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African American Literature Book Club - The #1 Site for "Readers of Black Literature" |
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Francis Bok, Edward Tivnan
ISBN: 0312306237 In this groundbreaking modern slave narrative, Francis Bok shares his remarkable story with grace, honesty, and a wisdom gained from surviving ten years in captivity. May, 1986: Selling his mother's eggs and peanuts near his village in southern Sudan, seven year old Francis Bok's life was shattered when Arab raiders on horseback, armed with rifles and long knives, burst into the quiet marketplace, murdering men and women and gathering the young children into a group. Strapped to horses and donkeys, Francis and others were taken north, into lives of slavery under wealthy Muslim farmers. For ten years, Francis lived alone in a shed near the goats and cattle that were his responsibility. Fed with scraps from the table, slowly learning bits of an unfamiliar language and religion, the boy had almost no human contact other than his captor's family. After two failed attempts to escape-each bringing severe beatings and death threats-Francis finally escaped at age seventeen, a dramatic breakaway on foot that was his final chance. Yet his slavery did not end there, for even as he made his way toward the capital city of Khartoum, others sought to deprive him of his freedom. Determined to avoid that fate and discover what had happened to his family on that terrible day in 1986, the teenager persevered through prison and refugee camps for three more years, winning the attention of United Nations officials and being granted passage to America.
Now a student and an anti-slavery activist, Francis Bok has made it his life
mission to combat world slavery. His is the first voice to speak for an
estimated twenty seven million people held against their will in nearly every
nation, including our own. Escape from Slavery is at once a riveting adventure,
a story of desperation and triumph, and a window revealing a world that few have
survived to tell.
by Maryann Reid ISBN: 031231437X The fabulously fine, Farah Washington first appeared in Sex and the Single Sister. A junior correspondent to NBC News, she has always taken the fast track to love and success. Now she's determined to climb to the top of the media ladder, and she's willing to use every weapon in her considerable arsenal to do so. Then Farah meets Lenox Whitworth, a powerful, oh-so-fine lawyer who steps in to negotiate the station's contracts. But what he sees in her is the kind of sophisticated woman he needs and wants on his arm, in his life and in his bed. And Farah, sensing a prime opportunity, allows this powerful, handsome brother, to truly introduce her to the wicked indulgences of the rich and glamorous as he influences her career behind the scenes. They both believe that they've got a handle on a good thing, but they're both about to realize that they've met their match in each other. Filled with love, sex, drama and glamour, Farah and Lenox take you on a wild ride.
by J. D. Mason ISBN: 0312301545 Read an AALBC.com review by Thumper
Ever since he was fifteen, John King has been on the run from the ghosts of his past, always drifting, never settling down in one place or with one woman, though more than one has certainly made the offer of forever-after. But every time his memories of life back in Texas start to haunt him too deeply into the night, John realizes that it's time to move on. That is, until he rolls into Denver, Colorado, grooving to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It on," and meets Connie Rodgers, a woman who grew up on the mean streets and has the pain and the battle scars to prove it. And yet, she inspires him to think "If indeed there were a home for the perfect kiss, it would be on her lips." John is reluctant to admit that here is a woman who just may understand his very soul, even if she does have some baggage of her own. But both must face their pasts if they ever hope to be free to live and love. Filled with completely unforgettable characters, One Day I Saw a Black King is a stunningly powerful story that explores the power of the past over the present, the search for love and belonging and the healing gift of an extraordinary love.
ISBN: 0312240473 Watching contemporary American dance is a unique and electrifying experience. Swept along with the dancers, one wonders how the unorthodox movement and unexpected tempo came about. To provide at least one answer to this question, Brenda Dixon Gottschild charts a "geography" that maps a unique, yet startlingly ubiquitous, region of influence in the history of American dance: the black dancing body. The author invites the reader on a journey of sorts and says, "The black dancing body (a fiction based on reality, a fact based upon illusion) has infiltrated and informed the shapes and changes of the American dancing body." Using interviews with black, white, and brown dance practitioners as well as performance analysis and personal recollections of her own life in the world of dance, Brenda Dixon Gottschild charts the endeavors, ordeals, and triumphs of "black" dance and dancers by exposing perceptions, images, and assumptions, past and present. In her journey to discover the contours and importance of the black dancing body, the author has spoken to some of the greatest dancers and choreographers of our time - Fernando Bujones, Trisha Brown, Garth Fagan, Bill T. Jones, Ralph Lemon, Meredith Monk, Merian Soto, Doug Elkins, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and a cadre of their esteemed colleagues. The "embattled territories" of the black dancing body are probed chapter by chapter: feet, buttocks, hair, skin color. The whole of the black dancing body is "re-membered" in the final chapters on soul and spirit. The Black Dancing Body is a key to the ineffable rhythms and movement of dance in America.
ISBN: 0312286872
When a corporate diva Janeen Hampton-Gilliam meets the kind of dream man that'll
make most women want to trade theirs in, her struggling marriage with a
philandering husband gets even harder to maintain. Throw in trouble at work and
a novel that tells the deepest secrets of her youth, and Janeen has more on her
plate than she can handle.
