ISBN: 1593091656
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: May 06, 2008
Publisher: Strebor Books

Zane, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of Erotic Fiction, brings a new collection of lesbian erotica that will blow the sheets off beds everywhere.

What happens when "The Finest Man" you have ever laid eyes on is a woman? What happens when a woman comes home to her man after a hard day's work with "Lipstick on Her Collar?" What happens when a married woman runs across the love of her life -- another woman -- who insists that "It's All or Nothing?" Is there such a thing as playing too "Hard to Get?" What happens when "Mom's Night Out" turns into group sex? What happens when you discover your true sexuality "At Last?" All of these questions and more are answered within the pages of Purple Panties.

Written by women from all over the world, here is a new level of lesbian erotica, compiled by Zane, that promises the most exciting and steamy reading experience possible. These stories move beyond race, age, and all walks of life, including long-hidden passions, secret rendezvous with strangers, and May-December romances.

With Zane's ever-growing popularity, and the need for increasingly quality erotica, Purple Panties will satisfy a long-standing demand for African-American lesbian literature.

In the tradition of such successful erotica anthologies as Chocolate Flava and Caramel Flava, Purple Panties uncovers a new world of evocative risk-taking that has never been explored before from a lesbian perspective. The adventures in these stories are beyond everyone's wildest imaginations.

The crooked cops are searching for the money, Gena's family members are now the target for Gena who's hiding from everything and everyone, as the race is on for Gena's survival. Will she manage to keep the money, can she get out of town and make a new life for herself, and will her family survive the maniacal killer that is hell bent on tracking her down? Will Gena stay, True to the Game?

Karrine draws you in to get an up-close and personal look at the Hollywood life of fast money and sex; all the things that make for a great movie. She discusses her interactions with people after the release of Confessions of a Video Vixen and how she copes with it all.

Succulent features twenty-seven tantalizing short stories to tease and please both him and her. For couples who want to heat things up or for singles who want to spark a fire, there are stories written especially for women, and others are penned expressly for men. From a psychic aficionado who finds more than tarot cards to spread or a ménage à trois with a fifty-year-old woman, her husband, and his new girlfriend, to a lucky bachelor who finds himself with plenty of sexy presents on Christmas -- from a promiscuous mother and daughter -- the authors in this anthology take risks, pushing the envelope as they explore unique situations sure to set fire to your fantasies. These sensual stories turn Zane on and are sure to turn you on, too.

In her own uniquely can-did and humorous way, Zane answers all your questions -- even questions you never thought to ask -- about making whoopee.

This is the sequel to Teri's amazing first novel True to the Game. Fans have been awaiting this story for over five years. TRUE TO THE GAME II will pick up where True to the Game left off-- with one difference, Gena is now seeing a new guy named Jay. Little does Gena know that the man she has fallen in love with, so soon after Quadir's death, is his archrival, Jerrell Jackson. Unfortunately, Jerrell is determined to get his revenge against Quadir's crew and he'll start with Gena.

"A government that truly represents these Americans--that truly serves these Americans--will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break." from The Audacity of Hope

Gena faces the challenges of holding onto her man, her house, her car, and the cash. Both of them find themselves caught up in a vicious yet seductive world, and learn that success in this game is no easy win. Gena and Quadir also learn that once you're in, there's no way out, 'cause everyone stays in forever....True.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories, Hiding in Hip Hop is not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.

From nervous breakdowns to drug addiction, Love Is Never Painless explores the deeper side of love; the side rarely explored in romance novels. Zane, Johnson, and Rivers have penned a powerful collection of novellas that will not only have readers talking but also examining their own relationships with a new perspective.

Advice for parents, educators, community, and church members is provided in this guide for ensuring that African American boys grow up to be strong, committed, and responsible African American men. This book answers such questions as Why are there more black boys in remedial and special education classes than girls? Why are more girls on the honor roll? When do African American boys see a positive black male role model? Is the future of black boys in the hands of their mothers and white female teachers? and When does a boy become a man? The significance of rite of passage activities, including mentoring, male bonding, and spirituality, are all described.

Zane is back with Gettin' Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles II, more stories for the legion of readers that made The Sex Chronicles a bestseller.

