AALBC.com eNewsletter - September 28th 2011

AALBC.com Best Selling Books

AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books For July 1st through August 31st 2011
http://aalbc.com/books/bestsellers.htm

Fiction

#1 - Justify My Thug by Wahida Clark
#2 - Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree
#3 - Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade by Zane
#4 - Life Is Short But Wide by J. California Cooper
#5 - Stackin' Paper 2 Genesis' Payback by Joy King
#6 - Thug Lovin' (Thug 4) by Wahida Clark
#7 - When I Get Where I'm Going by Cheryl Robinson
#8 - Casting the First Stone by Kimberla Lawson Roby
#9 - The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth by Zane

Non-fiction

#1 - Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
#2 - Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans
#3 - Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love by Zane
#4 - Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny by Hill Harper
#5 - Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through by Iyanla Vanzant
#6 - Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey by Marcus Garvey
#7 - The Ebony Cookbook: A Date with a Dish by Freda DeKnight
#8 - The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors by Frances Cress Welsing
#9 - The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson

AALBC.com's 25 Bestselling Books for 2011
http://aalbc.com/books/2011_by_month.htm

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Authors You Should Know

Wangari Muta Maathai
http://aalbc.com/authors/wangari_maathi.html

Wangari Maathai (1940 to 25 September 2011) was the founder of the Green Belt Movement and the first woman to earn a doctorate in biology in East Africa. A recipient of numerous awards for her work on environmental and social issues, in 2004, she was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2006, she published her critically acclaimed memoir, Unbowed.

Maathai was an activist who really understood that true, meaningful change is initiated by the people. She lived that truth every day of her life.

Kadir Nelson
http://aalbc.com/authors/kadir_nelson.html

Nelson's award-winning children's books include Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, which won the Coretta Scott King Award and was an ALA Notable Children's Book; and Just the Two of Us by Will Smith, which received an NAACP Image Award.

Kadir's newest work Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans relates this story in the voice of an African American elder. It is wonderfully illustrated with 44 full-page paintings [Balzer + Bray, 27 Sept. 2011]

Leslie Ann Peterson Esdaile Banks
http://aalbc.com/authors/leslie.htm

Banks (December 11, 1959 - August 2, 2011) was not only a versitle and prolific authors she was a beautiful, generous, and gracious woman. Not only could she cook her butt off, she could tell a story! She will be missed by her fans, friends, family, me.

You may know Ms. Banks by one of her aliases. She wrote crime thrillers, under the name of Leslie Esdaile Banks, the "Soul Food Series" under Leslie E Banks, her romances where penned by Leslie Esdaile and her paranormal & Scarface books where written under L.A. Banks.

David Covin
http://aalbc.com/authors/david_covin.html

David Covin is Professor Emeritus of Government and Ethnic Studies at CSU Sacramento. He is Past President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, and the Founding Co-Principal Investigator of the Race & Democracy in the Americas Project. He is currently Co-Editor of the National Political Science Review.

His latest book Wimbey's Corner is a novel centered in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois during the early 1940s.

Kwei Quartey
http://aalbc.com/authors/kwei_quartey.html

Kwei Quartey was born in Ghana and raised by an African American mother and a Ghanaian father, both of whom were university lecturers. Even though his professional writing career began after he became a physician, his desire to be a writer began at the early age of eight.

Kwei Quartey’s debut novel, Wife of the Gods, was released by Random House Publishers in July 2009. Children of the Street is his second work and he is working on a third.

Philana Marie Boles
http://aalbc.com/authors/philana_marie_boles.html

Philana Marie Boles is the author of Little Divas, a chapter book for readers ages 11 and up, as well as the adult novels In the Paint and Blame It on Eve. She has worked for 40 Acres & a Mule Filmworks, Spike Lee's Brooklyn-based film company; for Glamour magazine (as a media relations assistant); and as a substitute teacher, which she often refers to as her "favorite gig of all."

When Philana isn't writing, she works as a media consultant and image strategist for hip-hop and R & B musicians. Glitz [Viking Juvenile 3 February 2011] is her first young adult novel. She lives in New York City.

