Number 58
Do you know how hard it is to convince Black people that an education is their future. As I have told you many times before, I volunteer at book fairs, book conferences, on the Board of Directors of two libraries in two states, work full time and part time (The part time job is to buy more and more books. The full time job is to pay for bills, especially the “what in the hell happen to my electric bill?” “Did someone else move into my house and didn’t let me know that they had the heat on 24/7.” The water bill, food bill, gas for the car, “That’s another "what in the hell happen to gas prices.” “I brought gas on Sunday after church for $3.31 and when I drove by that same gas station the next day on Monday , it was up to $3.39 cents. “Did yaw hear me, $3.39 cents in 24 hours!!! Damn! My kid's college tuition and stuff I should not have brought and regret and now have to pay for it, that's why I'm on the Dave Ramsey - MORE THAN ENOUGH: PROVEN KEYS TO STRENGTHENING YOUR FAMILY AND BUILDING FINANCIAL PEACE - $12.00 More than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny
and Michelle Singletary - THE POWER TO PROSPER - 21 DAYS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM - $9.99 plans The Power to Prosper: 21 Days to Financial Freedom
. I’m getting out of debt in two years, unless the government shuts down. Now, that’s another story.
I've said to much, let's move on. As I was saying, trying to get black folks to go back or to college and get that degree. I have been preaching that for years, way before the economy went south and north. My grandmother, great-grandmother, great-aunt and mother told me over and over and over again, get that degree. “I don’t give a crap if it's in garbage collection, just get it!”. "If you think this economy is going to stay good", this was told to me from birth until my grandmother died in 1989, "you got another thing coming." “What goes up! will come down!! "Get a degree, get a good job or you will become another "dependent on the gov'ment to help you died early," "and since you do not have a choice, because I (we) will whoop your hind pot until it falls off and will whoop your hind pot until you turn another race, you have no choice!!!
"Then why the hell ask me to do it?" What was I thinking when I talked back! They whooped my but from the kitchen to the bottom of the closet in the bedroom. I've never talked back again, even today! I’m scared! Now, here I am trying to talk to these kids (ages 12 to 50) to get that education, even an AA is something, just get it. Time is here. Time has come and gone. We are losing the battle to get our kids educated and ready for the future. They can use the iPhone, play those video games and talk smack, but they cannot read, write and calculate on how not to get into debt with credit cards and mortgages you cannot afford. We have got to help these kids/adults.
Folks, we got kids graduating from college and no job but big student loan bills. Yes, Yes, I just said get a degree and it cost big money, but there are plenty of 2 year schools that do not cost an arm, leg and teeth. We got 20 to 65 years old looking for jobs in fields that changed drastically. We got kids/adults depressed, without love or support or limited money. We have got to help each other out. We are losing the battle!!! Help me, help them. Buy books. Read books to your kids. Give books to friends, neighbors, kids on the street. Tell them about your life and how you made it. Write about your life in a book. Volunteer or become a mentor. Tell then about GOD and how he has pulled you thru some very rough times. Don't stop, even when that knuckled head get on your last nerve, keep giving, you will blessed beyond your dreams.
OK, I have run my mouth again. On to books:
The following books are not in e-format, but you can still order it from Amazon or your favorite book website. Just get the books and spread the world. Not everyone will like Urban. Some say it's too raw and too ghetto, but I used these same books to get adults I was teaching in English and math, how to read and calculate their money. It worked. They were even surprised that there are books about them and their world. I was able to stick some Shakespeare and Ralph Ellison in too! I got them hook on books.
JVICTOR BLACK - THE SORCERER’S MASK - $12.95 - - - All he wanted was to love, but falling in love was his one mistake. Dumped by his fiancee, self made art entrepreneur, Jasson (what is this about adding another “s” to a name?) Vaughn, hides behind his work until his best friend, Ramon introduces him to beautiful hotel executive, Marisa Saunders. But the passionate love affair soon becomes a race against time when his new love is kidnapped. Now Jasson must decide to help drug enforcement agents or give a ruthless drug lord what he wants. With the help of his best friend, Jasson sets out to save the woman he loves. Circumstances, however, are not what they seem as Jasson comes face to face again with love's treachery.
