AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books for 2012

AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books (Fiction & Nonfiction) for 2012

Best Selling Books (1 - 10) • Best Selling Books (11- 20) • Best Selling Books (21- 25)

Fiction	Nonfiction
#11 - Echoes of a Distant Summer Click to order via Amazon by Guy Johnson Format: Hardcover, 584pp. Publisher: Random House, Incorporated (August 2002) Read an AALBC.com Review Guy Johnson, the author of the critically acclaimed debut Standing at the Scratch Line, continues the Tremain family saga. Jackson St. Clair Tremain hasn't spoken to his grandfather King in nearly twenty years. Disgusted by the violence and bloodlust that seemed to be his grandfather's way of life, Jackson chose to distance himself from King and live a simpler life. But now King is gravely ill, and his impending death places Jackson's life'as well as those of his family and friends'in jeopardy. Reluctantly, Jackson travels to Mexico to see King. But after a brief reconciliation, his grandfather is assassinated, and Jackson suspects that his grandmother Serena may have had a hand in it. Jackson takes control of King's organization, and as he does, he reflects on the summers he spent in Mexico as a child and the lessons he learned there at the knee of his strong-willed, complex grandfather. In Echoes of a Distant Summer, Guy Johnson introduces us to a new hero, Jackson St. Clair Tremain, who learns that, like his grandfather, he must be willing to protect those he loves'at all costs.	#11 - Raising Black Boys Click to order via Amazon by Jawanza Kunjufu 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.
#12 - The Twelve Tribes of Hattie Click to order via Amazon by Ayana Mathis Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Knopf (December 6, 2012) In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind. Captured here in twelve luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation. Beautiful and devastating, Ayana Mathis’s The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is wondrous from first to last—glorious, harrowing, unexpectedly uplifting, and blazing with life. An emotionally transfixing page-turner, a searing portrait of striving in the face of insurmountable adversity, an indelible encounter with the resilience of the human spirit and the driving force of the American dream.	#12 - Blueprint for Black Power: A Moral, Political, and Economic Imperative for the Twenty-First Century Click to order via Amazon by Amos N. Wilson Paperback: 889 pages Publisher: Afrikan World Infosystems; 1st edition (May 1998) Afrikan life into the coming millenia is imperiled by White and Asian power. True power must nest in the ownership of the real estate wherever Afrikan people dwell. Economic destiny determines biological destiny. Blueprint for Black Power details a master plan for the power revolution necessary for Black survival in the 21st century. White treatment of Afrikan Americans despite a myriad of theories explaining White behavior, ultimately rests on the fact that they can. They posses the power to do so. Such a power differential must be neutralized if Blacks are to prosper in the 21st century. Afrikan Americans earn a take-home salary of near $500 billion yearly, not to mention the millions they generate. Yet they retain only 5% of this income. Viewed as a nation, their economy would be the 8th to 9th largest in the world! Afrikan Americans possess enourmous potential to amass effectual social, political and economic power and this control their destiny and secure their liberation. Professor Wilson argues thata were the Africkan American community to see itself as indeed a de facto nation, then its scourges of poverty, disemployment, crime, mis-education, wanton consumerism, alienated/deficit spending, mis-leadership and powerlessness would be drastically reduced, if not eliminated. Aptly titled, Blueprint for Black Power stops not at critique but prescribes radical, practical theories, frameworks and approaches for true power. It gives a biting look into Black potentially. This 900-page treatise is a journey into the protracted.
#13 - Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy Click to order via Amazon by E L James Paperback: 528 pages Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (April 3, 2012) Now in hardcover, with a silk ribbon marker and printed endpapers, the first volume of the New York Times #1 best-selling trilogy. When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires. Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever. This book is intended for mature audiences.	#13 - No-Nonsense Dating: Maximize Your Confidence and Recognize Your God-Given Soul Mate Click to order via Amazon by Ronn Elmore Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (July 1, 2008) For those ready to meet the love of their life, Dr. Ronn Elmore offers surprising advice, encouragement, and successful instruction from his 20 years of counseling singles. This is not your ordinary guide to finding romance--it's a proactive, biblical approach to the pursuit of love and purpose that leads readers to · develop a plan of action to meet others · clearly define the person they are and the one they seek · learn how to approach and be approachable · let go of the deep-rooted myths about dating · find the balance between love and the rest of life Dr. Ronn is enthusiastic, creative, straightforward, and ready to show singles how godly knowledge and confidence give them the power to make healthy, life-changing choices for themselves, their love lives, and their futures. "Oprah's got her Dr. Phil; we've got Dr. Ronn!" —T.D. Jakes
#14 - Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel Click to order via Amazon by Zora Neale Hurston Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: HarperCollins (October 24, 2000) This novel about a proud, independent black woman was first published in 1937 and generally dismissed by reviewers. It was out of print for nearly 30 years when the University of Illinois Press reissued it in 1978, at which time it was instantly embraced by the literary establishment as one of the greatest works in the canon of African-American fiction. Mesmerizing in its immediacy and haunting in its subtlety, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the story of Janie Crawford—fair-skinned, long-haired, dreamy woman—who comes of age expecting better treatment than what she gets from her three husbands and community. Then she meets Tea Cake, a younger man who captivates Janie's heart and spirit, and offers her the chance to relish life without being one man's mule or another man's adornment.	#14 - The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce & Keep the Man You Want Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 13, 2009) 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.
