"Rozelle Quinn is so fair-skinned that she can pass for white. Her ten children are mostly light, too. Everyone in the small Georgia town in which she lives knows that they have different fathers. She favors her light children, but it is Tangy Mae, the darkest of them all, who is the brightest and the only one desperate to get an education. Even in rural Pakersfield they have heard of the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, though they are in no hurry to comply with it." "Rozelle wants thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae to take over her jobs: days, doing house cleaning for whites; nights, servicing men, white and black, at the "Farmhouse." And Rozelle is not a woman whose commands can lightly be ignored. She is a creature of moods, possessive of all her children, desperate for their love, demanding of utter loyalty and obedience, harshly repressive of any signs of independence. They are the only thing in her life that she can control." The Darkest Child shows us a world misshapen by years of oppression in which family is powerful yet offers little kindness or comfort. It shows us a world in which attitudes of prejudice have been adopted by its victim, and the resulting struggle of those who are darker complected is a struggle not only against outsiders, but against the closest of kin.

"The Honey Well is an amazing book! Being drawn into the story was as easy as falling out of bed. The sweet, poignant, painful and spicy story flowed effortlessly. The novel is the perfect illustration of the depth of Mallette’s talent and skill. I can not WAIT to see what Mallette has up her sleeve for her next book."  Read the rest of this AALBC.com review

About the Author
Yosef-ben-Jochannan (affectionately known as Dr. Ben) is a master teacher with a forceful command of ancient and contemporary history. He uses wit, humor, and common sense to accent history and expose historical distortions. Dr. Ben has taught on the faculty of colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. His most recent assignment was as Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Languages, Al Azhar University (Arab Republic of Egypt). Prior to that, he served as Adjunct Professor of History and Egyptology at Cornell University's Africana Studies Research Center.

ISBN: 0974805114
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: December 2003
Publisher: Lushena Books
 

As Nelson recounts her harrowing four years at The Post - along with her odyssey from a middle-class childhood to near poverty, divorce and single motherhood, flame-out love affairs, and a nervous breakdown - she gives us a scalding expose of the racial, sexual, and corporate politics of one of our most respected newspapers. Volunteer Slavery is a funny, fiercely candid book that names names and takes no prisoners.

Starting from rags to riches, Dutch rise was of his accord. Vowing never to be locked away in prison again he took his rightful place on top with his team in respected positions to initiate murder, mayhem, muscle, matter, as well as mentality!  Bernard James Jr. A.K.A. Dutch wore the crown of the most terrifying force in the streets. Yet, he was "R-E-S-P-E-C-T-E-D" The balance between being loved and feared

Tender and Goldie were taken under wing by Kat, a veteran stripper, who enjoyed the life and the risks she had to take to stay in the mix of the sex trade. Both of these young and beautiful girls had ended up in dire straits and in need of Kat's help in different ways, but ultimately for the same reasons: They lacked the love and support that most of us expect to get at home and in our communities. Where they live, illegal money is often the only money to be made, and the difference between the law and the outlaw is tough to discern. 

The Destruction of Black Civilization took Chancellor Williams sixteen years of research and field study to compile. The book, which was to serve as a reinterpretation of the history of the African race, was intended to be "a general rebellion against the subtle message from even the most 'liberal' white authors (and their Negro disciples): 'You belong to a race of nobodies. You have no worthwhile history to point to with pride.'" The book was written at a time when many black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way their history was taught and the way they were perceived by others and by themselves. They began to question assumptions made about their history and took it upon themselves to create a new body of historical research. The book is premised on the question: "If the Blacks were among the very first builders of civilization and their land the birthplace of civilization, what has happened to them that has left them since then, at the bottom of world society, precisely what happened? The Caucasian answer is simple and well-known: The Blacks have always been at the bottom." Williams instead contends that many elements—nature, imperialism, and stolen legacies— have aided in the destruction of the black civilization.  —description from Sacred Fire

This multi-plotted suspense novel will bring reality far too close to home.

This unique look at health care interprets scriptures of the Bible and adapts and applies the wisdom found there to modern ways of life. These scriptures teach that the prevention of diseases is not in the hands of doctors, but rather in what individuals eat and how they live. Health-minded Americans will learn how to avoid the disease-causing preservatives, growth hormones, and pesticides of the meat and dairy industries that pollute the once-fresh foods that the public consumes. Also included is an in-depth discussion of Satan's influence on the advertising industry and how it is linked to drug, cigarette, and alcohol addictions among the American people.

