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J.M. Benjamin's upbringing provided him with the necessary tools he now uses in his work to capture and display the reality and horrors of the streets world-wide. He became a motivational speaker after numerous of articles were featured on his life story as an ex-inmate turned author, sharing his experiences and knowledge of the streets at various high and junior schools, colleges, probation and religious programs for the youth, institutions for incarcerated men and women, and urban communities throughout his travels, in hopes to make a difference. His accomplishments as an author have been recognized in The New York Times, The Courier News, The Herald News, and many more. JOLIE magazine ranked J.M. s freshman novel Down in The Dirty as #2 hottest summer read. He was nominated for BEST NEW Breakout Author Of The Year and Best Street Novel Of The Year 2006 by the African American Literary Awards, which, he won for Best Street fiction of the Year. He was nominated in two categories and won for Best Street Lit at the Chicago Black Authors & Books Award hosted by Infini Promoters. His book Down in The Dirty was featured on the Wendy Williams Experience Book club as the book of the month for July 2006 and was voted the #1 Urban Book out of the Top 10 Street Lit novels sponsored by The Writer s Inn. All of this in under a years time after being released from federal prison. In Feb. 2007, J.M. Benjamin released his sophomore novel My Manz And Em independently under Real Edutainment Publishing, which he is founder and co-owner of. He was nominated for Best Street Fiction again at The AALA for his second novel. In September of 2007, he partnered up with a friend and opened a music and book store, where his third novel, an Essence Best Seller (May 08) and Black Expression (April 08) favorite, Ride Or Die Chick book release party was held. Six months later J.M. and partner opened up a larger music and books store downtown in his hometown of Plainfield NJ (144 East Front Street). In October 2007, J.M.Benjamin ventured out into a another arena of the literary world, trying his hand at street distribution for authors and independent publishers alike, becoming responsible for some of your favorite street lit novels gracing the tables and stores of your local street vendors and African American book stores. Ultimately, J.M.’s consistent and quality work ethics landed him an opportunity to become a part of a new distribution company, Alliance Book Group and recently he recently launched a new independent publishing company himself, signing six new and known authors to A New Quality Publishing. From the time he wakes up til the time he steals 3-4 hours rest, J.M.’s day consists of hustling. “A gotta new product,” he says. “And I can push it to the whole world now without going to prison.” You can reach J.M. at:
Heaven & Earth (Coming Winter 09)
Paperback: 242 pages Teflon Jackson has nothing else to live for according to her. Having lost the only man she ever truly loved to the streets of Virginia and a child she does not know is dead or alive, she is undecided on whether she herself should continue to ride out her current predicament or end her life and meet up with her other half, that is until she is given another reason to go on living.
Richard Robinson a.k.a. Richie Gunz, the father of Treacherous Freemen, finds a way to reach out to Teflon while finishing up his last 10 years in federal prison for armed robbery. Instantly the two form a father- daughter relationship thicker then thieves from behind prison walls that transcend onto the other side. Upon his release Richie makes a promise to Teflon vowing to find the whereabouts of his grandchild and do everything in his power to aid her in her present situation despite the fact that he has not been on the streets of Virginia in nearly 3 decades. After a chain of events occur Richie Gunz thoughts are altered causing him to think about resorting back to the only life he has ever known. Will he sustain and maintain his freedom or succumb and give the streets of Virginia hell for a second time risking it all. Teflon has been given a second chance after surviving the amount of time she has served thus far. After trying to live according to the way society deems fit and failing she realizes that she can only be who she is. Will her way be product or will she too give up by choosing death over life here on earth by becoming a ride or die chick again.
Paperback: 280 pages Childhood friends, Keisha, Trisha, Tasha and Teefa quickly learn how to use their beauty and sexual prowess to manipulate men. Each woman has suffered abuse at the hand of a man, and decide to make a life-long pact. These gorgeous, but scandalous women turn the tables by making any man that cross their path pay for their womanizing behavior; especially if their not from the Dirty.
These women don't know the definition of Southern Hospitality,
and when these out-of-towners come to North Carolina for a
visit, they receive a painful dose of reality. After pulling
several heists and practically getting away with murder, these
ruthless and cold hearted women will stop at nothing to get what
they want until...one of them begins to fall for her prey. She
attempts to alter the groups original plans, which could expose
their true identities leading to possible imprisonment.
