The Lost German Slave Girl - Book Review by Paige Turner
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/lostgermanslavegirl.htm

Only the great American melting pot could provide a setting where an Australian author recounts the tale of an orphaned German immigrant who was intentionally misidentified as an African slave.  In the "The Lost German Slave Girl", lawyer and historian John Bailey offers readers the true story of Sally Miller and her fight for freedom.

Marvin X Unplugged An Interview by Lee Hubbard
http://reviews.aalbc.com/marvinxunplugged.htm

"While drugs and their impact have been talked about, no one has really dealt with the addiction to drugs and how it impacts a community and one's soul. No one has, until Marvin X, a poet, long time writer and activist, decided to touch this subject in his play, "A Day in the Life".  The play details Marvin's life ordeal with drugs, as well as the impact drugs had on former Black Panthers Eldridge Cleaver and Huey Newton and the Black community."

Giving it Away: My “Free” Lance Writing Career By Leah Mullen
http://aalbc.com/reviews/giving_it_away.htm

To decide to write for free was not a conscious choice, nor was it easy at first. I can remember moments when I’d read about someone who decided one day to write a book. A year later she had a deal with a major publishing company. Meanwhile even though I desperately wanted to write a book, I’d be working on three or four short articles. To make matters worse, only one of them might be a paid assignment.

What's My Name Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States Book Review by Kam Williams
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/whatsmynamefool.htm

A mix of history lessons, academic essays, thought-provoking interviews and topical opinion pieces, What's My Name, Fool? is at its best when taking us deeper inside the minds of adored icons than we’re used to. His subjects include some of the most controversial sports figures of the past 100 years from color line crossing Jackie Robinson to draft dodging Muhammad Ali to Toni Smith, the college basketball player who recently came under attack for turning her back on the flag during the playing of the national anthem.

The Best of The Black Book Web Sites
http://aalbc.com/otherwebsites.htm

Visit http://aalbc.com/otherwebsites.htm for a comparison of web sites which promote, support and sell books written by Black authors.  Learn which of these web sites gets the most traffic, have been around the longest and more.

The Northern Stories of Charles W. Chesnutt - Book Review by Paige Turner
http://reviews.aalbc.com/northernstoriescharleschestnutt.htm

"The Northern Stories" takes place during a time when industrialization, urbanization, immigration an scientific invention spurred changes in social mores.  Chesnutt's  "North" was a place where former slaves could shed their pain-filled lives and reinvent themselves with hard work and determination.  But in all of these stories, echoes of the wretched past threaten newfound identities. 

Many stories feature a burgeoning class of black strivers as protagonists (although nine stories are exclusively concerned with white characters.)  These tales are swiftly paced, streaked with humor and immediately seductive.  Editor Charles Duncan's insightful prefaces place each story in context.

The “Queen of Real” Signs 2nd Book Deal - Interview With Electa Rome Parks by Lynnette Khalfani
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_queen_of_real.htm

Parks, a formerly self-published writer, has just inked a second book deal with New American Library, a division of Penguin, to publish her fourth novel, called Ladies Night Out. Due to hit bookshelves in hardcover in 2006, Ladies Night Out is “99% complete,” according to Parks. The story focuses on four high-profile, single, African-American women who are best friends. “They have a monthly ladies night out where they leave their stress behind. So it’s a really fun, sexy novel,” Parks reveals. In other words, something that’s quite different than what readers may have come to expect of Parks based on her debut novel, The Ties That Bind or its sequel, Loose Ends.

Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind? - Book Review by Paige Turner
http://reviews.aalbc.com/is_bill_cosby_right1.htm

Dyson is passionate about this subject, and his advocacy for the poor is admirable. But his writing style is infuriating, due to his fatuous use of words. For example: "Michael Jackson's chilling reversal of pigment suggests the elasticity of the epidermis". Sheesh! C'mon! Fortunately there are many sections where his commentary is substantive and well expressed.

So, You Wanna Write a Best Seller - Article by Gwendolyn E. Osborne
http://reviews.aalbc.com/so_you_wanna_write_a_best_seller.htm

Conventional editorial wisdom is often dispensed by editors and publishers in the form of the ubiquitous rejection letter. The fear of rejection has derailed many writing careers. Most authors have received rejection letters at some point in their careers. Best-selling authors in all genres certainly have their collected their share. Reactions to them range from "just one person’s opinion" to constructive criticism to a nuisance to sour grapes. Rejection letters can be recycled in creative ways. Published authors have saved theirs as vindication or to encourage aspiring writers to keep trying.

Walter Mosely’s Devil in a Blue Dress was rejected by a publisher who wrote "We already have a black detective." Likewise, science fiction writer Octavia Butler received countless rejections for her now-critically acclaimed Kindred.