Steven L. Carter

In 2002, Carter received a record $4.2 million advance from Knopf for his first novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park, a murder mystery set on Martha's Vineyard. Here, he talks about his sequel, New England White, another sophisticated suspense thriller set amidst the African-American elite.
 

Martha Southgate
http://authors.aalbc.com/martha_southgate.htm

Southgate is the author of Third Girl from the Left which was published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin in September 2006. It won the Best Novel of the year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. It was shortlisted for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her previous novel, The Fall of Rome, received the 2003 Alex Award from the American Library Association and was named one of the best novels of 2002 by Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post.
 

Esther Armah is an award nominated international journalist who has worked in the United Kingdom, the United States and Africa. Her work spans print, radio and television. She is a published author, public speaker, playwright and director of a creative media company.
 

CA Joseph
http://authors.aalbc.com/ca_joseph.htm

Joseph is the author of From the Depths of Despair: Love: How Ted Forsook White Supremacy To Marry His Princess.  Set in Southern Mississippi, this book details the transformation of a White Supremacist through the eyes of a black author.
 

Sekou Sundiata
http://aalbc.com/authors/sekou_sundiata.htm

AALBC.com honors the memory of Sekou Sundiata, who made his transition on Wednesday, July 18, 2007.

Before there was Run-D.M.C., before Grandmaster Flash, before Afrika Bambaataa, rap's true infancy existed with a few black radicals like the Watts Prophets and Gil Scott Heron. For artists such as these, flow, beats, or danceability didn't matter as much as the message did. They were political poets who were more effective with a musical background. Sekou Sundiata picks up this torch and carries it on, years after rap has gone the way of MTV, dance clubs, and innocuous million sellers. �Jaime Vazquez (All Music Guide) 
 

Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma - Reviewed by Thumper
http://reviews.aalbc.com/allah_is_not_obliged.htm

Allah Is Not Obliged is a powerful novel. Only the fact that Kourouma is not an American is the only obstacle preventing me from calling Allah Is Not Obliged the great American Novel. The novel is the complete package: a likable central character, narration that is easy on the eyes and ears, laughter, violence, all wrapped in an overall political statement. Lastly, but most importantly, Allah Is Not Obliged is based in humanity, the many facets of humanity, which makes the novel timeless; thereby, necessary.

Black and Ugly by T. Styles - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/black_and_ugly.htm

Although, I appear to be a little rough on Black and Ugly, I liked the novel. Styles manage to do something that I thought was long dead and buried: she made the antiquated three/four sista-girlfriend format bearable, not fresh just bearable. I appreciate Styles keeping most of the novel true to its urban setting. Most importantly, Styles told a good story. I can read and like any book on any subject, set in any environment IF the story is good. Fortunately, Black and Ugly is a good one.

Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes - Reviewed by Linda Watkins
http://aalbc.com/reviews/casanegra.htm

The expertise of these three unlikely authors shone brilliantly in Casanegra. I saw a lot of Blair Underwood in the writing and I felt Tananarive and Stevens� creativity twisting and turning throughout the whole story. The three voices flowed together seamlessly, for the most part. There were a few spots that disappointed me, but they were so trivial I won�t even clutter your mind. I will tell you that Casanegra is a explosive read. Erotic, funny, and a great glimpse of life in Hollywood . . . if you dare to explore the dark side.

New England White by Stephen L. Carter Reviewed by Kam Williams

Carter, a Professor of Law at Yale University, is also the author of seven nonfiction books, including the very thought-provoking Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby, The Culture of Disbelief, and God's Name in Vain.  With New England White, another whodunit among the copper-toned rich and famous, he has really hit his stride as a novelist, having excised the excess verbiage which some say marked The Emperor of Ocean Park.

Freedom's Journal: The First African-American Newspaper by Jacqueline Bacon - Reviewed by Kam Williams

Freedom's Journal, the first African-American newspaper ever published in the United States, debuted on March 16, 1827. The short-lived periodical was the brainchild of two black men, Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russwurm. The former was a Presbyterian minister who had been born free in Delaware, while the latter was a mulatto, the college-educated son of a white Jamaican plantation owner and one of his servants.

