African Urban

Black Picket Fences is a stark, moving, and candid look at a section of America that is too often ignored by both scholars and the media: the Black middle class. The result of living for three years in "Groveland", a Black middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, sociologist Mary Pattillo-McCoy has written a book that explores both the advantages and the boundaries that exist for members of the Black middle class.

In Black on the Block, Mary Pattillo - a Newsweek Woman of the 21st Century - uses the historic rise, alarming fall, and equally dramatic renewal of Chicago’s North Kenwood-Oakland neighborhood to explore the politics of race and class in contemporary urban America.

Naeema "Queen" Cole takes care of herself. From the death of her parents when she was just eleven years old to when she found herself pregnant and alone at sixteen, Naeema has had to make her own way in the world. She gave up her son for adoption and became an apprentice at a barber shop, making just enough money to pay the bills and get high. She tried being a wife, but ultimately found that she and Tank, now her ex-husband, are better friends and occasional lovers than partners.

After being shot and nearly killed, Celess imagined she’d put her habit of courting danger behind her. But a chance meeting with fellow daredevil Sienna quickly changes Celess’s plans. She jumps back into the fire of risky enterprise, putting her life on the line in pursuit of big bucks and high-style living, but Celess can’t help but wonder how much longer she can elude the dire consequences. Picking up where Never Enough left off, Celess is thrust back into the sex trade, guided by her friend Sienna.

Who shot Kendreeis? That's what everyone is trying to figure out. The brothers' minds are racing with thoughts of who the potential assassin could be. That is until a mind-blowing family secret is revealed, leaving them to have to adjust to an otherwise uncomfortable situation. To make matters worse, their relationships are put to the ultimate test, when secret indulgences, lies, infidelity, and neglect rear their ugly heads. Will they last, or will some of the brothers realize they're not dealing with good girls at all?

They say if you don't have trust, you don't have a marriage. In the fifth and final installment of Good Girls Love Thugs: Nic and Kendrick, the couple learns just how important trusting one another is. When an incident occurs, putting Kendrick in the middle of a scandal, Nic has to figure out whether she should trust her man or move on to greener pastures. Kendrick loves his wife more than anything, but sometimes love just isn't enough; especially when there is another man who is willing to stick by Nic through thick and thin.

From slim thick to curvy and voluptuous, Lyric Larson's a force behind the pen that she pushes as an author. But behind closed doors, she battles with insecurities which are always triggered by her unfaithful husband. While she's grinding and staying loyal to her marriage, her husband Chadd not only slides into bed with another woman but also gets himself mixed up with a mob. The consequences of his actions will fall back on Lyric, but oblivious to what's going on, she has no clue.

When things in her life start to happen unexpectedly, Terri is hellbent on solving a mystery she thought was put to rest years ago. She is willing to commit every act of sin to satisfy her hidden desires and remain the pastor's right-hand empress. But when Richard is tempted to fall back on his old tricks, Evangelist Terri may have to take a few steps back.

Left for dead, Tilo’s lover, Victória Mendoza, now wants revenge on the woman who broke her family...and her heart. Victória is ready to avenge the deaths of her family members - especially her brother. And she’s bent on destroying the woman who destroyed the Mendozas. As a new mother, she sees things a little differently, and she wants to make a good life for Moses and their daughter. But Tilo is still a complication. Private Detective Moses got played by Tilo, and he wants to settle that score.

The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law may have been repealed, but what if there are some members of the US armed forces who still have reasons to keep their sexuality a secret? Urban Books authors M. T. Pope, Tina Brooks McKinney, Brenda Hampton, and Terry E. Hill explore this subject with their own trademark dramatic style.

Fifteen years ago, Angelina Sanders had only begun to lead her dream life when she experienced the ultimate betrayal. Broken and hurt, Angelina left everything behind and started fresh, all alone. Now, Angelina receives a letter from her estranged sister that makes her rethink everything she ever believed. Can Angelina reconnect with the family she once left behind as she struggles to accept the help she’s not quite sure she deserves? Will she be able to redirect the course of her career as she finally finds inspiration for her art?

With her past confronting her head-on, a game of tug of war is being played with her heart and Orchid is faced with having to make the most difficult choice of her young life. Will she choose to revisit her past or move forward with her plans to marry Khalil? But all is not as it seems. As more drama unfolds and alliances are questioned, deep, dark secrets from the past are revealed, once again threatening her family and any chance she has at happiness. Once again life has thrown Orchid a curve ball.

The Teflon Queen is back and better than ever. All Angela wants to do is disappear, but there's only one problem: every cop in the world is looking for her along with the White Shadow, one of the most brutal, vicious, and dangerous assassins in the world. And they won't stop until the Teflon Queen is no more. Angela quickly turns from the hunter to the hunted. Not only does she have to keep herself alive, but she's also responsible for the life of agent James Carter; her one-time lover who trusts her about as far as he can throw her.

Sparkle is back on the scene and has a newfound love. Ontavious is all that she's ever wanted. He has good looks, a great career, and a humble spirit. Unlike her ex, he's the type of man who she believes can hold her down and remain faithful. After finding the man of her dreams, she's suddenly faced with a situation that could cause her to lose everything she's built with him. Because of Sparkle's new secret, she has to make a decision on whether she wants to continue moving on with her new man or resolve the issues with her ex, Sayveon.

Drugs turn out to be a way of life for Rich, a powerful, sexy Drug Lord hailing from Washington, DC. His desire for fast money and the extravagant things that it brings puts his family in harms way. Soon, his ego forces him to leave his castle and empire to expand business on the West Coast. His decision to leave his love ones behind at the mercy of his enemies turns out to be catastrophic. One by one, each of Rich’s children spiral out of control.

After she brought down the Make Money Crew, Newark's most notorious bank-robbing gang, she was able to make peace with the son she never knew. His memory is even starting to feel like a blessing rather than a curse. She and her on-again, off-again husband, Tank, are back on and stronger than ever. But just when she thought she could put away her undercover identity as Queen and just be Naeema, Tank is attacked while out on a job guarding a high-profile celebrity.

As the oldest of three girls, Renee at a young age knew she was born into a special family of women. These women are blessed with unique gifts from God but others may disagree. Although Renee, Leah, and Tiffany were born in Georgia, their family roots were planted in New Orleans where the Creole cuisine fills your soul, the swamps run deep with blood and voodoo is a religion to some. At the age of 13, Renee’s life is forever changed as well as her sister’s.

The audiobook is a story about two brothers, Kelvin “Kels” Johnson, Jr., and Malik “Lil Ghadi” Johnson. Each of them had eager desires to follow in their father’s legacy for success and power. They wanted to finish the goal their father, Kelvin “Ghadi” Johnson, Sr., started before his incarceration, as well as try to achieve the goal of getting out of the game without getting scarred like their father did. Kelvin “Ghadi” Johnson, Sr.’s name ran throughout the streets of the Eastson Neighborhood, but not even his name could stop what his sons were about to face.

Author Thomas Healy resurrects a forgotten saga of race, capitalism, and the struggle for equality in this fascinating, forgotten story of the 1970s attempt to build a city dedicated to racial equality in the heart of “Klan Country”.

Fed up with her married Miami boyfriend, savvy Dulce has no problem stealing his drug-dealer stash and fleeing to the Caribbean. Between her special skills - and an eye for very rich and/or very smokin' men - Dulce stays a hustle ahead of trouble and makes her new life one endless party in Puerto Rico. Until she's caught in Hurricane Maria - and witnesses both the heartbreaking disaster of climate change, and the international vultures who plunder the tragedy for a financial killing, making shady use of relief funds to devastate the island even more....