Zane's erotic short stories have captivated the minds of both sexes and all races. The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth did exactly what its title implies -- exploded the myth that men are more sexual in nature than women, and that African-American women in particular are inhibited compared to their female counterparts of other cultures.

Her audience is growing by leaps and bounds, nurtured by her Internet site and her previous bestselling titles, including The Heat Seekers, her debut in hardcover. Zane knows exactly what her readers want, and in Gettin' Buck Wild she gives them some of her most provocative prose to date. Her characters and settings run the gamut from committed, monogamous couples looking to experiment, to the wild single sisters who belong to a very unconventional sorority. Zane tells the story of a high-paid multi-tasking career woman who gets her groove back in "When Opposites Attract," a couple who try something new in "The Subway -- A Quickie," and a new way of celebrating Christmas in "The Santa Claus." She spices up real-life scenarios with over-the-top sexual fantasy and ultimately gives her readers the best time they've ever had between the pages of a book.

“Young men today have been bombarded with images of wealth and success that tell them that buying the hottest car or the most bling-blingin’ jewelry is what they should be motivated by. There is an overwhelming sales pitch targeted at these young men that subliminally suggests that material goods are what makes them real men. I want young men to have knowledge of the things that bring them true empowerment: education, a strong sense of purpose, compassion, confidence, and humility, to name a few.

It is no accident that I graduated from Brown University magna cum laude and received graduate degrees with honors from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government. My family taught me that doing my best, educating myself, and being in service to others were not optional and that having values and being truthful were not negotiable.

I am living proof that these principles work. Through the letters in this book, I wish to pass on to other young men my grandfathers’ legacies of education, hard work, determination, and success.”
—Excerpted from the Introduction

The book shifts into high gear as Zoe finds out that everyone from her lovers to her husband to her own mother are hiding secrets of their own. Her best friend, Brina, is physically abused by her alcoholic boyfriend, Dempsey. Zoe discovers under hypnosis that her fascination with sex stems from two incidents in her early childhood she had buried deeply into the crevices of her mind. She is stalked and attacked. The book comes to a head on a cold, dark mountain following a trail of murders and the true murderer is anyone’s guess. Addicted does for women what Fatal Attraction did for men. It will make a woman think twice before risking it all.

#8
The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors
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by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing

Format: Paperback, 1st ed., 302pp.
ISBN: 0883781042
Publisher: Third World Press
Pub. Date: November 1990
Edition Desc: 1st ed

Preface: "We now are nearing the final decade of the 20th century. Recently, there has been an unraveling and an analysis of the core issue of the first global power sysem of mass oppression-- the power system of racism (white supremacy). One the collective victim (non-white population) understands this fundamental issue, the ultimate organizing of all of the appropriate behaviors necessary to neutralize the great injustice of the white supremacy power system will only be a matter of time. The length of time required to neutralize global white supremacy will be inversely proportional to 1) the level of understanding of the phenomenon; plus 2) the evolution of self- and group-respect, the will, determination and discipline to practice the appropriate counter-racist behaviors--on the part of the non-white victims of white supremacy."

Blackgentlemen.com is the premier website showcasing African-American bachelors. Women throughout the country search the site in hopes of finding true love. Step inside this exciting collection of novellas about women who meet men on the site. The anthology features stories penned by some of today's hottest female novelists, including Zane. The Blackgentlemen.com site actually exists. Maybe you will find the man of your dreams on the Internet.

Geared towards African American parents, this handbook offers more than 100 tips on successfully guiding boys into manhood and helping them avoid common pitfalls. By understanding the detrimental impact that peer pressure, rap music, and television have on today’s youth, especially males, parents can learn how to effectively support their children.

Following the overwhelming success of Dutch: The First of a Trilogy Teri Woods Publishing is proud to release Dutch II: Angel's Revenge by Teri Woods. This second installment of the trilogy takes us into the lives of Angel Alverez and One-eyed Roc, two of Dutch's merciless soldiers who have been locked down in federal prison for their roles in the legendary Month of Murder

Asks and answers the questions how can we reduce the dropout rate? Why does the motivation to learn decline as the age increases for most youth? Are we training or educating students? How can we identify and develop their talents? Read this very interesting book for some startling answers!

