Urban African American

When Mecca's parents are killed in front of her by a family friend, she learns that true friends are few and far between. She is taken in by her aunt and soon finds out who is really riding for her and who is just around because they fear the wrath of Aunt Ruby. Making a deal with the devil doesn't seem all that bad when you're sitting on top of the world with endless amounts of money and designer everything, but it's not long before her beloved aunt Ruby is snatched away from her.

Raven loves the night life, chasing women and her next high. Men and women fall under her spell at first sight, but she only has eyes for women. She accepts all shapes, sizes, and forms, for they are mere pawns in the quest to feed her cravings. She has a little secret, though - one that could have catastrophic results for anyone who encounters her, one that could lead Raven into a sticky situation - but her cravings are too powerful for her to resist. Will her little secret come back with a vengeance?

Urban Books' popular Girls from da Hood series continues its gritty street drama in this twelfth installment, featuring urban fiction superstar Treasure Hernandez and rising stars Katt and Paradise Gomez. Honey has been working them streets for El-Jihad, selling his wares and keeping up her end of the bargain. Strawberry has been a rather lucrative ho for Larry "Sir" Smalls; however, she's been at it for a minute, and it is starting to have an effect on her mind and body. Jackie spent 15 years in the state pen for stabbing the fool that had the audacity to put his hands on her.

In Choosing Sides, Malek became affiliated with the North Side's biggest kingpin, and Halleigh was manipulated into the streets by his South Side adversary. North versus South, love versus loyalty, and lies versus truth. Now the saga continues in Working Girls, as we are introduced to the Manolo Mamis, the baddest chicks in the game. They're playin' for keeps, and their services come with a price - an expensive one.

You've seen them in print before, and their books are hot, hot, hot! Now see what Edd McNair, Keisha Ervin, and Brenda Hampton can do when they join forces to bring you three stories in the latest installment of Girls from da Hood. Being married to notorious gangsta rapper Sean Pynn isn't as glamorous as it appears to be. Behind closed doors, Queen is dealing with knock-down drag-out fights, verbal abuse, and neglect. When her bodyguard, Ahsim, comes into the picture, things change in a hurry.

Simone, Te'Nae, and Shay are picture perfect wives and career women. Although they're able to juggle prestigious jobs, motherhood, and wifely duties with ease, they share a dark secret that, if exposed, could ruin everything they've worked hard to maintain. They will only get one chance to figure out if their families and marriages are worth more than the risks they're taking. They better hope they make the right decision, because once good wives go bad, there is no turning back, and the consequences can be major.

While Jaylin fights his battle to stay out of jail for giving Felicia a major beat-down, he also has to do what it takes to maintain his marriage to Nokea. This time, she’s skeptical about standing by her man, and when she finds out that Scorpio and Jaylin can’t quite keep their feelings under control, throwing in the towel just might be the best thing to do. Till death do us part, Jaylin confirms, as losing his wife is not an option. For everyone, Scorpio’s cravings for the one man she’ll never be able to conquer must come to an end.

Taz is the ruthless leader of an elite group of bandits who rule the streets of Oklahoma City. No one has met the mysterious boss who gives them their orders via laptop, but the arrangement works for everyone involved. Their criminal enterprise keeps them rolling in dough, allowing them to purchase property and businesses all over town. When Taz falls in love with Sacha, an ambitious young lawyer, he makes an unexpected enemy. Cliff, another lawyer at the firm, wants Sacha for himself, and he'll stop at nothing to win her back from the thug she's with.

Desa Rae Jenkins and her 20-something-year-old playmate are back with drama only the two of them can bring. Roc has been released from prison, and he's trying to show Desa Rae that his past life is well behind him, but his baby mama and his playa-hating uncle want Desa Rae out of the picture. Chyanne Johnson has tried to steer clear of drama since she was old enough to be out on her own. She's content with her mundane position at Atlanta's top marketing firm, but all of that changes when sexy CEO Aric McHale promotes her to be his executive assistant.

