Book picks similar to
Harlem On Lock by Karen P. Williams
urban-fiction
karen-williams
urban
ttt
Harlem Girl Lost
Treasure E. Blue - 2004
Blue, street lit’s hottest newcomer, crafts characters that fly off the page and a story that burns with intensity. Set in Harlem, this searing novel is a poignant and gritty portrait of urban survival of the ghetto’s fittest . . . and most fierce.Silver Jones knows just how cruel life can be. Her mother was chewed up and spit out by its dark side–brutally murdered while turning a trick. Rather than live with her abusive grandmother, Silver runs away. Determined to escape the mean streets, Silver longs for an education. But after running into an old friend, a homeless youth named Chance whom she’d taken under her wing once upon a time, Silver puts her dreams of college on hold. Chance is grown now–and he’s a powerful drug overlord. But underneath the cool exterior is the same innocent boy Silver once loved. As they begin an affair, Silver tries to convince Chance to give up the lethal way of life that ruined both their childhoods. But Chance knows that walking away from the game means having to pay a deadly price. Silver won’t take no for an answer–even if it means delving into a seedy underworld and outscheming some of its most vicious drug-dealers and cold-blooded murderers.“Even in Blue’s world of double-crossing, misogyny, drugs and brutality, an against-all-odds fairy tale can come true.”–Publishers Weekly
My Ratchet Secret 2
Midnite Love - 2013
And I’m still snatching wigs on these hoes left and right. Me and my boo Adrian are finally building our life together. And guess what? We bout to have us a lil crumb snatcher!The only problem is these birds out here can’t stand to see another sister on the come up. Well they asses can fall back and have a stadium full of seats if they think a bitch like me will back down.I got my man, my new home, and bout to have a new baby. That should let you know I won’t let nothing stand in the way of our happiness. Yeah… I got a few issues I need to deal with but in the words of Kevin Hart “They gon learn today!” Pebbles is NOT to be fucked with!ATTENTION: This is a short story 19,860 words
Still Salty 4 (A Ghetto Soap Opera)
Aleta L. Williams - 2013
Old issues, plus new characters equals more Drama. Can you handle it?Still Salty is the fourth installment of this ghetto soap opera and the drama is more captivating then before. Old issues, plus new characters equals more Drama. Can you handle it?Meet Shoneise and Lisa “double trouble” these two are only out for themselves. They don’t care who they have to cross to get what they want as long as they get it. They are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. Who will be the casualty that gets caught in their web?Calvin will be released from prison and now it’s time for some payback. His first target is pastor G who will be his next?Will Yay-Yay ever pay the price for shooting her best friend Paris or will karma give her a pass? Will Jazz be able to leave the past behind her and enjoy life with her Ken or will Salt break up their relationship?
Choosing Sides
Treasure Hernandez - 2008
Malek Johnson’s hustle is the basketball court and he’s the best Flint’s projects has ever produced. He’s on his way to the University of Michigan, but not for long, because all the NBA scouts say he’s destined for the pros after a year or two of seasoning. He finds love in the super fine girl everyone calls Halleigh, and he promises her that he will take her out of the hood. When Halleigh’s virginity is traded in exchange for her mother’s drug tab, their dream spirals out of control and they are quickly separated and sucked into the life that they have so desperately tried to avoid. With no place to go, their destinies take them down separate paths. Malek becomes affiliated with the North Side’s biggest kingpin and Halleigh is manipulated into the streets by his South Side adversary. North versus South, love versus loyalty, and lies versus truth. What will they choose? Walk with Halleigh and Malek as they introduce you to a new struggle in a new city . . . a place called FLINT
Hood Love
Leondra LeRae - 2012
The chance meeting of Capo turns things from upside down to good all around. Take a ride with Jonnae as she realizes your first love isn't always real love & that hood love can be a good love.
Dog Food
Raynesha Pittman - 2014
Especially, when all the dogs involved are hungry! For a sheltered mama s boy like Demarcus, everything was all roses until a life changing experience showed him that every rose has thorns. After a well-orchestrated set up, Demarcus' plans to go to college are derailed by a trip to state prison. It is while in the belly of the beast, that the mama's boy has to make the choice between being a man, or being a victim. Upon his release, Demarcus tries to get his life back on track, but his felony conviction causes door after door to be slammed in his face. Going to college is no longer an option, and flipping burgers is not in his plans. With little other choice, Demarcus applies the lessons learned in prison and takes it to the streets. He gets caught up in the game of selling heroin, known on the streets as Dog Food. When all hell breaks loose between the major dealers, in Memphis, over the city s heroin distribution, Demarcus finds himself on the losing side of a bloody drug war. As he prepares for the show down with his opposition, he begins to uncover truths about his past, including what happened that fateful night of his arrest. To add insult to injury, when he finally stands face to face with his enemy, he discovers that the face is a familiar one. They say that blood is thicker than water, but when it comes to cash, sometimes even those closest to you will try to do you in.