Evelyn Palfrey
http://aalbc.com/authors/evelyn_palfrey.html

Ms. Plafrey says it best: "I write stories that have middle-age heroes and heroines because I believe that romance is just as beautiful with a little grey at the temples." "There is challenge--and joy--at every stage of life. Enjoy the one you're in now. It will last too long going through it--and not long enough looking back on it. Look forward to the next one. It will bring its own challenges--and joy."

Het latest novel, Going Home [Moon Child Books, 4 February 2011] tells the story of Thalia Allen who has lost her mind. At least that’s what her granddaughter thinks. And what her friends think. Sometimes, she thinks so, too. How could she have invited a homeless man to move into her home?

Ni’cola Mitchel
http://aalbc.com/authors/nicola_mitchell.html

Through her independent publishing company NCM Publishing; Ni'cola published her debut novel entitled Over and Over Again in June 2009. Following on the heels of her debut's critical acclaim, The Appetizer: When You're Not His Main Course was released February 2010. Ni'cola's growing readership eagerly awaited her next literary masterpiece Twisted, which was released March 12, 2011. Much of her work revolves around complex relationship issues situations and Mitchell's compulsive desire to see women over come challenges.

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AALBC.com Book Reviews (Fiction)

Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe
http://aalbc.com/reviews/chike_and_the_river.html

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe came to fame in 1958 upon the publication of Things Fall Apart, which remains to this day the best-selling piece of literature by an African author. He went on to write a sequel, No Longer at Ease and to enjoy an enduring career writing not only more novels, but poetry, short stories, essays and political commentary as well.

Many might not realize that Achebe also found time to write for kids, too, including Chike and the River, a poignant, coming-of-age tale about a young boy who moves from his village to the city to be raised by his uncle in the wake of the death of his father. Originally published on the continent in 1966, it has never enjoyed a release in the States until now. This new edition arrives augmented by a score of appropriately-muted woodcuts by Edel Rodriguez, tasteful illustrations which serve to enhance Achebe’s compelling children’s classic plot without endeavoring to upstage the author’s words.

Wimbey’s Corner by David Covin
http://aalbc.com/reviews/wimbeys_corner.html

Fans of street lit, drama, and romance alike will find something to love in this novel. With a tighter edit (a few typos and some confusion regarding point of view), there is no doubt that this book could find a very broad audience and could even be a movie.

David Covin is a unique and gifted writer who has a way of enchanting his audience with his imaginative, humorous, and vibrant writing style. He uses repetition as an art form and always keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning page after page. Wimbey's Corner is one of THE books of 2011. If strong language doesn’t offend you, you will not be able to put down this novel until the very last page. It's that good!

Going Home by Evelyn Palfrey Going Home by Evelyn Palfrey
http://aalbc.com/reviews/going_home.html

Evelyn Palfrey is an author who writes romance novels. The unique thing about her books is that she writes romance for the "marvelously mature". Her characters are are not young hot studs or sexy vamps but real mature folk that older readers can relate to. Her books also usually have an added twist, a little mystery and mayhem. I've enjoyed all of her novels and was happy to find this one was first released as an e-book. So here is my first review read on my Kindle.

Going Home is probably her best novel to date. Readers who aren't really romance readers will also enjoy this novel. It's a sweet simple love story but it also packs a punch about human suffering and life in today's uncertain economy. I highly recommend Going Home. It was one of my favorite reads thus far, this year.

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AALBC.com Book Reviews (Non-Fiction)

Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate by Juan Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/muzzled.html

Juan Williams ignited a firestorm of controversy last year when he admitted to Bill O’Reilly on national television that he feels nervous whenever he sees fellow passengers in Muslim garb getting on a plane with him. Within hours, Juan was fired from his own talk show on National Public Radio (NPR) by his boss, Ellen Weiss, despite his having an exemplary record since joining the network almost a decade earlier.

