AALBC.com's Best Selling books for Jul & Aug 2008

AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books - July 1st through August 31st 2008

Also check out the bestselling Fiction and Nonfiction books for all of 2008

Fiction	Nonfiction
#1 Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology Click to order via Amazon by Zane (Editor) ISBN: 1593091656 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: May 06, 2008 Publisher: Strebor Books Zane, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of Erotic Fiction, brings a new collection of lesbian erotica that will blow the sheets off beds everywhere. What happens when "The Finest Man" you have ever laid eyes on is a woman? What happens when a woman comes home to her man after a hard day's work with "Lipstick on Her Collar?" What happens when a married woman runs across the love of her life -- another woman -- who insists that "It's All or Nothing?" Is there such a thing as playing too "Hard to Get?" What happens when "Mom's Night Out" turns into group sex? What happens when you discover your true sexuality "At Last?" All of these questions and more are answered within the pages of Purple Panties. Written by women from all over the world, here is a new level of lesbian erotica, compiled by Zane, that promises the most exciting and steamy reading experience possible. These stories move beyond race, age, and all walks of life, including long-hidden passions, secret rendezvous with strangers, and May-December romances. With Zane's ever-growing popularity, and the need for increasingly quality erotica, Purple Panties will satisfy a long-standing demand for African-American lesbian literature. In the tradition of such successful erotica anthologies as Chocolate Flava and Caramel Flava, Purple Panties uncovers a new world of evocative risk-taking that has never been explored before from a lesbian perspective. The adventures in these stories are beyond everyone's wildest imaginations.	#1 The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream Click to order via Amazon by Barack Obama ISBN: 0307237699 Pub. Date: October 2006 Format: Hardcover, 320pp Publisher: Crown Publishing Group Read an AALBC.com Book Review In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners� minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called "the audacity of hope." Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics -- a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy." He explores those forces -- from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media -- that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment. At the heart of this book is Senator Obama's vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats -- from terrorism to pandemic -- that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy -- where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.
#2 True to the Game III Click to order via Amazon by Teri Woods Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 2, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0446581682 The third and most explosive installment of the groundbreaking True to the Game trilogy will take you on a marathon race through the mean streets of Philly. Starting off where the second installment's dramatic cliffhanger left us, True III will finally reveal Gena's mysterious stalker and savior, as well as introduce a new killer so vicious, so cunning, so ruthless, he'll have you looking over your shoulder with each turn of the page. The crooked cops are searching for the money, Gena's family members are now the target for Gena who's hiding from everything and everyone, as the race is on for Gena's survival. Will she manage to keep the money, can she get out of town and make a new life for herself, and will her family survive the maniacal killer that is hell bent on tracking her down? Will Gena stay, True to the Game?	#2 Confessions of a Video Vixen Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans ISBN: 0060842423 Format: Hardcover, 205pp Pub. Date: June 2005 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Read an AALBC.com Interview with Steffans Glass vases filled with marbles crashed all around us as he began tossing linens from the bed. As the marbles scattered, we laughed in unison ... I remember the exact moment that I first laid on my back for him ... My legs were wrapped around his waist and just before his body was to merge with mine, I noticed his upper right chest. On it was a tattoo with the words "Pain is Love." Confessions of a Video Vixen is the widely anticipated memoir of Karrine Steffans, the once sought-after sexy siren who appeared in the music videos of multiplatinum hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and LL Cool J. A top-paid video dancer, Karrine transitioned to film when acclaimed director F. Gary Gray picked her to costar in his film A Man Apart, starring Vin Diesel. But the movie and music video sets, swanky Miami and New York restaurants, and trysts with the celebrities featured in the pages of People and In Touch magazines only skims the surface of Karrine's life. This memoir -- part tell-all, part cautionary tale -- shows how Karrinne came to be the confidante of so many, why she kept their secrets, and how she found herself in Hollywood after a life marked by physical abuse, rape, and drugs -- all before she was twenty-six. By sharing her emotionally charged story, she hopes to shed light on an otherwise romanticized industry.