PHEARE ALEXANDER - STR8 LACED - $14.95 - - - Reviewed from Jennifer CoissierePheare Alexander is a suspense thriller that pulls you into the story from the very first page and releases you at the last word on the last page. As I read about the abduction of Dr. Jocelyn Reynolds and the aftermath, I found myself second guessing what I believed was truly taking place in the characters' lives. McClaine Henry, a woman with some serious mental issues, kidnaps Jocelyn, keeping her away from her family and friends for two months. Nine years after the abduction, Jocelyn's best friend, Karen, disappears bringing Jocelyn back into the world of her psychotic abductor. The experience Jocelyn had with McClaine helps her to think like the person who has taken Karen. When a wife disappears, the first person everyone suspects is the husband. Could it be that Karen's husband, Byron, did not want to accept the fact that she wanted a divorce? Will she ever be found?
Ms. Alexander had me wrapped up in the minds of Jocelyn. I thought I knew who did what and the reason behind it, but I was so wrong. When everything was finally revealed I had to pick my chin up off the floor. All the clues were there, but I was slow at putting them together. The characters and the setting were well developed and easy to imagine. If I could suggest one thing to Ms. Alexander, it would be to have the book edited a little more. The mistakes did not take away from the story, but in all fairness it took away from my rating of five stars. I recommend Str8 Laced to readers of suspense thrillers, psychodrama, and mystery.
DIJORN MOSS - MY FATHER’S HOUSE (URBAN CHRISTIAN) - $11.21 - - - What happens on Sunday is only a glimpse into the life of a church's shepherd. As both spiritual leader and confidant, newly appointed Pastor Timothy Wells must overcome his insecurities to keep Gethsemane Community Church from folding. But it won't be an easy task. In addition to his pastoral duties, Timothy must also take on the challenge of offering godly counsel to some of his members through their darkest hours. And with a jealous associate pastor and his conniving wife waiting in the wings, Pastor Wells must rely heavily on his faith if he is to rebuild his father's house.
PAT SIMMONS - TALK TO ME - $6.99 - - - Noel Richardson is perfect, but degrees, wealth, and good genes don't define a man. The CEO of a St. Louis non-profit organization, Noel doesn't respond when women whisper compliments behind his back. It's only God's voice Noel hears. His life has been anything but easy since surviving a fireworks explosion that killed his best friend and shatters his hearing. That's in his past. He's learned to co-exist between two worlds, hearing and Deaf. Living in the Deaf community isn't easy. There are constant reminders that Noel is a distinct outsider. For years, his Sunday morning worship consisted of tele-evangelists. Spiritually, he was dying from the lack of fellowship. What could he do? Very few churches had what he needed. Then Noel stumbles across an invitation flashing on a portable sign: Thanksgiving service. All are welcome. Deaf ministry provided. Once inside God's Grace Church, he's captivated by Interpreter Mackenzie Norton's graceful hands. To Noel, Mackenzie's exquisite, a steadfast believer, and head strong. With her, Noel can hear the impossible.
NIKITA LYNETTE NICHOLS - A MAN’S WORTH (URBAN CHRISTIAN) - $6.99 - - - Randall Loomis and Pastor Cordell Bryson were as close as two blood brothers could ever be. Like peas in a pod, their friendship was unbreakable until Amaryllis Price stepped onto the scene. The moment Randall set his eyes on her, all heck broke loose. Who knew that a woman's beauty and sex appeal could cause a God fearing, faithful church going, dedicated man, to literally lose everything that's dear to him? In this tantalizing, yet heartwarming novel, Randall finds out the hard way, that beauty is only skin deep and everything that looks good to him may not necessarily be good for him. Amaryllis has a goal; to steal Randall's heart, kill his integrity, and ultimately destroy his relationships with God, his pastor, and mother. But it is Cordell Bryson who steps on the battlefield and war for his best friend's soul. Will Cordell's constant praying, lectures, and sermons, written especially for Randall, keep him from feasting at the devil's table?
NIKITA LYNETTE NICHOLS - AMARYLLIS (URBAN CHRISTIAN) - $10.17 - - - In this sequel to “A Man's Worth”, the feisty, hot to trot, and unsaved Amaryllis Price continues to wreak havoc. After witnessing Randall Loomis drive off into the sunset with his new wife and family, Amaryllis starts a new chapter in life and moves to Las Vegas to live with her sister, Attorney at Law Michelle Denise Price. Michelle is saved and sanctified, and she's also engaged to Minister James Bradley. It doesn't take long for Amaryllis to set a new goal. Envying the attention and affection James showers on her sister, Amaryllis puts a plan in motion to destroy Michelle's fairy tale relationship and claim James as her own. But will God's plan intervene?