He says Weiss essentially labeled him a bigot and "gave me no chance to tell my side of the story." And the very next day, NPR’s CEO, Vivian Schiller, not only rubber-stamped his termination, but added insult to injury when she implied that Juan might be mentally unstable by suggesting that he should’ve kept the comment between himself and his psychiatrist.

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now by Touré
http://aalbc.com/reviews/whos_afraid_of_postblackness.html

Touré’s intriguing thesis is based both on anecdotal and empirical evidence, as his semi-autobiographical text is almost equally divided between his own personal reflections and responses elicited from his subjects on a variety of subjects. The opus was ostensibly inspired by the deep scar left by his having been embarrassed back in college by a presumably “Blacker” classmate who questioned his street credentials by shouting “Shut up, Touré! You ain’t Black!” at him in a very public forum.

Unprepared for the humiliating slight, Touré sort of slinked away instead of responding with a pithy retort. However, that ain’t the case today, as he has matured over the intervening years into a rather witty and loquacious journalist prepared to engage on virtually any topic of conversation, as reflected by his omnipresence on the TV airwaves where he is regularly consulted as an expert on popular culture. Arriving at post-Blackness must have been no mean feat for this brother from Beantown who admits that “it was impossible for me as a small child in Boston to not notice the racism around me” in a hostile city that “my parents felt was dangerously racist.”

Faith in the Fire: Wisdom for Life by Dr. Gardner C. Taylor
http://aalbc.com/reviews/faith_in_the_fire.html

Despite being born the grandson of slaves in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 18, 1918, Gardner Calvin Taylor earned degrees from Leland College and Oberlin Graduate School of Theology before becoming the legendary pastor of Brooklyn’s Concord Baptist Church at the age of 30. And over the course of his enduring career there, he earned a reputation as one of the best preachers in the nation.

I Hate Muscular Dystrophy: Loving a Child with a Life-Altering Disease by Star Bobatoon, Esq.,
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/i_hate_md.html

Editor's Note: This was a book whose review was almost not written or published. The feeling was that there would be very little interest in the subject matter. However after reading the book a really moving story was discovered; as we learned how challenging an illness like Muscular Dystrophy can on a family. This parent (Star Bobatoon) had to quit her job, was abandoned by her husband who moved from VA to NY, and her child just got sicker and sicker -- yet she persevered.

This book would be a valuable inspriation to anyone who has a chld with a long term or debilitating illiness.

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
http://aalbc.com/reviews/malcolm_x.html

For the most part, the Marable biography presents a distilled, truer Malcolm than Alex Haley’s flawed collaboration with the slain leader, beginning with the slim boy from Omaha, Nebraska, his tragic family history, his early days as the hustler Detroit Red in New York and Boston, his imprisonment and conversion into a member of the Nation of Islam. The book courts debate over his alleged homosexuality during Malcolm’s hustler years, with his supporters violently questioning the inclusion of “any gay slander.”

Although this book addresses the crucial role played by Malcolm as the best ambassador of the NOI’s particular brand of religion for years, it examines completely the complex set of rifts between the fiery spokesman and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, leader of the organization. When it came to Malcolm X’s attention that Mr. Muhammad had allegedly fathered children to at least six young female members, he pulled back from his pivotal role. NOI members thought he was a traitor and was plotting against their leader

The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll by Preston Lauterbach
http://aalbc.com/reviews/chitlin.html

It’s a shame that nothing substantial has been written about that sacred Black entertainment network of the Jim Crow South known as the Chitlin’ Circuit. Preston Lauterbach, a music journalist based in Memphis, has done us a great honor by revisiting this collection of clubs and joints in small towns and cities from Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Oklahoma, and other places below the Mason-Dixon line in this new book, The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.

With a snappy, lively feel to his narrative and rare photos, Lauterbach describes the Chitlin’ Circuit, which was established in the 1930s, was exploited by a gangster-club owner Denver Ferguson and a stylish bandleader Walter Barnes. Readers of the Chicago Defender, one of the leading Black publication of the day, savored Barnes’ accounts of his band’s exploits on the road where the colored and sometimes white folks gathered in the segregated South for music and dancing not to be found in the stodgy mainstream clubs.

