African Urban

A rebellious boy's journey through the wilds of urban America and the shrapnel of a self-destructing family - this is the riveting story of a generation told through one dazzlingly poetic new voice. MK Asante was born in Zimbabwe to American parents: a mother who led the new nation's dance company and a father who would soon become a revered pioneer in Black studies. But things fell apart, and a decade later MK was in America, a teenager lost in a fog of drugs, sex, and violence on the streets of North Philadelphia.

Amina “Mimi” Washington thought she had life all figured out when she moved to Atlanta and got the family and the material things she’d always dreamed of. But when things took a turn for the worse, Mimi ended up in big trouble. Now she has come out of a coma and finds herself in a hospital bed, with no recollection of how she got there. When she discovers what happened to her, will she be able to handle the truth? Troy is busy searching the streets for Kaylin and the children with Mark and Jayden’s help. They search all over, but with no luck.

Charles and Mary Bivens have been married for more than 20 years, but after one miscarriage and two children, they are starting to question their union. Their eldest child is out of the house, their youngest is entering his senior year in high school, and the onset of the empty nest is starting to sink in for the both of them. Mary, feeling the tension, has decided to start getting massages to find release. Recognizing that her husband may have a need for the same, she suggests that he try it too.

After finding out that Glockman has betrayed her in the worst way, Lyle is furious and ready to handle him fatally. Unfortunately for her, Glockman feels he has worked too hard to obtain her and refuses to let them end. He and Lyle must work together to deal with a common enemy, and they also have to face the repercussions of their rekindling, especially once a traitor in their circle reveals their murderous secret. Will they be able to overcome the odds stacked against them? Or will the guilt of disloyalty, being immoral, and envious outsiders be the death of their relationship?

The day Lisara Compton caught her husband in a rather compromising position changed her life in a way neither she nor her sons ever saw coming. Realizing too late that divorcing him would cause a domino effect of turmoil, she is now forced into an uncomfortable life that she can't seem to stay afloat in. With her eldest son acting out and a nonexistent ex-husband, Lisara feels things can't get any worse. That's until her ex betrays her and their son in a way that leaves her in need like never before. It seems she just can't catch a break, until she meets him.

A riveting, groundbreaking account of how the war on crime has torn apart inner-city communities. Forty years in, the tough-on-crime turn in American politics has spurred a prison boom of historic proportions that disproportionately affects Black communities. It has also torn at the lives of those on the outside. As arrest quotas and high-tech surveillance criminalize entire blocks, a climate of fear and suspicion pervades daily life, not only for young men entangled in the legal system but for their family members and working neighbors.

The Red Bottom Bandits may be the world's most fashion-forward gang of masked outlaws. They're the talk of DC for their daring robberies and fly gear. And their latest caper is penned by Ashley Antoinette (of Ashley & JaQuavis) at her sultry, streetwise best.

Rhea's neighborhood is fading away—the mom-and-pop shops of her childhood forced out to make space for an artisanal kombucha brewery here, a hot yoga studio there. And everywhere, the feeling that this place is no longer meant for her. Because while their little corner of South L.A. isn't perfect, to Rhea and her two best friends, it's something even more important—it's home. And it's worth protecting. But as more white people flock to their latest edgy, urban paradise, more of Rhea's friends and family are pushed out. Until Rhea decides it's time to push back.

Twin brothers Supreme and Justice entered this world under unfortunate circumstances. The death of their drug-addled mother during her pregnancy resulted in the two quickly being funneled into foster care after birth. Both would later be adopted into very different circumstances. Supreme landed with a friendly upper class white family, while Justice was taken in by a frighteningly abusive woman who was already guardian to two other foster children. Justice had every reason to grow up to become a monster, which is exactly what happened.

For one night a couple checks in to an upscale hotel. The pair seem unlikely companions, from opposing strata of society, but their attraction is palpable to all who observe them - or overhear their cries of passion. In the course of 12 hours, con games, erotic interludes, jealousy, violence, and murder swirl around them. Will they part ways in bliss, in sorrow, or in death?

