Subsequent to his father's troubles spilling over into their home-life, he and his mother migrated to the United States when Deon was only six years old. For the two immigrants, making a living in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn was not an easy task. Suhati, his mother, worked extremely hard trying to sustain a stable lifestyle and shield Deon from all the negativity that surrounded them. After an altercation Deon got into with a bully at school he befriended a neighborhood hustler by the name of Jayson "Jay-Roc" Washington. Jay-Roc familiarized Deon with the street-life and schooled him on the necessary skills needed to survive in the concrete jungle. He taught him that fear equals control and Deon soon adapted to his environment like a chameleon. It didn't take long before Deon became immersed in the exact same lifestyle his mother once tried to shelter him from. He was taking steps in the same shoes his father had previously walked in, down that similar extended road to danger and he was too blind to realize it. When he finally opens his eyes to what life is really about, is it too late? KING is a grimy, heart felt, street tale of lust, envy, and hate. When the pressure is applied, only the strong will subsist and everything done in the shadows will come to light. Love is blind, karma is real, and vengeance is the sweetest joy. How long will it take Deon to learn that jealousy destroys from within? Brace yourself for the ride of your life. He who embraces the crown is considered KING!

    The perfect life, the dream career, great friends and family who love her dearly, the sexy husband, and her beautiful baby girl Jaxon. But things are far from what they seem. Life for the successful, beautiful British is the furthest thing from what it seems. Although she’s married, her husband, Derrick seems to have a hard time remembering that he is. Heartbroken, alone and unhappy, British feels like she is on an emotional rollercoaster and cannot get off. That is until her best friends Kori and Ashley take her on a vacation to Jamaica, where she meets the intriguing Terrence King. Terrance has the streets of Atlanta on lock. Him, his brother Ty and their friends Ronny and Sleez make money as easy as it is to breathe. Unfortunately, jealousy, and larceny rears its ugly head, causing tension within the crew. Terrance’s nickname, Terror, precedes him well, when his gangsta is tested in more ways than one. Neither of the two are in search of each other, but when a simple trip to Jamaica brings British and Terrance together, sparks fly. Thing is, British is still married and Terrance is fresh out of a three year relationship. Will British finally walk away from the disaster she calls a marriage? Or will Derrick convince her to stay? Falling in love is the last thing on Terrance’s agenda. In spite of it all, will British’s mesmerizing ways pull emotions he buried long ago, out of him? Or will he devote one hundred percent of his time on the hustle and the drama rapidly unfolding within his squad, unfazed by British and her sultry ways? Find out how it all unfolds between the drama filled pages of Giving my Heart to An Atlanta Street King.

    She’s on her way to being great. Having the one person who has always supported her, was making it possible. She feels like there’s nothing that can stop her. What happens when she’s stopped, and lost? Regaining who she is unlocks secrets of epic proportions. What happens when the one who’s always been there for her, hurts her? Will who she once was crash and burn under all the scrutiny and drama surrounding her, or will she rise up and reign supreme? Jahquil Duvall is the one everyone wants. He’s the man who unlocks the realness of a song by placing it in motion. By being one of the biggest choreographers in the industry, his name holds weight. Dancing, and his woman, are his two greatest passions. Tragically, he loses one in the most unbelievable way. Restoring what he felt he’s lost, is the hardest thing, but at the same time, he feels it’s worth it. Fighting to get back what some deems as impossible, is a fight he doesn’t plan on losing. But when there’s an unknown force against him, will he prosper? Or will the damage done be too much to recover from? In this intriguing standalone, trials and tribulations push those to the point to prove whether ‘A Love That Belongs Together,’ is worth the fight.

    Drained from the drama, she lets go and embarks on a new job, new friends and maybe a new love interest. When old feelings come back and family secrets are revealed will this push Miaa further away from Cam or will it push her into his arms. Now that he is the Plug of Detroit, Killa Cam's life obstacles have only just begun. Balancing the streets, fatherhood and the love of his life is a challenge but he is prepared to overcome it by any means necessary. With this newfound maturity, will Cam be able to get what his heart desires or will the streets get in the way of his happiness. The story of Miaa and Killa Cam is back. Will they be able to move on from their love triangle drama and give love another try or will they decide that they are better off apart. When threats are made and truths are told, will they fight to be together or just become another unsuccessful love story. Find out in the finale of A Dope Boy Stole My Heart.