Push Has Come to Shove: Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve (Even If It Means Picking a Fight) by Dr. Steve Perry
http://aalbc.com/reviews/push_has_come_to_shove.html

In Push Has Come to Shove, Perry, a frequent CNN contributor, shares his formula for success in the hope that it might be embraced and replicated all across the nation. But be forewarned, his controversial approach envisions the implementation of significant changes which would amount to a drastic overhaul of the entire school system.

For, with a glee akin to that of former Washington, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Dr. Perry advocates an assault on such seemingly sacred cows as top-heavy administrative bureaucracies, tenure for teachers, and the union inclination to protect its bad apples via what he dubs a “leave no teacher behind” philosophy. Luckily, the author only needs to point to the triumphs of his own program as proof that his innovative ideas deserve some serious consideration.

Celebritize Yourself: The Three-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business by Marsha Friedman Celebritize Yourself: The Three-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business by Marsha Friedman
http://aalbc.com/reviews/celebritize.html

Celebritize Yourself, a self-help book offering a step-by-step plan leading to a life in the limelight. In fact, Ms. Friedman’s method has just three simple steps, namely: Write, Speak and Sell.

What she means by this is that you should begin by writing a book and/or articles on a specific topic that you know a lot about. Being a published author will in turn qualify you to speak as an expert about the same subject on radio and TV, at conventions and seminars, at schools and churches, and so forth. The final phase of the transformation into a household name involves selling books along with other logical products and services, since “each time you sell, you also sell yourself.”

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AALBC.com Videos

DC Book Ladies DC Bookdiva and Michelle "DC Bookreviewer" Rawls
http://aalbc.it/dcbookdiva

The DC Book Diva is a book vendor, CEO & President of DC Bookdiva Publications, Book Promoter, Founder Urban Literary Review, Street Reviews & Don's & Diva's BookClub. In this video she introduces us to her reviewer Michelle Rawls. Visit dcbookdiva.com, blogtalkradio.com/urbanliteraryreview for more information

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AALBC.com Articles

Amazon Cash Authors & Publishers: Can’t earn Amazon affiliate commissions? You can still benefit!
http://aalbc.it/oWrxtM

Authors in the following states; Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island, & Connecticut, while you can no longer earn affiliate commission for the sale of your books via Amazon;s website. You can earn discounts on AALBC.com by using AALBC.com's affiliate code. Click here ot learn how. Whatever you decide to do whenever you you sell anything through Amazon.com make sure you sign up for their affiliate program otherwise you are just leaving money on the table -- if you are unable to earn comissions make sure someone does!

Google Worsens Web Experience by Retuning Poor Search Results
http://aalbc.it/googlebad

"...my love affair with Google is becoming tainted with skepticism and caution. I no longer believe Google’s near monopolistic dominance of search is in our best interest. In fact, I’m beginning to believe Google’s dominance may be to our detriment over the long term. The primary reason for this belief is that Google no longer returns the best search results. Click here to learn why.

Troytrianglemedium “Troy’s Triangle” for Publishing Success
http://aalbc.it/troystriangle

Over the last few years as changes in the publishing industry have accelerated, many in the industry have blamed one thing or the other for poor books sales. Whether it was the loss of independent book stores, the growth of the Internet, the bankruptcy of the super brick and mortar store Borders, increased competition from self-published authors, or the explosive growth of eBooks; everyone from self-published authors to major publishing houses have seemingly lost sight of some very basic business principles.

Butterfly Rising - Film Preview and How You Can Support
http://aalbc.com/reviews/butterfly_rising.html

Tanya Wright is an actress who currently appears in the role of Deputy Kenya Jones on HBO's TRUE BLOOD. She recently completed work on her directorial debut—Butterfly Rising-- and has published a book by the same name.