Black women have higher rates of premature birth than other women in America. This cannot be simply explained by economic factors, with poorer women lacking resources or access to care. Even professional, middle-class Black women are at a much higher risk of premature birth than low-income White women in the United States. Dána-Ain Davis looks into this phenomenon, placing racial differences in birth outcomes into a historical context, revealing that ideas about reproduction and race today have been influenced by the legacy of ideas which developed during the era of slavery.

Kenny "Ken-Ken" Greene left his days as a hustler behind him when his wife was killed during a scam gone bad, leaving him with a baby daughter. Now he's a cab driver, doing what he can to put food on the table and give his daughter, Destiny, everything she needs. In spite of his past, or because of it, he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep Destiny off the streets. But when he is shot and paralyzed during a robbery while on the job, Destiny knows that she has to step up to the plate to take care of her father.

You have to use what you got to get what you want. For Journey Clayton, this statement rings more than true as she struggles under the weight of her mother’s cocaine addiction. She learns from a very young age that family doesn’t offer as much help as she hoped they would. It’s not until she befriends Khalid, the son of a neighborhood drug dealer, who is trying to stay above the struggle himself, that she starts to believe there might just be hope...even for little girls in the ghetto.

Jordan Gatewood's life is falling apart. Murder, sex, betrayal, suicide--the women in his world are paying him back for all the terrible things he's done, and they're bringing on the drama in spades. And now, with Desi Green bringing Jordan to the attention of the detective investigating his lover's murder, his tenuous grip on control threatens to unravel completely.

What happens to an organized criminal enterprise when the weakest link finally breaks? Changes must be made for future growth, but nobody can see the forest for the trees. The Network, known for their calculated power moves, attempts to align themselves with new international business colleagues. With a leader like Taz, the possibilities seem endless, but not everyone adjusts well to change. Over the years, respect has been lost and decisions challenged. As secrets are unveiled, blood will be shed and lives will be lost. Will betrayal stand in the way of prosperity?

The Network and its affiliates used to be one of Oklahoma City's most organized crews. No one knew exactly where they got the money to buy up businesses and real estate, but everyone on the streets respected them. Their criminal enterprise is unraveling quickly, though, as member loyalty is challenged and betrayal becomes the name of the game.

Detroit hustlers Free and Six have been together seven years, but their relationship has been nothing but drama. Free hasn't been faithful, and Six has taken out her hurt by physically hurting the other women. Free ends up in jail for three years, and when he's sprung, he's not happy to learn that Six has been living the high life on his dime and has blown through $100,000! Then Six gets entangled in one of Free's schemes and finds herself in a role almost too good to be true.

Camille, Jade, and Shy are best friends and have always had each other's backs. Jade and Shy's boyfriends, Roscoe and James, are partners in a lucrative drug business, but one night they get caught up in a shoot-out that goes horribly wrong. Shy's man, Roscoe, ends up in prison while James walks away clean, and things begin to fall apart between the girls. Jealousy, greed, revenge, and betrayal test the true bonds of friendship. Get ready, because these girls are about to take nasty to a whole new level.

Rio Duncan is one of the youngest children of the Duncan clan. With no solid position in the family business like his other siblings, he has been feeling out of place and decides to disappear. Rio leaves his Duncan identity behind and goes on a search for friends and family who can relate to him. His destination is Baltimore, and he is sure to find what he is looking for in the city with a community like no other.

Many young African Americans are disinterested in Christianity and others are leaving the church in search of what these false religious ideas appear to offer, a spirituality more indigenous to their history and ethnicity. Edited by Dr. Eric Mason and featuring a top-notch lineup of contributors, Urban Apologetics is the first book focused entirely on cults, religious groups, and ethnocentric ideologies prevalent in the black community.

James is days away from being married when he learns his fiancé Raquel has been keeping an explosive secret. Humiliated and with his reputation on the line, he sets out to destroy Raquel. The bride-to-be strikes back with a blow so intense it leaves James defenseless, with his life spiraling out of control.