AALBC.com's Best Selling Books - Calendar Year 2009

2010 marks the beginning of AALBC.com's 13th year of selling books on-line. We sold our first book on December 1997. This the 2009 bestsellers list is based upon online sales, via the Amazon.com affiliate program and represents the sale of over 2,186 different titles (virtually all by authors of African descendants). For additional insight please read our Notes on the AALBC.com 2009 Best Sellers List

Below are the best-selling books for all of 2009 (January 1st 2009 through December 31st 2009)

Fiction

Nonfiction

Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology
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by Zane (Editor)

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

Zane, the New York Times best-selling 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.

Confessions of a Video Vixen
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by Karrine Steffans

ISBN: 0060842423
Format: Hardcover, 205pp
Pub. Date: June 2005
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Watch an AALBC.com Interview with Karrine Steffans

Glass vases filled with marbles crashed all around us as he began tossing linens from the bed. As the marbles scattered, we laughed in unison ... I remember the exact moment that I first laid on my back for him ... My legs were wrapped around his waist and just before his body was to merge with mine, I noticed his upper right chest. On it was a tattoo with the words "Pain is Love."

Confessions of a Video Vixen is the widely anticipated memoir of Karrine Steffans, the once sought-after sexy siren who appeared in the music videos of multiplatinum hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and LL Cool J. A top-paid video dancer, Karrine transitioned to film when acclaimed director F. Gary Gray picked her to costar in his film A Man Apart, starring Vin Diesel. But the movie and music video sets, swanky Miami and New York restaurants, and trysts with the celebrities featured in the pages of People and In Touch magazines only skims the surface of Karrine's life.

This memoir -- part tell-all, part cautionary tale -- shows how Karrinne came to be the confidante of so many, why she kept their secrets, and how she found herself in Hollywood after a life marked by physical abuse, rape, and drugs -- all before she was twenty-six. By sharing her emotionally charged story, she hopes to shed light on an otherwise romanticized industry.

Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2
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by Zane (Editor)

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Strebor Books (January 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593092113
ISBN-13: 978-1593092115
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches

Steamy, sensual and poetically hypnotic, Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 is the follow-up to the bestseller Purple Panties.

No one can debate the fact that Zane knows sex. The Queen of Erotic Fiction has hit home run after home run in the literary arena with her literary offerings. Now comes the latest, a collection of lesbian erotica that will have readers squirming on the edge of their seats, curling up beneath the sheets, and fantasizing about the possibilities.

Including such stories as "The Namma's Nectar," "Coast to Coast" and "She Loved a Girl," Missionary No More gives an insight into a world where love and lust have no boundaries. Come take a journey through the eyes of several women who have one thing in common: an appreciation for female sensuality.

Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love
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by Zane

ISBN: 0743457056
Pub. Date: July 10, 2007
Format: Hardcover, 256pp
Publisher: Atria Books

Dear G-Spot includes real letters from real people, both women and men, who have sought Zane's advice over the years -- the preacher's wife worrying about being judged, the virgin, the guy next door, the gay man next door, the woman with low self-esteem, and the other woman with a sex drive over the moon.

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

Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade
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by Zane

ISBN: 1593092393
Label: Strebor Books
Manufacturer: Strebor Books
Number Of Pages: 128
Publication Date: June 09, 2009

Hope and Faith: two things that everyone needs to survive. But the words take on a different meaning in the form of a set of twins who attend Crockett University in Washington, D.C. As seniors, they are looking forward to a bright future in corporate America. Meanwhile, they have decided to relieve some of the stress involved in getting a higher education by being members of APF.
Soror Ride 'em High and Soror Lick 'em Low, originally hail from Atlanta and, like most twins, they share a connection. In fact, their physical bond is so strong, that one can often feel a pounding in her vagina while the other is engaged in sexual activity. But everything is not perfect when it comes to being a twin. Sometimes animosity and jealousy can creep in; especially when Hope and Faith find themselves both attracted to the same man on campus. Is blood really thicker than water? Or, in this case, thicker than basic carnal desires?

In this long-anticipated second volume in the APF series, a follow-up to The Sisters of APF: The Indoctrination of Soror Ride Dick, New York Times Best-Selling Author Zane, once again proves why she is "The Queen of Erotic Fiction." Over the years many have tried to emulate her but Zane's imagination is not to be replicated any time in the near future. The freak nights of APF are some of the most artistic, exhilarating, erotic experiences that have ever graced the pages of a book; evidenced by the thousands of emails Zane has received over the years from women yearning to join the sorority.

The sexual revolution continues...within the pages of Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade.