"Butterfly Rising is a story about two women who take a road trip to meet a mythical medicine man named Lazarus of the Butterflies. Loosely based on the story of Mary and Martha from the Bible, Rose Johnson (our “Mary”) is black and Lilah Belle (“Martha,” the 'grief stricken singer who doesn't sing anymore'), is white. In Butterfly Rising, Rose Johnson and Lilah Belle are not literal sisters, but metaphorical ones. When we see Mary and Martha in the Bible, they are mourning the death of their brother, Lazarus. It was a story that resonated with me—I crafted Rose and Lilah in the image of these two Biblical woman and wrote until I could write no more. I was in the throes of a deep and profound transformation of my own: my brother had just been murdered. After his death, my world caved--then changed, radically. I didn't feel like I was living my full potential, so I clung to my writing like a boat out at sea. Creating Butterfly Rising eased what it could of my profound grief." --Tanya Wright

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AALBC.com Film Reviews

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 - Black Revolution of the Sixties Revisited via Swedish Cinematic Collage
http://aalbc.com/reviews/black_power_mixtape.html

The archival footage has been augmented here with current-day voiceover commentaries by the likes of Danny Glover, Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Melvin Van Peebles and Talib Kweli, and features an appropriately-sweet Hip-Hop/R&B soundtrack scored by Questlove and Om’Mas Keith. Nonetheless, what makes the movie so moving are the original tete-a-tetes probing the psyches of its freedom-loving subjects.

An absolute must-see for anyone interested in fully appreciating the mindset and motivations of the charismatic militants who emerged to capture the collective imagination of an impatient generation of African-Americans in the wake of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King.

The Weird World of Blowfly - Godfather of Rap Belatedly Gets His Due in Jaw-Dropping Bio-Pic
http://aalbc.com/reviews/weird_world_of_blowfly.html

Clarence Reid is a legendary songwriter who wrote R&B hits back in the Sixties and Seventies for everyone from Sam & Dave to KC & the Sunshine Band. What many people don’t know, however, is that he also donned a flamboyant costume, periodically, to perform raunchy rap tunes as his irreverent alter ego, Blowfly.

With titles like “Rapp Dirty,” “Porno Freak,” “Butt Pirate Luv,” “Electronic Pussy Sucker,” “Funk You,” “Burning Pussy,” and “Destructo Cock,” the bawdy ballads were laced with explicit lyrics which left little to the imagination, such as “Should I [expletive] that big fat ho?”. Basically, Blowfly’s act involves bragging about his sexual prowess in much the same fashion adopted decades later by gangsta rappers.

Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain - Concert Flick Features Highlights of Funnyman’s 90-City Tour
http://aalbc.com/reviews/kevin_hart_laugh_at_my_pain.html

Kevin Hart has enjoyed a tremendous surge in popularity lately after having basically divided his time over the last decade between acting and making the rounds on the comedy club circuit. He’s played the second banana in dozens of films such as Not Easily Broken, Soul Plane, and Scary Movie 3 and 4 before landing a role as a leading man in 2011 in 35 and Ticking.

Also this year, the 5’4” funnyman embarked on a 90-city standup tour entitled “Laugh at My Pain” where he brought his unique brand of observational humor to venues all across the country. This concert flick of the same name ostensibly features his act at its best, as it was recorded on the last stop of the traveling show at the Nokia Theatre in L.A.

The Help - Segregation Era Saga Explores Unquestioned Socialite-Maid Relationships
http://aalbc.com/reviews/the_help.html

Kathryn Stockett made an auspicious debut in 2009 with the publication of The Help, a poignant period piece examining the unquestioned relationships of entitled, white socialites and their deferential black maids in Mississippi. Although the story is set in the author’s hometown of Jackson in the early Sixties, her best-selling novel is more fictional than autobiographical in nature.

The screen adaptation unfolds from the point of view of Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), a long-suffering nanny left bone-weary by a life spent “lookin’ after white babies.” Born in 1911, she is currently raising little Mae Mobley Leefolt (Emma and Eleanor Henry), a recent addition to a prominent Southern family.