#15 - Dutch III: International Gangster Click to order via Amazon by Terri Woods Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 25, 2011) It's one month before Dutch's trial for what the media has deemed "the Month of Murder," Roc and Angel are locked up, and Craze is now the commander in charge. After coming into contact with Joseph Odouwo, Kazami's very rich and powerful relative, Craze is immediately on alert. However, Odouwo has other plans that may put all of their lives at risk. Craze can't resist a stake in Odouwo's very successful billion-dollar diamond trade, and reluctantly takes Odouwo up on his offer, hoping that he didn't make a decision he will soon regret.	#15 - The Five Negro Presidents: According to what White People Said They Were Click to order via Amazon by J. A. Rogers Paperback: 19 pages Publisher: Helga Rogers (May 1, 1965) In 1963 When Attorney-General Kennedy and Senator Javits said there might be a Negro President in the next thirty or forty years, FACT, most outspoken of the big magazines, replied there was already one and in its January February, 1964 issue had an article "America's First Negro President." It named Warren G. Harding as the one and had affidavits from elderly whites who knew the Harding family. But before Harding three other Presidents had been loudly proclaimed by white people as being of Negro Ancestry...Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln. -From Page 1
#16 - The Family Business Click to order via Amazon by Carl Weber, with Eric Pete Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Urban Books (January 31, 2012) By day, the Duncans are an upstanding family who run a thriving car dealership in Queens. By night, they live a dangerous secret life! Carl Weber and Eric Pete deliver a thrilling underworld drama in The Family Business.L.C. Duncan, patriarch of the family, is at the age when he’s starting to think about retirement in sunny Florida. But the recession is taking a bite out of the business and, worrying more, he has to decide which of his children should take over. When his workaholic son Orlando gets the nod, Orlando’s siblings including the favorite son Vegas, conniving daughter London, glamorous party girl Paris and flamboyant nightclub owner Rio are up in arms. But so are the Zunigas, a rival family whose fragile business alliance with the Duncans may explode at any moment.When Vegas suddenly breaks away from the family, London’s lawyer husband, Harris, makes a play for the company and all hell breaks loose. Selling cars, it turns out, is only a small part of the Duncans’ family business. Each member of the family has a secret expertise to reveal. And now, under siege from the Mafia, Mexican drug cartels and the Zunigas, the Duncans will have to stick together or die separately!	#16 - Age Ain't Nothing but a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife Click to order via Amazon by Carleen Brice Number Of Pages: 252 Publication Date: May 15, 2003 Publisher: Beacon Press 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.
#17 - Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology Click to order via Amazon by Zane Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Strebor Books; Original edition (May 6, 2008) 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.	#17 - World's Great Men of Color, Volume I: Asia and Africa, and Historical Figures Before Christ, Including Aesop, Hannibal, Cleopatra, Zenobia, Askia the Great, and Many Others Click to order via Amazon by J. A. Rogers and John Henrik Clarke (Editor) Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Touchstone; Revised edition (January 23, 1996) An eye-opening account of the great black personalities of world history. In this first volume: outstanding blacks of Asia and Africa, and historical figures before Christ -- including Akhenaton, Aesop, Hannibal, Cleopatra, Zenobia, Askia the Great, the Mahdi, Samuel Adjai Crowther, and many more. World's Great Men of Color is a comprehensive account of the great Black personalities in world history. J. A. Rogers was one of the first Black scholars to devote most of his life to researching the lives of hundreds of men and women of color. This first volume is a convenient reference; equipped with a comprehensive introduction, it treats all aspects of recorded Black history. J. A. Rogers's book is vital reading for everyone who wants a fuller and broader understanding of the great personalities who have shaped our world. The companion volume covers the great Blacks of Europe, South and Central America, the West Indies, and the United States, including Marcus Garvey, Robert Browning, Dom Pedro, Alexandre Dumas, Joachim Murat, Aleksander Sergeevich Pushkin, Alessandro de' Medici, St. Benedict the Moor, and many others.