The erotica collection is divided into three sections: Wild, Wilder and Off Da Damn Hook. Her characters run the gamut from the sensual housewife that wants her husband to experiment more to the secret underground sorority of women that let it all hang out literally.

"Whatever has been going on in your mind, your life, or your heart can stop — right now, if that is truly what you desire. However, you must be willing to "do a new thing." You must spend a little time, each day, in devotion to the truth about yourself and the truth about life. You must make a conscious approach to what you think and how you feel about what you do. Devotion will clear up misconceptions that may have obscured your vision of life until today!" —Iyanla

Carl Weber--the New York Times bestselling author of The First Lady and So You Call Yourself a Man--represents with a straight-up novel about friendship and love, sex and betrayal, and how getting some on the side is never as simple as it seems...

"The only requirement to joining the Big Girls Book Club is all ladies must be at least a size 14. Another unofficial rule appears to be having something going on in one's love life that's a little bit dangerous. But in Weber's raunchy romantic comedy, these babes find there's a consequence to every freaky action in or out of the bedroom.... Weber keeps things tight and funny; readers with a bent for the bootlicious will certainly want to pick this one up." —Publishers Weekly

ISBN: 1400066107
Pub. Date: October 2006
Format: Hardcover, 128pp
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Celebrations on Random House which includes memorial tributes to the late Barry White and Luther Vandross, "On the Pulse of Morning" written for Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration and a birthday wishes to Oprah was released

Book Description
Grace, dignity, and eloquence have long been hallmarks of Maya Angelou’s poetry. Her measured verses have stirred our souls, energized our minds, and healed our hearts. Whether offering hope in the darkest of nights or expressing sincere joy at the extraordinariness of the everyday, Maya Angelou has served as our common voice.

Celebrations is a collection of timely and timeless poems that are an integral part of the global fabric. Several works have become nearly as iconic as Angelou herself: the inspiring “On the Pulse of Morning,” read at President William Jefferson Clinton’s 1993 inauguration; the heartening “Amazing Peace,” presented at the 2005 lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House; “A Brave and Startling Truth,” which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations; and “Mother,” which beautifully honors the first woman in our lives. Angelou writes of celebrations public and private, a bar mitzvah wish to her nephew, a birthday greeting to Oprah Winfrey, and a memorial tribute to the late Luther Vandross and Barry White.

More than a writer, Angelou is a chronicler of history, an advocate for peace, and a champion for the planet, as well as a patriot, a mentor, and a friend. To be shared and cherished, the wisdom and poetry of Maya Angelou proves there is always cause for celebration.

Zane, the queen of erotic fiction and publisher of Strebor Books, an imprint of Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, presents the second in a series of collections of great erotic fiction. Based on the Featured Erotica section of her website, Eroticanoir.com, which gets more than three million hits a year from around the world, these sensual tales, handpicked by Zane, are sure to please her fans.

These stories are written specifically with both African-American and Latino readers in mind, but they are for all people because as Zane always states: "Sensuality is universal." Among the contributors are names already familiar to readers of erotica, such as Tracee A. Hanna, Teresa Lamai, Michelle De Leon, Naleighna Kai, William Fredrick Cooper, and, of course, Zane -- as well as emerging voices, such as Pat Tucker, James W. Lewis, and Nikki Sinclair.

Zane always selects stories that turn her on, and she guarantees they will turn you on, also. These storytellers take risks. The stories are unique and creative. The contributors to this book are great at what they do -- making readers hot.

This unique look at health care interprets scriptures of the Bible and adapts and applies the wisdom found there to modern ways of life. These scriptures teach that the prevention of diseases is not in the hands of doctors, but rather in what individuals eat and how they live. Health-minded Americans will learn how to avoid the disease-causing preservatives, growth hormones, and pesticides of the meat and dairy industries that pollute the once-fresh foods that the public consumes. Also included is an in-depth discussion of Satan's influence on the advertising industry and how it is linked to drug, cigarette, and alcohol addictions among the American people. 

