African American Resources

"Before he died last year, Harris wrote this bangup first installment to a projected series about a bisexual owner of a Miami modeling agency. Bentley L. Dean III runs the Picture Perfect modeling agency in South Beach. His father, a homophobic Detroit millionaire, disowned him after he broke off an engagement and had an affair with a male TV sports reporter, and though the agency's been a success, the recession has taken a big bite out of Bentley's business. Strapped for cash, he reluctantly agrees to supply "gay, bi or very open-minded" eye candy for a VIP party hosted by Prosperity Gentleman's Club, which is run by "Emperor" Seth Sinclair, a closeted gay celebrity. When Jah, an 18-year-old student Bentley's been mentoring, covers for a no-show model and begins an affair with Seth, big trouble looms. Harris's wry tale about second chances highlights what readers have long loved about his work: his ability to depict the pursuit of love and self-respect, regardless of societal and family pressures." - Publisher Weekly review

"Two hauntingly similar boys take starkly different paths in this searing tale of the ghetto. Moore, an investment banker, Rhodes scholar, and former aide to Condoleezza Rice, was intrigued when he learned that another Wes Moore, his age and from the same area of Greater Baltimore, was wanted for killing a cop. Meeting his double and delving into his life reveals deeper likenesses: raised in fatherless families and poor black neighborhoods, both felt the lure of the money and status to be gained from dealing drugs. That the author resisted the criminal underworld while the other Wes drifted into it is chalked up less to character than to the influence of relatives, mentors, and expectations that pushed against his own delinquent impulses, to the point of exiling him to military school. Moore writes with subtlety and insight about the plight of ghetto youth, viewing it from inside and out; he probes beneath the pathologies to reveal the pressures-poverty, a lack of prospects, the need to respond to violence with greater violence-that propelled the other Wes to his doom. The result is a moving exploration of roads not taken." - Publisher Weekly review

"In this sequel to The Best of Everything, Roby continues to focus on Alicia, the daughter of Rev. Curtis Black, who bounces back after a devastatingly humiliating divorce. Seemingly given a second chance at love, Alicia marries JT Valentine, a charismatic, handsome reverend who has patterned himself after every aspect of Curtis Black's life, literally. JT treats Alicia like a queen, lavishing her with expensive gifts and giving her a beautiful home, and Alicia can't believe her good fortune. Finally, she has everything she has always dreamed of having, but is her life too perfect? Verdict Although Roby's characters show some growth in this latest addition to the Black family saga, the story is all too familiar and predictable. This novel will appeal to readers of romantic suspense and Christian fiction and Roby's die-hard fans." - Library Journal review

"The Big Girls Book Club (whose members must be at least a size 14) is back, but it doesn't play a significant role in Weber's wild follow-up to Something on the Side, updating Egypt Robinson's travails with hubby Rashad and her sister, Isis Connors. Egypt's begun a BGBC chapter in Richmond, Virginia, where she and Rashad, a hedge fund manager, are clearly living large. They're currently sharing their lavish estate with Isis who, after attempting suicide, is still nursing a secret love for Rashad (her boyfriend before he married Egypt) and her married New York lover, Tony. After Egypt learns she's unable to carry a baby to term, she asks Isis to be her surrogate, despite her past with Rashad. Isis agrees but difficulties ensue when the paternity of the baby she's delivered comes into question. Jerome, a gay BGBC member who interferes with the marriage of his BGBC friend Loraine Farrow, and a journo stalker who looks like George Clooney, add to the mix. Weber's in top form with this fast-paced and oh-so-zany soap opera." - Publisher Weekly review

"THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF CASA NEGRA AND IN THE NIGHT OF THE HEAT TEAM UP FOR A THIRD TIME TO PRESENT FROM CAPE TOWN WITH LOVE, A TENNYSON HARDWICK NOVEL. Actor-turned-detective Tennyson Hardwick has solved two high-profile deaths in Hollywood, but nothing has prepared him for a race to save a child's life. Tennyson's past in the sex game cost him his new girlfriend, and he brings her to Cape Town, South Africa--a scenic film destination and playground for the rich--to try to win her back. There Tennyson is hired as a bodyguard by superstar Sofia Maitlin when she visits an orphanage to adopt an African child. Months later, Maitlin offers Tennyson one of Hollywood's hottest tickets--a job as a bodyguard at adopted daughter Nandi's A-list celebrity birthday party. But the party is over before it begins. When Nandi's birthday goes dreadfully wrong, it's up to a guilt-ridden Tennyson to save a child's life and reunite a Hollywood family. But how? He can't go to the police, the FBI has threatened to arrest him, and Big Brother is monitoring his telephone calls. To find Nandi, Tennyson will have to rely on tips from his father--a retired LAPD captain--and a mysterious woman from his past, Marsha, who has already proven she can't be trusted. His strongest lead is a deadly knife fighter known only as Spider. When his search for the missing child crosses Marsha's covert investigation into a criminal gang with ties to South Africa, Tennyson knows that finding Nandi might cost him his freedom--or his life." - Book description

The last fight between the werewolf clans spilled onto the streets of New Orleans--and now the whole city's on red alert. Martial law has gone into effect. Mediums, ghost hunters, and other supernatural pundits have taken over the media, swarming the Big Easy to expose the hard truth about lycanthropes. And to make matters worse, a beastly killer is clawing up humans. Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau doesn't like what she's seeing--a series of brutal and bloody slayings that appear to be wolf-like attacks. It might be the work of a copy cat killer--vampire or Unseelie or some other enemy of the Seelie clan. But while Sasha races to find suspects and motives, the panic level is rising--and the city's human population is clamoring for an all-out wolf hunt.

The famed model, restaurateur, and television host explores the cuisines of the American South in 200 delicious recipes. From Cajun and Creole to soul food and beyond, Smith offers a delightful cookbook no home chef should do without. Full color.