2011′s Bestselling African American Books

January 5, 2012

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

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…

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!

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!

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?

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…

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!

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.

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?

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

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?

Author JavaNoir

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2011′s Vampire Bestsellers

November 14, 2011

The bestselling books featuring African American vampires in 2011.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

Author JavaNoir

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2011′s Bestselling Horror Stories

October 24, 2011

THe bestselling African American stories in the horror genre, just in time for Halloween!

30 Minute Plan by Gerald Rice
(2011-02-22, Kindle Edition)

It’s the dusk of the zombie apocalypse. What’s left of mankind is huddled in the husks of the cities of the world. There are fewer of the walking dead, but they are just as dangerous as ever. After scientists come up with the brilliant idea of scent-marking them something goes wrong and a soldier is taken. When a fellow ‘dog’ decides to take matters into his own hands to rescue his comrade he finds the living dead have changed for the worse. Includes an excerpt of the upcoming novella Fleshbags.

Darker Than Night: A Collection of Horror and Suspense Short Stories by Brandon Massey
(Dark Corner Publishing, 2011-03-24, Kindle Edition)

A collection of twelve previously published suspense and horror short stories by award-winning thriller writer, Brandon Massey. The stories contained in DARKER THAN NIGHT include:Granddad’s Garage: Was their beloved grandfather just a pack rat? Or a guardian of forgotten treasures?Daddy’s Little Girl: Her father was so overbearing that he’ll go to any lengths–even murder–to keep his daughter safe . . . The Sting: One man’s deepest fears come to terrifying life when he crosses the wrong person.After the Party: Getting pulled over by a cop in the middle of the night is only the beginning of your troubles.Hitcher: Never pick up strangers . . . no matter how beautiful . . .A Walk Through Darkness: Is it really possible to commit the perfect murder?The Monster: Is there something deadly under the bed–or is it only a figment of a child’s imagination?Death Notice: She considered it her duty to report on the recently deceased . . . until they decided to reach out to her on their own . . .The Woman Next Door: Taking a bite of the forbidden fruit just might be your undoing . . .Presumed Dead: Sometimes, even though you really can go back home, perhaps you never should . . . because death might be waiting for your return.The Last Train Home: A hard-working young mother is plunged into the ultimate nightmare.Ghostwriter: A writer discovers an unexpected cure for writer’s block–in the cemetery next door . . . This collection also features two bonuses: an excerpt from LIVE AGAIN, a supernatural thriller by L.R. Giles, and an excerpt from Massey’s newest suspense thriller, COVENANT.

The Darkness to Come: A Thriller by Brandon Massey
(Dark Corner Publishing, 2011-04-30, Kindle Edition)

Dark Corner Publishing is pleased to present THE DARKNESS TO COME–the author’s original version of his novel published in July 2008 as DON’T EVER TELL–available now exactly as the author intended.What if everything you knew about the love of your life was a lie?Atlanta graphic designer Joshua Moore was one of those nice guys who always seemed to finish last, especially when it came to love. But all that changed when he met sweet, smart, almost magically perceptive Rachel. In less than a year they marry, and soon she announces that she is pregnant with their first child. The future is full of promise–but Joshua cannot escape his growing suspicion that Rachel is hiding something from him, something about a terrifying man from her past . . .Formerly a successful attorney in Chicago, Dexter Bates spent four long years in prison thinking about the woman who betrayed him. He emerges free with one chilling purpose: to hunt her down. Brilliant and cunning, with a capacity for ruthless violence, he’s also acquired a frightening talent that aids his mission of vengeance–and makes him virtually unstoppable . . . When Rachel vanishes suddenly, leaving behind only a cryptic letter, Joshua realizes that everything he believed about her was a lie–everything except her love for him. He vows to find out the truth about her past, to protect her, their unborn child, and their future. His search brings him face-to-face with the cold-blooded, inhumanly powerful Dexter . . . and the darkness that may consume all that he cherishes . . . A gripping exploration of commitment, love, and hope in the face of insurmountable odds, this is award-winning author Brandon Massey at his thrilling best.

Otilia Umaga, the Mulatto girl from Martinique by Lidia Barugel
(Lidia Barugel, 2011-05-08, Kindle Edition)

René Rodriguez Soriano: An all-sweeping book, magical, transparent and evocative, sown with reflections and signals, so much as lightning, so much as light that, after reading it, no reader goes back to be the same.Horacio Semeraro: Syncretism effect for a great narrative.Thousands of stories and novels deal with mirrors. To write about them is a challenge to originality. Otilia Umaga the mulatto girl from Martinique -short novel, winner of the Juan Rulfo Prize 2008- totally deserves that distinction for its subtle sensuousness and the atmosphere achieved, A Brazilian woman and a Dutchman, who owns an inn at Senegal, play the leading roles in a particular encounter. Over this background they will tell their story. But it will be a revealing mirror that through its transhumant becoming shows us another leading couple of the novel in a far away time:A Belgian slave dealer –married to a Spanish woman from Seville- and a mixed race –mulatto- girl from Martinique, who enters the scene late, but with decisive participation. With a narrative as exotic as it is attractive, the author leads us to a mixture of Eden and Purgatory. The treatment of the passions and human behaviour in a torrid and sensuous climate coexists with the freshness and originality of her prose. Towards the end the features of magical realism –so dear to Juan Rulfo- get stronger, in an unexpected and fascinating spectacular encounter. The breaking-up of the temporal fields, the natural narration of unconventional or fantastic deeds, as also the meticulous description of characters in the real plane; coexist eclectically with Afro-American mythical elements, ghosts and catholic nuns. But it is Barugel’s prose, precise and erotic, that sinks the reader in that scenery with Senegalese drums rhythm and strong temperaments, achieving a syncretist effect in this surprising novel.Lidia Barugel was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.She published Amores de vidrio (2007) and Contrapalabra (ilustrated poem, 2010)Otilia Umaga, la mulata de Martinica, obtained the Juan Rulfo Prize,sponsored by:Radio France InternationaleInstituto CervantesInstituto de México en ParísCasa de América Latina Colegio de EspañaThe newspaper Le Monde DiplomatiqueEmail: lidiabaru@fibertel.com.arCover Ilustratión: “Woman”, Digital drawing by Lidia Barugel

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
(Harper Voyager, 2011-11-15, Kindle Edition)

When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost. Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever. Harrowing, engrossing and skillfully rendered, My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force reminiscent of early Anne Rice will win Due a new legion of fans.

Never Dead by Jumata Emill Jones
(STJ Publishing, 2011-03-28, Kindle Edition)

THE PERFECT COUPLE?Emerson McGee has spent most of his life living with a secret, and the first-year law student’s menacing struggle with his sexuality is only the half of it. His wife, Danielle, has her own scars of adolescent heartache—which she thinly veils behind her façade as an upper-middle class princess. The newlywed’s cookie-cutter marriage is abruptly interrupted when they make a reluctant move into the quaint house Emerson inherited from his deceased grandmother. Unbeknownst to them, there’s already something else living there: A malevolent entity hell-bent on exposing its connection to Emerson and the tragic secret they share.A GHOST’S STORYWhile a mysterious narrator recounts the details of his abject life, the McGee’s vengeful poltergeist pulls Danielle deeper into a mystery that has haunted an impoverished ghetto in South Baton Rouge—aptly called “‘Da Bottom”—for nearly a decade, and spills into the provocative world of New Orleans hoodoo. Before its final scare, Never Dead concludes with a bloody twist the McGees never saw coming.

Serving Monster by Jervey Tervalon
(Jervey Tervalon Books, 2011-04-02, Kindle Edition)

Serving Monster is the story of Gibson, the personal chef of an immensely talented, but deeply strange icon of popular culture, Monster Stiles. While working for Monster, Gibson realizes that not all is what it seems at the Lair, Monster’s isolated and beautiful retreat. At great cost to himself, what Gibson discovers at the heart of the Lair, will reveal more about the startling truth of Monster than anyone could ever imagine.

Deadlier by the Dozen, an Urban Fantasy (Dark Encounters) by Marcia Colette
(Dusk Till Dawn Books, 2011-09-09, Kindle Edition)

Dark Encounters, Book #2The more the scarier.Put up for adoption at seven-years old, history teacher Mackenzie Lawson has spent the last twenty years dreaming of meeting her family again. However, her hopes to rekindle old memories and find closure have hit one hell of a snag. A hundred-year-old curse placed upon her relatives has begun, unleashing a dozen of her doppelgangers who want her dead. Their purpose is to infiltrate her family and kill everyone in sight. To exact revenge for a wrong that happened more than a century ago. Mackenzie must find a way to get rid of her psychotic doubles or risk having them go after her loved ones. However, each doppelganger kill causes her blood pressure to skyrocket to dangerous levels. This and more attract the attention of a mysterious mutant with patchwork skin who volunteers his services, but leaves out the part about it being his job to destroy the source of the doppelgangers starting with her. Mackenzie needs to figure out where his loyalties lie before DEADLIER BY THE DOZEN becomes deadlier by thirteen.

The Exorsistah: X Restored by Claudia Mair Burney
(Pocket Star, 2011-05-31, Mass Market Paperback)

God finally gave X what she asked for. If only he would teach her how to use it. After three years and more creepy demons than she’d care to recall, Emme Vaughn has finally found her mama. Only the reunion doesn’t go as X expected. It’s not easy adapting to a new life in New Orleans, with a mother who was possessed by the devil until recently and a stepfather she didn’t know existed. Especially when a mysterious stranger, her stepfather’s charming and handsome protégé Jean-Paul, drives a wedge between Emme and Francis. Is the enigmatic outsider trying to replace her man? Or does he have a more sinister plan— one she couldn’t have imagined? Haunted by a mysterious ghost and threatened by a demon in her mama’s house, X gets ready to rumble. She dons God’s armor to face the evil force that has hunted her all her life, but first she must cast aside the little girl act and draw strength from all the celestial and worldly friends who have guided her this far. Once and for all, the devil has it coming . . . Exorsistah style.

The Vampire and The Vegan, Book I: Food by Merlene Alicia Vassall
(Technical Assistance & Support Consultants, 2011-01-01, Paperback)

The Spider Inside Her, an Urban Fantasy (Dark Encounters) by Marcia Colette
(Dusk Till Dawn Books, 2011-06-26, Kindle Edition)

It’s in her nature.As the manager of a domestic abuse shelter, Loréal Ingram is making half the salary she’s used to, behind on her mortgage, and has lost faith in being an advocate for victims after three die on her watch. When a job offer lands in her lap, she wants to take it…until a curse changes her into a humanoid spider. But that’s not the worst of it. She’s forced to share her mind and body with an insect spirit who thrives on death.The arachnid, her Mr. Hyde-like personality, is fueled by vengeance, and the handler who should be managing her kills sucks at his job. One abuser after another dies and the trail leads to Loréal. She learns that the handler has botched the curse and unleashed The Spider Inside Her upon wrongdoers. If she doesn’t find a way to lift the curse soon, the arachnid will take complete control of her body and kill anyone who crosses her path, including her boyfriend.

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

HOWL: A Short Story by Christian Slade
(, 2011-05-31, Kindle Edition)

Short Story; 10,000 Words.Zandeleigh’s father moves her to West Africa for a summer mining contract. She’s expected to grow and bring her experiences back home with her before her Senior year of high school.Her first night in the village she sees a young boy attacked by a great, black enraged beast; a Drill.Some mysterious disease drove the animal mad, and soon the locals are beginning to act strangely lethargic. Worse still, the symptoms are spreading quickly. It isn’t long until Zandeleigh witnesses horrors like she’d never imagined before.Includes a 2 chapter preview of upcoming novel EDEN, a bizarre and compelling tale of horror.

Hollowstone by Dennis Upkins
(Parker Publishing Inc, 2011-06-06, Kindle Edition)

Life for Noah Scott changes drastically when he is accepted to Hollowstone Academy, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee. Within the hallowed halls of the illustrious school, Noah soon discovers that the world of the privileged is rife with social hierarchies, politics, depravity and corruption. It is also there that Noah meets his roommate and best friend, the charming and enigmatic Caleb Warner. Tragedy soon strikes when Cal is brutally murdered in a hold-up. But when Noah is haunted by Cal’s ghost, he soon discovers that the random act of violence was in fact a premeditated one. Determined to uncover the truth and find Cal’s killer, Noah soon finds that the school and its patrons have more than their share of secrets. Secrets they are willing to preserve at any cost. Through a series of prophetic dreams and visions, Noah also quickly learns that greater supernatural forces are at play. In a race against time, Noah must solve Cal’s murder and uncover the truth before he’s the killer’s next victim.

Author JavaNoir

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2011′s Bestselling African American Christian Fiction

October 15, 2011

The top-selling Christian fiction featuring African Americans or by African American authors, from Amazon.com.

The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray
(Touchstone, 2011-06-07)

What would you do for five million dollars? Adam and Evia Langston have lived in their own little garden of Eden since the two married at the age of seventeen. Working their way up from the humblest of beginnings, the Langstons have thrived beyond anything they could have ever imagined. Now they live in the finest home, drive the best cars, and indulge in all the trimmings that signify their massive success. But then the recession hits and rips apart the family’s financial stability. Unable to support their three children and other relatives, Adam and Evia find themselves drowning in financial trouble and teetering on the brink of complete disaster. With nowhere to turn, the Langstons have no idea what to do. Until Shay-Shaunté, Evia’s multimillionaire boss, comes to the Langstons with a five-million-dollar offer that seems so hard to refuse. Will the Langstons make this deal? Or will they recognize that the glitter of five million dollars may be far from gold?