Torn over his love for his sister and his desire to get back on top of the drug game, Shan's brother, Peanut knows the danger of the streets. Old beefs become new scores and before long, a turf war is raging. With the stakes as high as they've ever been, only a few people will be left standing-and Shan is determined to be one of them

With the skill of a novelist, Ivan Van Sertima reveals to readers compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of Black Africans in ancient America. It is the marriage of twin crafts--the artist's and the scholar's--in a book that makes it possible to see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of Black Africans in Pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilization they found here.

Nia Simone Bijou is a woman who has it all—and is driven by the desire for more. Born in Trinidad, reared in Los Angeles, and now living in Atlanta, Nia is a writer, a thinker, and a woman in conflict. She struggles with both her logical self—a woman who has never let go of an old heartbreak, and her sensual self—a woman demanding intimacy and sexual freedom.
As intense loneliness and secret desires take hold, Nia is inspired to become sexually adventurous. She embarks on three passionate and forbidden affairs. Each lover teaches Nia valuable lessons about herself and her desires—but how long can Nia play with fire without getting burned?

When fantasies spiral out of control, Nia’s search for sexual satisfaction becomes a dangerous game of jealousy and possession. With her life on the line, Nia discovers that pleasure never comes without pain.

Set against a sweltering Atlanta summer, and brimming with Dickey’s signature exploration of complex relationships, Pleasure is a journey into a world of passion, obsession, and intimacy. Readers will love following Nia as she explores the depths of her desires—this red-hot read is sure to keep readers turning page after steamy page.

There is a not-so-new, not-so-secret destination where a growing number of American black men are traveling for the kind of sex and freedom they say they can't find with black women. Thousands of unsuspecting women are kissing their men good-bye while they go on "business" trips to Rio where they meet up with some of their friends and have sex every way they can imagine-no strings, no hassles, and no conscience.

This social worker is a Ph.D. student at the Mandel School of Applied Social Science at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. He is the founder of The Renaissance Male Project Inc. and a New Voices Fellow 2005. He has made appearances on both national and regional television and radio shows, and print publications such as Essence magazine, The Toledo Blade, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"Dating is not a concept adults in our barrio really get." The contemporary teenage voices are candid, funny, weary, and irreverent in these stories about immigrant kids caught between their Puerto Rican families and the pull and push of the American dream. The young people hang out on the street in front of the tenement El Building in Paterson, New Jersey, where the radios are always turned full blast to the Spanish station and the thin walls can't hold the dramas of the real-life telenovelas. As in her autobiographical adult collection Silent Dancing (1990), Cofer depicts a diverse neighborhood that's warm, vital, and nurturing, and that can be hell if you don't fit in. Some of the best stories are about those who try to leave. Each piece stands alone with its own inner structure, but the stories also gain from each other, and characters reappear in major and minor roles. The teen narrators sometimes sound too articulate, their metaphors overexplained, but no neat resolutions are offered, and the metaphor can get it just right (the people next door "could be either fighting or dancing"). Between the generations, there is tenderness and anger, sometimes shame. In one story, a teenage girl despises the newcomer just arrived from the island, but to her widowed mother, the hick (jibaro) represents all she's homesick for. Raul Colon's glowing cover captures what's best about this collection: the sense of the individual in the pulsing, crowded street. —Hazel Rochman From Booklist Gr. 7-12.

Jonquinette recognizes that her alter ego is a problem and seeks to resolve it with the help of Dr. Marcella Spencer, the psychiatrist Zane originated in her bestselling novel Addicted. Jude's response is to get angry and go on a sexual rampage. In the meantime, Jonquinette becomes interested in her new neighbor, Mason, after having a conversation with him at a mutual friend's wedding. Jude has no intention of letting Jonquinette fall in love and find happiness at her expense. Jude is having way too much fun using the body she shares with Jonquinette. This "two faces of Eve" scenario is a fun fantasy for women who have imagined their own alter ego behaving badly in a sexual way. But for the leading lady of Nervous, this is a nightmare. Based on a short story of the same title from her bestselling collection, The Sex Chronicles, Nervous is classic Zane with an edge. So, relax, sit back. You're in for a nerve-tingling read.

