Best of
African-American-Literature

2017

Brick


Natavia - 2017
    What would you do if a man fell out of the sky and landed on your car? Midas aka, Brick is a young soldier from another world called, Vada which exists in the clouds. While in the middle of a war, he falls out of the sky. What happens when he lands on a beautiful woman’s car? Nabila is a twenty-three-year-old college graduate working as a secretary in a small law firm. One night while walking to her car, a strikingly handsome giant lands on her car. Brick must not reveal his true identity to human mankind, per Vada law he's left with a hard decision, killing the human who saw him. Would he spare the human’s life or would he use her to escape Vada? Love hasn’t always been on Nabila’s side. After a three-year relationship, she was left broken hearted. She made a wish on a fallen star. Was the wish more than what she bargained for? This is a passionate paranormal love story between a human and a creature from the sky. Is it possible for them to fall in love, or do they only seek solace in each other’s company? With secrets revealed, and passionate loving. Will the two overcome their differences, or will Brick’s past poison him and turn his heart to brick for eternity?

Abuse of Discretion (Dre Thomas #3)


Pamela Samuels Young - 2017
    When his adolescent curiosity gets the best of him, Graylin finds himself embroiled in a sexting scandal that threatens to ruin his life. Jenny Ungerman, the attorney hired to defend Graylin, is smart, confident and committed. She isn’t thrilled, however, when ex-prosecutor Angela Evans joins Graylin’s defense team. The two women instantly butt heads. Can they put aside their differences long enough to ensure Graylin gets justice? Unbeknownst to Angela, her boyfriend Dre is wrestling with his own drama. Someone from his past wants him dead. For Dre, his response is simple—kill or be killed. READ AN EXCERPT! Chapter 1 Graylin “What’s the matter, Mrs. Singletary? Why do I have to go to the principal’s office?” I’m walking side-by-side down the hallway with my second-period teacher. Students are huddled together staring and pointing at us like we’re zoo animals. When a teacher at Marcus Preparatory Academy escorts you to the principal’s office, it’s a big deal. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I’m a good student. I never get in trouble. Mrs. Singletary won’t answer my questions or even look at me. I hope she knows she’s only making me more nervous. “Mrs. Singletary, please tell me what’s wrong?” “Just follow me. You’ll find out in a minute.” I’m about to ask her another question when it hits me. Something happened to my mama! My mama has been on and off drugs for as long as I can remember. I haven’t seen her in months and I don’t even know where she lives. No one does. I act like it doesn’t bother me, but it does. I’ve prayed to God a million times to get her off drugs. Even though my granny says God answers prayers, He hasn’t answered mine, so I stopped asking. I jump in front of my teacher, forcing her to stop. “Was there a death in my family, Mrs. Singletary? Did something happen to my mama?” “No, there wasn’t a death.” She swerves around me and keeps going. I have to take giant steps to keep up with her. Once we’re inside the main office, Mrs. Singletary points at a wooden chair outside Principal Keller’s office. “Have a seat and don’t move.” She goes into the principal’s office and closes the door. My head begins to throb like somebody’s banging on it from the inside. I close my eyes and try to calm down. I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s probably just—Oh snap! The picture! I slide down in the chair and pull my iPhone from my right pocket. My hands are trembling so bad I have to concentrate to keep from dropping it. I open the photos app and delete the last picture on my camera roll. If anyone saw that picture, I’d be screwed. Loud voices seep through the closed door. I lean forward, straining to hear. It almost sounds like Mrs. Singletary and Principal Keller are arguing. “It’s only an allegation. We don’t even know if it’s true.” “I don’t care. We have to follow protocol.

Don't Cry, Cheat Back


Linette King - 2017
    Sometimes when it happens, we ask ourselves why our significant other cheated on us. Sometimes we sit around mad at the world until we make up. Sometimes we realize enough is enough and send them packing on their merry little way, but not Tiffany Bevier. After finding out that her long term boyfriend James, cheated on her again for the umpteenth time, she decides to go out and have a little fun herself. What started off as innocent fun turns out to be her cheating on him just like he was cheating on her. Tiffany was tired of crying so she decided to cheat back

The Fist That Bound Me: A Stand Alone Novel


Trinity Dekane - 2017
    When Greg's abuse damn near kills Jade her sisters Corrina and Telissa step in and remove her from the home. As Jade deals with her hurtful past and her current abusive relationship she is introduced to a new way of life and new friends. She seems to adjust well to her new environment, but when the past starts to reel its ugly head Jade fights to stand her ground. Will she follow her heart and move forward or will she be snatched back into the depths of hell!