#3 An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio Click to order via Amazon by Judith Ortiz Cofer Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1996) Language: English ISBN-10: 014038068X "Dating is not a concept adults in our barrio really get." The contemporary teenage voices are candid, funny, weary, and irreverent in these stories about immigrant kids caught between their Puerto Rican families and the pull and push of the American dream. The young people hang out on the street in front of the tenement El Building in Paterson, New Jersey, where the radios are always turned full blast to the Spanish station and the thin walls can't hold the dramas of the real-life telenovelas. As in her autobiographical adult collection Silent Dancing (1990), Cofer depicts a diverse neighborhood that's warm, vital, and nurturing, and that can be hell if you don't fit in. Some of the best stories are about those who try to leave. Each piece stands alone with its own inner structure, but the stories also gain from each other, and characters reappear in major and minor roles. The teen narrators sometimes sound too articulate, their metaphors overexplained, but no neat resolutions are offered, and the metaphor can get it just right (the people next door "could be either fighting or dancing"). Between the generations, there is tenderness and anger, sometimes shame. In one story, a teenage girl despises the newcomer just arrived from the island, but to her widowed mother, the hick (jibaro) represents all she's homesick for. Raul Colon's glowing cover captures what's best about this collection: the sense of the individual in the pulsing, crowded street. �Hazel Rochman From Booklist Gr. 7-12.	#3 Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love Click to order via Amazon by Zane ISBN: 0743457056 Pub. Date: July 10, 2007 Format: Hardcover, 256pp Publisher: Atria Books Dear G-Spot includes real letters from real people, both women and men, who have sought Zane's advice over the years -- the preacher's wife worrying about being judged, the virgin, the guy next door, the gay man next door, the woman with low self-esteem, and the other woman with a sex drive over the moon. In her own uniquely can-did and humorous way, Zane answers all your questions -- even questions you never thought to ask -- about making whoopee.
#4 Echoes of a Distant Summer Click to order via Amazon by Guy Johnson Format: Hardcover, 584pp. ISBN: 0375505679 Publisher: Random House, Incorporated Pub. Date: August 2002 Edition Desc: 1ST Read an AALBC.com Review Jackson Tremain, a successful and respected urban professional in Oakland, CA, in the early 1980s, is dragged back into a violent world he thought he had left behind when his dying grandfather, the legendary African American mobster King Tremain, summons him to his hideout in Mexico for a final meeting. Jackson learns that control of his grandfather's enormous financial empire will pass to him, but only on the condition that he first settles the score in a family feud stretching back 30 years. Jackson initially resists, but when thugs capture his elegant girlfriend, Elizabeth, he quickly remembers the lethal skills his grandfather taught him years before and swings into action. Johnson's sprawling narrative jumps back and forth from the 1950s to the 1980s, providing a capsule history of postwar Oakland. Partly an African American version of The Godfather, with a similar body count, this sequel achieves the high standard of page-turning readability as the first volume in the saga, Standing at the Scratch Line. For all public libraries. Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.	#4 Satan, I'm Taking Back My Health! Click to order via Amazo by Jawanza Kunjufu ISBN: 0913543675 Format: Paperback, 200pp Pub. Date: March 2000 Publisher: African American Images 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.
#5 Love Is Never Painless: Three Novellas Click to order via Amazon Zane, Eileen M. Johnson & V. Anthony Rivers Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Atria; 3 Books in 1 edition (November 14, 2006) Language: English ISBN: 0743498623 Truer words have never been spoken. This heart-wrenching collection of novellas brings that statement to life in three unique ways, penned by three of the generation's most prolific authors. In Eileen M. Johnson's "How the Other Half Lives," Jamellah and Fernecia have been friends since forever. Having escaped the poverty of their youth together, they both had made their mark in society. However, men problems threaten to make them literally fall apart. Fernecia is married to a man who was raised to think he is better than everyone -- even his own wife. Jamellah has always used men to get ahead but eventually everything catches up to her. The two friends must ultimately count on each other in a world of havoc and distrust. In V. Anthony Rivers' "Love Is 2 Blame," Malcolm is devastated after a two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends. He finds it difficult to function because he cannot comprehend why she would want to end such a perfect situation. He was everything she had asked for; he treated her with respect and showered her with love. Yet love was not enough. Trying to move on to someone new will not be as easy as it used to be, but will the lovely Zahara show Malcolm what true love is all about? In Zane's "Staring Evil in the Face," Robier has everything a man could ever wish for: a stable and rewarding career, two beautiful children, an elegant home, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows until . . . Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives. From nervous breakdowns to drug addiction, Love Is Never Painless explores the deeper side of love; the side rarely explored in romance novels. Zane, Johnson, and Rivers have penned a powerful collection of novellas that will not only have readers talking but also examining their own relationships with a new perspective.	#5 Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny Click to order via Amazon by Hill Harper ISBN: 1592402003 Format: Hardcover, 192pp Pub. Date: April 2006 Publisher: Penguin Group Voted One of the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2006 Read an AALBC.com Book Review �Young men today have been bombarded with images of wealth and success that tell them that buying the hottest car or the most bling-blingin� jewelry is what they should be motivated by. There is an overwhelming sales pitch targeted at these young men that subliminally suggests that material goods are what makes them real men. I want young men to have knowledge of the things that bring them true empowerment: education, a strong sense of purpose, compassion, confidence, and humility, to name a few. It is no accident that I graduated from Brown University magna cum laude and received graduate degrees with honors from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government. My family taught me that doing my best, educating myself, and being in service to others were not optional and that having values and being truthful were not negotiable. I am living proof that these principles work. Through the letters in this book, I wish to pass on to other young men my grandfathers� legacies of education, hard work, determination, and success.�
#6 The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth Click to order via Amazon by Zane Format: Paperback, 2nd ed., 304pp. ISBN: 0967460182 Publisher: Strebor Books International, LLC Pub. Date: February 2001 After more than two years of entertaining tens of thousands of loyal readers on the Internet with her vivid imagination, a large collection of Zane's erotica is finally available in a published format. Zane has captivated the minds of both sexes and all races. She has completely shattered the myth that men are more sexual in nature than women and that African-American women in particular are inhibited compared to their female counterparts of other races. The erotica collection is divided into three sections: Wild, Wilder and Off Da Damn Hook. Her characters run the gamut from the sensual housewife that wants her husband to experiment more to the secret underground sorority of women that let it all hang out literally.	#6 The Vixen Diaries Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Grand Central Pub. Date: (Sept. 25, 2007) ISBN-10: 0446582263 Watch a video of Karrine Steffans with AALBC.com founder. Also read Karrine's interview with Kam Williams This titillating expos� chronicles the personal and professional adventures of this tabloid-laden socialite, dispelling some rumors, while confirming others. Diaries unveils the heavily shrouded Hollywood backrooms and its coveted secrets. Offering her ardent fans answers to burning questions and presenting lessons learned, this book will surely not disappoint. Karrine Steffans continues to dish out juicy gossip and the much sought after details of her star studded lifestyle and the celebrity men that helped her get where she needed to be. Karrine draws you in to get an up-close and personal look at the Hollywood life of fast money and sex; all the things that make for a great movie. She discusses her interactions with people after the release of Confessions of a Video Vixen and how she copes with it all.
#7 Addicted Click to order via Amazon by Zane Paperback, 336pp. ISBN: 0743442849 Publisher: Pocket Pub. Date: October 2001 Addicted is the story of Zoe, an African-American female arts dealer. It traces her life from the time she first meets her husband, Jason, in the fifth grade, falls in love with him over a game of Twister in the eighth grade, loses her virginity to him in high school and eventually marries him. Everything seems perfect in Zoe's life to her friends and family as she secretly deals with serious problems in her marriage. After failing to get Jason to open up to her sexually, Zoe becomes involved in not one, not two but three extramarital affairs. By the time she seeks the aid of a prominent female African-American therapist, the walls of her picture perfect life have already started to crumble. The book shifts into high gear as Zoe finds out that everyone from her lovers to her husband to her own mother are hiding secrets of their own. Her best friend, Brina, is physically abused by her alcoholic boyfriend, Dempsey. Zoe discovers under hypnosis that her fascination with sex stems from two incidents in her early childhood she had buried deeply into the crevices of her mind. She is stalked and attacked. The book comes to a head on a cold, dark mountain following a trail of murders and the true murderer is anyone's guess. Addicted does for women what Fatal Attraction did for men. It will make a woman think twice before risking it all.	#7 Adam! Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don't Go to Church Click to order via Amazon by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu with foreword by Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. ISBN: 0913543438 Number Of Pages: 203 Publication Date: June 01, 1997 Publisher: African American Images Addresses the question of why the church is 75 percent female and offers ways to bring black men back to God.
#8 Succulent: Chocolate Flava II (Hardcover) Click to order via Amazon by Zane (Editor) Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Atria (February 5, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1416548831 Succulent: Chocolate Flava II is a collection of buck-wild and choco-holic erotica presented in a series of mind-blowing tales handpicked by Zane that also includes three original stories by the queen of erotica herself. Succulent features twenty-seven tantalizing short stories to tease and please both him and her. For couples who want to heat things up or for singles who want to spark a fire, there are stories written especially for women, and others are penned expressly for men. From a psychic aficionado who finds more than tarot cards to spread or a m�nage � trois with a fifty-year-old woman, her husband, and his new girlfriend, to a lucky bachelor who finds himself with plenty of sexy presents on Christmas -- from a promiscuous mother and daughter -- the authors in this anthology take risks, pushing the envelope as they explore unique situations sure to set fire to your fantasies. These sensual stories turn Zane on and are sure to turn you on, too.	#8 Motivating and Preparing Black Youth for Success Click to order via Amazon by Jawanza Kunjufu ISBN: 0913543020 Format: Paperback, 74pp Pub. Date: March 1987 Publisher: African American Images Asks and answers the questions how can we reduce the dropout rate? Why does the motivation to learn decline as the age increases for most youth? Are we training or educating students? How can we identify and develop their talents? Read this very interesting book for some startling answers!