African American History for Dummies by Ronda Racha Penrice - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/aa_history_for_dummies.htm

First, I wondered whether the subject-matter would be presented in a serious and dignified fashion, given the �for Dummies� subtitle. Secondly, I was curious about how comprehensive the text would be, and whether the author would even be able to address most of the significant events in African-American history in a work of just over 400 pages. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, I wanted to get a sense of the opus� point of view, since there's a big difference between talking about memorable milestones from the perspective of the victims of racism and that of the perpetrators...

Color Me Butterfly by L.Y. Marlow - Reviewed by Idrissa Uqdah
http://reviews.aalbc.com/color_me_butterfly.htm

This book spans a 60 year period in the lives of a family of strong African American women who survived domestic abuse one generation after another. Very well written and easy to follow this book is a classic literary gem. Told by the very eloquent third generational daughter, Lydia; it is a tale that will keep the reader turning the pages late into the night touching the heart and giving rise to hope for victims of domestic abuse and admiration for these amazing women. This is a story of mothers and daughters, a story you may never forget.

Business Unusual by Linda F. Beed - Reviewed by Idrissa Uqdah
http://reviews.aalbc.com/business_unusual.htm

Every so often, a self-published book beats the odds and grabs the attention of enough readers to draw an offer from a traditional publisher. I sure hope that this happens for this book. Dr. Linda Beed, an emerging Christian author and veteran educator has recently released her debut novel. Business Unusual is an inspirational contemporary romance that is Christian fiction in it's purest form.

Once Is Never Enough by Margie Gosa Shivers - Reviewed by Idrissa Uqdah
http://aalbc.com/reviews/once_is_never_enough.htm

You will love the twists and turns and the ups and downs of this storyline.  A quick read, the author did a great job of pacing the story and creating characters that were very believable and likeable as well.  Pick up a copy of Once Is Never Enough if you are looking for a good murder mystery with a twist of romance. You won�t be disappointed.

Dog Days for Children's Authors by L. E. Rainey
http://authors.aalbc.com/dog_days_for_childrens_authors.htm

These are grim times for children's authors. Prior to the release of my new children's picture book, Sad Sam, Glad Sam, I tried to enlist the services of an agency that specializes in booking television and radio interviews for authors. When I told the agency representative that I was a children's book author, she politely turned me down stating, �We really don�t have much luck booking interviews for children's authors.� She said the book's message about the important role parents play in teaching children how to cope with the disappointments and frustrations of daily life wasn�t dark enough to garner interest from radio or television producers. She added, jokingly, �If you said it was a book that teaches parents how to keep children from growing up to be serial killers, you might get some attention.�

African Americans Figure Prominently in Presidential Debate by Jamie Walker, Ph.D
http://reviews.aalbc.com/aa_pres.htm

Eight democratic hopefuls vied for their place in the 2008 election during the All-American Presidential Debate. Located on Howard University's campus in Washington, DC. The forum, which was televised live on PBS on Thursday, June 28, 2007, marks the first time in U.S. history that an African American moderator and three journalists of color posed questions to presidential candidates during primetime. �We live in the most multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic America ever,� said Tavis Smiley, the forum's moderator...
 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Film Review by Kam Williams
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/harry_potter_phoenix.htm

The task of adapting the fifth in the best selling series of children's books was entrusted to David Yates, ostensibly on the strength of Sex Traffic, his made-for-TV movie about the global prostitution business which won eight BAFTA Awards in 2005. Here, the gifted British director has more than met the daunting challenge of distilling the essential elements of J.K. Rowling's 870-page fantasy into a coherent and compelling, two-hour cinematic saga.