    No Distractions. Ángel Cruz had been chanting those words to himself most of his life, struggling to stay disciplined and dedicated in the crazy, brutal world that surrounded him. His work as an exclusive assassin demanded all his attention. Ángel had no time for relationships… until the day he set eyes and his wandering hands on Tamar Kinsey. For the first time in his life, he was distracted as hell, focused on the Kinsey princess. Ángel was determined to have her laughter, her loyalty, and the one thing he never expected to want: her love. Despite her family’s insistence on sheltering her from everything, Tamar Kinsey had made up her mind to master the underworld as well as her older brothers. Ángel Cruz’s offer to teach her the game was too good to pass up. Tay found Ángel’s dark persona and overprotectiveness both frustrating and alluring. Even as she learns to love her fallen angel, the demons of his unresolved past threaten to destroy any chance they might have in the present. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts, but Briar Rose and Ty Kinsey were still figuring out this relationship business. An up-and-coming surgeon, Briar knew a stellar reputation is crucial to her goal of rising into hospital administration. The appeal of her young dope boy made her want to throw caution to the wind and, for once, just live. Ty vowed to renounce his player ways and rock with her solely. But, as Briar learns the profound importance of family to the Kinseys, she fears that her longest-held secret will keep her and Ty apart forever.

    Bankers and politicians alike seized upon the situation as evidence that social liberalism, which New York famously exemplified, was doomed to failure--and promised apocalyptic scenarios if the city didn't fire thousands of workers, freeze wages, and slash social services.In this vivid, gripping account, historian Kim Phillips-Fein tells the remarkable story of the crisis that engulfed the city, forever transforming the largest metropolis in the United States and reshaping ideas about government throughout the country. In doing so, she brings to life a radically different New York, the legendarily decrepit city of the 1970s. Drawing on never-before-used archival sources as well as interviews with key players in the crisis, Phillips-Fein guides us through the hairpin turns and sudden reversals that brought New York City to the edge of bankruptcy--and kept it from going over. At once a sweeping history of some of the most tumultuous times in the city's past, a colorful portrait of the unwieldy mechanics of municipal government, and an origin story of the politics of austerity, Fear City is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the resurgent fiscal conservatism of today.

    Anthony Lukas, High-Risers braids personal narratives, city politics, and national history to tell the timely and epic story of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, America’s most iconic public housing project.Built in the 1940s atop an infamous Italian slum, Cabrini-Green grew to twenty-three towers and a population of 20,000—all of it packed onto just seventy acres a few blocks from Chicago’s ritzy Gold Coast. Cabrini-Green became synonymous with crime, squalor, and the failure of government. For the many who lived there, it was also a much-needed resource—it was home. By 2011, every high-rise had been razed, the island of black poverty engulfed by the white affluence around it, the families dispersed.In this novelistic and eye-opening narrative, Ben Austen tells the story of America’s public housing experiment and the changing fortunes of American cities. It is an account told movingly though the lives of residents who struggled to make a home for their families as powerful forces converged to accelerate the housing complex’s demise. Beautifully written, rich in detail, and full of moving portraits, High-Risers is a sweeping exploration of race, class, popular culture, and politics in modern America that brilliantly considers what went wrong in our nation’s effort to provide affordable housing to the poor—and what we can learn from those mistakes.

    Gerald Posner, author of the groundbreaking investigations "Case Closed" and "Why America Slept," has uncovered the hair-raising political-financial-criminal history of the Beach and reveals a tale that, in the words of one character, "makes "Scarface" look like a documentary." From its beginnings in the 1890s, the Beach has been a place made by visionaries and hustlers. During Prohibition, Al Capone had to muscle into its bootlegging and gambling businesses. After December 1941, when the Beach was the training ground for half a million army recruits, even the war couldn't stop the party. After a short postwar boom, the city's luck gave out. The big hotels went bankrupt, the crime rate rose, and the tourists moved on to Disney World and the Caribbean. Even after the Beach hosted both national political conventions in 1972, nobody would have imagined that this sandy backwater of run-down hotels and high crime would soon become one of the country's most important cultural centers.But in 1981, 125,000 Cubans arrived by the boatload. The empty streets of South Beach, lined with dilapidated Art Deco hotels, were about to be changed irrevocably by the culture of money that moved in behind cocaine and crime. Posner takes us inside the intertwined lives of politicians, financiers, nightclub owners, and real estate developers who have fed the Beach's unquenchable desire for wealth, flash, and hype: the German playboy who bought the entire tip of South Beach with $100 million of questionable money; the mayoral candidate who said, "If you can't take their money, drink their liquor, mess with their women, and then vote against them, you aren't cut out for politics"; the Staten Island thug who became king of the South Beach nightclubs only to have his empire unravel and saved himself by testifying against the mob; the campaign manager who calls himself the "Prince of Darkness" and got immunity from prosecution in a fraud case by cooperating with the FBI against his colleagues; and the former Washington, D.C., developer who played hardball with city hall and became the Beach's first black hotel owner.From the mid-level coke dealers and their suitcases of cash to the questionable billions that financed the ocean-view condo towers, the Beach has seen it all. Posner's singular report tells the real story of how this small urban beach community was transformed into a world-class headquarters for American culture within a generation. It is a story built by dreamers and schemers. And a steroid-injected cautionary tale.