Fire in Babylon - Cricket Documentary Recounts Rise and Dominance of West Indian Team Fire in Babylon - Cricket Documentary Recounts Rise and Dominance of West Indian Team
http://aalbc.com/reviews/fire_in_babylon.html

Superficially, cricket looks a lot like baseball, except the players use a flat bat, hit the ball on a bounce and don’t bother to run around the bases. But you won’t need to understand all the fine points of the baseball-like sport’s rules to enjoy Fire in Babylon, a documentary detailing the exploits of the athletes who represented the Caribbean against a host of colonizing countries during their glory days of the Seventies and Eighties.

What makes the politically-tinged documentary so compelling is the fact that the West Indian team had to endure racist taunts while on tour whether in Great Britain, Australia or elsewhere around the former English empire. But again and again they prevailed, despite the fact that white fans were not prepared to sit idly by as the descendants of their former colonial subjects beat their heroes at their own game.

Jumping the Broom - Ghetto Meets Suburbia Comedy Co-Starring Alonso and Patton Arrives on DVD
http://aalbc.com/reviews/jumping_the_broom.html

This sets the stage for the epic ghetto vs. bourgie clash which ensues over the course of one incomparably-eventful weekend in Jumping the Broom, an old-fashioned “fish out of water” comedy marking the feature film debut of veteran TV director Salim Akil (“Girlfriends” and “The Game”). Not only does this unlikely gathering serve as fodder for plenty of coarse jokes, but the festivities also take on the distinct tone of a soap opera as all manner of messy skeletons come bursting out of the closet.

Not surprisingly, most of the laughs come courtesy of the trashy Taylors while the uptight Watsons serve as straight men and are the ones with the shocking revelations. Since it would be unfair to spoil the flick by divulging the latter, allow me to elaborate solely on the movie’s lowbrow brand of humor.

Sonia Sanchez: Shake Loose Memories - Trailer
http://aalbc.com/authors/sonia.htm#trailer

SONIA SANCHEZ: SHAKE LOOSE MEMORIES is social commentary, biography and entertainment. It promotes social activism by shining light on a life that has inspired people of all races to use the arts to communicate and address social justice issues.

SONIA SANCHEZ: SHAKE LOOSE MEMORIES is a feature length documentary film chronicling the creation of a multimedia project featuring Sanchez’s work during the 7th decade of her life. The film uses this creative context to reflect on the impact of Sonia Sanchez’s life and work on society through the eyes of key individuals -- from the worlds of social activism, the arts, entertainment and academia.

Dark Girls - A Preview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/dark_girls_preview.html

Produced by Bill Duke for Duke Media and D. Channsin Berry for Urban Winter Entertainment, this film will be released in Fall/Winter 2011. Clips from the upcoming documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color---particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.

A visit's comment reflects an alternative perspective: 'This is so sad. But as a dark skin girl, I can not relate. As a child my father always told me how beautiful I was, and I grew to believe him. I know that my dark skin is beautiful, as well as my natural hair. Beauty come from the inside."

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AALBC.com Interviews

Viola Davis - "The Help" Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/viola_davis.html

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Viola Davis built an exceptional background in theater productions and has continued to perform on the stage throughout her television and film career. Making her feature-film debut in 1996 as a nurse in The Substance of Fire, she followed that up with several TV movies and guest-star appearances on dramatic series like Law & Order and NYPD Blue.

Here, she talks about her latest outing as Aibileen in The Help, a compelling tale of survival, set in Mississippi during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation, which explores the unspoken tensions simmering just below the surface between well-to-do white women and their African-American maids.

Eric Benét - The “Trinity Goodheart” Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/eric_benet.html

Born in Milwaukee on October 15, 1970, two-time Grammy-nominee Eric Benét is an actor, singer and songwriter whose music has been influenced by such R&B greats as Al Green, Sly Stone, Chaka Kahn and Marvin Gaye. His first professional break came back in the late Eighties while he was in a local group called Gerard.