The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors
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by 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.

life is short Life Is Short But Wide
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by J. California Cooper

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (March 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385511345
ISBN-13: 978-0385511346

Beloved writer J. California Cooper has won a legion of loyal fans and much critical acclaim for her powerful storytelling gifts. In language both spare and direct yet wondrously lyrical, LIFE IS SHORT BUT WIDE is an irresistible story of family that proves no matter who you are or what you do, you are never too old to chase your dreams.

Like the small towns J. California Cooper has so vividly portrayed in her previous novels and story collections, Wideland, Oklahoma, is home to ordinary Americans struggling to raise families, eke out a living, and fulfill their dreams. In the early twentieth century, Irene and Val fall in love in Wideland. While carving out a home for themselves, they also allow neighbors Bertha and Joseph to build a house and live on their land. The next generation brings two girls for Irene and Val, and a daughter for Bertha and Joseph. As the families cope with the hardships that come with changing times and fortunes, and people are born and pass away, the characters learn the importance of living one's life boldly and squeezing out every possible moment of joy.

Cooper brilliantly captures the cadences of the South and draws a picture of American life at once down-to-earth and heartwarming in this-as her wise narrator will tell you-strange, sad, kind a beautiful, life story.� It is a story about love that leads to the ultimate realization that whoever you are, and whatever you do, life is short, but it is also wide.

The Vixen Diaries
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by Karrine Steffans

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Grand Central
Pub. Date: (Sept. 25, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0446582263

Watch a video of Karrine Steffans with AALBC.com founder. Also read Karrine's interview with Kam Williams

This titillating expos� chronicles the personal and professional adventures of this tabloid-laden socialite, dispelling some rumors, while confirming others. Diaries unveils the heavily shrouded Hollywood backrooms and its coveted secrets. Offering her ardent fans answers to burning questions and presenting lessons learned, this book will surely not disappoint.

Karrine Steffans continues to dish out juicy gossip and the much sought after details of her star studded lifestyle and the celebrity men that helped her get where she needed to be.

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.

True to the Game III
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by Teri Woods

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446581682

The third and most explosive installment of the groundbreaking True to the Game trilogy will take you on a marathon race through the mean streets of Philly. Starting off where the second installment's dramatic cliffhanger left us, True III will finally reveal Gena's mysterious stalker and savior, as well as introduce a new killer so vicious, so cunning, so ruthless, he'll have you looking over your shoulder with each turn of the page.

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?

Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny
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by Hill Harper

ISBN: 1592402003
Format: Hardcover, 192pp
Pub. Date: April 2006
Publisher: Penguin Group

Voted One of the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2006

Read an AALBC.com Book Review

�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.�

Dutch 3: The Finale
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by Kwame Teague (Teri Woods)

Paperback
Publisher: Teri Woods Publishing (2007)
ASIN: B001IW5XLA

The battle of supremacy between Rahman and Angel is over as Dutch has reclaimed his position. Bernard James, aka Dutch, is very much alive, doing well and is ready to take the world by storm, by any means necessary. Does Nina get her man? Will Goldilocks succeed? Is Dutch reunited with his father? Roc is a soul divided. Will he stay on his deen or be down with the team? What role does Angel play? All those questions and many more are answered in the final book of the long-awaited "Dutch" Trilogy. Street fiction's most highly anticipated novel is here! Author KWAME TEAGUE brings closure to the infamous trilogy. Enriched with colorful, unforgettable characters and full of drama, this trilogy is one of the best to date. He has carved a formidable niche in street fiction. Though I'm sad to see it come to an end, I look forward to Kwame's future endeavors. -OOSA Online Book Club

The MIS-Education of the Negro
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by Carter Godwin Woodson

Publisher: Africa World Press
Date Published: November 1990
Format: Trade Paper

Woodson's 205-page monograph, The Mis-education of tbe Negro, reflects his profound concern for setting the record straight. His thesis, as outlined in his Preface, could well apply today: "The so-called modern education, with all its defects, however, does others so much more good than it does the Negro, because it has been worked out in conformity to the needs of those who have enslaved and oppressed weaker people." He was concerned with the way African American identity had been warped by racist approaches to history and education; he foresaw the ways that such a warped history would be internalized by black students who would never know of the achievements of their forebears, only of their humiliations and sufferings.