    Today, the majority of the world’s megacities are located in coastal zones, yet few of them are adequately prepared for the floods that will increasingly menace their shores. Instead, most continue to develop luxury waterfront condos for the elite and industrial facilities for corporations. These not only intensify carbon emissions, but also place coastal residents at greater risk when water levels rise.In Extreme Cities, Dawson offers an alarming portrait of the future of our cities, describing the efforts of Staten Island, New York, and Shishmareff, Alaska residents to relocate; Holland’s models for defending against the seas; and the development of New York City before and after Hurricane Sandy. Our best hope lies not with fortified sea walls, he argues. Rather, it lies with urban movements already fighting to remake our cities in a more just and equitable way.As much a harrowing study as a call to arms Extreme Cities is a necessary read for anyone concerned with the threat of global warming, and of the cities of the world.

    Louis ho. Yet no matter how powerful his status was throughout the city, when a situation comes up and he needs someone the most, his assistant, Hunter, or his “Rosé” as he likes to call her, is the only one who could possibly hold it down for him. Hunter Rosé Twenty-five year old plus sized beauty. Israel Bennett’s right hand. Yet with that same hand held up to God, she solemnly swears that she can’t stand her boss’ rude ass. Her man is convinced that she and Israel are sleeping together, but will one “business proposition” prove that analogy to be true? In this short, romantic novella, TaugJaye puts a different twist on urban fiction with the execution of this whimsical love affair. Hunter brings something to the table that Israel has been missing all of his life, but will she give into his charm, or play the game better than her boss does, and decide to walk away from him as if nothing between them had ever happened?

     God has a lot to lose after keeping his wife a secret from Reese all this time. He's in love with the beautiful, charismatic, highly educated doctor but once his skeletons jump out of the closet, he might just lose her forever. However, he's not willing to let her go so easily. But with someone out to destroy him and his empire, he might have no other choice but to surrender his love. Unbeknownst to Nas, he's in the middle of it all. The key to figuring out who's on a mission to take out the Taliban Gang is with him. From the moment he stepped foot onto New York soil, a domino effect of murders, lies, and deceit began. He finds out who his brothers are, but things only get worse from there. He also manages to get Vasii, the girl of his dreams, but what happens when he finds out she's the sister of an old fling? Will he be able to keep her? In the middle of the hailstorm, Young is determined to steal Alexa's heart. He's successful in making her fall in love, but there's just one issue... he isn't like most men. When he loves, he loves hard. Young honestly can't help his possessive ways, given the circumstances, but Alexa may not be ready for it. Then again, she's just as crazy about him as he is her. They're both keeping secrets in the meantime... secrets that could get somebody hurt. Who are the DeLeneau Brothers, really? And are the women they're in love with who they claim to be? Everyone will be shocked to realize they've been dating so close to home. But more importantly, love can blind you from snakes. Who's going to mow the grass and reveal all? Find out in The Plug Next Door II...