The acclaimed novel Never Die Alone was penned in 1974 by the late African American cult writer Donald Goines shortly before his death, and was adapted for the screen by James Gibson. One of the most widely acclaimed black authors of his generation, Goines wrote his first two books while incarcerated, and followed those with an astonishing 16 novels written from the time he was released from prison in 1970 until he was shot to death in 1974. Goines sold more than 5 million books in his brief career and has, in the past decade, been re-discovered by legions of hip-hop fans.  He has been called the greatest black American urban novelist since Chester Himes and the French magazine L’Express called him “a flashing talent straight from the street of the lost.” 

 In three mind-jolting essays by one of the most passionate and eloquent voices of his generation, Who's Gonna Take the Weight? by Kevin Powell leads us to the heart of the searing issues facing us today, from manhood, violence, and gender oppression to celebrity culture and hip-hop. Using compelling personal stories as the connecting thread, he examines what this nation has become since the monumental upheavals of the 1960s and where it might be headed if we're not careful.

According to the recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, black males die at a rate fifteen times higher than that of white males because of homicidal violence. The Department estimates that 28 percent of black males will enter state or federal prisons during their lifetime. In response to these devastating statistics, psychologist, educator, and father Raymond Winbush has created The Warrior Method -- a program designed for parents and teachers to help black boys become strong, self-reliant men. Filled with thoughtful reflections on the author's own experiences, the book looks at a male's life through the prism of the four seasons: spring -- conception to four years old; summer -- ages five through twelve; autumn -- ages thirteen through twenty-one; and winter -- age twenty-two and beyond.

Winbush's comprehensive, step-by-step approach draws on such African traditions as the "Birthing Circle" and a "Young Warriors Council" to help boys make important transitions, along with numerous other modern variations on tribal customs that instill the values of self-respect, dignity, and honor.

"A Phat Death (or, the Last Days of Noir Soul) is the latest Nina Halligan novel by Norman Kelley. I have been a fan of Nina Halligan and her creator since I read the first Nina Halligan novel, Black Heat, several years ago. My admiration remains intact with A Phat Death. In Nina's latest adventure, she gets married and finds herself smack dab in the middle of the murder investigation of a popular rapper. A Phat Death is extraordinary. I loved everything about it. Norman Kelley's Nina Halligan series continues to be one of the best written, unheard of mystery/suspense series in print today." Read the rest of an AALBC.com Review

In these critical essays, hooks examines what black males fear most (maternal sadism, loss, emasculation) and probes the depths of their longing for intimacy, for fathers, for meaningful relationships. Highlighting the value of a feminist approach to understanding black masculinity, hooks looks at the way patriarchal thought and action undermine black male self-esteem. With compassion and generosity, bell hooks contends that black men become loving individuals only as they accept full accountability for shaping their destiny. Taking as her starting point powerful writing on black masculinity from the sixties and seventies, bell hooks looks seriously at the problems black males face - both the ones not of their own making and the ones they create for themselves. In ten clear and provocative chapters, hooks offers a thorough examination of issues ranging from the trauma of childhood abandonment, parenting and black male violence, to work, education, sexuality, self-esteem, and spiritual recovery. We Real Cool offers a redemptive vision of black men and masculinity, one that is complex and multi-layered. This is the book that everyone seeking to understand black male identity must read.

In the book of the women…they are dark and light, wide and shapely, thin as reeds…their hair eats the sun and their eyes swallow the moon…these are Black Women…the daughters of the earth's first garden. The mothers of God. These are the stories that remind us where we came from and why we came…stories that make us laugh…make us mad as hell…make us want to cry…make us want to get up and eat. These are our reflections. Our love and dreams, our sexual longing and prayers. Our goodness. Our deep eternal beauty.

A frankly erotic, playfully sexy, and intelligently written guide to a dazzling array of artful, exotic, and commonsense techniques guaranteed to raise the temperature of any relationship. The inviting layout, the numbered tips, and the guidelines for safe sex make it easy and fun for couples to embark upon an amorous adventure--whenever or wherever the spirit moves them.