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African American Literature Book Club - The #1 Site for "Readers of Black Literature" |
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AALBC.com's
Best Selling Books for March and April 2007
| Fiction | Nonfiction | ||||||||
| #1
Publisher: Avon Books Oprah's Book Club selection, a New York Times bestseller, and a BCALA Literary Award winner As a girl growing up in Idlewild, Michigan, Ava Johnson had always heard that, if you were young, black, and had any sense at all, Atlanta was the place to be. So as soon as she was old enough and able enough, that was where she went -- parlaying her smarts and her ambition into one of the hottest hair salons in town. In no time, she was moving with the brothers and sisters who had beautiful clothes, big cars, bigger dreams, and money in the bank. Now, after more than a decade of elegant pleasures and luxe living, Ava has come home, her fabulous career and power plans smashed to bits on one dark truth. Ava Johnson has tested positive for HIV. And she's back in little Idlewild to spend a quiet summer with her widowed sister, Joyce, before moving on to finish her life in San Francisco, the most HIV-friendly place she can imagine. But what she thinks is the end is only the beginning because there's too much going down in her hometown for Ava to ignore. There's the Sewing Circus -- sister Joyce's determined effort to educate Idlewild's young black women about sex, drugs, pregnancy, whatever...despite the interference of the good Reverend Anderson and his most virtuous, "just say no" wife. Plus Joyce needs a helping hand to make a loving home for Imani, an abandoned crack baby whom she's taken into her heart. And then there's Wild Eddie, whose legendary background in violence combined with his Eastern gentility has stirred Ava's interest...and something more. |
#1
ISBN: 0060842423 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. |
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| #2
ISBN: 0446576778 New York Times bestselling author T. D. Jakes pens a powerful tale of a couple's attempt to survive a car accident, a fractured marriage, and the ultimate temptation. After years of disagreeing on what true happiness, success, and love really are, Dave and Clarice Johnson have finally reached a breaking point in their marriage. When Clarice is hurt in a car accident, the obvious truth that more than just her injuries need immediate attention is exposed. Their odds of making it worsen as Clarice begins to see a physical therapist, and Dave develops a friendship with her and her teenage son. The acceptance and comfort he finds in them stirs his longing for a family and a passionate partner. As temptation tugs at Dave and Clarice pulls farther away, they must confront whether their vows are or are NOT EASILY BROKEN.
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#2
ISBN: 0960229477 Written in the 1940's and published in 1957. BLACK FACT: PROOF: |
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| #3
ISBN: 0385336233 Canaan Creek, South Carolina, in the
1950s is a tiny town where the close-knit African-American community is
united by long-term friendships and church ties. Bonnie Wilder has lived
here, on Blackberry Corner, all her life, and would be content but for her
deep desire to have a child. She and her husband Naz cannot conceive, and he
refuses to adopt. Even the support of her outrageous best friend Thora–to
whom Bonnie tells everything–can’t help fill the emptiness inside her. |
#3
Kola Boof's long awaited autobiography "Diary of a Lost Girl" is nothing less than magnificent. Many will be spellbound by more than 90 pages detailing her terrifying experience as Osama Bin Laden's former mistress, but the Sudanese-born Novelist/Poet writes even more profoundly about the hardships of being vaginally circumcised, about witnessing her birth parents killed in her presence as a small child, about slavery and Arabism in Sudan, about being adopted and raised in the U.S. by African Americans, about her quest for true love, and in one particularly daring chapter, about her hopes for the future of her sons. Add to that years of psychiatric treatment, a struggle with manic anger and quite a few daring romances other than Bin Laden and you've got the perfect ingredients for a feature film. Readers will find themselves fascinated as innocent young Naima Bint Harith tragically becomes the vitriolic complicated temptress Kola. A doomed movie starlet, feminist activist and "kept woman"...who ultimately emerges as the loving mother, outspoken novelist/poet and professional cook that we know today as Kola Boof. Throughout the book, Kola speaks in a voice so utterly naked, truthful
and unpretentious that it's impossible not to fall in love with her. |
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| #4
Format: Mass