Say Amen, Again by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
(Gallery Books, 2011-07-05)

The spirited Houston congregation featured in ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Let the Church Say Amen and Everybody Say Amen has a major scandal unfolding—and, as always, the outspoken Rachel Jackson Adams is at the heart of the drama.As the First Lady of Zion Hill, Rachel is not only Pastor Lester Adams’ wife—she’s currently his eight-months-pregnant wife, who’s going toe-to-toe with Lester’s onetime mistress, congregant Mary Richardson, also pregnant. Her baby may or may not be Lester’s, but Mary’s doing all she can to win sympathy and turn her fellow churchgoers against Rachel—even threatening to blackmail Pastor Adams with a paternity agreement. After all, where can an unmarried mother-to-be go but to the Lord? Rachel has a few choice answers for exactly where Mary can go . . . but as these expectant moms do battle, hostilities erupt into a drama unlike anything Zion Hill has ever seen! Something has to give, and while Rachel contemplates everything from transferring her lifelong church membership to packing up and leaving Lester, she knows deep down God is calling her to forgiveness. Will the arrival of the new babies bring a new understanding? Or harden forever the anger that’s dividing them?

I Can Do Better All By Myself (New Day Divas) by E.N. Joy
(Urban Books, 2011-11-01)

The singles ministry at New Day Temple of Faith is beginning to unravel, and the pastor is considering dissolving the ministry. Some members believe the only way to hold it together is by getting their pastor to join. And why shouldn’t their leader show support by joining, considering the pastor’s own single status? Some church members support the idea, while others frown upon the fact that they are being led by a shepherd who is single in the first place. It becomes an all-out war, with one side wanting the pastor to embrace singlehood, while others secretly play matchmaker.Marriage has been the furthest thing from the pastor’s mind, not because there hasn’t been an opportunity, but because there really hasn’t been time. With a needy congregation facing trials and tribulations, Pastor has no time to play the dating game. Being a pastor on call twenty-four seven, who has time for a serious relationship period, other than the one with God? Eventually, decisions have to made around New Day. Will these decisions mend the ministry or destroy the church?

Broken by Patricia Haley
(Gallery Books, 2011-08-23)

#1 Essence bestselling author Patricia Haley takes sibling rivalry to a shocking new level as one man tries to heal his broken family in this compelling series based on popular biblical stories. Don Mitchell is certain the Lord has a plan for him to reconcile his family, when his younger half brother, Joel, suddenly resigns as CEO of their father’s company. The gesture comes after Joel has nearly sent the enterprise into bankruptcy. Don’s first order of business as newly appointed head of DMI is to bring his estranged older sister home. It isn’t easy. Tamara has been running from the past for years. But once she is home, she plans to claim her rightful place in the multimillion-dollar family ministry—no matter what it takes or who gets hurt. Joel, meanwhile, is regretting his decision to step down and is doing everything in his power to resume his path to greatness. As Don finds himself waist-deep in the corporate mess Joel left behind, his love life is also in flux. He must balance a complicated friendship with Abigail, his right-hand woman at DMI, with a budding romance involving his beautiful business partner in South Africa. Just as Don begins to realize that forgiving and forgetting may be his greatest weapon, a terrifying ordeal rocks the family to its core, and they must turn to God and to one another for the answers.

Quiet as It’s Kept by Monique Miller
(Urban Books, 2011-07-01)

Will Tracy is a good, God-fearing man who had a shaky childhood as he watched his father abuse his mother. But now he’s grown and feeling confident and secure that he has finally met the woman he’s been praying God would send him to be able feel the security he’s always craved. Morgan is beautiful and appears to be the perfect Christian woman. But once Will pledges his life to her, he nearly loses his…. After a series of strange, inexplicable “accidents” plague him, he starts to wonder if the woman he married is all that she outwardly appears to be—or if he’s indeed sleeping with the enemy. He continues to honor the vows he made to God and to Morgan. But is this wife of his really a gift from God? Or is she the devil in disguise?

Something Special (Morgan Love Series) by Stephanie Perry Moore
(Lift Every Voice, 2011-05-01)

Morgan, wanting to fit in with the crowd, teases a large girl and a special ed kid at school. When she is caught she has to go to the principal’s office. When she finds out how much her teasing hurt her classmates she feels bad. Even though she feels bad, the principal disciplines her.At home things become weird when she tells her parents about what happened at school. They get upset with Morgan and start arguing with each other about the best way to punish Morgan. Once again Morgan feels bad and sees that going along with the crowd is not always a smart thing to do.Later, while playing together, Morgan and her cousins all share a secret wish. Morgan wanted to be prettier. Drake wanted to be taller. Sadie wanted longer hair.When Morgan goes to vacation bible school she learns that God made each person just the way they are for a good reason. As she thinks about this, the wishes she and her cousins made and even those other kids she laughed at, Morgan realizes that they are okay just the way they are and that to God they are all something special. The Morgan Love Series is a chapter book series written for girls, 7 – 9 years old. The series provides moral lessons that will aid in character development. It will also help young girls develop their vocabulary, english and math skills as they read through the stories and complete the entertaining and educational exercises provided at the end of each chapter and in the back of the book.

Who Said It Would Be Easy?: A Story of Faith (Zane Presents) by Cheryl Faye
(Strebor Books, 2011-02-08)

Who Said It Would Be Easy? is the story of a man and woman who rely on their faith in God to live and love, despite formidable trials and tragedy. Charisse Ellison is a beautiful twenty-nine-year-old single woman who is new to her faith, but convinced that her relationship with God is the only way to have the truly fulfilling life she desires—one that includes a husband and children. Stefàn Cooper is a thirty-three-year-old bachelor who has no desire to change his ways. Tall, muscular, and strikingly handsome, Stefàn is used to getting what he wants from the opposite sex but is intrigued by Charisse’s seeming indifference to his charms. The couple’s intense romance leads them on a journey that challenges the bravado Stefàn has held on to for most of his adult life and forces Charisse to see that God’s answered prayers don’t always come packaged the way we expect. Who Said It Would Be Easy? is a story that offers hope in situations that, at first seem hopeless, and shows that through faith in an all-powerful God, even the most painful experiences can culminate in true joy and peace.

Sex in the Sanctuary by Lutishia Lovely
(Dafina, 2011-03-01)

From exciting new author Lutishia Lovely comes a steamy debut in the manner of Victoria Christopher Murray and Kimberla Lawson Roby. Set in a church community on fire for the Lord–and for each other–Sex in the Sanctuary is filled with scintillating sisters, playing brothers, and church matrons trying to run everybody’s business… As first lady of Kingdom Citizen’s Christian Center, Vivian Montgomery has it all: a beautiful home, lovely children, and a pastor husband who makes her shout Hallelujah–and not just in church. There’s no doubt Pastor Montgomery has a healthy appreciation for the Lord and for the pleasures of the flesh, namely his wife’s flesh. If only Vivian’s best friend, Tai, was so blessed… A first lady herself, Tai’s husband, King, is pastor of Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church. But with two affairs under his belt, Tai wonders just what “progressive” means. In fact, she strongly suspects her husband is at it again. Now she can follow her mother-in-law’s example and threaten to shoot any would-be-husband-stealing floozies, or she can take Vivian’s advice and listen for God’s instruction. But Tai’s husband isn’t the only one fighting temptation. Whether trying to wait until marriage or just waiting until the next mating opportunity, these congregations are filled with members whose eyes are on more than Jesus! The result is a page-turning read, not soon to be forgotten.

Cherished by Kim Cash Tate
(Thomas Nelson, 2011-08-30)

Before healing can begin for Kelli and Heather, they need to believe they are worth cherishing. Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her even while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared as high-school students would grow into marriage. But choices that still haunt her destroyed those dreams. Until now-when a series of love letters reawakens her hope for the future. Heather Anderson’s life has spun out of control-first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band has left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One able to save her. He met her there, but it was just the beginning. Because now she must take a different path. And the one God has planned for her looks nothing like the one she envisioned. As Kelli and Heather awaken to their true worth, they find the freedom to pursue their dreams-and relationships-based on the security of knowing God’s unconditional love.

Still Standing by Nicole S. Rouse
(Urban Books, 2011-11-01)

In Laws And Play Cousins by Robyn Gant
(lulu.com, 2011-06-18)

Nubia is a successful black film maker with unknown enemies seeking revenge. Her closest circle of friends include Tracie, a computer expert whose personal vendetta backfires; their friend Eva, a jurist leading a double life; and Eva’s cousin Tina, who takes risks that jeopardize her professional career. They all have her back, but with fame and fortune comes jealousy and heartbreak. From the heart of Los Angeles to the South of France, In Laws and Play Cousins tells a story about love and romance, deceit and envy and the price it ultimately commands.

My Son’s Next Wife by Shelia E. Lipsey
(Urban Books, 2011-06-01)

First Lady Audrey Graham is gone and her husband suffers from loneliness and the after-effects of his second stroke. Their son, Stiles, now minister of his father’s church, is engaged to Detria and has found happiness at last—despite his heartbreaking divorce from Rena. Rena’s now living in another state and has found a new love herself, Robert, though she resists his marriage proposals because she doesn’t feel she could ever be completely forgiven for her past sins. Things take a turn for the worse when Stiles’ father suffers another stroke and Detria has a miscarriage, and his faith is tested like never before. But who knows in whose arms he will land up in the page-turning conclusion to My Son’s Wife series!

Redeeming Waters by Vanessa Davis Griggs
(Kensington, 2011-08-01)

Must a young woman choose between her commitment to her marriage…and to God?Brianna was ten years old when she first met twenty-five year old David R. Shepherd, a devout and gifted gospel recording artist who would ultimately become world renowned megastar, King d.Avid. He left an impression on Brianna she would never forget. And they were destined to meet again…Brianna’s best friend, Alana Norwood, hasn’t had the best encounters with men, but she’s always been a good friend to Brianna, no matter what situation the two may find themselves in. But despite their bond, the next time Brianna encounters King, she’s a lonely young wife seeking solace in religious studies. While Alana’s quest for fame has her living a life that seems to be going nowhere fast, King’s companionship offers Brianna the deep emotional connection she longs for. But when both a tragedy and a blessing enters Brianna’s life, she finds herself wrestling with questions of faith, fidelity, forgiveness, and the sovereignty of God…like never before. “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

Upon This Rock (Shelton Heights Series, Book 4) by Kendra Norman-Bellamy
(Urban Books, 2011-03-01)

The much-beloved and acclaimed Christian fiction author delivers a redemptive delight with the story of an ex-con who learns the hard way that it’s better to be with God than without Him. Deon “Rocky” Rockford is released after serving nearly twenty five years in jail. He may have been “saved” on the inside, but now that his term, originally a life sentence, has been overturned, and he’s free from the shackles of the prayers of the men’s ministry of the New Hope Church, he wants only to focus on himself. As fearless as he is strong, this big, brawny guy won many brawls behind bars, and feels ready to forge a new life in the infamous community of Shelton Heights. But he soon starts to see that the only “rock” he can count on is God.

Beneath The Surface by Roy Glenn
(Escapism Entertainment, 2011-04-18)

Now that he has taken care of all of the people responsible for the murder of his wife, Cassandra, Mike Black faces his toughest opponent, Carmen Taylor, an old girl friend who has recently returned to the city. Carmen is an entertainment reporter for a local television station, who wants to do bigger things. Her opportunity comes while she is covering the opening of an art exhibition. A woman is found murdered, and Carmen is the only reporter on the scene. The police say that the victim, a known call girl named Tangela House appears to have been strangled during sex. Anxious to prove she can do more than just fluff stories, Carmen begins her own investigation into the victim s past, and quickly finds that there is more to the case than just rough sex gone wrong. Now with the help of Mike Black, Carmen must stay alive long enough to uncover what secrets lay beneath the surface.

Abundant Rain (Urban Christian) by Vanessa Miller
(Urban Books, 2011-08-01)

Elizabeth Underwood. Bold. Vivacious. Confident. Her life was about to be turned upside down. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, the Underwoods were the poster family for GodÕs blessings. She had two beautiful children and an elegant home. Her husband was the CEO of his own technical consulting firm and he truly loved her. But when the storms of life interrupt ElizabethÕs world, will she become entangled in her struggles or will she rest in the promises of God?

