3 Books Published by Harlem Book Center on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

Aisha Kone receives the surprise of her life for her twenty-first birthday when she learns that her dad has purchased her an all expense trip to Africa. She feels like they are finally starting to repair the relationship that got torn apart when her dad started suspecting that she was leading an alternate lifestyle that was degrading to his position of high esteem in New York City s Muslim community. But, after spending a luxurious week in Africa, Aisha s life gets turned upside down when she s detained by the National Security Police at Abidjan International Airport in the Ivory Coast. What she feels like will be a small nuisance of a delay turns into years of being held against her will thousands of miles away from everyone that cares about her back in the United States. This touching story of surviving while being raped, beaten, starved, and housed under unsanitary and unsafe conditions could be taken straight from the headlines. Aisha struggles to maintain her sanity although her world has turned topsy-turvy. And, in true real woman fashion, she exacts revenge on all of her perpetrators then makes preventing her catastrophe from happening to anyone else her life s work. Aisha s story moves you, shakes you, and may even bring you to tears. Yet, it also gives you the reality of what life could be to a normal renaissance woman who ends up abducted in a foreign land. And it makes us realize that you never know who has it in for you or wants to hurt you. Find out how Aisha s heart is broken in addition to suffering in a foreign land when she finds out who s behind her dilemma. It may break your heart as well.

With the love of her life mysteriously murdered, West African Harlemite Fatou sets out to discover which of her murdered lover s lieutenants in New York City s most notorious drug cartel was responsible for setting him up. After finally getting to a peaceful state in her own life despite suffering through pedophiles, rape, being kidnapped, and working under slave labor type wages, the death of the man that picked her up when she was down finally pushes Fatou over the edge. And, although the lieutenants mistakenly assume that the death of Fatou s lover will soften the reigns of her control, they find out that he was the one that had previously cooled her down when she was about to blast off. There will be no such luck now that Fatou is on her own and poised to enact revenge. Everyone around her will find out what happens when a woman with an attitude is in control and determined to get respect one beat down at a time. The rage in this story of revenge is furious and shows you that you d be better off antagonizing a ravenous pit-bull than to get on the wrong side of the wrong woman. Beware everyone because Fatou is back with a vengeance. I advise everyone to duck, put down your shades, and close your curtains. Don t be caught in the path of her wrath.

Twelve year old Fatou travels from West Africa to America thinking she’ss furthering her education. Yet, she arrives in New York City greeted by a man three times her age-someone from her village who paid dowry to be her husband. Suffering through pedophiles, deplorably cruel living conditions, and slave life job eventual pushes over the edge. Fatou refuses to be a victim and exerts control of her life by becoming part of Harlem’ss fast money scene. This fast paced novel examines what’ss happens when the bonds of family and tradition fall apart. And its shows how a strong and fearless woman can hold her own surrounded by grimey men in the dangerous drug game.