My
Blue Suede Shoes: Four Novellas
(Book 2 in the Sister4Sister Empowerment Series)
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by TaRessa Stovall and Tracy Price-Thompson, Elizabeth Atkins and Desiree Cooper
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (March 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416542086
ASIN: B005HKSI6G
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1 inches
Editors’ Note
It shouldn’t hurt to be a woman, and as sisters in this great country, it is
our collective responsibility to ensure that our daughters and sons know
this statement to be absolutely true. Violence and abuse manifest themselves
in a myriad of ways, and there isn’t always a raging red flag to alert us
that someone we know or love might be in pending danger.
My Blue Suede Shoes seeks to shed light on various forms of abuse in
relationships and to heal these hurts by focusing on the root cause of the
abuser’s behavior and having him or her take responsibility for instituting
the necessary self-change.
Whether it be child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse,
domestic violence in any of its many manifestations is simply wrong, and as
a people we must acknowledge it when we detect it in our communities and
then take active steps to assist the victims in obtaining the help they need
to remove themselves from relationships that cause them harm.
But help mustn’t only be provided for the victims of abuse. Many cases of
domestic violence are perpetrated by those who have also been abused
themselves. Causing pain to others thus becomes a vicious cycle, one that is
difficult to break without intervention and assistance.
In this second volume of our Sister-4-Sister Empowerment Series, we not only
seek to illustrate various aspects of domestic violence and abuse, we also
strive to understand the motives behind the behavior and to find methods of
eliminating the abuser’s need to inflict pain on others. It is our hope that
the stories we’ve penned for this important volume of fiction are
eye-opening and thought provoking in ways that are beneficial to you in your
daily life.
So, as you go about your lives, may each of you place an arm of protection
around your sisters and brothers in need, while praying for them the same
safety, comfort, happiness, and protection that you seek for yourselves. May
you be blessed with the utmost peace and balance, and as you navigate the
harrowing roads to self-awareness and determination with CC, Zana,
Charmaigne, and Monique . . . please . . . if you run across a sister who’s
in trouble, don’t turn your back on her. Empower her! Be a Sister 4 your
Sister. Share a copy of this book, and give her a pair of blue suede shoes.
Peace and balance, Tracy and TaRessa
Other People's
Skin: Four Novellas
(Book 1 in the Sister4Sister Empowerment Series)
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by Tracy Price-Thompson, TaRessa Stovall, Elizabeth Atkins and Desiree Cooper
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Atria (October 2, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416542078
In Other People's Skin, Tracy
Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, along with fellow authors
Elizabeth Atkins and Desiree Cooper, take on one of the most
controversial topics within the African-American community: the
self-hatred caused by intra-racial prejudice and the ongoing
obsession with skin tone and hair texture. In other words, the
skin/hair thang among black women.
It begins with TaRessa Stovall's "My People, My People," in
which a successful advertising executive acquires firsthand
knowledge of prejudice when her clients insist on using light-
rather than dark-skinned models. Next comes Tracy
Price-Thompson's award-winning story "Other People's Skin," a
tale set in 1970s Louisiana, where a dark-skinned young woman
must come to terms with the bigotry of her light-skinned family.
"New Birth," by Desiree Cooper reveals the intense roles that
money, class, and skin color play in the intra-racial
relationship between Catherine, a wealthy, light-skinned lawyer,
and Lettie, her dark-skinned house cleaner. Finally, Elizabeth
Atkin's "Take It Off" tells the story of a biracial girl who
hides her coarse, braided hair from her friends at a mixed-race
university in Detroit.
Other People's Skin is the most innovative and varied
anthology of sisterhood and unity to date. Each novella
entertains, challenges, and, most important, offers healing to
the reader -- no matter what her race, skin tone, or state of
mind.
