Book picks similar to
Grimey by KaShamba Williams


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What's Real


Daaimah S. Poole - 2005
    Janelle has had it with her boring job as assistant manager at a clothing store. As for Natalie, with a baby to take care of and a husband who won't even change a diaper, she need a time-out. Tanya is just looking for a good time and a man with a big, thick... wallet. Given the chance, these girls like to play, and their playground of choice is Miami. Almost as soon as they hit the beach they find themselves drawn into a fast-moving, flashy world of rappers, ballers, celebrities, and VIPs with cash to burn. But before thid wild ride of over, they just may find that all that glitters ain't gold and a good reality is worth way more than a fleeting fantasy.

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.

Thirsty


La'Tonya West - 2013
    She doesn't give her goodies to just anyone though. She prefers wealthy Caucasian men. Brothers are not to her liking. She has a thirst for the good life that she feels they cannot fulfill. That is until she crosses paths with Thrill. Initially uninterested Kaliyah has no words for Thrill but once she finds out about the paper that he is sitting on it changes the game. Will her thirst end up being her downfall?

Finessers


Lucinda John - 2014
    Blessed with good looks, nice bodies, a stable place to live with a mother that is willing to give them anything their hearts desire, they seem to have it all. That is until their mother’s nasty habit of popping pills and alcohol abuse leaves them in an awful situation with no one to turn to. When a baller by the name of Vic takes them under his wing he turns them into finessers, sexy women with the motives to set up any man with deep pockets. When Cinnamon falls in love with one of the licks all hell breaks loose. Secrets are revealed, lies are told, and bodies are found as Vic try his hardest to turn the sisters against one another. Join these sisters on a hectic journey and discover is blood really thicker than water.

Hood Misfits (Volume 3)


Brick - 2013
    Dame is dead, so they’re safe right? What’s going to happen when Trigga and Diamond find out that Every Nigga Gotta Agenda, even those closest to you? Ride with them through the streets of Hackney, one of the most dangerous boroughs in London, as the ENGA crew try to stay alive long enough to make it out.

Drake


Deja King - 2014
    Drake, a man who believes he has the game all figured out, has to learn the hard way, that no matter how much money you're making, the takers can get taken. Cindy, an ambitious hustler, pushes her way through the ranks, wanting nothing less than to control the lucrative drug trade in Philly. But will her thirst to be the ultimate boss cost Cindy her life? Prepare yourself for this gripping street tale, in the gut wrenching story of Drake.

Block Party 1


Al Saadiq Banks - 2003
    After serving seven years, he has finally paid the Government the debt he owed them. Now he wants what the streets owe him.His plan is to pick up from where he left off. The only problem is, the new generation has taken over and they refuse to accept orders from the middle-aged veteran.It's seven years later, the little boys he left back home have turned into grown men. It's their turn and they're not going to sit on the sideline and watch him take over.Watch Cashmere do everything in his power to make it to the top, where he feels he truly belongs.Will he regain the crown or will he have to bow down?

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

If I Ruled the World


Joylynn M. Jossel - 2005
    In this unforgettable novel, her name is Harlem.Harlem Jones is a twenty-six-year-old bad-ass female who owns her own home, her own car, and her own business. And no, some drug dealer didn't front her the money for any of it. Nor did she have to sell herself to get what she's got. Harlem came up the hard way. She had the perfect family until her mother fell prey to an addiction and Harlem's whole world fell apart. After several life-changing encounters, Harlem seems to have lost everything. But then, under circumstance she wishes never existed, she inherits a modest fortune and opens up her own business. Then into her life comes an unexpected and unlikely love, a street-bred charmer named York. Not your typical hood, York is out for Harlem's heart. But when tragedy strikes, Harlem knows that, as a survivor, she must be the one to decide her own destiny.

California Connection 3


Chunichi Knott - 2011
    From "Essence"]-bestselling author Chunichi comes the pulse-pounding, powerful tale of a street-savvy woman from the hood who is determined to create a better life for her unborn child.

Slumped Part 1


Jason Brent - 2013
    Or at least that's the way it's been for Slump. Since a child he had the responsibility of taking care of himself along with his younger brother and sister by any means necessary. The only thing he has ever been good at is killing, so good that the streets named him. "The Boogyman" but Slump faces a problem when he has to find out the hard way that not everyone is afraid of the Boogyman. He has one goal, get this money and get out fast. That's until his past begins to catch up to him. This classic tale by Jason Brent is sure to leave readers breathless.

Girls from Da Hood


Nikki Turner - 2006
    She never completely understood that the money was for a rainy day. Then the heavens opened...

Flippin' the Hustle


Trae Macklin - 2012
    In the years that follow, he works tirelessly at accomplishing his goal of becoming an agent with the Bureau. Upon graduating from college, he is inducted into the organization and excels at infiltrating and bringing down the drug crews and dealers that he hates with a passion! It is Derick's skill for fitting in with the street element that brings him to the attention of his superiors, who quickly transfer him from Charlotte, North Carolina to New York City, where his new assignment is to enter one of the largest and most deadly criminal organizations ever. However, when Derick takes the assignment to bring down the Black Tar Boyz, neither he nor the FBI will know just how deep he goes undercover and how e

Ride or Die Chick: The Story of Treacherous and Teflon


J.M. Benjamin - 2007
    Never having the opportunity to know his biological mother, he was raised by his father, who happened to be a notorious gangster. Deprived of a normal childhood, his father educated him on what awaited him on the streets of Virginia. When the time comes for Treacherous to make some sudden decisions, he has no idea they will land him in the very place that he is trying to avoid. Teflon Jackson is a beautiful woman who is the end result of a horrible union. Having a loving mother who was a prostitute and a pimp for a father, Teflon's childhood was far from a fairytale. Bearing witness to the abusive relationship between her parents, Teflon was determined not to follow her mothers footsteps. Tragedy strikes and Teflon finds herself having to utilize all of the tricks that her mother taught her after she is forced into the streets to fend for herself. Years later, Treacherous and Teflon's paths cross. What starts out as a potentially bad situation genuinely blossoms into a bond that becomes unbreakable. Ride or Die Chick: The Story of Treacherous and Teflon is about two people who come from nothing and are willing to sacrifice anything to gain everything. This is a modern day tale of Bonnie & Clyde and built on a love that is stronger than that of Romeo and Juliet. A bonafide gangster, Treacherous is confident that he can't lose, as long as he has his Ride or Die Chick!

CheckMate (Play At Your Own Risk)


Tiece - 2010
    He is wanted by many attractive women, who will do anything to spark his attention. These thrill seeking women are known to him as his pawns and they anxiously wait for him to fulfill their sexual fantasies. In return, he’s paid generously for his adventurous deeds. His magnetism, good looks, and extraordinary style of love making is the key to getting him everything he wants, but falling in love was not part of the game plan until Candy makes her move on him. Things seem to be headed in the right direction until Candy’s world is turned upside down and Monty finds himself needing to be there to pick up the pieces. As the two grow closer, the balancing act between satisfying his pawns and being with his potential queen becomes a strategic move in wanting to have his cake and eat it too. Will this spontaneous high mean more to him than being with just one woman or will the love of the game entice him to continue to play? Will Candy continue to pursue the man of her dreams or will she ultimately realize that keeping her dignity is more important? One thing for sure is that Monty is going to continue to live life to the fullest and, at all cost, he intends on winning. Play at your own risk.