My Son’s Wife by Shelia E. Lipsey
(Urban Books, 2011-05-01)

First Lady Audrey Graham believes she’s found the perfect woman to become her eldest son, Minister Stiles Graham’s wife. Sweet, sensitive, kind, and of course a fine Christian girl, Audrey couldn’t ask more of lovely Rena Jackson. But skeletons fall from the closet when Audrey and Stiles discover that Rena is in love and committed to the troubled, rebellious, ex-con, Frankie. My Son’s Wife is more than a love triangle, it’s a time bomb set to explode with twists, turns, entanglements and sinful revelations that only a loving God can make right

Promise Of Forever Love (2nd Chance V3) (Second Chance at Love) by Vanessa Miller
(Whitaker House, 2011-04-05)

Ever since the death of her husband almost two years ago, the church that Yvonne Milner pastored with him has been losing members and money–fast. When the board decides to find a new senior pastor, Yvonne determines to hang on to her position and do a better job of shepherding her flock. She’s neither ready nor willing to hang up her minister’s robe just yet. Just before a pivotal meeting of the church board, Thomas Reed steps back into her life. The handsome, world–renowned motivational speaker was her husband’s best friend, and, as a widower, he knows the pain she’s going through. With his help, Yvonne fights to stay in the ministry, trusting that God has great plans yet for the church. When a threat of a different kind targets the church, as well as her daughter, Yvonne is grateful to have Thomas standing by her side. But when long–buried emotions arise in their friendship for the first time, Yvonne hesitates, not wanting to betray her husband or break her promise to love him forever. Will her passion lie forever buried in the past, or can she let it live again?

Steppin’ Into the Good Life by Tia McCollors
(Lift Every Voice, 2011-02-01)

Shelia Rushmore thought she’d be the last woman standing when it was time to fight for her man. Instead Ace, her boyfriend of two years, chose to reunite with his ex-wife, leaving Shelia emotionally devastated. It’s a year later when Sheila is convinced that sneaking into their wedding ceremony will put closure on the gaping hole in her heart. But it’s on the back pew of the church where a new relationship begins for Shelia. She can’t explain the touch she received from God on that day, but she’s determined to be a better woman-a woman of faith. Since high school, Shelia has been chasing her definition of the good life – it’s left her with no home, no man, and no money. But now that’s she’s living life for God, things should get better, right? Shelia learns that living a faith-filled life isn’t always easy. With faith, tough love, and some tough decisions, Shelia realizes that the life she’d been praying for she could have for herself is actually attainable. Being wrapped in God’s arms, she decided, was by far the safest place she’d ever been.

Author JavaNoir

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Bestselling Books on African American History in September 2011

September 28, 2011

The bestselling African American books on history published in September 2011.

Vivid by Jenkins Beverly
(NYLA, 2011-09-04, Kindle Edition)

It’s 1876 and Dr.Viveca Lancaster is frustrated by the limits placed upon female physicians of color. When she is offered the chance to set up a practice in the small all Black community of Grayson Grove, Michigan she leaves her California home and heads east. The very determined Viveca is one of the few nineteenth century Black women to graduate from the prestigious Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania but she needs more than determination to face down handsome Nate Grayson, the Grove’s bull-headed mayor.Nate Grayson goes to the train station expecting Dr. V. Lancaster to be a man. When the lovely dark-skinned Viveca introduces herself he is speechless, then wants her back on the train and out of his town. It’s 1876 and women aren’t supposed to be doctors, men are. However he isn’t prepared for her stubbornness and fire, nor for the vivid way she heals, then steals his heart.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Balzer + Bray, 2011-09-27, Hardcover)

The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. But it is also the story of injustice; of a country divided by law, education, and wealth; of a people whose struggles and achievements helped define their country. This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. It’s a story of discrimination and broken promises, determination and triumphs. Kadir Nelson, one of this generation’s most accomplished, award-winning artists, has created an epic yet intimate introduction to the history of America and African Americans, from colonial days through the civil rights movement. Written in the voice of an “Everywoman,” an unnamed narrator whose forebears came to this country on slave ships and who lived to cast her vote for the first African American president, heart and soul touches on some of the great transformative events and small victories of that history. This inspiring book demonstrates that in gaining their freedom and equal rights, African Americans helped our country achieve its promise of liberty and justice – the true heart and soul of our nation.

The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
(Orbis Books, 2011-09-01, Hardcover)

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. Acts 10:39The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and black death, the cross symbolizes divine power and black life God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era.In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice.

Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins by Thomas G. Smith
(Beacon Press, 2011-09-06, Hardcover)

In 1961 – as America crackled with racial tension – the Washington Redskins stood alone as the only professional football team without a black player on its roster. In fact, during the entire twenty-five-year history of the franchise, no African American had ever played for George Preston Marshall, the Redskins — cantankerous principal owner. With slicked-down white hair and angular facial features, the nattily attired, sixty-four-year-old NFL team owner already had a well-deserved reputation for flamboyance, showmanship, and erratic behavior. And like other Southern-born segregationists, Marshall stood firm against race-mixing. “We’ll start signing Negroes,” he once boasted, “when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites.” But that was about to change. Opposing Marshall was Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, whose determination that the Redskins – or “Paleskins,” as he called them – reflect John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier ideals led to one of the most high-profile contests to spill beyond the sports pages. Realizing that racial justice and gridiron success had the potential either to dovetail or take an ugly turn, civil rights advocates and sports fans alike anxiously turned their eyes toward the nation’s capital. There was always the possibility that Marshall – one of the NFL’s most influential and dominating founding fathers – might defy demands from the Kennedy administration to desegregate his lily-white team. When further pressured to desegregate by the press, Marshall remained defiant, declaring that no one, including the White House, could tell him how to run his business. In Showdown, sports historian Thomas G. Smith captures this striking moment, one that held sweeping implications not only for one team’s racist policy but also for a sharply segregated city and for the nation as a whole. Part sports history, part civil rights story, this compelling and untold narrative serves as a powerful lens onto racism in sport, illustrating how, in microcosm, the fight to desegregate the Redskins was part of a wider struggle against racial injustice in America.

Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South by E. Patrick Johnson
(The University of North Carolina Press, 2011-09-01, Paperback)

Giving voice to a population rarely acknowledged in writings about the South, Sweet Tea collects life stories from black gay men who were born, raised, and continue to live in the southern United States. E. Patrick Johnson challenges stereotypes of the South as “backward” or “repressive,” suggesting that these men draw upon the performance of “southernness” – politeness, coded speech, and religiosity, for example – to legitimate themselves as members of both southern and black cultures. At the same time, Johnson argues, they deploy those same codes to establish and build friendship networks and to find sexual partners and life partners.Traveling to every southern state, Johnson conducted interviews with more than seventy black gay men between the ages of 19 and 93. The voices collected here dispute the idea that gay subcultures flourish primarily in northern, secular, urban areas. In addition to filling a gap in the sexual history of the South, Sweet Tea offers a window into the ways that black gay men negotiate their sexual and racial identities with their southern cultural and religious identities. The narratives also reveal how they build and maintain community in many spaces and activities, some of which may appear to be antigay. Ultimately, Sweet Tea validates the lives of these black gay men and reinforces the role of storytelling in both African American and southern cultures.

Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama’s America (Princeton Studies in American Politics) by Desmond S. King
(Princeton University Press, 2011-09-11, Hardcover)

Why have American policies failed to reduce the racial inequalities still pervasive throughout the nation? Has President Barack Obama defined new political approaches to race that might spur unity and progress? Still a House Divided examines the enduring divisions of American racial politics and how these conflicts have been shaped by distinct political alliances and their competing race policies. Combining deep historical knowledge with a detailed exploration of such issues as housing, employment, criminal justice, multiracial census categories, immigration, voting in majority-minority districts, and school vouchers, Desmond King and Rogers Smith assess the significance of President Obama’s election to the White House and the prospects for achieving constructive racial policies for America’s future. Offering a fresh perspective on the networks of governing institutions, political groups, and political actors that influence the structure of American racial politics, King and Smith identify three distinct periods of opposing racial policy coalitions in American history. The authors investigate how today’s alliances pit color-blind and race-conscious approaches against one another, contributing to political polarization and distorted policymaking. Contending that President Obama has so far inadequately confronted partisan divisions over race, the authors call for all sides to recognize the need for a balance of policy measures if America is to ever cease being a nation divided. Presenting a powerful account of American political alliances and their contending racial agendas, Still a House Divided sheds light on a policy path vital to the country’s future.

Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times by Amy Sonnie
(Melville House, 2011-09-16, Paperback)

The historians of the late 1960s have emphasized the work of a group of white college activistss who courageously took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam and continuing racial inequality. Poor and working-class whites have tended to be painted as spectators, reactionaries, and, even, racists. Most Americans, the story goes, just watched the political movements of the sixties go by. James Tracy and Amy Sonnie, who have been interviewing activists from the era for nearly ten years, reject this old narrative. They show that poor and working-class radicals, inspired by the Civil Rights movement, the Black Panthers, and progressive populism, started to organize significant political struggles against racism and inequality during the 1960s and 1970s.

My Uncle Martin’s Words for America: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Niece Tells How He Made a Difference by Angela Farris Watkins
(Harry N. Abrams, 2011-09-01, Hardcover)

In this inspirational story about Martin Luther King Jr. – told from the perspective of his niece Angela Farris Watkins – readers learn how King used his message of love and peace to effectively fight for African Americans’ civil rights. Focusing on important words and phrases from his speeches, such as justice, freedom, and equality, Watkins uses King’s language to expose young readers to important events during the civil rights era. The simple yet striking text, along with a timeline and glossary, makes this book an accessible tool for helping a young audience learn about the importance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of nonviolence and his contributions to American history.

The Devil Finds Work (Vintage International) by James Baldwin
(Vintage, 2011-09-13, Paperback)

Baldwin’s personal reflections on movies gathered here in a book-length essay are also a probing appraisal of American racial politics. Offering an incisive look at racism in American movies and a vision of America’s self-delusions and deceptions, Baldwin challenges the underlying assumptions in such films as In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and The Exorcist. Here are our loves and hates, biases and cruelties, fears and ignorance reflected by the films that have entertained us and shaped our consciousness. And here too is the stunning prose of a writer whose passion never diminished his struggle for equality, justice, and social change.

Freedom Struggles: African Americans and World War I by Adriane Lentz-Smith
(Harvard University Press, 2011-09-30, Paperback)

For many of the 200,000 black soldiers sent to Europe with the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, encounters with French civilians and colonial African troops led them to imagine a world beyond Jim Crow. They returned home to join activists working to make that world real. In narrating the efforts of African American soldiers and activists to gain full citizenship rights as recompense for military service, Adriane Lentz-Smith illuminates how World War I mobilized a generation. Black and white soldiers clashed as much with one another as they did with external enemies. Race wars within the military and riots across the United States demonstrated the lengths to which white Americans would go to protect a carefully constructed caste system. Inspired by Woodrow Wilson’s rhetoric of self-determination but battered by the harsh realities of segregation, African Americans fought their own “war for democracy,” from the rebellions of black draftees in French and American ports to the mutiny of Army Regulars in Houston, and from the lonely stances of stubborn individuals to organized national campaigns. African Americans abroad and at home reworked notions of nation and belonging, empire and diaspora, manhood and citizenship. By war’s end, they ceased trying to earn equal rights and resolved to demand them. This beautifully written book reclaims World War I as a critical moment in the freedom struggle and places African Americans at the crossroads of social, military, and international history. (20091220)

The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword (VA) by James S. Price
(The History Press, 2011-09-09, Paperback)

In the predawn darkness of September 29, 1864, black Union soldiers attacked a heavily fortified position on the outskirts of the Confederate capital of Richmond. In a few hours of desperate fighting, these African American soldiers struck a blow against Robert E. Lee’s vaunted Army of Northern Virginia and proved to detractors that they could fight for freedom and citizenship for themselves and their enslaved brethren. For fourteen of the black soldiers who stormed New Market Heights that day, their bravery would be awarded with the nation’s highest honor–the Congressional Medal of Honor. With vivid firsthand accounts and meticulous tactical detail, James S. Price brings the Battle of New Market Heights into brilliant focus, with maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley.

Free!: Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad by Lorene Cary
(New City Community Press, 2011-09-19, Paperback)

Stories based upon actual incidents of Black people escaping from chattel slavery. Lorene Cary adapted these tales from narratives and records that were first told by William Still who was one of the key organizers of the underground railroad. The stories are brought to life by the craft of Ms. Cary.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Balzer + Bray, 2011-09-27, Library Binding)

Abandoned in the Heartland: Work, Family, and Living in East St. Louis by Jennifer Hamer
(University of California Press, 2011-09-01, Paperback)

Urban poverty, along with all of its poignant manifestations, is moving from city centers to working-class and industrial suburbs in contemporary America. Nowhere is this more evident than in East St. Louis, Illinois. Once a thriving manufacturing and transportation center, East St. Louis is now known for its unemployment, crime, and collapsing infrastructure. Abandoned in the Heartland takes us into the lives of East St. Louis’s predominantly African American residents to find out what has happened since industry abandoned the city, and jobs, quality schools, and city services disappeared, leaving people isolated and imperiled. Jennifer Hamer introduces men who search for meaning and opportunity in dead-end jobs, women who often take on caretaking responsibilities until well into old age, and parents who have the impossible task of protecting their children in this dangerous, and literally toxic, environment. Illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs showing how the city has changed over time, this book, full of stories of courage and fortitude, offers a powerful vision of the transformed circumstances of life in one American suburb.

