crucial influence as an artist during at least three decades; he inspires pity, awe, and revulsion. As Smith traces the legend’s reinvention of funk, soul, R&B, and pop, he gives this history a melody all its own.

Gotham
March 15, 2012
Hardcover

Soulful and sultry, Jennifer Hudson wowed the world with her powerful voice in American Idol‘s third season, and then took Hollywood by storm with a star turn in Dreamgirls that won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. But before we knew her as an American Idol standout, Jennifer was singing in her church choir in the Southside of Chicago. This uplifting memoir tells the story of Jennifer’s meteoric rise from American Idol to Dreamgirls to her amazing weight loss on the megablockbuster Weight Watchers diet plan. With the Weight Watchers brand endorsing her, Jennifer gives her fans tips for embracing a healthy lifestyle in order to lose weight and reclaim their bodies. Full of stories from her American Idol days, her experience acting in Dreamgirls, and how her son inspired her to want to live healthfully, this book is a gift for her millions of fans and an inspiration for anyone struggling with weight issues.

Then it all came crashing down. Meb, a favorite for the Beijing Olympics, fractured his pelvis during the trials and was left literally crawling. His close friend and fellow marathoner suffered a cardiac arrest at the trials and died that same day. Devastated, Meb was about to learn whether his faith in God, the values his parents had taught him, and his belief that he was born to run were enough to see him through.

Run to Overcome tells the inspirational story of a man who discovered the real meaning of victory, and who embodies the American spirit of overcoming the odds.

Run to Overcome: : The Inspiring Story of an American Champion’s Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream
by Meb Keflezighi, Joan Benoit Samuelson (Foreword), Dick Patrick (Contributor)

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
October 25, 2010

Killing the Messenger is a searing work of narrative nonfiction that explores one of the most blatant attacks on the First Amendment and free speech in American history and the small Black Muslim cult that carried it out. Award-winning investigative reporter Thomas Peele examines the Black Muslim movement from its founding in the early twentieth century by a con man who claimed to be God, to the height of power of the movement’s leading figure, Elijah Muhammad, to how the great-grandson of Texas slaves reinvented himself as a Muslim leader in Oakland and built the violent cult that the young gunman eventually joined. Peele delves into how charlatans exploited poor African Americans with tales from a religion they falsely claimed was Islam and the years of bloodshed that followed, from a human sacrifice in Detroit to police shootings of unarmed Muslims to the horrible backlash of racism known as the “zebra murders,” and finally to the brazen killing of Chauncey Bailey to stop him from publishing a newspaper story.

Peele establishes direct lines between the violent Black Muslim organization run by Yusuf Bey in Oakland and the evangelicalism of the early prophets and messengers of the Nation of Islam. Exposing the roots of the faith, Peele examines its forerunner, the Moorish Science Temple of America, which in the 1920s and 30s preached to migrants from the South living in Chicago and Detroit ghettos that blacks were the world’s master race, tricked into slavery by white devils. In spite of the fantastical claims and hatred at its core, the Nation of Islam was able to build a following by appealing to the lack of identity common in slave descendants.

In Oakland, Yusuf Bey built a cult through a business called Your Black Muslim Bakery, beating and raping dozens of women he claimed were his wives and fathering more than forty children. Yet, Bey remained a prominent fixture in the community, and police looked the other way as his violent soldiers ruled the streets.

An enthralling narrative that combines a rich historical account with gritty urban reporting, Killing the Messenger is a mesmerizing story of how swindlers and con men abused the tragedy of racism and created a radical religion of bloodshed and fear that culminated in a journalist’s murder.

THOMAS PEELE is a digital investigative reporter for the Bay Area News Group and the Chauncey Bailey Project. He is also a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. His many honors include the Investigative Reporters and Editors Tom Renner Award for his reporting on organized crime, and the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage. He lives in Northern California.