LAWANNA DAMOS - HATED . . . WITH A PASSION - $15.00 - - - Watch out! this sister has a gun in her hand on the book cover!! - - - Passion Coley began life with the world at her fingertips, due to her father's wealth. When her father was arrested and sentenced to 10 years, she and her mother went from riches to rags within a matter of months. Passion was often left in her grandfather's care which was a big mistake. After being molested and other traumatic events at home, she was placed into foster care where she met her best friend and worst enemy. When she met Dru Tidwell, her life seemed to be changing for the better. With his New York/Miamities, they reigned over the streets of Youngstown. Unbeknown to Dru, she caught him cheating with the only person she trusted in the world and plotted to secretly destroy them and conquer the game all at once, but her plan backfired, leaving Passion to make a devastating, life altering decision that threatened to ruin her career and take her off the streets permanently. Ride with Passion as she attempts to beat the odds. Will she succeed or succumb to the rough streets of Youngstown, Ohio?
TONY LINDSAY - ONE DEAD PREACHER: (DAVID PRICE MYSTERIES) - $6.99 - - - Security Firm CEO David Price is living the rewards of hard work and determination. Single, self-employed and satisfied with his life, he has it all. Things couldn't be better. That is, until he meets sexy vixen Sugar Greer, a married woman with a dark history that she must hide and he vows to protect. When its all over, David and his client are left with blood on their hands. Caught in a cultic web of abuse, theft, and murder, David must get back on the streets to clear his name, a journey that will lead him to “One Dead Preacher”!
TONY LINDSAY - ONE DEAD LAWYER: DAVID PRICE MYSTERIES - $6.99 - - - Security escort David Price is back after his adventures in One Dead Preacher, and he's gotten himself into another tight situation. With the reappearance of family in his life, even more is at stake for him now. When a prominent lawyer, (whom David suspects is a murderer) turns up dead, David is, once again, in the middle of the drama. Tony Lindsay doesn't disappoint fans of suspense and drama with this second book in the David Price Mystery Series.
TONY LINDSAY - CHASIN’ IT - $14.95 - - - Chasin' It is not quite what it seems. It's the story of Terri Parish, a show girl, forger and drug kingpin's kept lover. She is also a transvestite. A love story twisted with jealousy, addiction, denial, obsession and deception, Chasin' It is a fast-paced tale that runs from Caesar's stage in Las Vegas to prison in Illinois. Can a man really be a woman? Well, in Chasin' It the reader will truly find out. Once a Las Vegas headliner, Terri Parish has aspirations that don't quit fit into the life of an ex-offender. Terri desires the lights of a Vegas stage and the admiration of fans. Seeking the glamour life on the streets of Chicago leads Terri into a life where all that glitters is not platinum. Chicago's cold streets are hard teachers and their lessons for Terri are many; from matters of the heart to feeding an addiction, this is a rite of passage tale like no other; lessons learned here are wisdom earned. This book has very explicit scenes and has a parental warning on the cover.
Got to stick on one for Black History Year.
BRIAN KEITH JACKSON - THE QUEEN OF HARLEM: A NOVEL - $14.99 - - - Jackson's latest novel is the story of a young man who retreats from wealth and privilege in order to discover his true self. As an African-American raised in mostly white Southern suburbs, Mason feels out of place surrounded by people his own color. Determined to change that, he re-baptizes himself Malik and adopts a new persona in an attempt to experience "real" black culture. He moves to Harlem, lies about waiting tables while living off a generous allowance, engages in unsophisticated philosophizing and absorbs life lessons from Carmen England, an enigmatic society diva who seems to be something of a fabrication herself. Of course, Mason's duplicity leads to complications he never anticipated, and he realizes that he cannot be himself while playing at being someone else. But Mason's original motivation is never explored in any depth, and his abandonment of his false identity has more to do with winning an affluent young woman than with any new wisdom or contrition. Discovering one's true self by experimenting with an invented self is not a new idea; Jackson's innovation is to take his protagonist to Harlem, but setting alone is not enough to carry a novel. Mason resides in Harlem, but he never really lives there. The representation of this rich, storied neighborhood is no more enlightening than the view out-of-towners have from a tour bus. I wonder why?
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