William H. Johnson: An American Modern (Jacob Lawrence Series on Ameri)
(University of Washington Press, 2011-09-07, Paperback)

My aim is to express in a natural way what I feel, what is in me, both rhythmically and spiritually, all that which in time has been saved up in my family of primitiveness and tradition, and which is now concentrated in me. -William H. JohnsonAn essential figure in modern American art, William H. Johnson (1901-1970) was a virtuoso skilled in various media and techniques, who produced thousands of works over a career that spanned decades, continents, and genres. This volume considers paintings from the collection of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, that show the pivotal stages in Johnson’s career as a modernist painter of post-impressionist and expressionist works reminiscent of Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Soutine, and the vernacular paintings in which he articulates his specific, unforgettable voice as an artist. In this lavishly illustrated book, some of the world’s premier scholars of William H. Johnson and African American art history examine the artist and his artistic genius in fresh new ways, including his relationship with one of his earliest patrons, the Harmon Foundation; the critical role played by scholars at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities; the context of Johnson’s experiences living in Harlem and his deep southern roots; and Johnson as a trailblazer in the genres of still life and landscape painting. Richard J. Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University. Other contributors are Aaron Bryant, David C. Driskell, Leslie King-Hammond, and Lowery Stokes Sims.

Becoming American under Fire: Irish Americans, African Americans, and the Politics of Citizenship during the Civil War Era by Christian G. Samito
(Cornell University Press, 2011-09-08, Kindle Edition)

In Becoming American under Fire, Christian G. Samito provides a rich account of how African American and Irish American soldiers influenced the modern vision of national citizenship that developed during the Civil War era. By bearing arms for the Union, African Americans and Irish Americans exhibited their loyalty to the United States and their capacity to act as citizens; they strengthened their American identity in the process. Members of both groups also helped to redefine the legal meaning and political practices of American citizenship. For African American soldiers, proving manhood in combat was only one aspect to their quest for acceptance as citizens. As Samito reveals, by participating in courts-martial and protesting against unequal treatment, African Americans gained access to legal and political processes from which they had previously been excluded. The experience of African Americans in the military helped shape a postwar political movement that successfully called for rights and protections regardless of race.For Irish Americans, soldiering in the Civil War was part of a larger affirmation of republican government and it forged a bond between their American citizenship and their Irish nationalism. The wartime experiences of Irish Americans helped bring about recognition of their full citizenship through naturalization and also caused the United States to pressure Britain to abandon its centuries-old policy of refusing to recognize the naturalization of British subjects abroad. As Samito makes clear, the experiences of African Americans and Irish Americans differed substantially-and at times both groups even found themselves violently opposed-but they had in common that they aspired to full citizenship and inclusion in the American polity. Both communities were key participants in the fight to expand the definition of citizenship that became enshrined in constitutional amendments and legislation that changed the nation.

The House of Bondage ; Or, Charlotte Brooks and Other Slaves, Original and Life Like, as They Appeared in Their Old Plantation and City Slave by Octavia Victoria Rogers Albert
(, 2011-09-04, Kindle Edition)

One of the most interesting volumes…is also one of the most eclectic. The House of Bondage or Charlotte Brooks and Other Slaves by Octavia Rogers Albert is a fascinating piece of literature partly because it is so experimental in its attempt to blend an interview format with slave narratives, biographical accounts, historical information, and even her own personal commentary. Published in 1890, House of Bondage is an example of the black oral tradition in process. The reader becomes an eye-witness to black culture and history in formation…Albert skillfully moves the dialogue between the black vernacular of the slaves and the standard English of the black middle-class narrator….Frances Smith Foster in her introduction to House of Bonage argues that the narrative authority of Albert’s personal experience makes her book more authentic in its portrayal of slavery [than Uncle Tom's Cabin].–The Women’s Review of Books”The personal narratives, especially a group narrative like Octavia Albert’s ‘House of Bondage’ (1890), were a means of perserving fragile antebellum life history as the slave generations grew old and died. Just as important, they provided a counterweight against the plantation myth and the denigration of black freedom being generated by respected white novelists such as Thomas Nelson Page and Thomas Dixon, and historians such as James Ford Rhodes.”–Eric J. Sundquist in The New York Times Book Review quist”Narrated by Octavia Albert, this book documents the true stories of several former slaves, their personal views, their struggles, and their triumphs. The stories are heartfelt and the convictions of the author to pass on the history of her people are evident in her dedicated writing.” – Amazon Reviewer

You Can Get There from Here: My Journey from Struggle to Success by Bob Knowling
(Portfolio Hardcover, 2011-09-29, Hardcover)

The inspiring memoir of a determined kid who became one of the business world’s best change leaders. Bob Knowling is respected by many of America’s top executives, from Jack Welch to Michael Bloomberg. He has led large organizations through periods of dramatic transformation. Leadership guru Noel Tichy calls him “a change agent’s change agent.” But even more impressive than Knowling’s rￃﾩsumￃﾩ is the road he took to the top. He grew up in a poor family of thirteen in Indiana, surrounded by crime, drug abuse, and racism. Later he lived and worked on his grandparents’ farm in Missouri. No one encouraged him to have big ambitions or even bothered to ask “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But Knowling used his athletic and academic talents to earn a college scholarship and later an MBA. He became an expert at leading change-helping others see a better future, then work hard to make it real. Eventually he was running large divisions of telecommunications companies, then became a CEO of several firms, an adviser to troubled companies, and a leader at non-profits such as the YMCA and the New York City public schools. With great humility, Knowling blends a unique personal story with universal lessons. He proves that almost any disadvantage can be overcome with persistence and a passion for excellence. And he teaches us how to embrace change rather than cling to the past.

Children of Fire: A History of African Americans by Thomas C. Holt
(Hill and Wang, 2011-09-27, Kindle Edition)

Ordinary people don’t experience history as it is taught by historians. They live across the convenient chronological divides we impose on the past. The same people who lived through the Civil War and the eradication of slavery also dealt with the hardships of Reconstruction, so why do we almost always treat them separately? In Children of Fire, renowned historian Thomas C. Holt challenges this form to tell the story of generations of African Americans through the lived experience of the subjects themselves, with all of the nuances, ironies, contradictions, and complexities one might expect. Building on seminal books like John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom and many others, Holt captures the entire African American experience from the moment the first twenty African slaves were sold at Jamestown in 1619. Each chapter focuses on a generation of individuals who shaped the course of American history, hoping for a better life for their children but often confronting the ebb and flow of their civil rights and status within society. Many familiar faces grace these pages – Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, and Barack Obama – but also some overlooked ones. Figures like Anthony Johnson, a slave who bought his freedom in late seventeenth century Virginia and built a sizable plantation, only to have it stolen away from his children by an increasingly racist court system. Or Frank Moore, a WWI veteran and sharecropper who sued his landlord for unfair practices, but found himself charged with murder after fighting off an angry white posse. Taken together, their stories tell how African Americans fashioned a culture and identity amid the turmoil of four centuries of American history.

Unspeakable Violence: Remapping U.S. and Mexican National Imaginaries (Latin America Otherwise) by Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernandez
(Duke University Press Books, 2011-09-14, Paperback)

Unspeakable Violence addresses the epistemic and physical violence inflicted on racialized and gendered subjects in the U.S. Mexico borderlands from the mid-nineteenth century through the early twentieth. Arguing that this violence was fundamental to U.S., Mexican, and Chicana/o nationalisms, Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernￃﾡndez examines the lynching of a Mexican woman in California in 1851, the Camp Grant Indian Massacre of 1871, the racism evident in the work of the anthropologist Jovita Gonzalez, and the attempted genocide, between 1876 and 1907, of the Yaqui Indians in the Arizona Sonora borderlands. Guidotti-Hernandez shows that these events have been told and retold in ways that have produced particular versions of nationhood and effaced other issues. Scrutinizing stories of victimization and resistance, and celebratory narratives of mestizaje and hybridity in Chicana/o, Latina/o, and borderlands studies, she contends that by not acknowledging the racialized violence perpetrated by Mexicans, Chicanas/os, and indigenous peoples, as well as Anglos, narratives of mestizaje and resistance inadvertently privilege certain brown bodies over others. Unspeakable Violence calls for a new, transnational feminist approach to violence, gender, sexuality, race, and citizenship in the borderlands.

Author JavaNoir

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Interview with Tamika Newhouse

August 16, 2011

Tamika Newhouse will be appearing at the Los Angeles Black Book Expo on Saturday, August 20.

Tamika Newhouse is a self-published bestselling author and founder of Delphine Publications. At the age of 21, Tamika appeared on various bestseller lists and won Self Published Author of the Year at the 2009 African American Literary Awards. Along with Delphine Publications, she is the founder and President of African Americans on the Move Book Club (AAMBC) – an online book club and radio show catering to avid readers across the nation. With future projects in the works from short films, stage plays and much more, Tamika is a young woman on a mission.

Tamika presently tours the country speaking about overcoming her teen pregnancy to fulfill her dream, as well as teaching aspiring writers the publishing ropes. She has hosted her own Internet radio show (AAMBC) for over three years and continues to expand her brand. She lives in San Antonio with her son, and daughter. She is currently working on her fourth novel Cookie: A Fort Worth Story.

(1) Award-winning and bestselling author. Publisher. Social networker, par excellence. How do you find the time to write?
I get asked that all of the time. I simply multi-task and plan the day out. I make a list of things to do and try my hardest to get most of it done. It all boils down to timing. If you can multi-task, you can do so much to reach your goals.

(2) Considering your accolades, what is your proudest moment as an author? As a publisher?
Wow, I have never been asked that and to be honest, my most proud moment was holding my very first book for the first time. I couldn’t believe that a lifelong dream was real. It had come true and I made it come true. As a publisher, my proudest moment was signing great talents and seeing them flourish. I love to mold great writers so that they can be successful.

(3) What would you tell new authors about getting their book published?
This is a process and there is no overnight or quick success. Everything comes in its own time and if you are looking for a quick way to make money, look into another source. You have to be a writer because you love it. Point black period.

(4) What can you tell us about Cookie: A Fort Worth Story? And, what’s next on the horizon for you?
Cookie is based on true events about a young girl who decided to step out of her shell and live on the edge. But unfortunately, living on the edge involves sex, drugs, stealing, lying, murder, rape, and so much more for this young girl. I write it simply to help teens see, that if you choose to be in the in crowd this is what can happen. I am currently writing on two novels that are contemporary fiction. I am working with a agent on a multi-book deal as well. I’m just staying consistent and hoping everything works out.

(5) And, what’s next on the horizon for you? Is there a collaboration in the works?
Yes I am working with another bestselling author, Ni’Cola Mitchell. We have penned the novel, He’s My Favorite Mistake to come out next summer. A tour will follow the release. I am very excited because it’s the first of a few collaborated novels from us.

Author JavaNoir

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Top-Selling African American Science Fiction in 2011

August 7, 2011

The bestselling science fiction featuring African American characters or by African Americans published so far in 2011.

Surrender the Dark by L. A. Banks
(03/29/11)

National bestselling author L.A. Banks’s electrifying new paranormal series is set in a sizzling world where Dark and Light are trapped in an eternal struggle for the fate of mankind.
Celeste Jackson has fought all her life against a fog of hallucination and substance abuse, but it’s not until she meets her protector, Azrael, an angel who has left the safety of the Light, that she learns of the evil forces that have been trying to ruin her, and why. A fierce battle for control of the mortal realm is brewing, and only Celeste—with the help of the Remnant, her half-human, half-angel brethren—can stand in the way. Together, Celeste and Azrael must gather an army of sensitives to defeat the dark powers that have ruled humanity for centuries, but time is running out. If Azrael surrenders to his growing desire for Celeste, he risks being trapped among humanity forever. But the longer he stays, the harder she is to resist. To save the world, Celeste must draw on her own dark experiences with addiction to help Azrael overcome the one temptation that could possibly make him an eternal prisoner—his obsession with her.

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
(08/30/11)

When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost. Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever.
Harrowing, engrossing and skillfully rendered, My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force reminiscent of early Anne Rice will win Due a new legion of fans.

Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany
(03/01/11)

The Einstein Intersection won the Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of 1967. The surface story tells of the problems a member of an alien race, Lo Lobey, has assimilating the mythology of earth, where his kind have settled among the leftover artifacts of humanity. The deeper tale concerns, however, the way those who are “different” must deal with the dominant cultural ideology. The tale follows Lobey’s mythic quest for his lost love, Friza. In luminous and hallucinated language, it explores what new myths might emerge from the detritus of the human world as those who are “different” try to seize history and the day.

Dream Girl by The Black
(06/20/11)

Ana is a Companion, one of the artificial people created at Head Box Industries. She is a gift to Roland, a college friend of Head Box Industries’ founder.

Ana is beautiful. She’s designed based on Roland’s fantasy of his perfect woman – his dream girl. From her soft, warm skin to her simulated breathing to the way she sighs under his caress, Ana is the perfect replication of a real woman. No one but Roland, her creator, and his closest friends know that she’s not human.

Ana is programmed to obey Roland’s every command, to fulfill his every desire. She’s programmed to simulate love, if that’s what Roland commands.

Ana wasn’t programmed to love on her own, and certainly not to desire love. But Ana loves Roland. She wants Roland to love her.

Roland thinks there’s something wrong with Ana’s programming. Why else would she think that he would love her – a walking, talking computer? He decides that Ana needs her programming updated so that she can be fixed.

Ana doesn’t want to be fixed. She wants to be loved. And when Roland tries to force her to be updated, he discovers that his dream girl could become his nightmare.

