Black Books In The Spotlight

Once a month I will spotlight 5 black books that I think are a great read. This month I have picked a great selection from a host of great black authors. Their expressions in these books set the tone for a good read. The first black book in the spotlight is "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" by comedian, radio show host, and King of Comedy Steve Harvey. Steve Harvey has written a book for women educating them on all of the things that they would, could and should know about the way men think. The inspiration for this book came from a segment of The Steve Harvey Morning show radio show called "The Strawberry Letter" where he and his co-host Shirley Strawberry give their advice to men and women who call in seeking help with various relationship problems. This book is a great read. For all of you women out there who would like to know how us men think then this book is definitely for you. I would recommend you buy this book now and you will not be disappointed.

The next book on my black books in the spotlight list is called "Midnight: A Gangster Love Story" by rapper turned writer Sister Souljah. The book is about a young African male who is a follower of Islam. He is raised in a wealthy family that loves, nurtures and protects im from the outside world. It is not until his family comes under attack that Midnight realizes all of the cruel world outside their doors that his father has warned him about was absolutely real. Midnight was forced to move to the United States with his mom in New York and fight and fend for his family and fortune from there. Sister Souljah definitely knows how to keep a reader with their nose glued into her books. This is a very good read for you guys and gals so I recommend you picking this book up as soon as possible. Once you pick this book up you will not want to put it down until you have read the whole thing.

The next book in my black books in the spotlight series is called "Thug Lovin" by Wahida Clark. Thug Lovin' is a book centered around two characters Trae and Tasha. The couple are transplanted from New York to Los Angeles with their children in tow in an attempt find a better life for their family. They are running from all of the troubles that Big Apple has sent their way but just like everyone know you can not run away from trouble. Trouble follows those that are usually the instigators of the trouble. That sets up the plot for an action packed joy ride through streets and hoods of L.A. California. Throw in a night club business, drugs and money and you have a true tale for the streets. What will become of the couple as they attempt to stay alive and thrive in Los Angeles. This too is one of those excellent books you need to get today.

The 4th of the black books in the spotlight is called "Alibi" by Teri Woods. Teri Woods takes us to task with her best seller Alibi. The book is centered around a stripper named Daisy who a harmless girl that is not out to hurt anyone. The professional pole dancer finds herself in a horrible situation where she is cash strapped and needs some income like yesterday. But where can she get the money she needs? Like a miracle or a curse, whichever you chose to call it, her boyfriend approaches her with a proposition that will sold all of her money problems. A friend of her boyfriend needs an alibi after being seen killing a couple thugs in a shootout by bystanders. So Daisy agrees and that where her problems turn from bad to worse. Why do good people always end up in bad situations? Needless to say you need to get your hands on this book to find out what happens next. But I will say that you will not be disappointed.

The last book I am highlighting in my Black Books In The Spotlight series is a book called "The Conversation: How Men And Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships" by Hill Harper. This guy transitions the big screen to the publishing world with relative ease. His recent book The Conversation as sent him around the country doing many intervies about the topic of relationships. Hill himself has been a friend of President Barack Obama since attending college together. The book addresses problems faced by the black community when it comes to the myths of there being no educated good black men for a black woman to meet and marry. The book also talks about how black men should behave and not try and be the playboy and womanizers that the stereotypes portray them as. Harper has struck relationship gold with this best-seller and of course this is a must read book that you need to get your hands on.

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black book expressions club

Black Book of the Week: Push by Sapphire

My Black Book of the week is Push by the author Sapphire.  The book is based off of a character named Precious.  Precious is a young teenager who is overweight, 16, and has two kids.  The book is centered around Precious and here struggles through a life of abuse and fantasies of escaping the life of hell that she was born into.  Even though she faced abuse in her household daily the young teen managed to still go to school and basically take care of the house herself.  Precious lived with her mother and her father who both sexually abused her repeatedly.  The kicker to the story is that in stead of here being sexually abused and acting out be being promiscuous, the sex never left the household.  She ended up birthing two children, both of which who were fathered by her own father.  In stead of stepping in to stop the abuse by her father her mother blamed Precious for everything that happened and was herself jealous of Precious because her husband would rather sleep with his daughter than his wife.  There were many times where I found myself disgusted by the things that this young abused girl had to suffer through.  Though this is not a book for young readers there are a lot of things within the book that would help young teens facing similar situations. There is a movie companion to the book called "Precious."  This book is my book of the week and it is a great read front to back and highly recommended.


Black Expressions,Black Expressions Book Club

Black Books, Black Authors, Black Literature

The key to a good relacing day for me is a good book or novel.  A great author can captivate a reader and keep them caught up in the suspense or romance in the book that they hae written.  I personally prefer works written by black authors because of the urban expressions or tone to them.  Black authors are my preference becasue of the fact that it is my culture and i love to support my culture.  That being said, there are not many maor differences in the black novels or black books than those written by an author from any other culture.  The black expressions are many time a reflection ofthe upbringing and the diversity of that african american author.  But all cultures in my opinion face parallel situaions and adversities.  So besides the ethnic differences almost every othe aspec of the literature is the same.

African American authors who use an urban style of writing appeal to me the most.  I am drawn to the books that deal with the inner city settings where real life type of situations are depicted in their books.  Even though the novel may be based on fiction.  To me the most believable and easiest to read stories are those that are written in a way that I can relate to the characters in the book.  Where it makes me say "Yeah, I know someone just like that."  I like to be pulled into the story line as if I am one of the characters myself.  Often times readers have their own personal preferences when it comes to the genre of books that they like to read.  My wife for example, likes to read urban romance novels.  You know the type with a more hardcore theme to them and the good girl falls for the very bad boy.  Some readers however like African American fiction books with a little suspense. While others may like books centered around the black experience and expressions during the days of slavery.  Black authors provide a wealth of resources that may not be available to black consumers outside of the culture.

The importance of literature to the African American community means better expression and opportunity.  Reading and writing were at one point in American history denied to blacks.  This was done to keep our culture from the benefits of reading and writing.  It was often said that an educated black man or woman was America's worst nightmare.  The fear was that if blacks could read and write then they would be able to compete and also outperform their white counterparts. The fact that we were denied the right to an education is what drives my passion for reading.  Books should be enjoyed by all.

Black Expressions,Black Expressions Book Club

Black African American Books Authors Novels Expressions

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Black Expressions,Black Expressions Book Club