Here, he talks about starring opposite Erica Gluck in his new film, Trinity Goodheart, a heartwarming family drama about a strained father-daughter relationship

Mary J Blige Mary J. Blige - “The Help” Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/mary_j_blige.html

Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of “The Help” a film, which takes places in Mississippi in the early Sixties. Based on the best-seller of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, the movie chronicles the emotional journey of three very different women who embark on a secret writing project breaking societal rules and therby putting themselves at risk.

Here, Blige, a six-time Grammy Award-winner, talks about what inspired her to compose the “The Living Proof.”

Juan Williams - The “Muzzled” Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/juan_williams.html

Juan Williams was born in Panama on April 10, 1954, but raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn by his mother Alma, a seamstress, and his father, Roger, a boxing trainer. After graduating from Haverford College, Juan went on to become one of America’s leading journalists.

His articles have appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, The Atlantic Monthly, Ebony, Gentlemen’s Quarterly, and The New Republic. Here, he talks about his new book, Muzzled, a memoir generally bemoaning the pressure nowadays to speak in sanitized, politically-correct sound bites and specifically reflecting upon his being fired by NPR for honestly expressing his feelings about getting on a plane with Muslims.

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AALBC.com Recommends

Kindle Fire - Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display eBook Reader/Tablet - $199.00
http://aalbc.it/amazonfire

Today [28 September 2011] Amazon.com Inc. announced the November 15, 2011 release of the all-new Kindle Fire. Orders are prioritized on a first come, first served basis.

The Kindle Fire sports a vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle. It also provides 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, the Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games, free cloud storage for all your Amazon content . The reader is provides accelerated web browsing via Amazon Silk Cloud-Accelerated “Split Browser”

The Only One eBook ACHAPTERAMONTH.com
http://www.achapteramonth.com

ACHAPTERAMONTH.com (ACAM) is a unique way to read new work from both established new authors. The current roster of authors include; Bernice L. McFadden, Candy Jackson, Carleen Brice, , Donna Hill, Dwayne S. Joseph, Lolita Files, M D Liggett, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Marissa Monteilh, Nina Foxx, Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown, Pat Tucker, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Stanley Stanley, Stephanie Perry Moore, Tinesha Davis, Trice Hickman, Victoria Christopher Murray, Virginia DeBerry.

You can sample an individual chapters any or all of the above authors! ACAM deliever new chapters in all the major eBook formats. Check out the 1st chapter from AALBC.com's cultural critic and discussion board Icon Cynique. Her novel The Only One is serialized on ACAM.

Ten week Online Fiction Writers' Group with Industry Veteran Cherise Fisher
http://aalbc.it/ofwg

Starting on October 12, AChapterAMonth.com will host a ten week online fiction writers' group for those interested in developing their skills as writers in general, and improving a particular novel that is in progress. Cherise Fisher, editor, writing coach, and publishing consultant who was most recently the Editor in Chief of Plume, will facilitate the group. Each week, she will lead the group in craft building exercises and a critique of a participant's work. The tuition also includes a thirty minute one-on-one with Cherise. So if you have a webcam and a novel, join them! Go to www.achapteramonth.com and click on the Online Wrters' of the tab. The application deadline is October 7th.

Urban Ministies, Inc. (UMI) - The African American Publishing & Communications Co.
http://www.urbanministries.com

Urban Ministries, Inc. is the largest independent, African American-owned and operated Christian media company. They publish Christian education resources, including bible studies, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curriculum, books, movies, and websites designed for African American churches and individuals seeking a Christ-centered perspective on faith and life issues.

A multi-faceted organization, UMI publishes books in the following categories; Adult Books, Children's Books, Healthy Living, Leadership/Community Outreach, and Money Management. They also provide numerous Ministry resoucres in areas including Christian Education & Sunday School, Health & Fitness, Marriage and Relationships.

