Fiction

September 2003 marked the 50th anniversary of Maud Martha, the only novel published by esteemed poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Initially entitled ""American Family Brown"" the work would eventually come to symbolize some of Brooks' most provocative writing. In a novel that captures the essence of Black life, Brooks recognizes the beauty and strength that lies within each of us.

Molefi Kete Asante is a truth seeker and a warrior for humanity. His view of mankind is that there is only one “race”, that of Homo-sapiens. To this end, Asante has steadfastly argued for the liberation of the most oppressed of this species. As an Afrocentrist, he believes that everything needed to advance humanity can be found in the wisdom of ancient African teachings. Africa’s Gifts or the Spirit, clarifies and illuminates the power of “Nyanga” which is in itself a gift from mother Africa, one that has been transmitted across generations throughout space and time.

This fictionalized memoir of the award-winning author, Gloria Naylor, tells a story of a massive covert surveillance operation perpetrated against her by an official of the U.S. government.

A reprint of Sanchez' classic collection of children's stories.

Shrouded in mystery, and set in Depression-era Arkansas, Circle of Stone takes readers on a journey from powerlessness to power as a group of Blacks unite to overcome the brutality forced upon them by Southern whites. Determined to fight back against racial oppression, the Blacks of “Colored Town” form a secret society known as “The Circle”, where they devise clever tactics and quietly begin to turn the tables on their abusers. Interweaved with entertaining tales of “town people”, Circle of Stone is a testament to the strength of unity and educated activism. It is also the first book of this magnitude to be published, one in which Black’s strategically and collectively win.

The hip-hop culture on the south side of Chicago links these short stories that are otherwise very different from each other in subject and approach. Stark scenes of gang violence, drug use, and prison life are contrasted with light and humorous stories, and the grittiness of urban life is softened by the preoccupations of adolescence, the chance for romance, or the ordinary moments of family life.

[Editor's note: The following is a review of "No One Can Be at Peace Unless They Have Freedom," a collection of essays, poems and other works by Michael Simanga published by the Third World Press Foundation. Simanga is a lecturer in African-American studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta and the author or co-editor of previous titles on subjects including the Congress of African People, Amiri Baraka, and Barack Obama.]

Thaddeus and Kwane were the children of sisters. That made them officially first cousin's but in fact, they felt more like brothers. Members of their close-knit family simply referred to the cousins as "the Fellas". The Fellas and the entire family were devastated when the unthinkable happened. Thad's little sister, Maria Miracle Darling, was snatched. After 5 years, the Darling disappearance became a cold case. The Fellas, now in the 7th grade never forgot about their little sister/cousin. They vowed that one day they would find her.

Contemporary urban America comes alive in this eclectic compilation of short and flash fiction with an inner-city aesthetic filtered through the brevity of hip-hop culture.

The unprecedented prosperity and creativity of the Roaring Twenties acts as a striking counterpoint to the poverty of a young Southwestern town in this eloquent tale drawn from real sources of African American history. The hopeful residents of Greenwood, Oklahoma, are still suffering economically but plan to turn their lives around. Richard Rowland's love for Sarah Page worries his father and offends the sensibilities of the people who hold the power of life and death over him. L. J. McSpadden is the son of slaves who has overcome incredible odds to become a success and yet is the thorn in the side of men more powerful than he. And William Hogg is driven to build the greatest city in the Southwest. Many more men pass through town who help shape the economic and political standards of the time, but when their goals collide with the citizens of Greenwood, a conflagration ignites that terrifies some and excites others.

Featuring a wide assortment of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, this powerful volume confronts the existence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the Black Diaspora. Defining a cultural dialogue that will be prevalent well into the 21st century, these writings celebrate life and the living by humanizing the effects of HIV and giving powerful voices to the affected and afflicted. The writings, presented in four major sections, speak out about the hard-hitting truths that surround HIV; the forms of abuse, such as incest and rape, which cast HIV into the lives of girls and women; the issues of grief and loss; and the range of reactions, from acceptance to denial, activism, and the search for justice. The writers featured include Dennis Brutus, Tony Medina, Randi Triant, Truth Thomas, Duriel Harris, Frank X. Walker, Arisa White, Tara Betts, and Lamont B. Steptoe.

Best of friends since college, Chance and Roberta Williams and Michael and Lauren Hubbs have perfect relationships, perfect careers, and perfect lives. Or do they? A freak accident takes Roberta's life, leaving the three remaining friends with a shattered reality: their perfect existence is nothing more than an illusion masked by secrets, deception, and jealousy. The loss of his wife and unborn child being too much to bear, Chance gives in to grief. Quickly evolving into a psychotic killer, he creates for his remaining friends a world that is something short of a nightmare. ""Asunder"" is a thriller that will leave readers on the edge of the seat.