Whoever said whoring wasn’t easy, never lied! But somebody had to do it! Working the mean streets of Detroit was getting hard on young Kamone, with two small mouths to feed. Forced to get on the grind non-stop by her madam, Cookie, after being abandoned by her dopefiend, HIV infected mother, there’s nothing Kamone won’t do to get that paper – drugs, murder, sex, lies and videotapes! That is, until she is scandalously set up to be raped, drugged and left for dead. Just when Kamone thinks it’s the end, she finds what every bad girl longs for – a bad boy with a heart, who literally picks her up out of the gutter. But will Lucci’s thug passion be enough to satisfy Kamone’s lustful habits? Or will she run back to the only life she knows?

The Bishop takes a spiritual and practical approach to inherently emotional issues such as the outside influences on our relationships, e.g., in-laws, friends, and former spouses; coping with anger; parenting; financial concerns; negotiating high-profile lives; and so many more of the issues people face every day. His special brand of counseling and teaching appeals to the faith-based community and beyond, reaching millions who receive his wisdom in all media, especially books.

The high priestess of the hood, Nikki Turner, is back with the novel fans have been feenin’ for: the sequel to her #1 bestselling novel, A Hustler’s Wife.

Des, Virginia’s slickest gangsta, is about to become a dad when he is charged with the murder of his own attorney. But with Yarni, his gorgeous wife (and a brilliant lawyer), now calling the shots, Des isn’t going back to the slammer without a fierce fight. Even with the heat on, Des manages to take his game to the next level and finds a new hustle, one that will allow him to possess the three things all major players desire: money, power, and respect. He becomes a preacher. Reluctantly, Yarni stands by her man as he trades in his triple beam scale for a Bible and a Bentley and makes his Church of the Good Life Ministry a welcoming place for all sinners to step up to the altar.

But when Des’s nephew is killed in the high-stakes heroin trade and Des learns that someone close to him okayed the hit, the dyed-in-the-wool gangsta sets aside the Bible for the gospel of the streets–even if it means risking the one person who’s always had his back.

With her second novel, Teri Woods clearly reveals the urban reality of plots masterminded by the books' characters. She compels the reader to experience the true essence of the criminal mind. With the vivid picture Teri Woods has painted, the readers are able to celebrate in the characters’ successes and also understand why they are feared. Teri Woods takes the genre of 'street stories' to another dimension with her savvy writing style that continuously draws the readers in and never lets them go.

DUTCH: The First of a Trilogy tells the story of Bernard James a.k.a. Dutch the most dangerous and feared gangster to come up in Jersey in the last thirty years. From his experience and skill as a young car thief, Dutch recognized the opportunity to ruthlessly become the ruler of the streets and grabbed it. After serving 18 months in prison for a botched auto theft, Dutch promised himself, he’d never return to prison. Once out, he never looked back.

Driven by the desire to live the life of his dreams, Dutch and his crew – Craze, Angel, Qwan, Roc, and Zoom fearlessly locked down the streets of Newark for over 10 years.

Now, Dutch is on trial for allegedly masterminding what the press has called ‘THE MONTH OF MURDER’, a brutal thirty-day killing spree where no one was spared. With Dutch facing multiple life sentences and a possible death penalty, the streets are in a mixed uproar of celebration and dread. The story depicts the passion of a man who possesses the determination to win ‘The War’ he fights everyday. Some fight to survive; Dutch fights to win.

In confronting discrimination, racism, rejection, and alienation, many people of color are turning toward a more spiritual approach to solving the problems that are unique to them. Here is a book of positive meditations that is sure to raise the consciousness of any reader.

Precious Cummings is more ruthless than ever in Part 3 of the Bitch series. In The Bitch Is Back, Precious is relishing in every hood queen s dream life. She has her king, Supreme, and her princess, their daughter Aaliyah. With an estate in Beverly Hills, a fleet of luxurious cars and endless cash flow, the drama Precious experienced in the gritty streets of New York is a distant memory ... or so she thought. Without warning, Precious worst nightmare becomes a reality. Pretty Boy Mike, the man who brutally raped Precious and who plotted to have her husband Supreme killed, has escaped from prison. With her life in danger, Precious resorts to what she knows best murder and mayhem to defend herself and the people she loves. Hell hath no fury than a gangsta chick out to protect what she cherishes the most her family. Brace yourself as Precious again wreaks havoc from West to East Coast battling her most treacherous enemy yet.