The Rainbow Z by Zaria Garrison
(03/28/11)

Val Mitchellson and his wife Zoe are on the run. As an up and coming African American couple, who are expecting their first child they seem to have it all. However, all is not as it seems. A sparkling Z sits on the back of every Zulnilshian, giving them the energy they need to live, but when Zoe met Val at a church picnic she had no idea that he was an alien who carried, the Rainbow Z.
Val was sent to earth to rescue his ruler’s daughters, who were exiled to Earth during the Xindamian war that occurred on their home planet. Xindamians had been banished to earth and they were fighting to return home, after learning that they are the cause of a major epidemic in humans.
When Val learns that the American government wants to capture and do testing on his unborn child, he takes Zoe and escapes into the mountains, leaving the Princesses behind. This prompts the ruler of his planet to travel to earth in search of Val, to kill him.
Val has to find a way to protect his family while helping to prevent an intergalactic war between the two planets.

The Coyote Kings, Book One: Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
(06/14/11)

Sherem is brilliant. She’s travelled the world. She speaks a dozen ancient and modern languages, including Fan-Girl. And she can use—or improvise—a hundred weapons from around the globe or of her own design. Quite the list of accomplishments for a 25 year old.

Or is that 2500?

When best friend/roomies Hamza and Yehat, two Gen-X brainiacs too smart for their own good, meet Sherem during the heat of summer, they take one look at her and expect sparks to fly.

They just don’t expect them to come from the edges of blades.

Minister Faust’s first foray into astonishing adventure, pop culture craziness and Africentric awe, The Coyote Kings, Book One: Space-Age Bachelor Pad is already a cult classic that had readers, critics and even Hollywood fluttering with excitement.

Journey to Mecha: Eight Visionary SF, Fantasy, Philosophical and Satirical Tales by Minister Faust
(06/10/11)

For those who love the work of Philip K. Dick, Walter Mosley, Nnedi Okorafor or William S. Burroughs, Journey to Mecha–Minister Faust’s second collection of short stories–presents eights startling, bizarre, frightening and comical tales exploring inner and outer worlds of experience.

In these stories, we behold the terrifying results of planetary colonisation from the coloniser’s perspective (“The Ghosts of Carnivores”), anti-colonial liberation struggle at the cosmic level (“The Sun Dogs”), philosophical explorations of the nature of organic and artificial intelligence (“Droplets of Thought”), and the hypocrisy that afflicts human communities (“Shecky the Green Pig”), among many other tales.

This is Minister Faust at some of his earliest and most remarkable leaps of imagination.

E-Force: Sixteen Stories of Ultra-Freaking Awesomeness by Minister Faust
(06/13/11)

For fans of Walter Mosley, Eldridge Cleaver, Nalo Hopkinson, Philip K. Dick, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Tananarive Due, John Gardner, William S. Burroughs, Chuck D., Steven Barnes, and Stephen King, comes E-Force: Sixteen Stories of Pure Freaking Awesomeness, including a companion story to Minister Faust’s acclaimed novel The Alchemists of Kush.

Containing all the stories collected in A Bad Bad Beat Was Brewing and Journey to Mecha, E-Force is the definitive short fiction collection by Minister Faust, an author increasingly described as one of the best writers of his generation.

E-Force presents sixteen wide-ranging stories, including the hilarious, the terrifying, the mystical and the compassionate.

Behold anti-colonial liberation struggle at the cosmic level (“The Sun Dogs”), philosophical explorations of the nature of organic and artificial intelligence (“Droplets of Thought”), the hypocrisy that afflicts human communities (“Shecky the Green Pig”), a revisionist take on D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (“The Worth of a Nation”), and a Grendel-style psychohistory of ancient Egypt’s founding myth (“The Belly of the Crocodile,” a companion story to Minister Faust’s novel The Alchemists of Kush), among many others.

E-Force is an astonishing journey by a visionary author.

Sight by T.R. Braxton
(07/06/11)

Young Nathan Walker performs feats with his mind that normal humans can’t fathom, feats that drain his mind and body. His ability is vital in keeping his father, an early twentieth century civil rights activist, from harm. Tragedy strikes when Nathan’s fear of his own power causes him to turn away from it. In the wake of that tragedy, Nathan focuses his vast and frightening capabilities on revenge. He will not stop until vengeance is his, even if he must sacrifice himself to obtain it.

Fledgling: A Novel by Octavia E. Butler
(01/04/11)

Mystify (Kimani Tru) by Artist Arthur
(01/18/11)

Sasha Carrington has grown up feeling like an outsider, and her parents are too concerned with scaling the Lincoln, Connecticut, social ladder to even notice her. They’d be really horrified to know about the supernatural abilities Sasha and her friends Krystal and Jake possess. But as part of the Mystyx, Sasha has found her place.
Now her parents have suddenly taken an interest in everything she does, and their timing couldn’t be worse. Sasha’s father wants her to become BFFs with snooty Alyssa Turner, who hates Krystal for stealing her boyfriend. Then there’s Antoine Watson, the boy Sasha has liked forever, the boy her parents would never approve of. But with the dark side getting more dangerous by the day, and the Mystyx’s own powers growing in unexpected ways, Sasha is facing choices that could affect her friends, her love life—and even her destiny….

Author JavaNoir

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Bestselling African American Mysteries in 2011

July 24, 2011

The top-selling mysteries featuring African American characters or by African Americans for 2011 (as of July 2011).

Dutch III: International Gangster by Teri Woods
(Grand Central Publishing, 2011-05-25, Paperback)

It’s one month before Dutch’s trial for what the media has deemed “the Month of Murder,” Roc and Angel are locked up, and Craze is now the commander in charge. After coming into contact with Joseph Odouwo, Kazami’s very rich and powerful relative, Craze is immediately on alert. However, Odouwo has other plans that may put all of their lives at risk. Craze can’t resist a stake in Odouwo’s very successful billion-dollar diamond trade, and reluctantly takes Odouwo up on his offer, hoping that he didn’t make a decision he will soon regret.

Heartbreak of a Hustler’s Wife: A Novel by Nikki Turner
(One World/Ballantine, 2011-04-05, Paperback)

Yarni Taylor is a successful corporate attorney who wants nothing more than for her husband, Des, to renounce his hustlin’ ways and commit to his life as a pastor — especially after someone tries to kill him. But Des isn’t ready to abandon his old habits just yet. He has to find out who is behind the murder attempt, and he wonders if the brazen robbery that took place during one of his church services is related in any way. But before he or Yarni can regain their footing, a young woman shows up on their doorstep — Desember Day, the eighteen-year-old daughter Des never knew he had. And, unfortunately, she takes after her father, so trouble isn’t far behind. With their lives on the line, Yarni must sacrifice everything and take it out of the office and back to the streets to save her husband and her family from their checkered but intricately connected pasts.

Known to Evil: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley
(NAL Trade, 2011-02-01, Paperback)

When New York private eye Leonid McGill is hired to check up on a vulnerable young woman, all he discovers is a bloody crime scene-and the woman gone missing. His client doesn’t want her found. The reason will put everything McGill cherishes in harm’s way: his family, his friends, and his very soul.

Karma III (Triple Crown Publications Presents) by Sabrina A. Eubanks
(Triple Crown Publications, 2011-02-15, Paperback)

In the third installment of Sabrina Eubanks’ fiery bestselling Karma series, life has been a little rough for narcotics detective Lucas Cain. After his perfect love Justine is tragically taken away from him by a devious femme fatale, Lucas and his trusty partner Noah are assigned to take down the notorious Trinidad brothers. While Lucas attempts to reclaim his life with Nichole, a fellow detective with an unhinged ex-boyfriend – the crooked cop Keith Childs – Noah is gravely wounded in a fight to bring down the Draco Empire. Now inspector Butch Harper is looking for dirty cops and Lucas and Noah are on the hunt for Keith. But things are not what they seem in this tangled tale of love, greed, and treachery. Who will be left standing when the smoke clears? Who will learn that you can t hide from yourself…that KARMA is always just around the cover?

Children of the Street: An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery by Kwei Quartey
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2011-07-12, Paperback)

In the slums of Accra, Ghana’s fast-moving, cosmopolitan capital, teenagers are turning up dead. Inspector Darko Dawson has seen many crimes, but this latest string of murders — in which all the young victims bear a chilling signature — is the most unsettling of his career. Are these heinous acts a form of ritual killing or the work of a lone, cold-blooded monster? With time running out, Dawson embarks on a harrowing journey through the city’s underbelly and confronts the brutal world of the urban poor, where street children are forced to fight for their very survival — and a cunning killer seems just out of reach.

Dead and Buried (A Benjamin January Mystery) by Barbara Hambly
(Severn House Publishers, 2011-02-01, Paperback)

The new ‘Benjamin January’ novel from the best-selling author – New Orleans, 1836. When free black musician and surgeon Benjamin January attends the funeral of a friend, an accident tips the dead man out of his coffin â€“ only to reveal an unexpected inhabitant. Just one person recognises the corpse of the white man: Hannibal Sefton, fiddle-player and one of January’s closest friends. But he seems unwilling to talk about his connection to the dead man . . .

Queen of Thieves (Triple Crown Publications Presents) by Kimathi Khama
(Triple Crown Publlcations, 2011-03-15, Paperback)

Liaka Sikes is having a hard time. When the love of her life reveals to her a ghastly secret about who he really is, Liaka suddenly finds herself plunged into a life of bank robberies and terrifying visions. Luckily, she has her girls there for support. Asia and Lianna have Liaka’s back through thick and thin as they enter the thrilling and lucrative world of stick-up crime without ever looking back: a world where one slip-up is enough to end it all. As the friends navigate through violence, good and bad cops, revenge and unexpected romance, will they be able to stay on top and reign supreme?

Beneath The Surface by Roy Glenn
(Escapism Entertainment, 2011-04-18, Paperback)

Lies In Disguise (Indigo) by Bernice Layton
(Genesis Press, 2011-03-01, Paperback)

Charlene’s identical twin, Corrine, is dead, and Charlene has been terribly injured. After awakening from a coma, Charlene decides to assume her dead sister’s identity in a desparetate attempt to uncover a murderer. Her plan becomes more complicated when she finds herself developing feelings for her sister Corrine’s estranged husband. Can Charlene discover the truth before her deception is unraveled… or before the killer strikes again?

Mystify (Kimani Tru) by Artist Arthur
(Kimani, 2011-01-18, Paperback)

Sasha Carrington has grown up feeling like an outsider, and her parents are too concerned with scaling the Lincoln, Connecticut, social ladder to even notice her. They’d be really horrified to know about the supernatural abilities Sasha and her friends Krystal and Jake possess. But as part of the Mystyx, Sasha has found her place.Now her parents have suddenly taken an interest in everything she does, and their timing couldn’t be worse. Sasha’s father wants her to become BFFs with snooty Alyssa Turner, who hates Krystal for stealing her boyfriend. Then there’s Antoine Watson, the boy Sasha has liked forever, the boy her parents would never approve of. But with the dark side getting more dangerous by the day, and the Mystyx’s own powers growing in unexpected ways, Sasha is facing choices that could affect her friends, her love life — and even her destinyâ€¦.

Playing Dirty by Kiki Swinson
(Dafina, 2011-03-01, Paperback)

Playing dirty is a skill that Yoshi Lomax has perfected. By bribing cops and officials, sleeping with her boss, and convincing her friend in the DEA to make evidence disappear, Yoshi has become a top criminal defense attorney. And she has the multi-million dollar Miami pad and Aston Martin to prove it. But when she takes the case of badass Haitian mob boss Sheldon Chisholm, her usual way of doing business–by any means necessary–doesn’t work. Someone has gotten to the people on her payroll and her funds are beginning to dwindle. Now she has no choice but to defend a dangerous murderer with nothing but her brains and the law. And while an unknown enemy keeps trying to sabotage her, Sheldon makes it very clear what’s at stake. Either Yoshi wins the case. . .or loses her life.

Obsessed by Devon Scott
(Dafina, 2011-06-01, Paperback)

In this sensual, unforgettable novel, a husband and wife face the worst crisis of their marriage–and learn that no matter what twists life throws at you, holding on to the one you love is the only way to survive. . . After five fulfilling years of marriage, Michael and Kennedy are the envy of their tight circle of friends. Michael is even more passionate about his stunning, successful wife than he was when they first met, and he is everything Kennedy has ever wanted in a man. Life is going pretty well. But everything changes when the couple starts getting mysterious phone calls and threatening emails. Michael and Kennedy are being stalked–and the stress has their once rock-solid marriage unraveling. Who could want to hurt Michael and Kennedy? Plenty of people, it seems. For the couple is hiding an intimate secret few people know about. . .and when it’s revealed, nothing will ever be the same. . .

Exposed by Naomi Chase
(Dafina, 2011-02-01, Paperback)

Her past is back to haunt her–and it’s hotter than ever. . . On the brink of a major promotion, Tamia Luke is within reach of the glitzy life she’s always dreamed of–until her client, Dominic “Nico” Archer, blackmails her into becoming his mistress, threatening to reveal her scandalous past. Tamia has no choice but to submit to his demands. But the tables turn when her hostility towards Nico is replaced with insatiable lust. No man–including her boyfriend–has ever satisfied her the way he does. And as her infatuation grows, the closer she comes to losing everything–including her life.