Market Paperback, 185pp. Phyllisia eventually recognizes that her own selfish pride rather than her mother's death and her father's tyrannical behavior created the gulf between her and her best friend. |
#4
ISBN: 044669293X
In HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD, Joyce Meyer shows you step by step
how to wholly place your trust in God. The reward is a life filled with
meaning, self-awareness, and the knowledge that God's willingness to speak
to you has no limits. In the end, the choice is simple. If you listen, you
will hear. |
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| #5
Paperback: 288 pages
The high priestess of the hood, Nikki Turner, is back with the novel fans
have been feenin’ for: the sequel to her #1 bestselling novel, A Hustler’s
Wife. |
#5
ISBN: 0446531987 In The Confident Woman, Joyce Meyer draws on her decades of experience interacting with and ministering to women. The message in this book is also the result of her personal journey from insecurity and self-hatred to a confidence through which she is realizing her full potential. Through Joyce's classic clarity and practicality, you will learn how to overcome all obstacles to live a bold, victorious life. She explains that true confidence is faith in Christ and comes from being open to learning. She reminds us that "women are a precious gift from God to the world. They are creative, sensitive, compassionate, and talented." Joyce gives women the keys to identifying barriers to confidence, explores the empowerment that comes from preparation, and outlines the steps to independence through dependence on God. She explores the seven characteristics of a woman with confidence, which include a woman who knows she is loved, who refuses to live in fear, and who does not live by comparisons, "if onlys," or "what ifs." An exciting, meaningful, and intentional life awaits every woman as she learns how to live beyond fear and begin living boldly. God is anxious to light the way and supply every need for walking with confidence. |
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| #6
Zane (Editor) ISBN: 0743457013 Zane is back with Gettin' Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles II,
more stories for the legion of readers that made The Sex Chronicles a
bestseller. |
#6
Publisher: Africa
World Press Woodson's 205-page monograph, The Mis-education of tbe Negro, reflects his profound concern for setting the record straight. His thesis, as outlined in his Preface, could well apply today: "The so-called modern education, with all its defects, however, does others so much more good than it does the Negro, because it has been worked out in conformity to the needs of those who have enslaved and oppressed weaker people." He was concerned with the way African American identity had been warped by racist approaches to history and education; he foresaw the ways that such a warped history would be internalized by black students who would never know of the achievements of their forebears, only of their humiliations and sufferings. In the book's eighteen chapters, Woodson presents a systematic critique of the education system and offers a plan for change that would create a system that informs black students about their own history and addresses their unique challenges. The current proliferation of African American studies programs, Afrocentric schools, and multicultural curricula all bear Woodson's stamp. Still, Mis-education remains a biting indictment of a public school system whose promise of education of the masses has still been left sadly unfulfilled. —description from Sacred Fire |
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| #7
Format: Paperback, 352pp. Read an AALBC.com Review of Lookin' for Luv
Kevin left behind a chance at the NBA to coach delinquents, but his
toughest assignment is find a girl who won't make his mama's church group
fall into praying mode. A teacher and a poet, Antoine can make a sister feel
beautiful or want to beat him with a blow dryer. tyrone has talent, a bad
attitude, and a crush on his boss's wife. And Maurice is all that, if that
means rude, arrogant, and dishonest. |
#7
ISBN: 0785265724 One of the most common crises among Christians today is the failure to develop and nourish godly relationships. Sadly, there is little or no distinction between Christians and non-Christians in this area. Most homes today resemble the drive-through window at a fast food joint with family members coming and going but with no real communication taking place. Beyond the home, the corporate church body is fragmented by members unable to agree on what are often minor issues.
For those tired of conforming to the world's model for relationships, Bishop
Eddie L. Long presents the biblical model. What a Man Wants, What a Woman
Needs will enable you to:
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| #8
Zane, Eileen M. Johnson & V. Anthony Rivers Hardcover: 288 pages 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.