In the book's eighteen chapters, Woodson presents a systematic critique of the education system and offers a plan for change that would create a system that informs black students about their own history and addresses their unique challenges. The current proliferation of African American studies programs, Afrocentric schools, and multicultural curricula all bear Woodson's stamp. Still, Mis-education remains a biting indictment of a public school system whose promise of education of the masses has still been left sadly unfulfilled. �description from Sacred Fire

Queen Bitch: Part 4 (Bitch Series)
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by Deja King

Paperback: 231 pages
Publisher: A King Production (November 28, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0975581155
ISBN-13: 978-0975581155
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches

In Queen Bitch, Precious has lost it all, her daughter, Aaliyah, the love of her life, Supreme, and the luxurious lifestyle she s grown accustomed to. The perpetrator of her demise is the very person she called family Maya. Precious learns the hard way, it s true what they say, blood is thicker than water, as Maya aligns herself with her brother, Pretty Boy Mike.

As Precious fights to escape the death sentence that awaits her, Maya is plotting to steal the life she believes is rightfully hers. But Precious has no plans of relinquishing her crown. She is willing to do anything, to make sure Maya pays for the deceit and devastation she has caused her family.

With the cards stacked against her, Precious has to gamble it all and use the only weapon she has left her street savvy brains to outwit the most dangerous enemies she s encountered yet. In this game where the winner takes all, who will come out on top the mentor or the protege? Because there can only be one Queen Bitch.

great speeches Great Speeches by African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Others
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Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (April 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486447618
ISBN-13: 978-0486447612

This anthology comprises speeches by influential figures in the history of African-American culture and politics. Contents include the famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech by Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass' immortal "What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s "I Have a Dream," Barack Obama, and many others.

Push: A Novel
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by Sapphire

ISBN: 0679766758
Format: Paperback, 140pp
Pub. Date: April 1997
Publisher: Random House, Incorporated

Precious: Film based on the novel Push by Sapphire Read a film Review

In an electrifying novel, a black street girl, sixteen years old and pregnant, again, with her father's child, speaks. In a voice that shakes us by its language, its story, and its unflinching honesty, Precious Jones records her journey up from Harlem's lowest depths... For Precious, miraculously, hope appears and the world begins to open up when a courageous black woman - a teacher hellbent to teach - bullies, cajoles, and inspires her to learn to read, to define her own feelings and set them down in a diary: to discover the truth of her life.

Day after day they go over the pages, translating the illiterate but developing language of Precious' journals. The learning process itself, as vividly revealed as the most brutal aspects of Precious' daily existence, is the heartbeat of a novel that will disturb, galvanize, and stay in the mind

The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave
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by William Lynch, Kashif Malik Hassan-el

Paperback: 30 pages r /> Publisher: Frontline Distribution International; Reprint edition (March 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0948390530

"The infamous "Willie Lynch" letter gives both African and Caucasian students and teacher some insight, concerning the brutal and inhumane psychology behind the African slave..."

The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave is a study of slave making. It describes the rationale and the results of Anglo Saxon's ideas and methods of insuring the master/slave relationship.

More about the Willie Lynch Letter

Thug Lovin'
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by Wahida Clark

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446178098
ISBN-13: 978-0446178099

Tasha and Trae, the hood's favorite couple, are still together following the events of Thug Matrimony. Even with their relocation to sunny Los Angeles, the drama of New York cannot be escaped. From running a nightclub to dealing with models, shady lawyers, big money, new kinds of temptations, seductions, and drugs-not to mention new love interests-can this infamous couple weather all the storms and keep it together?

Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny
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by Hill Harper

Hardcover: 278 pages
Publisher: Gotham (June 3, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592403514

Read an AALBC.com Book Review

In the follow-up to his award winning national bestseller, Letters to a Young Brother, actor and star of CSI: NY shares his powerful wisdom for young women everywhere, drawing on the courageous advice of the female role models who transformed his life.

Letters to a Young Sister unfolds as a series of letters written by older brother Hill to a universal Young Sistah. She's up against the same challenges as every young woman: from relating to her parents and dealing with peer pressure, to juggling schoolwork and crushes and keeping faith in the face of heartache. In his straight-talking style, Hill helps his young sister build self-confidence, self-reliance, self-respect, and encourages her on her journeys towards becoming a strong and successful woman. The book also includes contributions from admirable women like Angela Basset, Ciara, Michelle Obama, Tatyana Ali, Nikki Giovanni, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrikck, Eve, Malinda Williams, Kim Porter, and more.

