Urban Stories

The Apostles , by Y. Blak Moore (2004)

Yearning to give up gang life and settle down with his pregnant girlfriend, Solemn Shawn Terson, the leader of the Apostles, one of Chicago's most feared street gangs, is forced into a dangerous confrontation with his rivals, the Governors, when his associates are framed for the murder of a member of the Governors.

Bad Girlz , by Shannon Holmes (2003)

Taken under the wing of a veteran stripper named Kat, Tender and Goldie turn to the streets as a way to get through difficult times.

Black , by Tracy Brown (2003)

Kaia didn't choose the streets. The streets chose her. Tossed from a broken home, Kaia is forced to learn the hard way just how grimy street life can be.

The Coldest Winter Ever , by Sister Souljah (2005)

Winter Santiaga, the daughter of one of Brooklyn's most powerful drug czars, uses her own weapons -- including sex and an aggressive attitude -- to stay on top, after her father's empire is threatened by a drug war.

Caught Up in the Rapture , by Sheneska Jackson (1996)

In the heart of South Central L.A., Jazmine, the daughter of a preacher, connects with X-Man, headed for a life on the streets, and their love takes them to the top of the music industry.

The Farm , by Clarence L. Cooper, Jr. (1998)

A Dante-esque tour of the levels of hell to be found in a federal drug rehabilitation center and a powerful story of love growing in the most unnatural conditions. See also The Scene (1996).

Love Don't Come Easy , by Alex Hairston (2004)

Eric Brown's seemingly perfect life lacks the one thing he truly desires, a meaningful relationship, but that all changes when he meets his soulmate, who also happens to be his best friend's wife.

MOB , by Roy Glenn (2004)

When three friends find themselves laid off from their comfortable jobs, they decide to live by their own set of rules, beginning with "money-over-babes," but when the lovely Me'shelle Lawrence appears, the trio's code may be broken.

Philadelphia Fire , by John Edgar Wideman (1990)

At once personal and political, this novel about being Black and male in white America depicts an unyielding core of individual resistance and demonstrates with tragic immediacy how America's mixed signals foster false hopes.

Pipe Dream , by Solomon Jones (2001)

The murder of a career politician with a reputation for exposing and punishing corruption could lead to the biggest scandal in Philadelphia history when it is discovered that the man had been the victim of blackmail and that the police commanders responsible for finding his killer could be the prime suspects in the crime. See also Ride or Die (2004).

A Project Chick , by Nikki Turner (2004)

When Tressa finally has enough of Lucky, her wealthy, possessive, and deranged baby's daddy, she finds herself relying on her street smarts to cope with her new life as a poor single mother.

Queen of Miami , by Meta Smith (2007)

Fleeing her privileged Chicago upbringing, Bobbi moves to Miami to build a new life as the hottest DJ in the city, until she meets Mikhail, a new Russian club promoter, with whom she embarks on a torrid affair and who draws her into a seductive, perilous, and deadly world that forces her to decide whether or not her dreams are worth dying for.

Sheisty , by T.N. Baker (2004)

Friends since they were girls growing up in Southside Jamaica Queens, Epiphany Wright, Keisha Moore, and Shana Scott struggle to keep their clique together against envy, hidden betrayal, and animosity over the men in their lives.

Street Life , by Jihad (2004)

A former inmate, who is now an assistant stock broker and a part-time gang counselor, details his life on the inner city streets of Atlanta as a notorious drug dealer, vividly recreating his struggle to break the cycle and walk the straight and narrow.

True to the Game , by Terry Woods (1994)

When Gena, a young girl from the projects, finds her true love Quadir, a Harlem millionaire associated with the cartel, she finds herself caught up in the vicious, high stakes world of drugs and money. See also Dutch (2003) .

Yesterday Will Make You Cry , by Chester B. Himes (1998)

A restored edition of the author's 1937 autobiographical novel of Jimmy Monroe portrays an African-American prisoner who endures racism, homosexuality, and prison corruption, all of which test the limits of his sanity, his capacity for suffering, and his definition of love.

Walkin' the Dog , by Walter Mosley (1999)

Nine years after being released from prison, ex-convict Socrates Forlow is struggling to rebuild his life -- with a girlfriend, a steady job, and a pet -- but his efforts to maintain his principles and do the right thing is complicated when the police make him their prime suspect for every neighborhood crime. See also Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (1997).

12/09

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