Sicko - Film Review by Kam Williams

Now, he takes aim at America's healthcare system by contrasting the horror stories of patients mistreated by insurance companies domestically with the relatively-utopian benefits of socialized medicine as enjoyed by citizens of such countries as Canada, France, England and Cuba. Only closed-minded arch-conservatives are likely to reject the case Moore makes for universal healthcare out of hand, for Sicko is undoubtedly the iconoclastic filmmaker's least divisive documentary to date.

Anthony Anderson Transformers Interview with Kam Williams

Anthony Anderson was born in Compton, California on August 15, 1970, and attended the High School for the Performing Arts in L.A. He returned to his hometown after graduating from Howard University to take a shot at showbiz in Hollywood. Since his breakout role opposite the late Aaliyah in Romeo Must Die in 2000, he's enjoyed a meteoric rise courtesy of a string of successful outings which has included such hits as Big Momma's House, Me, myself & Irene, Barbershop, Two Can Play That Game, Scary Movie 3 & 4, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and The Departed, which won the Oscar for Best Picture earlier this year.

Morgan Freeman The Evan Almighty Interview with Kam Williams

Born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, Morgan Freeman is keeping extraordinarily busy for an academy Award-winner who has recently turned 70. The peripatetic septuagenarian has numerous upcoming films on the docket, including the three being released later this year, The Feast of Love, The Last Full Measure, and Gone, Baby, Gone, a murder mystery which will mark Ben Affleck's directorial debut.  Here, he talks a bit about his current flick, Evan Almighty, where he's reprising his role as God.

Transformers Film Review by Kam Williams

Transformers were first brought to the big screen in 1986, but that version was a cartoon which did little more than cash-in on the television show's appeal by serving as a bridge between second and third season. The 2007 edition, by contrast, is a live-action Michael Bay spectacular, and arrives considerably augmented by an array of rather impressive, computer-generated special effects.

SportsCentury Greatest Athletes: Barry Bonds

Sometime this summer, San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds will undoubtedly break baseball's most revered record, namely, Hank Aaron's mark of 755 home runs for a career. However, there's virtually no hoopla surround his assault on history, primarily because of the suspicion that the only reason he has been able to hit so many homers was because he was on an illegal substance that had turned him into an age-defying superhuman.

Born on April 29, 1967, Percy Robert Miller, aka Master P, was the eldest of five children raised in a housing project in New Orleans� Third Ward. On his way to being designated one of America's 40 Richest People under 40 by Fortune Magazine, he got his start in 1994 by selling a self-produced album, �The Ghetto's Tryin to Kill Me,� on his own label, No Limit Records, and right out of the trunk of his car.  Here, he talks about his new movie, Uncle P, which was recently released straight to DVD.

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life
by Tony Dungy
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414318014/ref=nosim/aalbccom-20

Troy's Note: "A truly inspirational story.  Look out for more excellent books from Tyndale House Publishers"

Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach--especially a football coach--to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family? In this inspiring and reflective memoir, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family--and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed. Includes a foreword by Denzel Washington and a 16-page color photo insert.

Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies

Presenting never-before-told, behind-the-scenes histories ranging from influential �80s masterpieces De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising and Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back to �90s classics like the Fugees� The Score and the Beastie Boys� Check Your Head, the book's approach is one that Coleman calls Invisible Liner Notes � retracing the story of an album step by step, in collaboration with the artists themselves. Weighing in at over 500 pages, the 36-chapter book includes lively, in-depth, provocative interviews with 75 artists, DJs, producers and industry insiders.

Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power by Marcus Mabry

Condoleezza Rice is an unprecedented woman. Before becoming the first female African-American secretary of state, she was the first woman to be national security advisor to the president of the United States. And before that, she was the first woman, the first minority, and the youngest person ever to be named provost of Stanford University. Yet for all her ceiling-shattering accomplishments and historic rise to prominence and power, Condi Rice remains enigmatic, even sphinx-like, a major player on the American political scene who has somehow escaped the in-depth personal scrutiny characteristic of contemporary politics.