#10

True to the Game II
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by Teri Woods

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446581682

#10

Five Negro Presidents
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by J. A. Rogers

Paperback: 19 pages
Publisher: Helga M. Rogers (May 1, 1965)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0960229485
ISBN-13: 978-0960229482
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.1 inches

#11

The People Could Fly
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by Virginia Hamilton

Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Re edition (September 11, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0375845534
Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches

Read an AALBC.com Book Review

Leo and Diane Dillon's award-winning picture book interpretation of Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton's beloved tale now includes an unforgettable word-for-word CD narration by James Earl Jones and Virginia Hamilton. This tale of slaves who could fly to freedom offered hope in the darkly brutal times of slavery. "That is what Virginia Hamilton set out to show, what the Dillons have so astutely expounded on and what ultimately makes this version of 'People' so powerful. Think of it as a triad of words, pictures, and storytelling." - New York Times Book Review

An elegant gift for reading, looking, and listening.

#11

It's No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal--a Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All
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by Carmen Bryan, Vanessa Satten

ISBN: 1416532668
Pub. Date: November 2006
Format: Hardcover, 259pp
Publisher: Pocket Books

Carmen Bryan is no stranger to the rap world. Not only did she work at Def Jam and Capitol Records but she shares a daughter with hip-hop superstar Nas -- a relationship made extremely public through Nas's celebrity status, rap lyrics, and the ever-present media. Now, in It's No Secret, a strong, resilient Carmen bares all, telling her side of the story and leaving no detail unturned -- with the true candor and raw emotion of someone who has been there, done that, and survived.

From a clandestine relationship with Nas's biggest rival, Jay-Z, that stirred up the biggest feud in hip-hop history, to seeing her reputation in tatters and a once loving relationship with Nas fall apart, Carmen depicts her trying journey to become the strong woman and mother she is today. After years of turmoil that included drugs, sex, greed, and violence -- and abandoning what she had always prized above all, her freedom -- Carmen took a stand, focusing on herself. After years of pursuit by the media, Carmen sets the record straight in It's No Secret -- and has no regrets.

#12

Sisters and Lovers
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by Connie Briscoe

ISBN: 0804113343
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 409pp
Pub. Date: January 1995
Publisher: The Random House Publishing Group

Beverly, Charmaine, and Evelyn are three sisters living in the same city, but in very different worlds. They have at least one thing in common though: in their own corners of Washington, D.C., they are reaching their personal breaking points. Beverly, twenty-nine, is successful, reluctantly single, and perennially disappointed. Evelyn, thirty-seven, is educated and ambitious, with a husband, two great kids, and a house in the suburbs; but the secure world she has built for herself is quite possibly about to crumble. And Charmaine, thirty-five, struggles to support her son as well as her useless husband, all the while wondering what either of her sisters has to complain about. As this frank and funny novel unfolds, Beverly will find and lose more men than she'd like to admit, Charmaine will kick her husband out and let him back in more times than she'd like her sisters to know about, and Evelyn will try to keep it a secret that her husband isn't Mr. Perfect after all. But what these three women discover is that having a sister gives you one of the few things you can really rely on. In Sisters & Lovers, debut novelist Connie Briscoe has drawn a vivid and dramatic portrait that will make readers laugh out loud and nod their heads in recognition. It is a novel that announces the welcome arrival of a truly fresh new voice.

#12

The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life
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by Kevin Powell

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Atria (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416592245
ISBN-13: 978-1416592242

"This book may save your life."�Michael Eric Dyson

The Black Male Handbook is a collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning. Kevin Powell taps into the social and political climate rising in the Black community, particularly as it relates to Black males. This is a must-have book, not only for Black male readers, but the women who befriend, parent, partner, and love them.

The Black Male Handbook answers a collective hunger for new direction, fresh solutions to old problems, and a different kind of conversation -- man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hiphop generation. The book tackles issues related to political, practical, cultural, and spiritual matters, and ending violence against women and girls.

The book also features an appendix filled with useful readings, advice, and resources. The Black Male Handbook is a blueprint for those aspiring to thrive against the odds in America today.

#13

True to the Game
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by Teri Woods

ISBN: 0446581607
Pub. Date: May 2007
Format: Paperback, 302pp
Publisher: Warner Books, Incorporated
Edition Description: Reprint

It's the late 1980s, and Gena, a young girl from the projects, meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls madly in love. Quadir builds a massive empire while fighting his rivals and enemies.

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.

#13

Motivating and Preparing Black Youth for Success
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Jawanza Kunjufu

ISBN: 0913543020
Format: Paperback, 74pp
Pub. Date: March 1987
Publisher: African American Images

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!