Cry Me A River by Ernest Hill
(Dafina, 2011-01-01, Paperback)

An absentee father from a “no good” family, Tyrone Stokes was imprisoned for shooting a man in a convenience store. His wife saw her chance to end their marriage and raise their son, Marcus, on her own. Now Tyrone has returned to Brownsville, Louisiana, to discover that his boy needs help–help that Tyrone is desperate to give, if he can only figure out how. Marcus has been convicted of the rape and murder of a young white girl. An execution date is set, and it’s rumored that the Governor will refuse clemency. Tyrone is convinced Marcus is innocent, despite a stack of evidence against him–but he is also wracked by knowledge of all the ways he has failed his son. Against all odds, Tyrone sets out to keep Marcus alive–and perhaps put his family back together again.

Black Orchid Blues by Persia Walker
(Akashic Books, 2011-03-22, Paperback)

Lanie Price, a 1920s Harlem society columnist, witnesses the brutal nightclub kidnapping of the “Black Orchid,” a sultry, seductive singer with a mysterious past. Price, a female 1920s version of Dominick Dunne, soon finds herself elbows-deep in a story in which everyone seems to be either lying or keeping a secret to die for. When hours pass without word from the kidnapper, puzzlement grows as to his motive. Then a gruesome package arrives at Price’s doorstep and the questions change. Just what does this kidnapper want–and how many people is he willing to kill in order to get it?Evil hides behind the genteel faÃ§ades of affluent Strivers’ Row and stalks the ballroom of one of Harlem’s most famous gay parties. In a complex plot that keeps you tied to the page, Black Orchid Blues explores the depths of human depravity and the desperation of its victims.”I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover. The gorgeous black dame with the gat in her hand harks back to the best of pulp fiction, but Black Orchid Blues, a historical novel set in 1920s Harlem, is better than any pulp I ever read. This is the (second) in the series starring journalist/society reporter Lanie Price and it’s simply terrific.” –The Globe and Mail

Deadly Intentions by Candice Poarch
(Dafina, 2011-05-01, Paperback)

She’s Hot On The Trail Of A Thief. . .When Lisa Claxton starts her own cleaning business on Paradise Island, she may finally profit from her talent for whipping a house into shape–in more ways than one. A valuable Claxton heirloom, a golden bowl, is missing, and Lisa has tracked it down to a local home, which she quickly gets herself hired to clean. But when she arrives she finds a dead body–and flees right into the safe arms of an irresistibly handsome man. . .But She’s About To Find So Much More. . .Injured Navy SEAL Brian Knight came to his grandfather’s house to recuperate. He didn’t expect to be greeted by a frightened beauty–or to get mixed up in her scheme. But Brian has to pursue the killer who invaded the house–and he’s determined to pursue Lisa as well. Soon, the two are up against ruthless thieves whose intentions are more than deadly.

L.A. Blues by Maxine Thompson
(Urban Books, 2011-07-01, Paperback)

Growing up in foster care, Zipporah Saldano never dreamed of becoming a police officer, but after she’s rescued from a hostage situation during the LA Riots, she chooses a career in law enforcement. After ten good years on the force, Z is involved in a domestic homicide case gone awry. Her partner is killed, and Z is fired when alcohol is detected in her system. It’s two long years before she gets sober and opens her own private investigation firm. Now Shirley, her former foster mother, is in need of Z’s help. Someone has murdered her grandson, a high school basketball star, and she wants Z to find out who did it. Z soon finds herself in deeper trouble than when she was kicked out of the LAPD. What she discovers is a conspiracy much deeper than anyone would believe, and she finds her own life is in danger.

The Buried Bones Mystery (Clubhouse Mysteries) by Sharon M. Draper
(Aladdin, 2011-07-12, Paperback)

In simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions, the first book in the Clubhouse Mysteries. Ziggy and his friends Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome call themselves The Black Dinosaurs, and share exciting adventures. In The Buried Bones Mystery, the boys build a clubhouse in Ziggy’s backyard, where they uncover a box of bones while digging to bury their secret treasures. But when the boys try to hide their treasures, they’re swept up in a mystery more intriguing — and scary — than anything they could have imagined. Who could have buried a box of bones behind their clubhouse?

From Cape Town with Love: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel by Blair Underwood
(Atria Books, 2011-05-17, Paperback)

Actor-turned-detective Tennyson Hardwick has solved two high-profile deaths in Hollywood, but nothing has prepared him for a race to save a child’s life. Tennyson’s past in the sex game cost him his new girlfriend, and he brings her to Cape Town, South Africa — a scenic film destination and playground for the rich — to try to win her back. There Tennyson is hired as a bodyguard by superstar Sofia Maitlin when she visits an orphanage to adopt an African child. Months later, Maitlin offers Tennyson one of Hollywood’s hottest tickets — a job as a bodyguard at adopted daughter Nandi’s A-list celebrity birthday party. But the party is over before it begins. When Nandi’s birthday goes dreadfully wrong, it’s up to a guilt-ridden Tennyson to save a child’s life and reunite a Hollywood family. But how? He can’t go to the police, the FBI has threatened to arrest him, and Big Brother is monitoring his telephone calls. To find Nandi, Tennyson will have to rely on tips from his father — a retired LAPD captain — and a mysterious woman from his past, Marsha, who has already proven she can’t be trusted. His strongest lead is a deadly knife fighter known only as Spider. When his search for the missing child crosses Marsha’s covert investigation into a criminal gang with ties to South Africa, Tennyson knows that finding Nandi might cost him his freedom — or his life. Watch exclusive scenes from From Cape Town with Love starring Blair Underwood by snapping the Microsoft tags found inside the book.

Author JavaNoir

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Bestselling Books on Barack Obama in 2011

July 21, 2011

Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America by Ann Coulter
(Crown Forum, 2011-06-07, Hardcover)

Citing the father of mob psychology, Gustave Le Bon, Coulter catalogs the Left’s mob behaviors: the creation of messiahs, the fear of scientific innovation, the mythmaking, the preference for images over words, the lack of morals, and the casual embrace of contradictory ideas. Coulter traces the history of the liberal mob to the French Revolution and Robespierre’s revolutionaries (delineating a clear distinction from America’s founding fathers), who simply proclaimed that they were exercising the “general will” before slaughtering their fellow citizens “for the good of mankind.” Similarly, as Coulter demonstrates, liberal mobs, from student radicals to white-trash racists to anti-war and pro-ObamaCare fanatics today, have consistently used violence to implement their idea of the “general will.” This is not the American tradition; it is the tradition of Stalin, of Hitler, of the guillotine — and the tradition of the American Left. As the heirs of the French Revolution, Democrats have a history that consists of pandering to mobs, time and again, while Republicans, heirs to the American Revolution, have regularly stood for peaceable order. Hoping to muddy this horrifying truth, liberals slanderously accuse conservatives of their own crimes — assassination plots, conspiracy theorizing, political violence, embrace of the Ku Klux Klan. Coulter shows that the truth is the opposite: Political violence — mob violence — is always a Democratic affair. Surveying two centuries of mob movements, Coulter demonstrates that the mob is always destructive. And yet, she argues, beginning with the civil rights movement in the sixties, Americans have lost their natural, inherited aversion to mobs. Indeed, most Americans have no idea what they are even dealing with. Only by recognizing the mobs and their demonic nature can America begin to defend itself.

The Killing of Osama Bin Laden: How the Mission to Hunt Down a Terrorist Mastermind was Accomplished by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
(Glenneyre Press, 2011-05-06)

The courier was the key. A mid-level al-Qaeda operative who played a small part in the planning of the 9/11 attacks and was with Bin Laden when he escaped the battle of Tora Bora. Find out who the courier was, and how with one phone call, he eventually led the CIA to Bin Laden’s fortress-like mansion in the affluent suburbs of Abbottabad, Pakistan. Years after the trail had gone cold, Osama Bin Laden, was once again within our sights. Finally the largest manhunt in U.S. counterterrorism history was headed to its singular and bloody conclusion if only the President and his team could figure out how to get him before he vanished once again. The gut punch Osama Bin Laden landed on 9/11 still stings. What he took from country on that terrible day can never be replaced, nor can the lives of the thousands of innocent men, women and children murdered in the name of some crusade. And even though it will still be a long time until we Americans fully heal from the pain of the worst terrorist attacks on our soil, we can rest assured that the man who became the epitome of evil in the modern world will never do this again.This commemorative ebook edition of the events that led to Bin Laden’s death includes details about the courier whose phone call doomed the al-Qaeda leader and the detective work that led the CIA to the front door of his fortress-like mansion compound in an affluent neighborhood of suburban Pakistan.

A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mother by Janny Scott
(Riverhead Hardcover, 2011-05-03, Hardcover)

A major publishing event: an unprecedented look into the life of the woman who most singularly shaped Barack Obama-his mother. Barack Obama has written extensively about his father, but little is known about Stanley Ann Dunham, the fiercely independent woman who raised him, the person he credits for, as he says, “what is best in me.” Here is the missing piece of the story. Award-winning reporter Janny Scott interviewed nearly two hundred of Dunham’s friends, colleagues, and relatives (including both her children), and combed through boxes of personal and professional papers, letters to friends, and photo albums, to uncover the full breadth of this woman’s inspiring and untraditional life, and to show the remarkable extent to which she shaped the man Obama is today. Dunham’s story moves from Kansas and Washington state to Hawaii and Indonesia. It begins in a time when interracial marriage was still a felony in much of the United States, and culminates in the present, with her son as our president- something she never got to see. It is a poignant look at how character is passed from parent to child, and offers insight into how Obama’s destiny was created early, by his mother’s extraordinary faith in his gifts, and by her unconventional mothering. Finally, it is a heartbreaking story of a woman who died at age fifty-two, before her son would go on to his greatest accomplishments and reflections of what she taught him.

The Other Barack: The Bold and Reckless Life of President Obama’s Father by Sally H. Jacobs
(PublicAffairs, 2011-07-07, Kindle Edition)

Barack Obama, father of the American president, was part of Africa’s “independence generation” and in 1959 it seemed his star would shine brightly. He came to the U.S. from Kenya and was given a university scholarship. While in the Hawaii, he met Ann Dunham in 1961, and his son Barack was born. He left his young family to gain a master’s degree from Harvard.After that, Obama’s life became progressively more complicated. He was a brilliant economist, yet never held the coveted government job he felt should have been his. He was a polygamist, an alcoholic, and an ardent African nationalist unafraid to tell truth to power at a time when that could get you killed. Father of eight, nurturer of none, he was an unlikely person to father the first African American president of the United States. Yet he was, like that son, a man moved by the dream of a better world.Now, thanks to dozens of exclusive new interviews, prodigious research, and determined investigation, Sally Jacobs tells his full story.

Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! by Andrew Breitbart
(Grand Central Publishing, 2011-04-15, Hardcover)

Known for his network of conservative websites that draws millions of readers everyday, Andrew Breitbart has one main goal: to make sure the “liberally biased” major news outlets in this country cover all aspects of a story fairly. Breitbart is convinced that too many national stories are slanted by the news media in an unfair way. In RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION, Breitbart talks about the key issues that Americans face, how he has aligned himself with the Tea Party, and how one needs to deal with the liberal news world head on. Along the way, he details his early years, working with Matt Drudge, the Huffington Post, and so on, and how Breitbart developed his unique style of launching key websites to help get the word out to conservatives all over. A rollicking and controversial read, Breitbart will certainly raise your blood pressure, one way or another.

The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong with America by Nick Gillespie
(PublicAffairs, 2011-06-28, Hardcover)

Everywhere in America, the forces of digitization, innovation, and personalization are expanding our options and bettering the way we live. Everywhere, that is, except in our politics. There we are held hostage to an eighteenth century system, dominated by two political parties whose ever-more-polarized rhetorical positions mask a mutual interest in maintaining a stranglehold on power.The Declaration of Independents is a compelling and extremely entertaining manifesto on behalf of a system better suited to the future–one structured by the essential libertarian principles of free minds and free markets. Gillespie and Welch profile libertarian innovators, identify the villains propping up the ancien regime, and take aim at do-something government policies that hurt most of those they claim to protect. Their vision will resonate with a wide swath of frustrated citizens and young voters, born after the Cold War’s end, to whom old tribal allegiances, prejudices, and hang-ups about everything from hearing a foreign language on the street to gay marriage to drug use simply do not make sense.

Where’s the Birth Certificate?: The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President by Jerome Corsi
(WND Books, 2011, Hardcover)

Is Barack Obama Illegally Occupying the Oval Office?The question is jarring, surreal, and intensely controversial: Is Barack Obama a natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore constitutionally eligible to be president? Repeated national polls suggest tens of millions of Americans don’t think he is, despite his release of an online image of his purported birth document.In Where’s the Birth Certificate? two-time No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jerome Corsi demonstrates conclusively that no legal authority has ever verified Obama’s legal eligibility to be president, that glaring inconsistencies, blackouts, and outright fabrications in his life narrative have generated widespread doubts, and that, in fact, a compelling body of evidence says Obama is not a natural-born citizen as is required of all presidents by Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution.You’ll read how:Obama was born a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, a circumstance the Constitution’s framers considered an iron-clad roadblock to the presidencyAs a boy, Obama was officially registered in school as a Muslim and Indonesian citizen, another barrier to U.S. natural-born citizenshipThe press and blogosphere widely reported Obama was born at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu – before deciding he was born across town at Kapi’olani Women’s and Children’s HospitalThe Congressional Research Service, a public policy arm of Congress, officially admits no one in the government ever vetted Obama’s constitutional eligibilityIn preparation for the 2012 election, more than a dozen states are considering legislation to force all presidential candidates to prove they are constitutionally qualified before they can be placed on that state’s ballotThe result of three years of exhaustive research, Where’s the Birth Certificate? establishes the case not only that Barack Obama isn’t legally qualified to be president, but that, aided by his media co-conspirators, he has conducted one of the most audacious cover-ups ever perpetrated at the highest level of American politics.

Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind by Tim Groseclose PhD
(St. Martin’s Press, 2011-07-19, Hardcover)

Dr. Tim Groseclose, a professor of political science and economics at UCLA, has spent years constructing precise, quantitative measures of the slant of media outlets. He does this by measuring the political content of news, as a way to measure the PQ, or “political quotient” of voters and politicians. Among his conclusions are: (i) all mainstream media outlets have a liberal bias; and (ii) while some supposedly conservative outlets — such the Washington Times or Fox News’ Special Report — do lean right, their conservative bias is less than the liberal bias of most mainstream outlets. Groseclose contends that the general leftward bias of the media has shifted the PQ of the average American by about 20 points, on a scale of 100, the difference between the current political views of the average American, and the political views of the average resident of Orange County, California or Salt Lake County, Utah. With Left Turn readers can easily calculate their own PQ — to decide for themselves if the bias exists. This timely, much-needed study brings fact to this often overheated debate.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism (Politically Incorrect Guides) by Kevin D Williamson
(Regnery Publishing, 2011-01-10, Paperback)

Stalin’s gulag, impoverished North Korea, collapsing Cuba…it’s hard to name a dogma that has failed as spectacularly as socialism. And yet leaders around the world continue to subject millions of people to this dysfunctional, violence-prone ideology. In The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism, Kevin Williamson reveals the fatal flaw of socialism—that efficient, complex economies simply can’t be centrally planned. But even in America, that hasn’t stopped politicians and bureaucrats from planning, to various extents, the most vital sectors of our economy: public education, energy, and the most arrogant central–planning effort of them all, Obama’s healthcare plan. In this provocative book, Williamson unfolds the grim history of socialism, showing how the ideology has spawned crushing poverty, devastating famines, and horrific wars. Lumbering from one crisis to the next, leaving a trail of economic devastation and environmental catastrophe, socialism has wreaked more havoc, caused more deaths, and impoverished more people than any other ideology in history—especially when you include the victims of fascism, which Williamson notes is simply a variant of socialism. Williamson further demonstrates:Why, contrary to popular belief, socialism in theory is no better than socialism in practiceWhy socialism can’t exist without capitalismHow the energy powerhouse of Venezuela, under socialism, has become an economic basket case subject to rationing and blackouts How socialism, not British colonialism, plunged the bountiful economy of India into stagnation and dysfunction—and how capitalism is rescuing itWhy socialism is inextricably linked to communismIf you thought socialism went into the dustbin of history with the collapse of the Soviet Union, think again. Socialism is alive and kicking, and it’s already spread further than you know.

The Great American Awakening: Two Years that Changed America, Washington, and Me by Jim DeMint
(B&H Books, 2011-07-04, Paperback)

Following his New York Times best seller, Saving Freedom, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint’s The Great American Awakening chronicles two tumultuous years from the presidential election of 2008 through the mid-term elections of 2010. Untold insider views of the controversial stimulus bill passage, corporate takeovers, and lesser-known executive actions that epitomize political paybacks and moral decay will further motivate DeMint’s fellow citizens to reclaim their government and country in 2012. Just as fascinating, the South Carolina official talks openly about his seized upon high profile moments — from that “Waterloo” comment regarding health care reform to becoming known as “Senator Tea Party.” He also addresses close-to-home disappointments such as the infidelity of Christian friends like Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign, and shares personal spiritual insights that came from being part of such public battles. But more than anything, The Great American Awakening champions the American people who now feel a powerful stirring in their souls to take on Washington and realign politics in this nation. DeMint tracks grass-roots developments, and new movements like the Freedom Congress, fully expecting a fundamental sea change for the better to happen soon.Acclaim for The Great American Awakening:”I have Senator DeMint on my show often because Americans know he’ll tell the truth about what’s wrong in Washington. His latest book is a riveting account about the fight for fiscal sanity in Congress. It’s essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why so many Americans clued in and got involved with the Tea Party Movement in the last election. Senator DeMint was a huge part of this and I only hope he is as involved in the 2012 race for the White House as he was this past election.”Sean Hannity, host of the nationally syndicated Sean Hannity Radio show and “Hannity” on Fox News

Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues by Bill Moyers
(New Press, The, 2011-05-17, Hardcover)

One of the highest-rated public affairs programs on public television, Bill Moyers Journal drew up to two million weekly viewers from 2007 to 2010. Through incisive, morally engaging conversations with some of the leading political figures, writers, activists, poets, and scholars at work today, the Journal captured the essence of the past three pivotal years in American life and politics, including the final act of the Bush Administration and the early years of Obama.Now, Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues brings this groundbreaking work to the page. From Michael Pollan, David Simon, and Jane Goodall to John Grisham, Karen Armstrong, and Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues introduces the ideas that matter today — on subjects as diverse as the politics of food, race in the age of Obama, aging in America, the power of poetry, wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the conflict over gay marriage, and the fate of the American newspaper.With extensive new commentary from Bill Moyers — in the tradition of his national bestsellers A World of Ideas and Healing and the Mind — here is an unparalleled guide to the debates, the cultural currents, and above all the fascinating people who have so powerfully shaped the world we live in.

The Terrorist Next Door: How the Government is Deceiving You About the Islamist Threat by Erick Stakelbeck
(Regnery Publishing, 2011-05-02, Hardcover)

Al-Qaeda doesn’t care about “Hope” and “Change”The threat of terrorism in America, the Obama administration assures us, is contained and controlled. Recent attempted attacks like the Times Square bombing, the “underwear bombing” on a flight over Detroit, and the attack on a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon were all isolated plots that failed anyway. In the words of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano, “The system worked.”Don’t believe it. In The Terrorist Next Door, investigative reporter Erick Stakelbeck exposes the staggering truth about our national security: the Obama administration is concealing and whitewashing the enormous terrorist threat growing right here within America’s borders. If you believe terrorism is only a problem for other countries, Stakelbeck’s on-the-ground reporting will open your eyes. He has been inside America’s radical mosques, visited U.S.-based Islamic enclaves, and learned about our enemies by going straight to the source—interviewing al-Qaeda-linked terrorists themselves. In this shocking book, Stakelbeck reveals:How Islamic radicals have established separatist compounds and even jihadist training camps throughout rural AmericaThat an overt disciple of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini now leads one of the largest mosques in America How mega-mosques aren’t just planned for Ground Zero—they’re being built in the heart of the Bible Belt as part of a plan for Islamic dominationWhat a former U.S. covert agent inside the Iranian regime says about Iran’s program to recruit Americans into terror groupsHow the Obama administration’s beguiling counter-terrorism policies are increasing the threat of another 9/11 The Terrorist Next Door sounds the alarm on a growing threat to every American—one that the U.S. government refuses to face honestly or even to name. As we struggle against a relentless and adaptable Islamist enemy that is committed to destroying our nation, we can’t say we weren’t warned.

The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy: How the New World Order, Man-Made Diseases, and Zombie Banks Are Destroying America by Jim Marrs
(Harper Paperbacks, 2011-07-05, Paperback)

America’s economy is in shambles . . . Its citizens are terrified and dissatisfied . . . Could it all have been planned by a secret elite one hundred years ago? The New World Order. Hitler referred to it in his diaries. President George H. W. Bush foretold of it in his speeches. Formed by a secretive global elite, the group seeking this new order has taken hold of the nation — and perhaps the world. Its influence pervades every aspect of American society, from the products we buy at the grocery store to the topics of evening news programs. But could it also be true that the New World Order caused one of the greatest financial catastrophes of our time? Bestselling author and legendary conspiracy researcher Jim Marrs has yet again exposed information that the mainstream corporate media has refused to report, unearthing the lies to expose the insidious alliances that make up a secret world. In the explosive The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy, Marrs digs beneath the media noise surrounding the financial bailouts of 2008 and 2009 while exploring the back rooms and shadowy deals of our nation’s past to craft a frightening history that no one else is brave enough to tell.

The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress by Chris Hedges
(Nation Books, 2011-04-12, Hardcover)

Drawing on two decades of experience as a war correspondent and based on his numerous columns for Truthdig, Chris Hedges presents The World As It Is, a panorama of the American empire at home and abroad, from the coarsening effect of America’s War on Terror to the front lines in the Middle East and South Asia and the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Underlying his reportage is a constant struggle with the nature of war and its impact on human civilization. “War is always about betrayal,” Hedges notes. “It is about betrayal of the young by the old, of cynics by idealists, and of soldiers and Marines by politicians. Society’s institutions, including our religious institutions, which mold us into compliant citizens, are unmasked.”

The New Arab Revolt: What Happened, What It Means, and What Comes Next by Council on Foreign Relations/Foreign Affairs
(Council on Foreign Relations/Foreign Affairs, 2011-04-27, Paperback)

The New Arab Revolt: What Happened, What It Means, and What Comes Next sets the intellectual stage for understanding the revolutions in the Middle East. This collection brings together more than sixty articles, interviews, congressional testimony, and op-eds from experts and thought leaders, including Bernard Lewis, Fouad Ajami, Richard Haass, Lisa Anderson, Martin Indyk, Isobel Coleman, Aluf Benn, Dirk Vandewalle, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The volume includes seminal pieces from Foreign Affairs, ForeignAffairs.com, and CFR.org. In addition, major public statements by Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Hosni Mubarak, Muammar al-Qaddafi, and others are joined by Egyptian opposition writings and relevant primary source documents. Even if you have been paying close attention to the extraordinary events unfolding in the Middle East, this book pulls together what is needed to understand the origins and significance of the new Arab revolt, including a special introduction by Foreign Affairs editor Gideon Rose.

Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng
(Candlewick Press, 2011-04-12, Hardcover)

From Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister of President Obama, comes a lyrical story relaying the loving wisdom of their late mother to a young granddaughter she never met.Little Suhaila wishes she could have known her grandma, who would wrap her arms around the whole world if she could, Mama says. And one night, Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites the girl to come along with her on a magical journey. In a rich and deeply personal narrative, Maya Soetoro-Ng draws inspiration from her mother s love for family, her empathy for others, and her ethic of service to imagine this remarkable meeting. Evoking fantasy and folklore, the story touches on events that have affected people across the world in our time and reaffirms our common humanity. Yuyi Morales s breathtaking artwork illuminates the dreamlike tale, reminding us that loved ones lost are always with us, and that sometimes we need only look at the moon and remember.

Saving the Bill of Rights: Exposing the Left’s Campaign to Destroy American Exceptionalism by Frank Miniter
(Regnery Publishing, 2011-06-28, Hardcover)

We’re in a fight to save our liberties—and we’re losingFor most of us, the Bill of Rights is sacred. It enshrines, defines, and protects the liberties we take for granted as Americans. But almost unnoticed, a dedicated minority of special interests is chipping away at the Bill of Rights to the point that, while the words might remain in the Constitution, the rights themselves will be lost.Frank Miniter, New York Times bestselling author of The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide, has seen firsthand—and exposed as a journalist—the relentless assaults that are stripping away our Second Amendment rights. Now he reports on the broad, radical offensive that targets not just our right to bear arms, but all our rights, including the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech and religion.In Saving the Bill of Rights, you’ll learnWhy you could be guilty of “thought crimes”—thanks to a bill signed into law by President ObamaHow liberals in the federal government are using “net neutrality” to stifle free speechWhy the Founders would be appalled at how “separation of church and state” (a phrase not found in the Constitution) has been manipulated to drive Christianity out of the public squareHow your right to property, guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, has been put at risk by government greedWhy opponents of the aggressive interrogation of terrorists are false civil libertariansHow the Ninth Amendment is deliberately misread in order to increase government powerHow liberals have tried to kill the Constitution through endless violations of the Tenth Amendment—and how restoring the Tenth Amendment could help save some of our imperiled libertiesThorough, thought-provoking, and engaging, Frank Miniter’s Saving the Bill of Rights could be the most important book you read this year.

Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise by Carol M. Swain Ph.D.
(Thomas Nelson, 2011-06-14, Hardcover)

An insightful analysis of the forces of deception rapidly reshaping America’s morals, social policies, and culture, with a call to specific action, written by a thoughtful and courageous Christian social scientist on the front lines of today’s issues. Cultural elites in the media, academia, and politics are daily deceiving millions of Americans into passively supporting policies that are detrimental to the nation and their own best interest. Although some Americans can see through the smokescreen, they feel powerless to redirect the forces inside and outside government that radically threaten cherished values and principles. Drawing on her training in political science and law, Dr. Swain thoughtfully examines the religious significance of the founding of our nation and the deceptions that have infiltrated our daily lives and now threaten traditional families, unborn children, and members of various racial and ethnic groups-as well as national sovereignty itself–and provides action points for the people of this country to make the political system more responsive. The book is divided into two sections: Forsaking what we once knew Re-embracing truth and justice in policy choices It also covers key topics such as: America’s shift to moral relativism America’s religious roots Abortion’s fragile facade Historical and biblical views on families and children Erosion of rule of law, national security, and immigration Racial and ethnic challenges Reclaiming the future

Author JavaNoir

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The top-selling nonfiction books in 2011

July 5, 2011

The bestselling nonfiction books by or about African American authors, published in 2011.