The
Hot Spot
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Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Kimani Press (August 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1583146156
ISBN-13: 978-1583146156
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
Public relations whiz Kendra Harrell is hopelessly in love with love. But
her latest crush presents a real conflict of interest. Yusef Huntley is the
sexy chief of staff for Atlanta's high-profile congressman, who happens to
be Kendra's client. Does she dare mix business with pleasure? Her friends
are divided on this one, but they've got problems of their own.
Meghan Bennett is the Black-American Princess of Protocol, and Atlanta's
leading VIP event planner. To top things off, her Mr. Right has finally
popped the question. But Meghan can't accept until she figures out what to
do about his One Big Flaw in the bedroom.
Stephanie Ivey is a slick corporate tigress who juggles the city's most
eligible men with ease. But despite her skills at seduction, she can't crack
her own personal pleasure code -- much to her dissatisfaction.
Torn between romance and ambition, Kendra lands an assignment that could
combine both -- the chance to create a campaign for a lush new Caribbean
resort. Soon she and her friends are packing their bags and leaving Atlanta
for what becomes a sexy, scandalous comedy of errors that will call for
Kendra's unique spin.
Proverbs for People
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Tracy Price-Thompson and Taressa Stovall
ISBN: 0758202865
Format: Hardcover, 512pp
Pub. Date: June 2003
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing." "Don't start none, won't be none." "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." Whether it was in the church on a hard-shined wooden pew, or around the kitchen table after, listening to the wisdom of mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and leaders, the messages of the proverbs resonate in the souls of most African-Americans'a sweet refrain heard through striving, reaching, loving, and living. In this powerful collection of stories based on African, African-American, and Biblical proverbs, some of today's most exciting new African-American writers tackle the unifying themes, delicious wit and undeniable wisdom of the proverbs, making them sing for a whole new generation.
In the moving "Love Can Move Mountains," author Elizabeth Atkins Bowman explores the meaning of the African-American saying, "Mountain, get out of my way!" in a story about the miraculous, mysterious power of a mother's stand-firm love. In Arethia Hornsby's "My Momma Said'," two friends go out on the town and get schooled in a life lesson that proves the truth behind the ages-old African-American proverb, "Never judge a book by its cover." Town gossip gets the best of a loyal wife and gives credence to C.F. Pope's saying, "Never declare war unless you mean to do battle," in Gwynne Forster's wry tale of comeuppance, "First Thing Monday Morning." And in the flirty short story, "Something Special," Venise Berry shows what the Cape Verde Islands maxim, "Every week has its Friday" really means as one woman's weekly ritual promises seven days' worth of sensual satisfaction.
A
Love Supreme: Real Life Stories of Black (African-American) Love
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Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044652171X
ISBN-13: 978-0446521710
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
TARESSA and CALVIN STOVALL fell in love and married after meeting at the
1989 National Association of Black Journalists convention. With many years'
writing and public relations experience, TaRessa has served as director of
public relations at Spelman College and as the media coordinator for the
Children's Defense Fund's Black Community Crusade for Children. Calvin, a
veteran journalist and former executive for the Gannett Newspaper Division,
is now managing editor of the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
"IN YOUR HANDS YOU HOLD A TREASURE OF REAL-LIFE LOVE STORIES..."
"Some will make you laugh; some will move you to tears. All are certain to
remind you that marriage is a process, a daily vow, an overcoming, a tough
gig, a tender treat, an inspiration, an aspiration, a divine pursuit. Thank
you, TaRessa and Calvin, for sweetening the pot! The very next time I'm
asked to wax poetic on the subject of love and marriage, I'll be sure to
send all seekers in the direction of A LOVE SUPREME." -from the foreword by
Ruby Dee
Buffalo
Soldiers (African American Achievers)
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Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 104 pages
Publisher: Chelsea House Publications (July 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0791025969
ISBN-13: 978-0791025963
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.3 inches
An account of the stirring achievements of the black U.S. Army regiments
thatdistinguished themselves during numerous campaigns and played a vital
role inthe settlement of the American West.
Related Links
Official Website
http://www.taressa.com