#14

The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth
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by Zane

Format: Paperback, 2nd ed., 304pp.
ISBN: 0967460182
Publisher: Strebor Books International, LLC
Pub. Date: February 2001

After more than two years of entertaining tens of thousands of loyal readers on the Internet with her vivid imagination, a large collection of Zane's erotica is finally available in a published format. Zane has captivated the minds of both sexes and all races. She has completely shattered 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 races.

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.

#14

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think about Love Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment
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by Steve Harvey

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Amistad (January 27, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061728977
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches

Read an AALBC.com Book Review

Steve Harvey, the host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, can't count the number of impressive women he's met over the years, whether it's through the "Strawberry Letters" segment of his program or while on tour for his comedy shows. These are women who can run a small business, keep a household with three kids in tiptop shape, and chair a church group all at the same time. Yet when it comes to relationships, they can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve lets women inside the mindset of a man and sheds lights on concepts and questions such as:

	The Ninety Day Rule: Ford requires it of its employees. Should you require it of your man?
	How to spot a mama's boy and what if anything you can do about it.
	When to introduce the kids. And what to read into the first interaction between your date and your kids.
	The five questions every woman should ask a man to determine how serious he is.
	And more...

Sometimes funny, sometimes direct, but always truthful, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book you must read if you want to understand how men think when it comes to relationships.

#15

Succulent: Chocolate Flava II (Hardcover)
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Zane (Editor)

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Atria (February 5, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416548831

Succulent: Chocolate Flava II is a collection of buck-wild and choco-holic erotica presented in a series of mind-blowing tales handpicked by Zane that also includes three original stories by the queen of erotica herself.

SSucculent 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 m�nage � 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

#15

Letter to My Daughter
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by Maya Angelou

Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1
ISBN: 1400066123
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Publisher: Random House

For a world of devoted readers, a much-awaited new volume of absorbing stories and inspirational wisdom from one of our best-loved writers.

Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight.

Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude: how she was brought up by her indomitable grandmother in segregated Arkansas, taken in at thirteen by her more worldly and less religious mother, and grew to be an awkward, six-foot-tall teenager whose first experience of loveless sex paradoxically left her with her greatest gift, a son.

Whether she is recalling such lost friends as Coretta Scott King and Ossie Davis, extolling honesty, decrying vulgarity, explaining why becoming a Christian is a �lifelong endeavor,� or simply singing the praises of a meal of red rice’maya Angelou writes from the heart to millions of women she considers her extended family.

Like the rest of her remarkable work, Letter to My Daughter entertains and teaches; it is a book to cherish, savor, re-read, and share.

#16

Last Bitch Standing
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by Deja King

Paperback: 254 pages
Publisher: A King Production (November 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 097558118X
ISBN-13: 978-0975581186

In the final installment of the Bitch Series, Precious Cummings only has one agenda and that is to destroy her most conniving enemy yet, Maya. Precious has no doubt that she can shut it down, the only problem is locating her nemesis who has disappeared with her husband, Supreme and daughter, Aaliyah. As Precious fights to not only win the battles but the war, she is determined to be the Last Bitch Standing.

#16

The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce, & Keep the Man You Want
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by Karrine Steffans

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446582271
ISBN-13: 978-0446582278

Since she exploded on the scene with her two juicy and impossible-to-put-down tell-alls, readers have wanted to know even more about what makes Karrine Steffans tick. How was she able to meet all the high profile politicians, movie stars, and other celebrities that are her close acquaintances? What skills does she possess to keep men wanting more? Finally, Karrine lays it all out and explains exactly what a woman must do to win over the man of her dreams. With chapters like "Never Let Him See You Sweat,""Flirting,""Encouraging His Manhood," and "Give Him What He Wants," this hot and sexy manual is a must-have for every woman's bookshelf.

#17

Total Eclipse of the Heart
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by Zane

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Atria (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743499298
ISBN-13: 978-0743499293

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Brooke Alexander, a waitress who has self-esteem issues regarding her lackluster existence and her fluctuating weight, is in love with Patrick Sterling, one of the most prominent attorneys in Washington, D.C. On his good days, Patrick is the man in every woman's dream. On his bad days, Patrick's behavior is demeaning and he is angry at the world. Brooke adores Patrick -at least some things about him- but he's stressing her out and causing her to alienate most of the people in her inner circle.

Damon Johnson, who's been married to Carleigh for four years, is one of "the last good men", compassionate and honest, worshipping the ground his wife walks on. He's also a man with goals and aspirations. Sure, he pulls in a six-figure income as the Human Resources Manager at a Fortune 500 corporation, but he dreams of building his own empire. Carleigh, a woman who has her own issues with men, treats Damon like a trophy husband, however, and views his plans as a joke. Damon loves his wife with all of his heart, but he's beginning wonder if he made the right decision when he asked for her hand in marriage.

