July to August 2009 - Bestselling Books

AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books
July 1st through August 31st 2009
Best sellers list compiled from online sales via Amazon.

Also check out the best selling Fiction and Nonfiction books for all of 2008

Fiction

Nonfiction

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.

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.

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?

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."

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.

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.

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.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
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written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (January 8, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786808322
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches

2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winning Book

The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The voice is so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has known the great ballplayers of that time and shared their experiences. But what makes this book so outstanding are the dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings--breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game.

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.

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.

Sisters & Husbands
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by Connie Briscoe

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (June 2, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446534897
ISBN-13: 978-0446534895

Read an AALBC.com Book Review by Thumper and a 2nd review by Alisa Hyman

Read an Excerpt from Sisters & Husbands

Ten years have passed since Sisters and Lovers, and Beverly, now 39, is engaged to Julian, a man her family and friends agree is the epitome of a great catch: he's gorgeous, loyal, trustworthy, successful, and very much in love with her. Since this is Beverly's third engagement in the past five years, after breaking off the previous two at the last moment, everyone's happy that she's finally settling down. For Beverly and Julian, nothing could be better than being in love and planning their wedding. That is until Beverly's oldest sister's marriage falls apart and dampens the mood of what should have been the happiest time in Beverly's life. Now, second-guessing her impending nuptials, Beverly is forced to wonder if marriage really works. Will she stick it out? Or will her fears cloud her judgment once again?

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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?

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.

#10

Basketball Jones
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by E. Lynn Harris

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (January 27, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767926277
ISBN-13: 978-0767926270

E. Lynn Harris has wowed and seduced more than three million readers with the wicked drama and undeniable heart in his novels. Now he's back with another winner sure to top the bestseller lists�a rip-roaring tale of sex, secrets, betrayal . . . and blackmail.

Aldridge James �AJ� Richardson is living the good life. He has a gorgeous town house in always-flavorful New Orleans, plenty of frequent-flier miles from jet-setting around the country on a whim, and an MBA�but he's never had to work a regular job. He owes it all to his longtime lover, Dray Jones. Dray Jones the rich and famous NBA star. They fell in love in college when AJ was hired to tutor Dray, a freshman on the basketball team. But Dray knew if he wanted to make it to the big time, he must juggle his public image and his private desires. Built on a deep, abiding love, their hidden relationship sustains them both, but when Dray's teammates begin to ask insinuating questions about AJ, Dray puts their doubts to rest by marrying Judi, a beautiful and ambitious woman. Judi knows nothing about Dray's �other life.� Or does she?

In Basketball Jones, E. Lynn Harris explores the consequences of loving someone who is forced to conform to the rules society demands its public heroes follow. Filled with nonstop twists and turns, it will keep readers riveted from the first page to the last.

#10

The MIS-Education of the Negro
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by Carter Godwin Woodson

Paperback: 215 pages
Publisher: Africa World Press;
1990 Africa World Press Inc Ed edition (July 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 086543171X

Carter Godwin Woodson was the founder of Associated publishers, founder and editor of the Negro History Bulletin, and the author of more than thirty books. Probably Woodson's best known book is The Mis-Education of the Negro, originally published in 1933 and still relevant today. In the Mis-Education of the Negro Dr. Woodson stated that:

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."

In 1926 Woodson initiated the annual February observance of Negro History Week. He chose February for the observance because February twelfth was Abraham Lincoln's birthday and February fourteenth was the accepted birthday of Frederick Douglass. By the 1970s, Negro History Week had expanded to become Black History Month.

#11 - The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth
by Zane
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#12 - Pleasure
by Eric Jerome Dickey
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#13 - Resurrecting Midnight
by Eric Jerome Dickey
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#14 - Sensuality: Caramel Flava II
by Zane
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#15 - Just Too Good to Be True
by E. Lynn Harris
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#16 - True to the Game II
by Teri Woods
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#17 - Song Yet Sung
by James McBride
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#18 - God Don't Play
by Mary Monroe
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#19 - They Tell Me of a Home
by Daniel Black
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Read an AALBC.com Book Review

#20 - A Piece of Mine
by J. California Cooper
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#21 - Queen Bitch: Part 4 (Bitch Series)
by Deja King
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#22 - Caramel Flava: The Eroticanoir.com Anthology
by Zane (Editor)
Click to order via Amazon

#23 - The Sisters of APF: The Indoctrination of Soror Ride Dick
by Zane
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#24 - Crack Head 2
by Lisa Lennox
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#25 - Last Bitch Standing
by Deja King
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#11 - The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave
by William Lynch, Kashif Malik Hassan-el (Author)
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#12 - Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny
by Hill Harper
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Read an AALBC.com Book Review

#13 - African People in World History
by Dr. John Henrik Clarke
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#14 - The Souls of Black Folks
by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois
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#15 - They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America
by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima
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#16 - Afro-Future Females: Black Writers Chart Science Fiction's Newest New-Wave Trajectory
edited by Marleen S. Barr
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#17 - How to Succeed in the Publishing Game
by Vickie Stringer
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#18 - Sovereign Evolution: Manifest Destiny from �Civil Rights� to ’sovereign Rights�
by Ezrah Aharone
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Read an AALBC.com Book Review

#19 - The Future of the Race
by Dr. Cornel West & Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
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#20 - The Ebony Cookbook: A Date with a Dish
by Freda De Knight
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#21 - Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth �Bumpy� Johnson
by Mayme Johnson and Karen E. Quinones Miller
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Read and AALBC.com Book Review

Watch Video from Book Launch Party

#22 - Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin
by Herb Boyd
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#23 - Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story
by asha bandele
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Read an AALBC.com Book Review

#24 - Colored People: a Memoir
by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
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#25 - Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting
by Terrie M. Williams
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Read an AALBC.com Book Review

Our best sellers list reflects sales generated via Amazon.com. This list ranks book sales from July 1st through August 31st 2009.

For permission to reproduce this bestseller list, please contact troy@aalbc.com