Liliane: Resurrection of the Daughter [St. Martin's Griffin,10/11/11] by Ntozake Shange
http://aalbc.com/authors/ntozake.htm#liliane

"A standing ovation for Ntozake Shange. This is her finest work of fiction so far." --Clarence Major, Washington Post Book World

Through the polyphonic voices of Liliane Lincoln's childhood friends, lovers, and conversations with her psychoanalyst, Ntozake Shange weaves the life of a remarkable young woman. Liliane Lincoln is an artist who exposes what she knows of herself to the world through her bold and colorful artwork. Gradually, however, Liliane realizes that in order to survive, she must come to terms with what she has kept hidden even from herself. Liliane is extraordinary vision of a woman learning to be who she really is.

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Book Events & Related Events

Tour Chicago with the Hottest Authors during The 7th Annual Cavalcade of Authors
http://aalbc.it/cavalcadeofauthors

The 7th Annual Cavalcade of Authors 2011, is a destination event for book clubs and avid readers to tour Chicago with their favorite authors: Brenda Jackson, Donna Hill, Beverly Jenkins, Francis Ray, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Lorraine Elzia, Suzetta Perkins, Karen Owens White, Lesley Hal, Gloria Franklin, Susan D. Peters, Natasha O., Sheila Peele-Miller, D. A. Rhodes and Shunice Hill-Sullivan.

Friday, October 14, we'll have dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe; then Saturday, October 15 the tour leaves the sponsoring venue: Chicago South Loop Hotel for DuSable Museum, Navy Pier, and shopping on the Magnificent Mile. Later that evening a wonderful time of dancing, spades, bid whist, games and more at the Crimson Party & Steppers Set where everyone wears red. We end the weekend on Sunday, October 16 with an inspirational buffet brunch. Contact 888.854.8823 lissawoodson@aol.com for more information

Editor's Note:
http://aalbc.it/BookEvents

AALBC.com's events calendar is an ideal resource for authors who wish to post their entire tour schedules, or folks who only want to promote a single event. Because of AALBC.com's popularity, all posted events are quickly indexed by search engines; making your event easy to find by web surfers and the 100's of thousands of AALBC.com visitors. AALBC.com also selects events from our calendar to include in this which goes out to over almost 20,000 subscribers about once a month.

Vistors can also download events into the personal calendars and subscribe to calendar RSS feeds. This is an easy way to get the word out about your event.

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Interesting Discussion Board Conversations

Where Are All The Good Single Black Men?
http://aalbc.it/waatgsbm

Even wonder where all the Good Single Black Men are? Well look no further; an Inforgraphic, provided courtesy of Best Black Dating Sites: http://www.bestblackdatingsites.org provides a graphical anaylsis. Check out the conversation.

What is everyone reading?
http://aalbc.it/whatiseveryonereading

Reading suggestions from our discussion board visitors over the courve of the last 9 months. This is one of our most popular conversations -- I'm sure you'll find a great new book to read.

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Book Related News

Visit Daily to Get the Latest News in the World of Books
http://aalbc.com/book_industry_news.php

Local authors set to give pointers about the book business
http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_18989586

"For the aspiring writer, we will offer tips on how to hone the craft of writing publishable prose," he said. "We will share our varied, but similar, experiences of having been through the process of writing, editing, finding an agent and/or publisher, all the way through the marketing of our work which these days falls more and more on the author's shoulders, even when the publisher is a royalty press."
--San Jose Mercury News - By Janice De JesusCorrespondent (Posted: September 27, 2011)

Very Bad Things: A Pessimistic Reading List
http://www.themillions.com/2011/09/very-bad-things-a-pessimistic-reading-list.html

These are troubled times. The news cycles have seemed particularly dark lately. Knowing that times have always been troubled — was there ever a generation that didn’t suffer from the creeping suspicion that everything’s kind of going to hell? — provides limited solace.

There are always distractions, of course, but sheer escapism is too easy. I’d like to propose something more along the lines of semi-escapism. All of the following books are works of fiction, but there are moments, I’ve found, when fiction conveys nearly as much about the world we find ourselves in as the news does. With that in mind, a reading list: (Read the full list)
--themillionsblog - Emily St. John Mandel (Posted: September 28, 2011)

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