Guard the Throne
Nisa Santiago - 2012
Once theking is murdered, however, the Byrne siblings are met with viciousopposition. In a mission to prove themselves, both boys try to manup and adjust to leading the kingdom, their sister, Citi, is out ofcontrol and sleeping with the enemy.As the facts surrounding their father's murder begin to comeout, the brothers are caught up, forcing Citi to run the empire herfather built. With a new man in her life, Citi vows to Guard TheThrone by any means necessary. But being queen can be deadly.
Entangled
K. Elliott - 2003
Entangled is a love story between a major drug trafficker and a history teacher. The subplots include a black DEA agent with divided loyalty. He wants to do his job and rid the streets of drugs but on the other hand he knows that the system is corrupt and it targets minorities, this story has all the elements of a major motion picture.
Bad Girlz
Shannon Holmes - 2003
The setting this time is the Badlands, one of the toughest and poorest communities in Philadelphia.Bad Girlz takes you into the mysterious and often dangerous lives of young women who turn to the streets and strip clubs as a means of survival. These are girls who, along the way, suffer bad breaks and find themselves ripe for exploitation by men and women who pretend to be their saviors.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.Holmes tells a page-turning story of sex, money, and murder in the name of survival and reveals the many ways that good girls, trying to get by in desperate situations, become Bad Girlz.
Snow White: A Survival Story
Anna J. - 2009
is back with a riveting novel depicting the devastation caused by cocaine use in a Southwest Philadelphia community.You have to use what you got to get what you want. For Journey Clayton, this statement rings more than true as she struggles under the weight of her mother's cocaine addiction. She learns from a very young age that family doesn't offer as much help as she hoped they would. It's not until she befriends Khalid, the son of a neighborhood drug dealer, who is trying to stay above the struggle himself, that she starts to believe there might just be hope . . . even for little girls in the ghetto.Snow White is a story of survival, betrayal, strength, and courage. It will pull you in from the very beginning and won't let you go until the last page. As seen through the eyes of a young girl coming of age, observe how Journey struggles to survive amidst the deception, violence, and murder that surround her.
One Night Stand
Kendall Banks - 2011
Life had already dealt her a bad hand, landing her in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate who thought she was a nut-case, and who desperately tried to get away from Zariah and her odd behavior and controlling ways. As luck would have it, Zariah hooked up with Hardy, a sexy, suave piece of eye candy who laughed her out of her panties the first night then tried to tell her to forget it ever happened the next day. Unfortunately, Hardy wasn't aware of her past and that the woman he'd slept with wasn't the forgiving type. Before long, his wife is in danger and Hardy's secrets are exposed . Zariah wants revenge and decides she deserves everything she's always been missing; money, power, and respect. With Zariah's over the top personality and tricks up her sleeve, this book is a cross between the modern day fatal attraction and single black female. Beware
Feels So Right, It Must Be Wrong
Charmanie Saquea - 2014
With the help of her brother Symir, they take over the business their father left behind which they believe is rightfully theirs. Enters Omari known to the streets as Knowledge, moving back to his hometown he links up with Symir to be down with his team. Instantly, he has his eyes set on Asia and has plans to make her his but there’s one problem. Knowledge has a pregnant fiancé at home that’s been down with him since day one. What happens when lines are crossed and secrets are revealed? To Knowledge, everything feels so right even though he knows it’s so wrong.
Stripping Asjiah
Sa'Rese Thompson - 2009
That no one would believe me. Maybe then I could've prepared myself. No one was there to protect me. Instead I was thrown to the wolves. I had to find a way out, to escape all this madness. Before you judge me, what would you have done if you were in my position?
Going Broke
Trista Russell - 2000
With the sudden loss of income, she goes from living it up to giving it up for cash when she meets a stranger who promises her a steady income working for a high-society escort service. With thoughts of dodging the repo-man, past due bills, an impending eviction, and a bill from the nursing home that cares for her Alzheimer’s-afflicted father fresh on her mind, Sarai feels she has no choice but to plunge into a world where the line that separates sex and money is blurred beyond recognition. When she meets the man of her dreams, will she come clean about how she’s been paying her bills, or will her low-down, dirty secrets rise to the top on their own?
Street Chronicles: Girls in the Game
Nikki Turner - 2007
Fellas betta watch out, because the Girls in the Game are taking over!”–LaJill Hunt, author of Drama Queen and No More DramaA collection of explosive stories handpicked by the undisputed “queen of hip-hop fiction,” Girls in the Game presents an all-women crew of urban-lit divas. The game here is survival, and every ghetto-hardened gangsta in these tales does what she’s gotta do to make it on–or off–the mean streets. Call them what you will, but until you’ve faced their reality you’ll never know what you would do if you were in their pumps. Just remember: It’s a dirty game, and women are usually the best players.“The game ain’t to be told but sold. If that’s so, the women in Girls in the Game should be millionaires!”–KaShamba Williams, author of Mind Games“She’s baaaaaaaack! Nikki Turner has returned, bringing with her the new divas of urban fiction. These ladies raise the bar as they chronicle the streets like never before. Get ready for a literary treat.”–Tracy Brown, author of White Lines