Paperback: 400 pages Growing up in the West Second street housing projects, in Plainfield, New Jersey, Malik Jones has based his life and reputation in the streets on loyalty. The son of a hustler, yet fatherless, he is raised by a single, working, mother of three. Malik's life is impacted by these circumstances as he easily become influenced by his surroundings at a young age. Teaming up with neighborhood friends, Malik climbs the criminal ladder, gaining instant status in the streets. Now a seasoned veteran in the game, Malik is ready to take he and his crew to the top until he is taught a valueable lesson. After an inevitable prison sentence, finding himself and religion, Malik is returning to the streets with the intent of climbing a new ladder and taking a better path then before. With a new outlook on life, in the process, Malik is even able to discover real love. But as with anything else in life, you must crawl before you can walk. See what Malik Jones is faced with as he struggles to crawl in a world where it seems the deck is stacked against him...Especially after he runs back into his Manz And 'Em!
Hardcover: 212 pages Treacherous Freeman was never given a fair chance in life from the day he was born. Never having the opportunity to know his biological mother, he was raised by his father, who happened to be a notorious gangster. Deprived of a normal childhood, his father educated him on what awaited him on the streets of Virginia. When the time comes for Treacherous to make some sudden decisions, he has no idea they will land him in the very place that he is trying to avoid. Teflon Jackson is a beautiful woman who is the end result of a horrible union. Having a loving mother who was a prostitute and a pimp for a father, Teflon's childhood was far from a fairytale. Bearing witness to the abusive relationship between her parents, Teflon was determined not to follow her mothers footsteps. Tragedy strikes and Teflon finds herself having to utilize all of the tricks that her mother taught her after she is forced into the streets to fend for herself. Years later, Treacherous and Teflon's paths cross. What starts out as a potentially bad situation genuinely blossoms into a bond that becomes unbreakable. Ride or Die Chick, The Story of Treacherous and Teflon is about two people who come from nothing and are willing to sacrifice anything to gain everything. This is a modern day tale of Bonnie & Clyde and built on a love that is stronger than that of Romeo and Juliet. A bonafide gangster, Treacherous is confident that he can't lose, as long as he has his ride or die chick!
Paperback: 248 pages Freddie Holmes could've wrote the book on How to Be A Player. With his good looks, gift of gab, his Jersey swag, and ability to put it down in the bedroom, his only source of income is the women he manipulates. But after meeting Simone, his new fiance, he decides to hang up his womanizing gloves, so he says, but not before his past catches up to him. Slug is a stick up kid/ hustler from the dirty south. After losing his drug connect, he uses his trip to New Jersey for a funeral as an opportunity to link up with his cousin Freddie in hopes of finding a new supplier. Freddie wants to show his cousin a good time, Jersey style, while he's visiting, only he chooses the wrong place-wrong time to do so. At the end of the night, two people are left in their on blood, one, the younger brother of a known drug dealer, the other, a cop. Freddie is forced to make some quick decisions. To evade his situation he takes his cousin up on his offer, relocates to North Carolina, and changes his profession, but not without his soon to be wife Simone. Simone gives up everything to go on the run with her man, all in the name of love, and gets a dose of reality. She had no idea what she had signed up for as she takes a good look at her life with Freddie. See how Freddie Holmes learns the hard way that you can run but you can't hide forever...
by J.M. Benjamin & Randy Kearse Paperback: 224 pages From Incarceration 2 Incorporation is about the powerful journeys of two men who once lived lifestyles which send too many young men and women to prison or the graveyard. It is a heart-felt story about how two individuals refused to let society dictate their future in spite of their past.
J.M. Benjamin, once considered a threat to his community served over 12 years total in state and federal prison. Randy Kearse, called a menace to society by the judge who gave him 15 years in federal prison served 13 years, 6 months, and 2 days. Combined they have given the system nearly 30 years of their lives. Meeting months prior to their release from confinement, they both possessed a strong determination, passion, and drive to succeed. With statistics showing that 1 in 3 ex-offenders will return to prison within three years after being released, Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Kearse vowed not to become a part of that statistic. Now, merely three years out of prison themselves, these men have proven that SUCCESS is attainable after incarceration.
Click to order via Amazon Al Saadiq Banks, Mark Anthony, Crystal Lacey Winslow, and Isadore Johnson (foreword by Shannon Holmes) ISBN: 0971702179
J.M. Benjamin Presents...
Related Links MySpace.com - J.M BENJAMIN FAN PAGE!!!
Photo Credit: Troy Johnson, AALBC.com
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Ride Or Die
Chick 2
Down In The
Dirty
My Manz And 'Em
Ride Or Die
Chick
On The Run With
Love
From
Incarceration 2 Incorporation
Menace
II Society (anthology)
Back Stabbers
Have You Ever...?
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