The lives of Brooke, Damon, and Carleigh are changed forever the day they attend a music festival in downtown D.C. the day that Damon saves the lives of both women when an SUV careens out of control. In the days after the accident, all three of them struggle with its repercussions, and an unlikely friendship begins between Brooke and Damon after she calls to thank him. They find that they're immediately drawn to each other, and are soon caught up in intense conversations that range from their goals and dreams, to children, and eventually to their own relationships.

Brooke and Damon quickly realize that are playing a dangerous game, but it's a game that neither of them can back away from. There is something going on between them and it's growing deeper. It may have started out because of the accident, but it's become so much more than just a friendship.

Conflicted and caught in a web of intense feelings, both Brooke and Damon must decide if they should focus on their current relationships and try and make them work or jump at the chance to find true love.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART is a provocative tale of love and heartbreak, a story in which Zane explores what happens when you cater to your emotional well-being and discover the meaning of unconditional love...or, rather, experience a total eclipse of the heart.

#17

Raising Black Boys
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by Jawanza Kunjufu

ISBN: 1934155071
Label: African American Images
Number Of Pages: 200
Publication Date: August 01, 2007
Publisher: African American Images

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.

#18

Deadly Reigns II
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by Teri Woods

ISBN: 0977323412
Pub. Date: June 2006
Format: Paperback, 298pp
Publisher: Woods, Teri Publishing, LLC

Damian, Dante and Princess Reigns, America's most notoriously violent crime family is back. Except this time, they're not at war with each other. they�re at war with an enemy they can't see; an enemy who has more political power than they and is backed by an even more powerful secret entity.

Can they stand united and survive a war waged against them by El Jeffe, the commission, and the FBI? the family's only hope is in the hands of the brother that despised them all, Dajon Reigns. Deeply inexperienced and totally out of his depth, dajon takes on the treacherous waters of the narcotics underworld as well as the high and mighty world of international politics to save his family from complete and total destruction.

The stakes are high as the Reigns Empire is on the verge of collapse and the Reigns family is on the verge of demise. Will the reigns family survive this deadly storm?

#18

Age Ain't Nothing but a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife
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Carleen Brice Editor & Contributor

ISBN: 0807028231
Number Of Pages: 252
Publication Date: May 15, 2003
Publisher: Beacon Press

"Age Ain't Nothing but a Number is my roadmap."�Iyanla Vanzant

Forty-five black women writers, known and new, discuss midlife in the first anthology of its kind.

Finally, a collection that celebrates, considers, contemplates, even criticizes "midlife" from a black woman's point of view. Age Ain't Nothing but a Number ranges over every aspect of black women's lives: personal growth, family and friendship, love and sexuality, health, beauty, illness, spirituality, creativity, financial independence, work, and scores of other topics.

Midlife today isn't your grandmother's "change of life." Today, black women call hot flashes "power surges," and menopause, the "pause that refreshes." These days, middle-aged women may be newlyweds or new mothers, as well as grandmothers or widows. They may experience the empty-nest syndrome and then the "return-to-the-nest syndrome" as adult children move back home. They may navigate the field of Internet dating, travel the world, teach homeless women, take up pottery, or study international business.

This anthology captures all of these aspects of midlife as experienced by some of the finest voices in African-American writing today. Featuring
the work of Maya Angelou, J. California Cooper, Pearl Cleage, Nikki Giovanni, Susan L. Taylor, Alice Walker, and dozens of others, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number will make readers think, laugh, and cry and will be the perfect gift
book for spring.

#19

Love Is Never Painless: Three Novellas
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Zane, Eileen M. Johnson & V. Anthony Rivers

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Atria; 3 Books in 1 edition (November 14, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0743498623

Truer words have never been spoken. This heart-wrenching collection of novellas brings that statement to life in three unique ways, penned by three of the generation's most prolific authors.

In Eileen M. Johnson's "How the Other Half Lives," Jamellah and Fernecia have been friends since forever. Having escaped the poverty of their youth together, they both had made their mark in society. However, men problems threaten to make them literally fall apart. Fernecia is married to a man who was raised to think he is better than everyone -- even his own wife. Jamellah has always used men to get ahead but eventually everything catches up to her. The two friends must ultimately count on each other in a world of havoc and distrust.

In V. Anthony Rivers' "Love Is 2 Blame," Malcolm is devastated after a two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends. He finds it difficult to function because he cannot comprehend why she would want to end such a perfect situation. He was everything she had asked for; he treated her with respect and showered her with love. Yet love was not enough. Trying to move on to someone new will not be as easy as it used to be, but will the lovely Zahara show Malcolm what true love is all about?