Perhaps no other writer is as synonymous with Harlem as James Baldwin (1924-1987). The events there that shaped his youth greatly influenced Baldwin's work, much of which focused on his experiences as a black man in white America. Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time, Notes of a Native Son, and Giovanni's Room are just a few of his classic fiction and nonfiction books that remain an essential part of the American canon.

In Baldwin's Harlem, award-winning journalist Herb Boyd combines impeccable biographical research with astute literary criticism, and reveals to readers Baldwin's association with Harlem on both metaphorical and realistic levels. For example, Boyd describes Baldwin's relationship with Harlem Renaissance poet laureate Countee Cullen, who taught Baldwin French in the ninth grade. Packed with telling anecdotes, Baldwin's Harlem illuminates the writer's diverse views and impressions of the community that would remain a consistent presence in virtually all of his writing.

Baldwin's Harlem provides an intelligent and enlightening look at one of America's most important literary enclaves.

This critical analysis looks at the disproportionate number of African American males in special education. Arguing that the problem is race and gender driven, questions covered include Why does Europe send more females to special education? Why does America lead the world in giving children Ritalin? Is there a relationship between sugar, Ritalin, and cocaine? and Is there a relationship between special education and prison? More than 100 strategies to help teachers and parents keep black boys in the regular classroom, such as revising teacher expectations, increasing parental involvement, changing teaching styles from a left-brain abstract approach to a right brain hands-on approach, redoing the curriculum, understanding the impact of mass media, and fostering healthy eating habits.

The femme fatale of the streets is back and she s deadlier than ever. Precious miraculously survives her brush with death, but the celebration is cut short when tragedy strikes. Convinced that Nico Carter is responsible for ripping her world apart, Precious' sole purpose for living is to make him pay in blood. The street life that she left behind calls her name as Precious wreaks havoc on anyone who stands in her way of getting revenge. While on her path of destruction, new enemies arise and old friends resurface, complicating Precious plans to bring Nico down. But soon she realizes that everything isn't what it seems. Will the dark road Precious travels finally lead to her own demise once and for all?

"If you don't like the way your life is going, redesign it. Redeem the years you lost. Restore your vision, revive your passion for living, and reclaim what was dormant inside of you. I cannot give you the dream but I can give you the tools to reach the dreams you have inside. I have seen what successful people do over and over again. I want to show you how to Reposition Yourself so you can do it, too. I have learned that minor adjustments make a big difference."
—T.D. Jakes

Nikki's debut novel is a smorgasbord of manipulation, street-life, greed, betrayal, envy, money, power and revenge.

Stereotypical images have portrayed black women as sexual objects in their youths and as nannies as they age. This collection of essays, fiction, and poems offers a variety of perspectives on black women in middle age (from their late 30s through their 50s) celebrating newfound freedom from pressure and the expectations placed on younger women. The 43 contributors, famous and obscure, include Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, Susan L. Taylor, Rita Dove, Terry McMillan, Gloria Naylor, Maya Angelou, and Pearl Cleage. These women explore the transition into middle age-- the emotional, psychological, professional, and physical changes--from career switches to widowhood to accepting childlessless. Sober essays warn of the rising incidences of sexually transmitted disease among the aging and the facts about the approach and onset of menopause. Poems and short stories evoke the renewed sense of self and sensuality in some women as they age. The collection is arranged in four sections: personal growth, health issues, relationships, and love. —Vanessa Bush, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The remarkable power of family values as articulated by an uneducated black man and his wife is played out in this loving memoir. Thornton is one of five daughters born to a laborer in a New Jersey shore town who was almost obsessed with the importance of education for his children and the nurturance of their talents. He strictly monitored their musical training, scrimping and wheedling where necessary to pay for their lessons. Eventually the Thornton Sisters Band was formed  A family enterprise whose financial success became the source of the daughters' college tuition. Although only two of the girls fulfilled their father's dream that they become doctors, all of them have successful careers. This picture by Thornton and Coudert (Advice from a Failure) of a black man's single-minded devotion to his family is a tribute to an extraordinary father who transcended racial prejudice to raise appreciative daughters to be independent women. —Publishers Weekly