#9 True to the Game II Click to order via Amazon by Teri Woods Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 1, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0446581666 This is the sequel to Teri's amazing first novel True to the Game. Fans have been awaiting this story for over five years. TRUE TO THE GAME II will pick up where True to the Game left off-- with one difference, Gena is now seeing a new guy named Jay. Little does Gena know that the man she has fallen in love with, so soon after Quadir's death, is his archrival, Jerrell Jackson. Unfortunately, Jerrell is determined to get his revenge against Quadir's crew and he'll start with Gena.	#9 Age Ain't Nothing but a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife Click to order via Amazon Carleen Brice Editor & Contributor Paperback: 252 pages Publisher: Beacon Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0807028231 Stereotypical images have portrayed black women as sexual objects in their youths and as nannies as they age. This collection of essays, fiction, and poems offers a variety of perspectives on black women in middle age (from their late 30s through their 50s) celebrating newfound freedom from pressure and the expectations placed on younger women. The 43 contributors, famous and obscure, include Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, Susan L. Taylor, Rita Dove, Terry McMillan, Gloria Naylor, Maya Angelou, and Pearl Cleage. These women explore the transition into middle age-- the emotional, psychological, professional, and physical changes--from career switches to widowhood to accepting childlessless. Sober essays warn of the rising incidences of sexually transmitted disease among the aging and the facts about the approach and onset of menopause. Poems and short stories evoke the renewed sense of self and sensuality in some women as they age. The collection is arranged in four sections: personal growth, health issues, relationships, and love. �Vanessa Bush, Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved
#10 Honey Flava Click to order via Amazon by Zane Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Atria (May 27, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1416548858 ISBN-13: 978-1416548850 Honey Flava features an erotic feast of short stories with enough Asian flava to ignite fireworks. With an African American and Asian mix of sexy characters, Zane picks the most clever and bold male and female writers to deliver a collection like no other. Stories like Geisha Girl and Pins and Needles give tea and acupuncture a whole new meaning, and the word "Master" is a term of endearment in The Meaning of Zhuren. In tantalizing portraits of some of the hottest -- and sweetest -- scenes you'll ever want to experience, Honey Flava will take you to a sensual paradise of no return. Zane delivers a new and special taste, proving that passion and sensuality have truly universal meaning.	#10 Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust: Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism Click to order via Amazon by John Henrik Clarke ISBN: 1886433186 Format: Paperback, 128pp Pub. Date: August 2002 Publisher: A & B Distributors
#11 - True to the Game by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #12 - Dutch II: Angel's Revenge (Dutch Trilogy) by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #13 - Gettin' Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles II (Zane Does Incredible, Erotic Things) by Zane Order via Amazon #14 - Blackgentlemen.com by Zane Click to order via Amazon #15 - Nervous: A Novel by Zane Click to order via Amazon #16 - Teri Woods presents Angel Click to order via Amazon by Teri Woods #17 - Bitch by Deja King Click to order via Amazon #18 - Bitch Reloaded (Triple Crown Publications Presents) by Deja King Click to order via Amazon #19 - Deadly Reigns II by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #20 - Every Thug Needs A Lady by Wahida Clark Click to order via Amazon #21 - Something On the Side by Carl Weber Click to order via Amazon #22 - The Heat Seekers by Zane Click to order via Amazon #23 - B-More Careful by Shannon Holmes Click to order via Amazon #24 - Bad Girlz 4 Life by Shannon Holmes Click to order via Amazon #25 - Deadly Reigns by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon	#11 - Ditchdigger's Daughter: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story by Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D. as told to Jo Coudert Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Book Review #12 - Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny by Hill Harper Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Book Review #13 - Why African-Americans Can't Get Ahead: And How We Can Solve It with Group Economics by Gwen Richardson Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Book Review #14 - Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin by Herb Boyd Click to order via Amazon #15 - Black Students / Middle Class Teachers by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu Click to order via Amazon #16 - Brothers and Keepers: A Memoir by John Edgar Wideman Click to order via Amazon #17 - Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu Click to order via Amazon #18 - Destruction of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D. by Chancellor Williams Click to order via Amazon #19 - Five Negro Presidents by Joel Augustus Rogers Click to order via Amazon #20 - Hiding In Hip Hop - On The Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood by Terrance Dean Click to order via Amazon #21 - Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History by Thomas Norman DeWolf Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Review #22- Never Satisfied: How & Why Men Cheat by Michael Baisden Click to order via Amazon #23 - Oh God!: A Black Woman's Guide to Sex and Spirituality by Dr. Susan Newman Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Review #24 - One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth by Iyanla Vanzant Click to order via Amazon #25 - Sex and Race: A History of White, Negro, and Indian Miscegenation in the Two Americas: The New World by Joel Augustus Rogers Click to order via Amazon

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