Deacon Brown's Daughters


Michelle Stimpson - 2017
    Now he’s God’s man, and he’s got a lot of cleaning up to do. But where does an absentee father start in the quest to get to know the children he abandoned? Will they give him a chance to make up for lost time? Stanley has missed out on his chance with his son. But his three daughters, Yolanda, Kim, and Sabrina, are in for a surprise when their long lost father comes strolling back into their lives. Stanley’s presence is met with three different responses, not to mention the reactions from his children’s mothers. Stanley is doing his best to win the girls’ hearts, but how many times can one man apologize before giving up again? Bestselling author duo CaSandra McLaughlin and Michelle Stimpson had their editor crying with this one! Join this journey of life, love, and forgiveness as Stanley and his daughters walk through touch territory in a storyline that rings true for so many people. Grow with Stanley and his daughters as they all grow to know the Best Father ever!

Baby Momma


Tosha Damaya - 2017
    He has everything going for himself but as time progresses, he realizes that he's missing one thing -- a family of his own. He doesn't have a wife or a long-term girlfriend and after many failed relationships, he's giving up on the traditional process of bringing a child into the world. He instead asks his best friend to have his baby. Sydney Adams cherishes her relationship with Zeke. Being friends for only two years, she can't imagine her life without him. In fact, she would do anything for him but is taken aback when he wants them to have a baby together. Will she accept his proposal? If so, is there friendship strong enough to make it through the process of making a child and raising it together? Or will it be the one situation that ends their bond?

A Good Thing


She Nell - 2017
    Chantel is an average girl not searching for a knight in shining armor just looking for a peaceful nights of rest. She is desperate to get away from the abuser that has plagued her life since they were children. A force that is so strong she finds it too hard to get up each morning. Bryant the new Young Adult minster has a questionable relationship with the music minster Lorenz. Bryant and the colorful Lorenz have been best friends since childhood. Bryant has moved back home to help his friend deal with a painful secret and to start a new out of the box ministry. Bryant also is seeking a mate made just for him. Bryant struggles with church rumors that may cost him the very desires of his heart. Within this mixed up membership of Christ Love Fellowship church the message of God gets lost in rumors and emotions. Will Bryant follow his heart and find his mate? Will depression overtake Chantel? Find out as a new definition of a good thing is explored.

A Good Thing 2: If I Be Lifted Up


She Nell - 2017
    Bryant must guard his spirit from forces within and outside of the church. A mystery woman steps in and causes the deacons to question Bryant's character and leadership while his wife is missing. Bryant and his new bride are faced with challenges that only God can guide them through... or can He? While faced with the promise land and the promise of man Kingdavid must decide which path to choose. Which way the spirit will lead him is a mystery. He is adored by women and men all over the town. But will money be enough to carry him away from his calling? This time the members and leadership of Christ Love Fellowship will be challenged to do more than talk about loving Christ. It's time for action!

The Patriarch


Brandon Massey - 2017
     A successful crime writer, for his entire life Daniel has suspected there was something different about him. He was faster than the other kids. He never got sick. And he always felt a strange, jittery excitement whenever he tasted blood . . . An impending engagement to the woman he loves compels Daniel to discover the truth about his ancestry. His journey takes him from Atlanta to the hushed backwoods of Mississippi, where he will come face to face with an ancient secret--and the deepest depths of his own soul. Originally published in the acclaimed collection, THE ANCESTORS, "The Patriarch" is a novella of approximately 90 pages. CHAPTER 1 Before I tell you how I learned the truth about my family, there’s one thing you must understand and accept, here and now. Every word is true. You may know my reputation, of course, and assume otherwise. My name is Daniel Booker. I write crime novels—fast-paced, blood-soaked stories about an Atlanta private investigator. I’ve published seven of them so far at the relatively tender age of thirty-four, and they’ve won a handful of prestigious awards in the mystery fiction genre, been translated into a dozen foreign languages, been acquired for the movies by a Hollywood producer of some note, and overall, have sold sufficient copies to keep plenty of good food on my table. But merely because I earn my living spinning tall tales doesn’t mean I’m lying about this. As my Grandma Ruth likes to say: “Some things you don’t fool around with.” In my mind, family is one of those inviolate things. To be honest, I don’t think I ever could have fabricated anything as . . . well, shocking as what I’m about to tell you. Are we cool? Okay, good. Prologue over. Here’s what happened.