Killing the Messenger: A Story of Radical Faith, Racism’s Backlash, and the Assassination of a Journalist
Thomas Peele
Crown
February 7, 2012

CONNIE RICE has taken on school and bus systems, Death Row, the states of Mississippi and California, and the Los Angeles Police Department — and won. Not just in court, where she vindicated major civil rights cases, but also on the streets and in prisons, where she spearheaded campaigns to reduce gang violence. Los Angeles magazine concluded that Connie’s work “has picked up where Clarence Darrow left off.”

In her extraordinary memoir, Rice chronicles her odyssey, the people who inspired her, and the teams she forged with allies and former foes. She counts among her partners LAPD police chiefs William Bratton and Charlie Beck, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, and gang interventionists such as Darren “Bo” Taylor.

Rice — second cousin of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — writes of being the great-granddaughter of former slaves and slave owners who prized the aggressive pursuit of knowledge. Even her U.S. Air Force childhood, with seventeen moves across three continents, could not disrupt this family legacy of voracious accomplishment.

After joining the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s West Coast office in 1990, Rice left the courtroom and took to the streets of the “kill zones” in the wake of the cataclysmic LAPD beating of Rodney King in 1991. What she learned from the invisible poor of underground Los Angeles would change her mission forever.

In her trek through gangland, Rice discovers that if you bury the underclass, you imperil yourself — a warning that her allies from law enforcement and the military strongly endorse.

Provocative and passionate, studded with dramatic episodes from the trenches of impact litigation and America’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Power Concedes Nothing is the story of an indomitable woman who knows that, without a demand, power concedes nothing.

Power Concedes Nothing: One Woman’s Quest for Social Justice in America, from the Courtroom to the Kill Zones by Connie Rice
Scribner
January 10, 2012
Hardcover

With the right guidance from the world s greatest mother and a loving, supportive family, Dawn Baker went from a small town in the rural south to an award-winning television news anchor. Now, she shares her secrets to success as only she can.

In Dawn’s Daughter, she not only offers sound advice, but also gives you an intimate look at life through real world stories and examples that could very well make the difference in whether you land that dream job or watch your dreams fade into the dust. Nicknamed, the queen of common sense, just like the mother or best friend you never had, Dawn teaches invaluable lessons on relationships, career, and how to be the best you can be.

In Dawn’s Daughter, learn how to:

Become strong and independent
Make decisions that are right for your life
Define yourself; know who you are and take responsibility for your life
Set and achieve realistic goals
Understand the value of a good education
Become more successful in the workplace
Avoid destructive behavior in personal relationships
Understand the value of saving money and becoming financially sound
Gain an appreciation for serving your fellowman
Become the BEST woman you can be

ebonylotus Creatives | Xpressions & Publishing
November 30, 2011

Embodying style, class, and intelligence, Michelle Obama has quickly become an American icon. Rising from modest beginnings, she went on to earn an Ivy League education, a position at a top law firm, and a pivotal role beside President Barack Obama. Yet Michelle still faces the same issues as most women today. As they watch her juggle kids, marriage, and a seemingly nonstop calendar without breaking a sweat, American women are asking, What Would Michelle Do?

Award-winning Newsweek journalist Allison Samuels, who has interviewed the First Lady numerous times, follows the trajectory of Michelle’s life to illustrate the determination, intellect, and charm that drove her success-and reveals how women can incorporate those same attributes to get everything Michelle has, from her toned arms to her grace under pressure to her happy marriage. With the 2012 elections looming, Michelle continues to be in the public’s eye. Covering a range of lifestyle topics-from creating a distinctive style to conquering obstacles to managing a household-What Would Michelle Do? combines solid advice with a fun package that will appeal to style mavens, soccer moms, and career women alike.

Gotham Books
April 19, 2012

This extraordinary book features an authorized biography by legendary South African journalist Allister Sparks and includes never-before-seen interviews by Archbishop Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Mpho A. Tutu, with historical figures who witnessed Tutu’s life and worked alongside him, such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Bono, and Sir Richard Branson, as well as intimate and poignant interviews with his wife, family, and closest friends. Complemented by an unprecedented collection of images and unpublished artifacts drawn from Tutu’s private files, this is a phenomenal story of one man’s extraordinary life and work and will be treasured by all who read it for years to come.