ISBN: 0312320485 "Marti MacAlister, Eleanor Taylor Bland's popular African American heroine, is forced to confront some extremely personal demons from long ago - her husband, Johnny MacAlister, is long buried, but now someone from Johnny's past is back, looking for him, and Marti fears she knows who it might be." "In the meantime, her work as a suburban Chicago homicide detective has taken her back in time in another way, to a group of children she once counseled, each now four years older and with four more years' worth of problems. There's LaShawna, now seventeen and with her own four-year-old daughter; Padgett, all grown up at twelve but still living with his alcoholic mother; and then Jose, fifteen, who's in the most trouble of them all. He's been accused of murder, but the Jose whom Marti remembers could not have committed such a terrible crime. Her first step is to find out what could have happened in the past four years to lead Jose to such a desperate act, and she hopes her second step will be to prove his innocence." It won't be easy, though; just what's going on with this tight group of kids, and how does it relate to the increasingly foreboding sense of doom Marti gets about the mystery man who's nosing around the remnants of her distant past? She's not sure, but she knows she must figure it all out, and soon, before another of the children, or even Marti herself, falls into grave danger.
by Donna Hill and Francis Ray ISBN: 0312321953 Tis the season to be merry and the Morrison family are about to have their lives turned upside down. Denise has always been the faithful wife and dutiful mother. As a matter of fact, it seems that is all she has been in the twenty-plus years she and her husband, Edward have been married. But the kids are grown and out of the house and now she's ready to live a few dreams of her own. Edward, however, would like to keep things just the way they are and Denise realizes that if she doesn't do something drastic, then all she will ever be is a mother and a wife. So when she drops the bomb at Thanksgiving dinner that she is leaving their father and selling the house, everyone is stunned to say the least. And her announcement opens the door to Morrison Family Dysfunction 101. Edward is now living with his crazy aunt Etta and uncle Eddie, who's sex life is more active than his own; their daughter, Christine has moved back home because she suspects her husband is cheating on her; and their son, Anthony is simply dazed and confused. And in the midst of it all, Edward hatches a plan to get his wife back--no matter what. Not only does he plan to be back in their home and back in their bed, but come Christmas he and Denise will be Rockin' Around that Christmas Tree.
ISBN: 0312300972 When Marti MacAlister and her partner Matthew "Vik" Jessenovik respond to a report of skeletal remains found on a wooded piece of land, the pair has no idea it's just the first indication of a convoluted case of murder and conspiracy dating back hundreds of years. The skeleton turns out to be quite a mystery in itself, leading Native American groups and historians specializing in the Underground Railroad to flock to the site. Unfortunately for all involved, the violence associated with the area is not confined to the distant past, and soon reports of mysterious accidents and suspicious deaths are coming in faster than Marti would like. A small contingent of locals even swears the land is haunted by a ghost intent on exacting a vicious revenge for some unknown grievance. Marti knows there must be a more traditional explanation, and it's her job to find out what it is. Eleanor Taylor Bland is at the top of her form in this taut, well-researched, suspenseful entry in her award-winning Marti MacAlister series.
by Donna Hill ISBN: 0312281935 Rayne Holland is a woman who appears to have it all: a handsome, successful husband, a beautiful five-year-old daughter, and a rapidly rising film career. What everyone doesn't realize is that behind closed doors, the picture is not so perfect. And in the recesses of Rayne's mind she harbors a dark past that even she is unaware of. Then tragedy strikes and Rayne slowly discovers that the story of her life is just beginning and nothing and no one are as they seem... Gayle has been Rayne's best friend for years and always secretly wished that her life was more like Rayne's, from Rayne's wonderful husband to her burgeoning success. Gayle had been the one to introduce Paul to Rayne and a small part of her still regretted the day. Although Gayle married a good man and has a good life, she can't help feeling that the grass may be greener on the other side. Out of a deep sense of guilt, Gayle tries to help Rayne along the road to recovery, even at the expense of her own marriage . . . Pauline, Rayne's psychologist, found herself drawn to the lovely woman from the moment they met. For in Rayne, she sees parts of herself, disturbing similarities and secret pains. Faced with the most daunting case of her career, Pauline must walk the thin line of medical ethics knowing that if she saves Rayne, she may lose everything but if she takes the risk she may save herself as well and unlock the secrets that would free them all. Told with Donna Hill's grace, wit and uncompromising honesty, this novel explores the strength, passion, hope and healing of three extraordinary women.