In Zane's "Staring Evil in the Face," Robier has everything a man could ever wish for: a stable and rewarding career, two beautiful children, an elegant home, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows until . . . Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.

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.

#19

Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom
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by Cornel West

Hardcover: 246 Pages, illustrated (Includes a free CD)
Publisher: Smiley Books (November 1, 2008)
Language: English

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"Cornel West has been called America's "Public Intellectual", aptly describing his relaxed demeanor and easy accessibility. He avoids the jargon that oftentimes separates the scholar from the world he or she is supposed to describe. " Read an interview with Dr. West as he discusses his book Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom (November 2008)

The New York Times best-selling author of Race Matters and Democracy Matters offers open-hearted wisdom for our times in this courageous collection of quotations, speech excerpts, letters, philosophy, and photographs that reflect the profound humanity that fuels the passionate public intellectual. In a world that seesaws between unconditional love and acceptance and blind hatred and exclusion, Hope on a Tightrope will satisfy readers in search of deep wells of inspiration and challenge that marries the mind to the heart.

This gift book features an original CD that highlights Dr. West's outstanding spoken-word artistry. His August 2007 CD release Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations that featured collaborations with best-selling artists Prince, Jill Scott, and Andre 3000 topped the charts as Billboard's #1 Spoken Word album.

#20

The Sisters of APF: The Indoctrination of Soror Ride Dick
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by Zane

ISBN: 0743466985
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
Pub. Date: April 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

The Sisters of APF is Zane's first book based on one of her most popular short story subjects, the sexy escapades of a sorority like no other.

APF stands for Alpha Phi Fuckem, a sorority dedicated to sexual freedom and the fulfillment of its members. Zane's APF stories have appeared in her earlier collections, including The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth, and are favorites among her readers.

Many readers have written to Zane and asked to join the sorority or to launch a new chapter in their region. APF is fantasy, but the enthusiasm of Zane's fans is real. So now, with The Sisters of APF, she's offering readers what they want, a book-length story chronicling the adventures -- and recruitment process -- of the fearlessly sexy women of APF.

Mary Ann is the daughter of a chicken farmer from South Dakota. She has never been more than fifty miles from home and has led a sheltered life. By the time she goes off to college in Washington, D.C., she has been intimate with only one man -- her high school sweetheart. The resident manager of Mary Ann's dormitory, Patricia, befriends the country bumpkin. She finds Mary Ann amusing, but also senses something intriguing about her, hidden under the surface. After Mary Ann becomes smitten with Trevor, the campus playboy, Patricia is determined to show Mary Ann how not to be a victim, but rather how to outdo the players and heartbreakers. She indoctrinates Mary Ann into the ranks of the sexiest secret society ever: the sisters of APF.

#20

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
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by Barack Obama

ISBN: 0307237699
Pub. Date: October 2006
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

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"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

#21

Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns: Stories
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by J. California Cooper

ISBN: 0385511337
Format: Hardcover, 224pp
Pub. Date: April 4, 2006
Publisher: Doubleday Publishing

In stories that are simple yet elegant, hard-hitting yet poignant, J. California Cooper writes about the search for fulfillment that propels people's dreams and desires. In �As Time Goes By� a young woman named Futila Ways grows up focusing her dream of a better future on material wealth, only to discover that having everything she ever wanted cannot compensate for the emptiness in her heart. �The Eye of the Beholder� recounts the story of an unattractive young girl, Lily Bea, whose search for love leads her to embrace her own brand of freedom. And in �Catch a Falling Heart� a woman mildly crippled in a fall endures loneliness and solitude until she finds a man and provides a resting place for his love. Each story beautifully conveys the profound human need to seek some sort of satisfaction, just as a wild star seeks a midnight sun.

J. California Cooper's insights into the hearts and souls of ordinary people and her irresistible storytelling voice have endeared her to fans and critics. As Ms. magazine wrote, �Cooper's stories beckon. It is as if she is patting the seat next to us, enticing us to come sit and listen.�

#21

The Souls of Black Folks
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by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois

ISBN: 0451526031
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 278pp
Pub. Date: April 1995
Publisher: Dutton

FFirst published in 1903, this extraordinary work not only recorded and explained history, it helped to alter its course. Written after Du Bois had earned his Ph.D. from Harvard and studied in Berlin, these 14 essays contain both the academic language of sociology and the rich lyrics of African spirituals, which Du Bois called "sorrow songs." New introduction by Randall Kenan. Major school adoption title

#22

Imagine This
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by Vickie Stringer

ISBN: 0743493478
Format: Paperback, 246pp
Pub. Date: August 2004
Publisher: Atria Books

Imagine This is the sequel to Vickie Stringer's best-selling Let That Be the Reason, her stunning debut novel based on life as she knew it in the shocking underworld of the sex and drug trade.