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Pat Simmons
(, 2011-04-23, Kindle Edition)

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23God’s mercies are sure; His promises are fulfilled; but a dawn of a new morning is God’ grace.If you need a testimony about God’s grace, then If I Should Die Before I Wake will encourage your soul. Nothing happens in our lives by chance. If you need a miracle, God’s got that too. Trust Him. Has it been a while since you’ve had a testimony? Increase your prayer life, build your faith and walk in victory because without a test, there is no testimony. Pat Simmons is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Guilty series.

The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson
(Tribeca Books, 2011-06-02, Paperback)

This is a beautiful designed large format edition of the classic THE MIS-EDUCATION OF THE NEGRO by Carter G. Woodson. One of the most important books on education ever written.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (Vintage) by Isabel Wilkerson
(Vintage, 2011-10-04, Paperback)

One of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the YearIn this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prizeâ€“winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves. With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who in 1937 left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who in 1945 fled Florida for Harlem, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, the personal physician to Ray Charles as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties.Wilkerson brilliantly captures their first treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train and their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, as well as how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture and improved them with discipline, drive, and hard work. Both a riveting microcosm and a major assessment, The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” within our own land. Through the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research, and the fullness of the people and lives portrayed herein, this book is destined to become a classic.From the Hardcover edition.

For Smart Girls Only by Marie Brewer
(Infinity Publishing, 2011-03-08, Kindle Edition)

This is a book of advice for girls as they grow into young ladies. Girls are delightful, kind, talented, energetic, and funny. Young girls can dip into their bowl of self-love and know that they are priceless treasures. Every girl knows that she is sweet & smart!

Still I Rise: The Story Of Maya Angelou (HeRose & SheRose) by Jeff Biggers
(William Gladden Press, 2011-03-25, Kindle Edition)

Maya Angelou grew up in the deep South, a dirt-poor African-American child who experienced ruthless discrimination and segregation. At the young age of eight, one of her mother’s boyfriends raped Maya. At 16, she had a son. Maya turned to prostitution to support her son and to drugs to hide her shame. But when she became involved in the Civil Rights Movement with Reverend Martin Luther King, she turned her life around and rose above her humble and troubled beginnings to be America’s Poet Laureate. With a list of review questions and a glossary of terms, this brief publication is ideal for middle school readers and at-risk youth.

Learning in a Burning House: Educational Inequality, Ideology, and (Dis)Integration by Sonya Douglass Horsford
(Teachers College Press, 2011-01-28, Paperback)

The negative consequences of school desegregation on Black communities in the United States are now well documented in education research. Learning in a Burning House is the first book to offer a historical look at the desegregation dilemma with clear recommendations for what must be done to ensure Black student success in today’s schools. This important book centers race and voice in the desegregation discourse, examining and reconceptualizing the meaning of ”equal education.” Featuring the unique perspectives of Black school leaders, Horsford provides a critical race analysis of how racism has undermined the integration ideal and the subsequent schooling of Black children. Most importantly, the book discusses how meaningful education reform must be grounded in a moral activist vision of equal education through a cross-racial commitment to racial literacy, realism, reconstruction, and reconciliation in our schools and society.

Beyond Boundaries: The Manning Marable Reader by Manning Marable
(Paradigm Publishers, 2011-04-30, Paperback)

Columbia University historian and political scientist Manning Marable has been one of the preeminent public intellectuals in the social sciences for decades. A tireless and prolific voice for progressive causes, such as the abolition of prisoner disfranchisement laws, Marable has generated a tremendous body of publications on the topics of race, class and social justice in the U.S., writing scores of lively, accessible articles for popular and academic audiences alike. A pioneering intellectual in the field of black studies and the founder of Columbia’s Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Marable blends the disciplines of history, political science and sociology to address questions of racial justice, workers rights and other contemporary social issues. This new collection, a rich array of some of Marable’s best writing from the last two decades, will prove invaluable to anyone who seeks better understanding of–and creative possible solutions to–the deep and enduring race, class and gender inequity in our society.

Incognito: An American Odyssey of Race and Self-Discovery by Michael Fosberg
(Incognito, Inc., 2011, Paperback)

Raised in a working-class white family by his biological mother and an adoptive father, Michael Fosberg, age thirty, upon hearing the news of their divorce, decides to search for the long-lost biological father he’s never known. Armed solely with a name and a city, he tracks him down and discovers his father’s true identity. This life-changing event leads to a remarkable journey of family and self-discovery.

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
(Sandpiper, 2011-01-03, Paperback)

A voice like yours, celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, “is heard once in a hundred years.” This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson’s own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists-and for all Americans of color-when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts.Carefully researched, expertly told, and profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, one of today’s leading authors of nonfiction for young readers illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history. Notes, bibliography, discography, index.

AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES by J. Alden
(, 2011-02-07, Kindle Edition)

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena
(Dial, 2011-01-20, Hardcover)

On the eve of World War II, African American boxer Joe Louis fought German Max Schmeling in a bout that had more at stake than just the world heavyweight title; for much of America their fight came to represent America’s war with Germany. This elegant and powerful picture book biography centers around the historic fight in which Black and White America were able to put aside prejudice and come together to celebrate our nation’s ideals.

Bird in a Box by Andrea Pinkney
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011-04-12, Hardcover)

Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they’ve all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won’t stop fighting for what they want. And they’re also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion.Andrea Pinkney masterfully weaves in factual information about Joe Louis and actual radio commentary from his fights, enriching the narrative of this uniquely rendered and beautifully written novel.

My Desire for History: Essays in Gay, Community, and Labor History by Allan Berube
(The University of North Carolina Press, 2011-06-01, Paperback)

This anthology pays tribute to Allan Berube (1946-2007), a self-taught historian and MacArthur Fellow who was a pioneer in the study of lesbian and gay history in the United States. Best known for his Lambda Literary Award-winning book Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II (1990), Berube also wrote extensively on the history of sexual politics in San Francisco and on the relationship between sexuality, class, and race. John D’Emilio and Estelle Freedman, who were close colleagues and friends of Berube, have selected sixteen of his most important essays, including hard-to-access articles and unpublished writing. The book provides a retrospective on Berube’s life and work while it documents the emergence of a grassroots lesbian and gay community history movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Taken together, the essays attest to the power of history to mobilize individuals and communities to create social change.

Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House by Kenneth T. Walsh
(Paradigm Publishers, 2011-02-01, Hardcover)

This book examines the intertwined relationships between the presidents and the African Americans who have been an integral part of the White House since the beginning of the Republic. The book discusses the racial attitudes and policies of the presidents and shows how African Americans helped to shape those attitudes and policies over the years. The analysis starts with the early presidents who had slaves and tells the compelling stories of their interactions, with an emphasis on how these slaves dealt with bondage in the supposed citadel of American freedom and independence. The book moves through the era of Abraham Lincoln, whose views on emancipation were greatly influenced by the African Americans around him, especially by White House seamstress Elizabeth Keckley and valet William Slade. The book covers the Jim Crow era and proceeds through the political and cultural breakthroughs on civil rights accomplished by Lyndon Johnson in partnership with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The book ends with an insightful analysis of the rise, election, and administration of Barack Obama, the first African American president, including an exclusive interview with Obama.

Teaching Black Girls: Resiliency in Urban Classrooms–Revised edition (Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education) by Venus E. Evans-Winters
(Peter Lang Publishing, 2011-02-14, Paperback)

In this updated volume of Teaching Black Girls: Resiliency in Urban Classrooms, Venus E. Evans-Winters uses qualitative research methods to interpret and discuss school resilience in the lives of African American female students. The book demonstrates how these girls are simultaneously one of the most vulnerable, and one of the most resilient group of students. Teaching Black Girls implements alternative approaches to the study of the intersection of race, class, and gender on schooling, deliberately highlighting how students growing up and attending schools in urban neighborhoods are educationally resilient in the face of adversity. Through dialogue and self-reflection, the author and participants in the ethnographic study documented here reconstruct and tell stories of resilience to derive practice that is both gender and culturally relevant. Teaching Black Girls has research and practice implications for graduate students, advanced pre-service teachers, and school practitioners.

BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian by Bob Avakian
(RCP Publications, 2011-04-05, Paperback)

You can’t change the world if you don’t know the BAsics.BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian is a book of quotations and short essays that speaks powerfully to questions of revolution and human emancipation. BAsics concentrates more than 30 years of Avakian’s work. BAsics can not only introduce many more people to the thinking of the author who has put communism back on the agenda as a vital and viable force – it can play a major role in bringing forward and forging a new wave of revolutionaries. To look at the table of contents…is to look at the key questions that present themselves to someone agonizing over the question of whether and how they can actually change the world in a fundamental and meaningful way.What people are saying about BAsics. From a prisoner: “I wanted to congratulate everyone on the upcoming publication of BAsics. In today’s world the need for the independent press and works by the people and for the people is needed more than ever at this crucial time especially here in the heart of the imperialist beast.Although I am unable to be there with you all to celebrate just knowing that the people will be out there enjoying the Revolutionary Culture brings a smile and upraised fist to the cage I am held in. Yes I said cage, but I tell you this not to bring down the people’s spirit by telling you I am one of the 2+ million held in the Koncentration camps across America rather I tell you this because it is within these dungeons that are being intended to destroy one’s will to resist that the people are waking up and using these dungeons as schools of liberation!! Prisoners in America are drawn to revolutionary ideas, it is only through publications like we will find in BAsics that prisoners will taste that most elusive ideal of “equality” that the prisoner in America grows up exempt from in the barrios and ghettos nationwide.”

The Collected Essays of Ralph Ellison (Modern Library Classics) by John Callahan
(Modern Library, 2011-06-01, Kindle Edition)

Compiled, edited, and newly revised by Ralph Ellison’s literary executor, John F. Callahan, this Modern Library Paperback Classic includes posthumously discovered reviews, criticism, and interviews, as well as the essay collections Shadow and Act (1964), hailed by Robert Penn Warren as “a body of cogent and subtle commentary on the questions that focus on race,” and Going to the Territory (1986), an exploration of literature and folklore, jazz and culture, and the nature and quality of lives that black Americans lead. “Ralph Ellison,” wrote Stanley Crouch, “reached across race, religion, class and sex to make us all Americans.”

African American Inventors (Black Stars) by Otha Richard Sullivan
(Wiley, 2011-04-19, Paperback)

For more than three centuries, African American inventors have been coming up with ingenious ideas. In fact, it is impossible to really know American history without also learning about the contributions of black discoverers. This collection brings their stories to life.In every era, black inventors have made people’s lives safer, more comfortable, more convenient, and more profitable. This inspiring, comprehensive collection shines history’s spotlight on these courageous inventors and discoverers. One by one, they persevered, despite prejudice and obstacles to education and training. These stories show you how:
* Benjamin Montgomery, born a slave, invented a propeller that improved steamboat navigation.
* Jan Earnst Matzeliger, the son of a Dutch engineer, invented a machine that revolutionized the shoe manufacturing industry.
* Madame C. J. Walker, born two years after the Civil War emancipated her parents, invented a product that helped make her a millionaire.
* Dr. George E. Carruthers, an astrophysicist, invented the lunar surface ultraviolet camera/spectrograph for Apollo 16.
* Dr. Jane Cooke Wright, a third-generation physician and pioneer in the field of cancer research discovered a method for testing which drugs to use to fight specific cancers. Dr. Wright became the first woman elected president of the New York Cancer Society and the first African American woman to serve as dean of a medical college.
This outstanding collection brings to light these and dozens of other exciting and surprising tales of inventors and discoverers who lived their dreams.

Shadow and Act by Ralph Ellison
(Vintage, 2011-06-01, Kindle Edition)

With the same intellectual incisiveness and supple, stylish prose he brought to his classic novel Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison examines his antecedents and in so doing illuminates the literature, music, and culture of both black and white America. His range is virtuosic, encompassing Mark Twain and Richard Wright, Mahalia Jackson and Charlie Parker, The Birth of a Nation and the Dante-esque landscape of Harlem – “the scene and symbol of the Negro’s perpetual alienation in the land of his birth.” Throughout, he gives us what amounts to an episodic autobiography that traces his formation as a writer as well as the genesis of Invisible Man. On every page, Ellison reveals his idiosyncratic and often contrarian brilliance, his insistence on refuting both black and white stereotypes of what an African American writer should say or be. The result is a book that continues to instruct, delight, and occasionally outrage readers thirty years after it was first published.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Balzer + Bray, 2011-09-27, Hardcover)

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2011′s Bestselling African American Books

2011′s Vampire Bestsellers

2011′s Bestselling Horror Stories

2011′s Bestselling African American Christian Fiction

Bestselling Books on African American History in September 2011

Interview with Tamika Newhouse

Top-Selling African American Science Fiction in 2011

Bestselling African American Mysteries in 2011

Bestselling Books on Barack Obama in 2011

The top-selling nonfiction books in 2011

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