The Problem of Slavery in Christian America


Joel McDurmon - 2017
    They are largely unaware how systematic it was and what institutions were created specifically to maintain the injustices. Christians are largely unaware that their own clergy and churches were among the leading proponents of the systems, and have no idea of the convicting and sad reasons why, or of the theological justifications employed for turning a blind eye to the injustice, or worse, active perpetuation of it. That such theologies are still widely taught today—and are in some cases the norm—is not a good sign when so many social ills still surround a silent church. In general, Christians and conservatives are not nearly as informed as they may think when it comes to understanding black history in the United States and the black saga it contains. The Problem of Slavery in Christian America aims at providing otherwise well-intended Christians and conservatives a deeper understanding of that history, a starting point for discussion and, if necessary, repentance, and with a biblical response to the larger problem of racism, all while refusing to capitulate to non-Christian leftism. About the Author: Joel McDurmon, PhD, is the president of American Vision. He has authored over a dozen books, including The Bounds of Love: An Introduction to God’s Law of Liberty and Restoring America One County at a Time. Dr. McDurmon is also featured in several audio and video lectures on various topics of theology, history, economics, and apologetics, and he contributes to the website www.AmericanVision.org regularly. Joel and his wife have four sons and one daughter.

Leaders & Dreamers (Bold and Visionary Women Around the World Boxed Set)


Vashti Harrison - 2017
    Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History features 40 trailblazing black women in American history, and Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World features 40 women creators, ranging from writers to inventors, artists to scientists.Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, filmmaker Julie Dash, painter Mary Blair, actor/inventor Hedy Lamar, environmental activist Wangari Maathai, architect Zaha Hadid, and physicist Chien-Shiung Wu.Also included in this must-have set is an exclusive, signed print.

South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s


Kellie Jones - 2017
    Emphasizing the importance of African American migration, as well as L.A.'s housing and employment politics, Jones shows how the work of black Angeleno artists such as Betye Saar, Charles White, Noah Purifoy, and Senga Nengudi spoke to the dislocation of migration, L.A.'s urban renewal, and restrictions on black mobility. Jones characterizes their works as modern migration narratives that look to the past to consider real and imagined futures. She also attends to these artists' relationships with gallery and museum culture and the establishment of black-owned arts spaces. With South of Pico, Jones expands the understanding of the histories of black arts and creativity in Los Angeles and beyond.

He Beats Me


Rod Cornelius - 2017
    It wasn’t long after she cut herself off from all of her family and friends that Keon revealed his true abusive nature. Ashley quickly went from being the target of his affection to the target of his strikes and stomps. It’s not until Keon’s big move into the drug game goes tragically awry that he realizes the usefulness for Ashley again. The problem is, if he can’t get his plan to work, they all could end up dead.

Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One)


Yecheilyah Ysrayl - 2017
    Everyone except Nora. She dreams of Harlem, Cotton Clubs, Fancy Dresses, and Langston Hughes. For years, she's sat under Mr. Oak, the big oak tree on the plush green grass of her families five acres, and daydreamed of The Black Mecca.The ambitious, young Nora is fascinated by the prospect of being a famous writer in The Harlem Renaissance and decides she doesn't want to go to College. Despite her parent's staunch protest, Nora finds herself in Jacobsville, New York, a small town forty-five minutes outside of Harlem.Shocked by their daughter's disappearance, Gideon and Molly White are plagued with visions of the deadly south, like the brutal lynching of Gideon's sister years ago. As the couple embark on a frightening and gut wrenching search for Nora, they are each stalked by their own traumatic past. Meanwhile, Nora learns that the North is not all it's cracked up to be.Can Gideon and Molly overcome their disturbing past in time to find their daughter before it's too late?

Down the Up Staircase: Three Generations of a Harlem Family


Bruce D. Haynes - 2017
    Sociologist Bruce D. Haynes and coauthor Syma Solovitch capture the tides of change that pushed blacks forward through the twentieth century--the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, the early civil rights victories, the Black Power and Black Arts movements--and the many social forces that ravaged black communities, including Haynes's own. As an authority on race and urban communities, Haynes brings unique sociological insights to the American mobility saga and the tenuous nature of status and success among the black middle class.In many ways, Haynes's family defied the odds. All four great-grandparents on his father's side owned land in the South as early as 1880. His grandfather, George Edmund Haynes, was the founder of the National Urban League and a prot?g? of the eminent black sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois; his grandmother, a noted children's author of the Harlem Renaissance and a prominent social scientist. Yet these early advances and gains provided little anchor to the succeeding generations. This story is told against the backdrop of a crumbling three-story brownstone in Sugar Hill that once hosted Harlem Renaissance elites and later became an embodiment of the family's rise and demise. Down the Up Staircase is a stirring portrait of this family, each generation walking a tightrope, one misstep from free fall.