by J.D. Mason Format: paperback, 288 pages An emotionally powerful story about the friendship of four different women, the lessons they learn about each other and about themselves. Ruth Johnson has finally left her abusive husband of fourteen years and jumped feet first into "What the hell do I do now?" oblivion. Into her life comes the feisty, outspoken Bernice a.k.a. "Bernie," sweet Southern belle, May and the older, wiser, and gentler Clara. Four very different women, with four different stories to tell, come together under the sometimes tenuous, but always unbreakable bond of friendship. Life is just getting interesting, but if they hold onto each other, they just might make it. "The first thing I have to say is, 'Buy this book!' It's an absolute necessity."—The Nubian Chronicles "Mason's book weaves an incredible tale of a Black woman's. . .journey to empowerment, freedom and the hope of love once again."—The Urban Spectrum
by Richard Dry Format: paperback, 464 pages "Fans of Richard Wright or Alice Walker will find that Leaving is woven from familiar thread...Remarkable."--San Diego Union Tribune Leaving is one of the most powerful and assured debut novels of the year: an epic story of three generations of an African-American family, as it struggles to find a home in the embattled streets of urban America. In the words of National Book Award finalist Madison Smartt Bell, author Richard Dry "has captured the African-American story from slavery time to the present, both in its panoramic scope and in its immediate and human detail." "Starkly poetic, raw and intensely moving."—The Baltimore Sun "Brilliantly and beautifully written."—Booklist (starred review) "A well-crafted, haunting debut novel."—The Washington Post "An affecting story.”—The Boston Globe
by Francis Ray Format: paperback, 368 pages From Essence and Blackboard best-selling author Francis Ray comes a novel about a man's struggle to come to grips with his violent past in order to find love in the present. Rafe still carries the physical and emotional scars of the abuse he suffered at his father's hands growing up. He has cut himself off from everyone who loves him and friends are a luxury he doesn't think he can afford. After all he is his father's son and it is only a matter of time before the violence he fears lurks beneath the surface, spills over. Then Kirsten Wakefield steps into his life and for the first time he finds himself longing to open his heart to someone. That is until he gets word that his father is dying and wants him to come back home. Old wounds are reopened and Rafe doesn't know if love is enough to make him whole again. Somebody's Knocking at My Door is a poignant and unforgettable sequel to The Turning Point that will speak to every reader's heart.
by Solomon Jones Format: Hardcover, 320 pages From the author of Pipe Dreams comes a new novel about Detective Kevin Lynch who returns to his childhood home—The Bridge—to investigate the disappearance of a ten-year-old girl When Detective Kevin Lynch gets an early morning call from one of his childhood friends to tell him that her daughter has gone missing, he realizes that he must return to his old stomping grounds, an infamous housing project called The Bridge. There he begins to unravel secrets of the family and friends in young Kenya's life and uncovers hidden truths far more sinister than he ever imagined...and he, too, is forced to face some dark secrets from his past as well.
by L.A. Banks Format: paperback, 288 pages One woman is all that stands between humankind and the eternal night in the first book in an exciting new series. All Damali Richards ever dreamed about was creating music and bringing it to the people. She has fulfilled this dream—at least during the day. Come nightfall, Damali hunts vampires and other night demons that most people dismiss as myth or fantasy. Now a group of rogue vampires are on the rampage with the most powerful vampire Damali has ever encountered running the show—and it is Damali that he is after. Along with other dark forces, he pulls Damali deeper into the vast and horrifying vampire underworld.
L. A. Banks
ISBN: 0312316836 There is a vampire war brewing in the underworld and at the center of it all is Damali Richards, spoken word artist and Vampire Huntress. But she is not just any Vampire Huntress, she is the millenium Neteru. A woman so potentially powerful that the vampire world is about to invoke a bloody battle that threatens to spill over onto her streets in order to posses her. It's just a matter of who will get to her first. Fallon Nuit, a rogue vampire, is one of the most powerful Damali has ever encountered and he has allied himself with the deadly Amanrath demons in order to claim her. But the Vampire Council has plans for her as well. And now an unlikely variable has entered into the equation, an ex-lover now turned vampire with an agenda of his own. And she must risk trusting him once more if they are to survive.
by Darnella Ford Format: paperback, 224 pages Set in wealthy community in Northern Michigan, Rising reveals the story of nine-year-old Symone who is mysteriously adopted by the Hustons--"a shameless family with a house at the top of the hill"--after her mother dies of a drug overdose. And though Symone is all too happy to leave the Dorchester projects behind, she can't help but wonder why this rich white couple has come to the ghetto to adopt "a black girl who looked white"? Soon Symone discovers that the Hustons aren't her saviors, but instead have delivered her into another kind of hell. Years later, she escapes only to return again, realizing that she must face the demons of her past if she has any hope of surviving the future. An evocative new voice in women's fiction, Ford has created characters that are tough, sassy, wounded, deeply disturbed and utterly compelling. Here is a story that is both undeniably potent and completely unforgettable.
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Escape from
Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity - and My Journey to Freedom
in America
The
Windy
City Dying (Marti MacAlister Mystery Series)
Rockin' Around That Christmas Tree: A Holiday Novel
Fatal Remains 
In My Bedroom
The 
The Awakening (A
Vampire Huntress Legend Series #2)
Rising
Autumn Leaves
A Lawyer's Life
Savvy Sistahs
Rendezvous Eighteenth
Trouble Don't Last Always