Friendships and family bonds are on the line as Londen Graham and Noah Gabriel both claim their freedom and choose different sides of the law to abide by. As Londen yearns to be a family man with his fiancée Lei, the wild lifestyle of his best friend Noah and his father’s pleas for help have him on the brink of returning to the streets. Will Noah’s friendship, combined with explosive secrets and street wars, pull Londen back to the life he swore to Lei he’d retired from, or will the love he expressed in Memphis be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow?

Apparently, I had been naive the entire time that I was with King. Who knew that he had been keeping such a secret from me? Just my luck, as I hid from him to gather my thoughts and deal with the pain, yet another crushing blow to my happiness was revealed. I then realized that I could no longer live for King; it was time to live for Kennedy. Little did I know, Jada was suffering the same heartbreak that I was. Dolla had torn her heart into two. My girl was miserable, but she didn’t run as I did; she was trying her best to inflict the same pain on Dolla as he had on her.

Las Vegas: a city built on obscene wealth and corrupt deals, cunning entrepreneurs, and the ruthless mob. The Cartel's plan to open a casino will rake in cash, but it comes with great sacrifice. The stakes have never been this high, and the rules of the game have never been this hard to manipulate. And when one dead girl, one scorned wife, and one hole in the desert launch a chain of catastrophic events, the Cartel is sent on a downward spiral as they battle the Arabian mob and fight traitors within their circle.

Ropa Moyo’s ghost-talking practice has tanked. Desperate for money to pay bills and look after her family, she reluctantly accepts a job to look into the history of a coma patient receiving treatment at the magical private hospital Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments. The patient is a teenage schoolboy called Max Wu, and healers at the hospital are baffled by the illness which has confounded medicine and magic.

When Glockman finds out that the woman he's fallen for is responsible for the death of a close friend, he knows he has to do what's right and put her down. However, it is much easier said than done, making the man who once deemed himself gangsta, tried and true, question his own character. Should he be loyal to the people he loves and the ones who depend on him to be trustworthy? Or should he have the back of a woman he only just met but has fallen hard for?

Once I was released from prison, I thought that all of the heartache was over. I was back with my family, and I assumed that the nightmare had come to an end. Little did I know, the nightmare had actually just begun. Everybody around me was keeping secrets that would send me right back to a dark place, a place way worse than the prison that I had just emerged from. This time of my life was supposed to be my "happily ever after the bullshit." In fact, I was so happy that I didn't see the deceit that was happening right under my nose.

At the time of its publication, Wallace Thurman’s debut novel was deeply provocative. This was due not only to its frank considerations of race and sex, but also to its vivid portrait of a Harlem that few other writers had dared to explore. At the heart of this journey into new terrain is Emma Lou Morgan, a Black woman who leaves her “color-struck” Idaho hometown behind and strikes out, first for Los Angeles and later for Harlem—where, unfortunately, discrimination simply takes on a new form.

Zane’s erotic writing has captivated a legion of fans. Her previous short story collection not only became a best seller but also delivered fully on its promise—exploding the myth that men are more sexual in nature than women and that African American women are particularly inhibited. This second volume of Sex Chronicles is Zane’s hottest collection yet. Smart, witty, and extremely sexy, these stories are tailored to women—but perfect for lovers to share.

Being more than a Daddy’s girl has always been the goal. Finding herself outside of being the baby proved itself to be the hardest thing. He seemed familiar. Something safe, someone she knew she could let her guard down around. A man that wasn’t just around because of what her last name could offer. The car she drove wasn’t the only thing that moved fast.

In the Frederick Douglass Housing Projects, the name of Jada Butler is synonymous with drama. Malika is a young, single mother trying to make a life in public housing. When she meets Teddy, she has new hope for the future. Gucci’s fiancé is now a rising star in the music industry. She’s thrilled when his tour brings him to New York. But she doesn’t know it’s more than music bringing him back.