Vickie Stringer has gained a legion of fans for her portrayal of Pamela, a.k.a. Carmen, a woman who had it all but lost out when the love of her life left her penniless and alone to raise their son. Pamela refuses to remain powerless, though. She pulls herself up, becomes a major hustler in the street game, gains independence, and makes big money -- but the consequences are more dreadful than she ever imagined.

Imagine This continues the saga of Pamela as she does jail time and has to decide who she really is: Pamela, a woman who, more than anything, loves her son and wants to be there to raise him; or Carmen, the ruthless baller, who does the crime, serves the time, and honors, at any expense, the code of the street.

#22

Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys
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Paperback: 79 pages
Publisher: African American Images; 1 edition (December 1, 1985)
Language: English
IISBN-10: 0913543004

by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

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

#23

Dutch II: Angel's Revenge
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by Teri Woods

Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Teri Woods Publishing
Pub. Date: March, 2005
ISBN: 0967224969

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.

#23

Until Today! Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind
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by Iyanla Vanzant

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Fireside; 1st Fireside Ed edition (August 14, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684859971

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"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

#24

Every Thug Needs A Lady
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by Wahida Clark

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Dafina (October 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758212887

#7 AALBC.com's Best Selling Books for 2004

"Every Thug Needs A Lady" is the spellbinding sequel to Wahida Clark's "Thugs And The Women Who Love Them". After taking us through the rugged, thug-filled lives of Jaz, Kyra and Angel, Clark now takes us into the unique and unbelievable life of their best friend Roz. She's sexy, beautiful, and a slave for the love of Trae, her irresistable thuggish beau. Will Roz and Trae's love survive? The answers lie inside the pages of "Every Thug Needs A Lady"! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

#24

Acts of Faith: Meditations for People of Color
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by Iyanla Vanzant

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Fireside; 1 edition (November 12, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0671864165

Acts of Faith is a thoughtful and inspirational book that explores the unique pressures of people of color today with great insight and sensitivity. This book is the minimum daily requirement for people of color in search of inspiration and support.

Beloved Friends,

Acts of Faith, more affectionately known as "the purple book," has truly taken on a life of its own. It has crossed gender lines to foster understanding, racial divides to create peace, religious barriers to encourage tolerance, and has become somewhat of a lantern for those seeking a better way of life. I have been told it has saved lives, renewed faith, created vision and healed wounds. Some day it has comforted them. Others say it has enlightened them. It has changed perspectives for some, directions for others and lives for many. I can take no credit for any of this. In fact, I give the credit to those of you who were willingly seeking, open and easy for whatever blessing you received from your interaction with this book..

#25

Getting Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles 2, Vol. 2
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by Zane

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 best-selling 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.

With all-new characters and settings, Gettin' Buck Wild is Zane's hottest collection of stories yet. Smart, witty and extremely sexy, this second volume of Sex Chronicles is tailored to women -- but perfect for lovers to share.

#25

Inner City Miracle: A Memoir
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by Judge Greg Mathis and Blair S. Walker

Format: Hardcover, 256pp.
ISBN: 0345446429
Publisher: Ballantine Books, Inc.
Pub. Date: October 2002

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It starts in Detroit but far from the court where Greg would one day preside. Raised in the hell of the Herman Garden Projects, he grows to become a "bad-ass, cool-dressing, do-anything gangsta." His father gone, his mother juggling two jobs, he falls in with the Errol Flynns�"funkified English gentlemen" in three-piece suits and Borsalino hats, urban Robin Hoods who are truly stylish as they steal from everyone and give to themselves.

Considered bright but incorrigible, Greg is sent to stay in his middle-class cousin's mixed neighborhood, where he enlists the local white youth in wrongdoing. Even jail can't keep him from going bad again once he gets out. Then a threat to his beloved mother causes a shaken Greg to make a promise in a prayer to God: save my mother and I will straighten up

Notes on the AALBC.com 2009 Best Sellers list

ebooks sales are included in totals
2,186 different titles were sold in 2009 (an AALBC.com record)
Titltes are not distinquished by format: a title sold in paperback, hardcover, ebook is treated the same
Click for a list of all titles sold in 2009