#18 - One Blood Click to order via Amazon by Qwantu Amaru Paperback: 488 pages Publisher: The Pantheon Collective (TPC) (December 1, 2011) For every action... Lincoln Baker, born a ward of the state, has gone from orphan, to gang banger, to basketball superstar, to lifer at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in the space of eighteen years. During his prison term, he meets Panama X, a powerful and mysterious father figure who gives Lincoln a reason for living - he must assassinate Randy Lafitte, the sitting Governor of Louisiana. There is an equal and opposite reaction... Lincoln orchestrates the kidnapping of Karen Lafitte, Randy's only daughter. But Randy Lafitte is a man who built his fortune by resurrecting a family curse from slavery to kill his own father. A curse that may or may not have been responsible for his son Kristopher's death in the gang crossfire that sent Lincoln to prison for life. Randy will stop at nothing to save his daughter, even if it means admitting the curse is real. Even if it means committing greater atrocities. Too bad for anyone stuck in the middle. Three days after Karen's kidnapping, an explosive cocktail of revenge, manipulation, serendipity, fate, truth, and redemption detonates throughout Louisiana. When the dust settles, the ending is as unexpected as it is illuminating. There are secrets sealed in our blood, you see. The best answers, as always, lie within.	#18 - Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority Click to order via Amazon by Tom Burrell Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Smiley Books; 1 edition (February 1, 2010) “Black people are not dark-skinned white people,” says advertising visionary Tom Burrell. In fact, they are much more. They are survivors of the Middle Passage and centuries of humiliation and deprivation, who have excelled against the odds, constantly making a way out of “No way!” At this pivotal point in history, the idea of black inferiority should have had a “Going-Out-of-Business Sale.” After all, Barack Obama has reached America’s Promised Land. Yet, as Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority testifies, too many in black America are still wandering in the wilderness. In this powerful examination of “the greatest propaganda campaign of all time”—the masterful marketing of black inferiority, aka the BI Complex—Burrell poses ten disturbing questions that will make black people look in the mirror and ask why, nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, so many blacks still think and act like slaves. Burrell’s acute awareness of the power of words and images to shift, shape, and change the collective consciousness has led him to connect the contemporary and historical dots that have brought us to this crossroads. Brainwashed is not a reprimand—it is a call to action. It demands that we question our self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. Racism is not the issue; how we respond to media distortions and programmed self-hatred is the issue. It’s time to reverse the BI campaign with a globally based initiative that harnesses the power of new media and the wisdom of intergenerational coalitions. Provocative and powerful, Brainwashed dares to expose the wounds so that we, at last, can heal.
#19 - Red Clay Dirt & Mountains Click to order via Amazon by Monda Raquel Webb Perfect Paperback: 188 pages Publisher: Monda Media, LLC; First edition (June 1, 2012) Know who you are and whose you are - for it determines the course of your destiny. Good storytelling is timeless. Author Monda Raquel Webb packs her goodie bag of stories with unabashed honesty, American history and essential life lessons. From the red clay of Georgia to the majestic mountains of West Virginia to the Federal Enclave of Washington, DC, four short stories poignantly demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit over adversity.	#19 - Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, Vol. 1 Click to order via Amazon by Jawanza Kunjufu Format: Paperback, 77pp Pub. Date: March 1987 Publisher: African American Images 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.
#20 - Thugs And The Women Who Love Them Click to order via Amazon by Wahida Clark Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Kensington; Reprint edition (November 29, 2005) Essence best-selling author Wahida Clark is all too familiar with the terrifying truths of ghetto life. The first novel in her gritty, gripping series takes you on into a world where a wrong choice could be the last choice a person ever makes' In a 'hood boiling over with sex, brutality, and crime, three friends are at a turning point. They can surrender to the streets'and the murderous men who rule there'or walk a totally different path. But nothing is simple for women addicted to life on the edge. And everything has consequences' Angel, Jaz, and Kyra are all leading double lives, torn between working hard to leave the ghetto behind'and being dragged back in by the lying, pimping, drug-dealing men they can't seem to let go. From jealous rampages to bloody turf wars to rage-fueled vendettas, a tangled web of sex and violence binds these women to the very place that could destroy them' Get ready to enter a heart-pounding world of danger and eroticism mixed with a glimmer of hope.	#20 - Sex and Race, Volume I: Negro-Caucasian Mixing in All Ages and All Lands: The Old World Click to order via Amazon by J. A. Rogers Paperback: 302 pages Publisher: Helga Rogers (June 15, 1970)

Best Selling Books (1 - 10) • Best Selling Books (11- 20) • Best Selling Books (21- 25)