    The Crime of the Decade in Wisconsin. WITH PHOTOS Teri Jendusa never dreamed she would marry a violent, malignant narcissist like David Larsen. But she did. Why? Simple. Larsen cleverly concealed his true nature until the marriage vows were final. David, an eventual church council president and model citizen, rapidly began to morph into a monster and sociopath, telling Teri on their wedding day, “Now, I own you.” Beaten and Left For Dead is a book about extreme marital violence, dominant control and psychological torment through the mind of the out-of-control David Larsen. It's also about survival, faith and a mother’s will to live for her children’s sake...as she faces death, face to face. This is an ideal book for women’s studies and book clubs as it looks inside a large women’s shelter, giving the reader a glimpse of a support network. The author also interviews a counselor who works with violent men with surprising results. Teri Jendusa-Nicolai continues to crusade for women’s issues to this day and currently works with a Wisconsin commission on domestic violence. EDITORIAL PRAISE "Teri Jendusa-Nicolai's story is a powerful example of the horrific lengths of barbarism a man can go to when he considers a woman his personal property. And it is, equally, an inspiring, riveting story of a woman's courage and clear thinking under the absolute worst of conditions, and of her tenacious hold to life...I am so grateful to Teri Jendusa-Nicolai and to Dave Alfvin for getting this story out to us. Don't miss it." --Lundy Bancroft, best-selling author on domestic violence, trainer, and activist on male violence against women "This book is important because it gets our message out as to what we do to help abusers change their value systems." --Maureen Manning-Rosenfeld, Clinical Professional Counselor

    Community, places of culture and business that we can walk to, mass transit and a wealth of amenities that couldn't be supported without a city's density: the mid-century drive to suburbanization deprived us of these inherent advantages of urban living. The realization of this loss, in tandem with pressing recent concerns about energy scarcity and global warming, has made us see cities with fresh eyes and a growing understanding that they can provide us with an unparalleled measure of sustainability.Ken Greenberg has not only advocated for the renewal of downtown cores, he has for thirty years designed the very means by which that renewal can happen. Walking Home is both Ken's story and a lesson in turning the world's urban spaces back into places that can give us not only a platform to face the challenges of the future, but also a place we can call, with pride and satisfaction, home.

    Tired of the usual boring bake sales and dances, this group of high school seniors tried a novel approach to fundraising. They coaxed an initially reluctant administration to enter the rock concert business in the fall of 1967 by booking an on-the-rise, little-known British rock band named curiously enough The Who. In the inevitable clash between a Catholic high school's button-down culture and the destructive live act of The Who, something had to give. WSWIR deconstructs a rock n' roll perfect storm by reliving the events and revisiting with many of the colorful cast of characters (not just the students) involved in transforming the school's image from that of a staid, conservative high school in Scotch Plains, New Jersey to one that was soon at the cutting edge of the rock music scene in the years 1967 and 1968, rock n' roll's hey day. WSWIR is also a snapshot of The Who at a period in their career when for all intents and purposes they were little more than a cult band in the United States, known more for scintillating live performances than record sales. When surveying the various U.S. venues in which The Who performed on the way to reaching iconic status, one would be hard-pressed to find a more unusual setting than Union Catholic High School where The Who left an audience of mostly first-time concert-going teens with mouths agape. It was an event that is still talked about today by those who attended the show and scoffed at in disbelief by everyone else...that is, until now. This is a Black and White Edition, meaning with the exception of the front and back cover, all graphics are in black and white. The book includes rare photographs of The Who on the Union Catholic stage and backstage (in the teachers' lounge no less!) as well as other choice accoutrements.

    Having witnessed crime, poverty, death and much more at such a young age; Harlem learned to make a way when there was no way. Due to unfortunate circumstances, and fear for her family, Harlem’s mother packs them up and relocates to a shelter away from everyone and everything she’s accustomed to. Opting to make the best of her situation, Harlem finds solace in the presence of the young and handsome Enzo Maverick. As much of a mystery as he is to Harlem, Enzo prefers to keep it that way. With an impeccably rude demeanor and crass decorum, mostly everyone stays clear from him. Everyone except his mother’s boyfriend, Khalil. When the two come to blows and Enzo almost gets arrested, his mother is forced to make a decision that lands Enzo in the same place as Harlem, where their blossoming, yet rocky friendship begins. Hesitant to trust anyone, Enzo and Harlem both quickly learn that allowing one another into their world may be just what they need to find peace. When tragedy and triumph strikes, the two are abruptly detached. After years pass, Harlem is no longer the curious 17-year-old Enzo first encountered. In fact, she’s just as ruthless and cold-hearted as he is. In this gritty tale of money, love, lust and betrayal, Harlem is reminded that everything in life worth fighting for comes with a struggle. Even love; a feeling she desperate yearns for.