6 Books Published by Alyson Books on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

"Hardy, a masterful and gifted storyteller, has written a very important work for our times. Bold and unforgettable, The Day Eazy-E Died, tackles important issues…a most engrossing story."—Black Issues Book ReviewRaheim Rivers is at the top of his career; about to make the switch from modeling to movies…when an unexpected piece of news sends him reeling. His complacency shattered by the news that one of his idols, N.W.A. founder Eazy-E, has AIDS., Raheim gets tested for HIV, but keeps it a secret."Hardy’s style is gaunt, unclouded, and lucid as he looks uncompromisingly at this central characters dilemma of preserving his love life while secretly awaiting test results for his HIV status. Hardy brilliantly lets Raheim’s anxiety break through the surface of the narrative, just as it cracks through his consciousness in everyday dealings with Mitchell and his former lovers."—Library JournalAs he has so succesfully done in the past, Hardy masterfully draws his fascinating and very real characters into the ferment of compelling societal issues. He has created a powerfully real look at the issues facing young people of all sexual persuasions, young Black men, who are disproportionately infected and affected by AIDS. The book confronts the issues of sexuality, responsibility, and youthful perceptions of immortality. As the date for disclosure of his test results draws near, Raheim’s fear and the ongoing stigma of the disease push him toward conflicting decisions. James Earl Hardy is the author of the best-selling books B-Boy Blues, 2nd Time Around, and If Only for One Nite, as well as a biographies of Spike Lee and Boyz II Men. A 1993 Columbia University school of journalism graduate, Hardy is an award-winning entertainment feature writer, reporter, and critic who’s writings have appeared in The Washington Post, Out, Essence, The Advocate, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, and Vibe. He lives in Manhattan.Also available by James Earl Hardy
B-Boy Blues
TP $11.95, 1-55583-268-7
2nd Time Around
TP $12.95, 1-55583-372-1
If Only For One Nite
TP $12.95, 1-55583-467-1

An ExcerptHave you ever had a crush on a teacher? I’m sure we all have. From the first day, the first moment you meet them, you’re·Captivated.Captured.Committed.Convicted.My very first crush was on an English teacher named Mr. Weatherspoon in the second grade. He was fresh out of college and looked so fresh (uh, young) that, after meeting him on parent-teacher conference night, my mother just knew she was on Candid Camera: She thought he was a student masquerading as a teacher. He just took her observation as a compliment and flashed that smile. Lord, that smile. He had what you would call a baby-grand grin. Whenever he flashed it, I would hear them ivories and ebonies being tickled (notice how most forget to mention those black keys). And I don’t know what tune was being played, but whatever it was, it was hypnotic - just like him. He always came to class dressed down in a shirt, jacket, slacks, and tie, and his scent was an aftershave lotion called Blue Musk (yes, I had the gall to ask; there was a reporter in me at that age).I looked forward to when he would hunch over my desk, give me one of those smiles, reach out with that big, brown hand, and crown me the winner of our weekly spelling bee by brushing my head and saying, "Outstanding, Mitchell. Just outstanding." And I earned that reward every week: I studied an extra hour each Thursday afternoon to ensure that I held on to my title. When he smiled at me, when he touched me·I don’t know, that button was pressed. Yeah, it was an innocent gesture and in no way sexual, but it had the opposite effect: Those homohormones really kicked into gear. I didn’t know at that age what it was I was feeling or why I was feeling the way I was, but I knew that I loved the feeling.But I was fully aware of what I was feeling and why I was feeling it this time. And I was truly enjoying what those homohormones were doing to me. I was in a daze, a haze over Mr. Reid: I just stared into space in all my classes, daydreaming about him. And at night? My wet dreams were so wild that I found my pillow and sheet on the floor in the morning and my underwear soaked. In a sense I had my art teacher, Ms. Yearwood, to thank for that. I dreamed of Mr. Reid

Pooquie and Little Bit are back in love and back to stirring up the hip-hop community and the rest of New York. But as these two strongly independent yet passionately linked men discover, the pursuit of happiness takes work to maintain. This is the seriously sexy, fiercely funny, black-on-black sequel to the bestseller B-Boy Blues.

Hardy’s debut novel about the lives of black gay men in New York City is unabashedly and unapologetically written for the African-American male. Rough, sexy, humorous, and authentic, B-Boy Blues is a first-rate love story.

Book by Corbin, Steven

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