The African American Literary Award Show Award Winning Books

First presented in 2004, the African American Literary Award Show is an entertainment event production and marketing company with a focus on writers and authors. It produces an annual Literary Awards Show to recognize, honor, celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements and contributions that African-American authors and writers make to the publishing, arts and entertainment industries.

AALBC.com’s Founder, Troy Johnson was honored by the African American Literary Awards Show in 2012.

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7 Books Honored in 2008

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Book Description: 
Jill Scott’s first-ever poetry collection delivers the same earthy, personal, and tell-it-like-it-is voice that fans have grown to know and love. Writing poems and keeping journals since 1991, she shares her personal poetry collection in "The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours." Praised for her honestly erotic, soulful and very real lyrics, Jill Scott uncovers the beauty in healing, the comfort of family, and the stunning vitality of life.

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Book Description: 

“A wonderful, jazzy, exciting read.”
Nikki Giovanni, author of Acolytes

Broke and burned-out from grad school, Shay Dixon does the unthinkable after receiving a “vision” from her de facto spiritual adviser, blues singer Nina Simone. She phones Nona, the mother she had all but written off, asking if she can come home for a while.

When Shay was growing up, Nona was either drunk, hungover, or out with her latest low-life guy. So Shay barely recognizes the new Nona, now sober and with a positive outlook on life, a love of gardening, and a toddler named Sunny. Though reconciliation seems a hard proposition for Shay, something unmistakable is taking root inside her, waiting to blossom like the morning glories opening up in Nona’s garden sanctuary.

Soon Shay finds herself facing exciting possibilities and even her first real romantic relationship. But when an unexpected crisis hits, even the wise words and soulful melodies of Nina Simone may not be enough for solace. Shay begins to realize that, like orange mint and honey, sometimes life tastes better when bitter is followed by sweet.


“Carleen Brice has woven her talent for storytelling into a funny, sad, and perceptive novel that speaks to all of us who navigate less-than-perfect relationships with our parents or children.”
Elyse Singleton, author of This Side of the Sky

“Brice deftly shows the importance and joy of understanding our past and not only forgiving those who hurt us, but loving them in spite of that hurt. Readers of Terry McMillan and Bebe Moore Campbell will find a new writer to watch.”
Judy Merrill Larsen, author of All the Numbers

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Book Description: 

• Does life sometimes seem so much harder for girls?

• Do you ever feel insecure, pressured, or confused?

• Do you wish you had someone to give you honest advice on topics like boys, school, family, and pursuing your dreams?

• Do you want to make a positive impact on the world, but don’t even know how to begin?

In the follow-up to his award winning national bestseller, Letters to a Young Brother, actor and star of CSI: NY shares 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 sister. 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. Hill offers guidance, encouragement, personal stories, and asks his female friends to help answer some truly tough questions. Every young sister needs to know that it’s okay to dream big and to deFINE her own destiny. This is a book that will educate, uplift and inspire.

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Book Description: 

Treacherous Freeman was never given a fair chance in life from the day he was born. Never having the opportunity to know his biological mother, he was raised by his father, who happened to be a notorious gangster. Deprived of a normal childhood, his father educated him on what awaited him on the streets of Virginia. When the time comes for Treacherous to make some sudden decisions, he has no idea they will land him in the very place that he is trying to avoid. Teflon Jackson is a beautiful woman who is the end result of a horrible union. Having a loving mother who was a prostitute and a pimp for a father, Teflon’s childhood was far from a fairytale. Bearing witness to the abusive relationship between her parents, Teflon was determined not to follow her mothers footsteps. Tragedy strikes and Teflon finds herself having to utilize all of the tricks that her mother taught her after she is forced into the streets to fend for herself. Years later, Treacherous and Teflon’s paths cross. What starts out as a potentially bad situation genuinely blossoms into a bond that becomes unbreakable. Ride or Die Chick, The Story of Treacherous and Teflon is about two people who come from nothing and are willing to sacrifice anything to gain everything. This is a modern day tale of Bonnie & Clyde and built on a love that is stronger than that of Romeo and Juliet. A bonafide gangster, Treacherous is confident that he can’t lose, as long as he has his ride or die chick!

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Book Description: 

What happens when a young woman falls for two men—one black, one white, both determined in their pursuit for her affections?…. Unexpected Interruptiona (An Unexpected Love Novel) follows the journey of Victoria Small, a smart, savvy sister who’s fresh off a year-long, self-imposed hiatus—from men! Now that she’s ready to start dating again, she gets more than she bargained for when Ted Thornton and Parker Brightwood enter her life. Ted, a powerful blue-eyed CEO, is drawn to Victoria, igniting a friendship that both delights and shocks her out of her comfort zone. Then she meets Parker, a talented surgeon who showers her with tenderness, helping to mend her once-broken heart. In her struggle to rationalize her growing feelings for the white man who loves her, and forge ahead in her relationship with the ebony prince who fulfills her, she resurrects a painful secret she thought she’d buried long ago, and finds herself doing things she never thought she’d do. Along the way she’s joined by a colorful cast of friends and foes as she tests the boundaries of love, race, class, and where she fits in.

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Book Description: 

Jasmine Larson Bush returns to her devious ways in this tale of two marriages — each threatened by lies and betrayal.

She took marriage vows to be honest and true, but Jasmine’s still hiding secrets to keep her husband, Minister Hosea Bush, by her side. When Hosea’s ex-fiancée, Natasia, suddenly appears in New York, Jasmine knows it’s not a coincidence. A former manstealer herself, Jasmine is very aware of Natasia’s motives — even if Hosea is not.

Complicating Jasmine’s life is the secret she’s kept from her baby’s daddy. Luckily for her, Brian Lewis has problems of his own. His wife, Alexis, is convinced he’s cheating on her — but Brian’s real betrayal is much worse. Revealing the truth to his wife could lead him back to the biggest mistake of his life…Jasmine.

Two marriages are in desperate jeopardy. Will Jasmine be able to scheme to save her own? Or will she have to choose between protecting her past and compromising her future? Even if Jasmine and Brian find the courage to stop the lies, it may be too little, too late….

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Book Description: 

Tempest Landry, an everyman African American, is “accidentally” killed by a cop. Denied access to heaven because of what he considers a few minor transgressions, Tempest refuses to go to hell. Stymied, Saint Peter sends him back to Harlem, where a guiding angel tries to convince him to accept Saint Peter’s judgment, and even the Devil himself tries to win over Tempest’s soul. Through the street-smart Landry, Mosley poses the provocative question: Is sin for blacks the same as it is for whites? And who gets to decide?