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#8
by William Lynch (Author), Kashif Malik Hassan-el (Author)
Paperback: 30 pages "The infamous "Willie Lynch" letter gives both African and Caucasian students and teacher some insight, concerning the brutal and inhumane psychology behind the African slave..." The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave is a study of slave making. It describes the rationale and the results of Anglo Saxon's ideas and methods of insuring the master/slave relationship. |
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| #9
ISBN: 0974789593 Epiphany Wright, Keisha Moore, Shana Scott spend their teenage years as best friends growing up in hood of southside Jamaica Queens. Now as adults their friendship is put to the test when envy, built up animosity, hidden betrayal and the bad boys in their lives causing more havoc come into play, everyday becomes a struggle to keep it tight. With all that's already riding against them when drastic situations occur will these girls be down for one another or just plain Sheisty.
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#9
ISBN: 0933121288 A chronology of the Bible (first published in 1972) is perhaps his most popular work. Originally prepared at the request of a group of Harlem-based ministers, Chronology documents the African origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Dr. Ben traces significant influences, developments, and people that have shaped and provided the foundation for the holy books used in these religions. About the Author |
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| #10
ISBN: 1575669080 Read the AALBC.com Book Review Older sister Jasmine, a postal worker in Richmond, Virginia, is working hard, saving money, and waiting for the right man to walk into her life. And in fine-dressing, smooth-talking attorney Derrick, she thinks she’s found him. Derrick is generous, gorgeous, and oh-so-sexy. But all it takes is some pointed questions from Jasmine’s shrewd granny Big Momma to expose her man as nothing more than a lying, drug-dealing hustler. Refusing to admit she’s been played, Jasmine chooses to remain faithful to Derrick while he’s doing time. That is, until she finds him in a clinch on visiting day with his baby’s momma, Wendy. Derrick’s big mistake with Wendy pushes Jasmine even further toward the arms of good friend—and good man—Dylan. But when yet another baby momma comes into the picture, Jasmine will have to decide whether the right love is worth the complications that come with it… Little sister Stephanie is looking for a good time, not a good man, although she finds both in sweet, loyal Travis. Before she knows it, a one-night fling has turned into a three-year relationship. But then, Malek, Stephanie’s sexy high school sweetheart and the father of her adorable son, swings back into town…and that wild part of her wants another taste of the one that got away. Right in the middle of wedding planning, Stephanie falls into a crazy affair with Malek—one that could destroy the best thing that ever happened to her. Big Momma tries to keep Stephanie’s little family together, but a woman has to take care of her own life…and for Stephanie, part of keeping things real will be learning how to lie in the bed she made for herself. Now that she’s the momma, maybe it’s time to start acting like a grownup… The crazier things get, the more Jasmine and Stephanie realize how much they actually have in common—and how much they have to learn from one another. Because when it comes to sorting out life and love, no sister is perfect, but real sisters are forever… |
#10
ISBN: 0883780305 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. The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of African history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Africa to the Africans themselves, offering instead "a history of blacks that is a history of blacks. Because only from history can we learn what our strengths were and, especially, in what particular aspect we are weak and vulnerable. Our history can then become at once the foundation and guiding light for united efforts in serious[ly] planning what we should be about now." It was part of the evolution of the black revolution that took place in the 1970s, as the focus shifted from politics to matters of the mind.–Sacred Fire |
What
Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
Confessions
of a Video Vixen
Not
Easily Broken
100
Amazing Facts about the Negro with Complete Proof
The
Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner
Diary
of a Lost Girl
The
Friends 
How to Hear From God: Learn to Know His Voice and Make the Right Decisions
Forever a Hustler's Wife: A Novel
The Confident Woman: Start Today Living Boldly and Without Fear
Getting
Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles 2, Vol. 2
The
MIS-Education of the Negro
What A Man Wants, What A Woman Needs The Secret To Successful, Fulfilling
Relationships
Love
Is Never Painless: Three Novellas
The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave
Sheisty
A
Chronology of the Bible : Challenge to the Standard Version
Baby
Momma Drama
Destruction
of Black Civilization : Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D.
AALBC.com generates book sales directly, and through a number of affiliate programs. Our bestsellers list reflects sales generated via Amazon.com. This list ranks book sales from March 1st through April 23rd 2007.
For permission to reproduce this bestseller list, please
contact
troy@aalbc.com
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