#1 - Brothers and Sisters by Bebe Moore
Campbell #2 - Three Sides to Every Story by
Clarence Nero #3 - Chocolate Flava: The
Eroticanoir.com Anthology by Zane
(Editor) #4 - Love Is Never Painless: Three
Novellas by Zane, Johnson & Rivers #5 - Public Enemy #2 by Aaron McGruder
Nonfiction
#1 - Confessions of a Video Vixen by
Karrine Steffans #2 - Love: What Life Is All About by
Leo F. Buscaglia
#3 - It's No
Secret by Carmen Bryan, Vanessa Satten
#4 - Never Satisfied: How & Why Men
Cheat by Michael Baisden
#5 - Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William C. Rhoden
To view the
entire bestsellers list visit
http://books.aalbc.com/bestsellers.htm
and look out for our best selling books
for the entire year � to be posted in January 2007
Troupe is the author of 17 books, including 8
volumes of poetry, the latest of which is the
Architecture of Language. He also co-authored
The Pursuit of Happiness by Chris Gardner, a
major motion picture staring Will Smith. Troupe
received the 2003 Milt Kessler Poetry Award for
Trancircularities: New and Selected Poems,
selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the ten
best books of poetry written in 2002. Currently
Mr. Troupe is writing an auto-memoir. The
Accordion Years:1965 to 2005.
Two of Troupe's books, Miles: The Autobiography
(1989) and Snake-Back Solos (1979), have won the
American Book Award.
Coleman is the
author of Bathwater Wine, winner of the 1999 Lenore Marshall
Poetry Prize. A former medical secretary,
magazine editor, journalist and scriptwriter,
Coleman has received fellowships from the
National Endowment for the Arts and the
Guggenheim Foundation for her poetry.
Boydis an
awarding winning author and journalist who has
published sixteen books and countless articles
for national magazines and newspapers.
Brotherman�The Odyssey of Black Men in
America�An Anthology (One World/Ballantine,
1995), co-edited with Robert Allen of the Black
Scholar journal, won the American Book Award for
nonfiction. In 1999, Boyd won three first place
awards from the New York Association of Black
Journalists for his articles published in the
Amsterdam News.
It isn�t easy transitioning from college to
the real world, but in Transitioning to Real
Life: A Common Sense Guide for the African
American New College Graduate, Yvonne Curry
Smallwood provides all of the information a
recent graduate might need to succeed in
business and in their own personal life.
Most students who have not yet entered the
workforce are not prepared for the road ahead.
They are neither aware of what will be expected
of them nor are they accustomed to what some
working-class American citizens consider �common
sense.� For example, getting to work on time
(every day), dressing professionally at your
place of work (or for a job interview), managing
your finances, and learning to network in your
field are all small reminders that serve as life
lessons for the recent graduate seeking to
establish a name for his/her self in the real
world.
Breastlessness is like a
strong hand to hold during a terrifying time in
one�s life. This important resource is not only
useful for the diagnosed, but also for family,
friends and others who may want to familiarize
themselves with the disease. Even for the
undiagnosed, readers of this book will walk away
from this well written and thorough book with a
clearer understanding of and respect for the
diagnosed and survivors. Readers will have a
newfound wealth of knowledge of breast cancer
that spans well beyond the pink ribbon. This
book is a true educational resource for all.
Not Easily Broken is the
latest novel by mega preacher, T. D. Jakes about
an upper class African American couple who find
that their marriage has fallen into disrepair
right before their eyes. Neither one of them
seem to be able to acknowledge the truth of the
matter. They have gotten used to acting like
nothing is wrong until they are involved in a
near-fatal car crash and Clarice is seriously
injured. As David fails miserably at his
attempts to take care of his wife; he finally
admits that he no longer feels needed. Her lack
of neediness and her inability to trust him with
her fears is at the core of their problems.
Suddenly; the wonderful life that they have
built is no longer enough. The house, the cars
and the material possessions are no longer
fulfilling because they both realize that they
have lost that loving feeling between them.
Ohio Poet, Kenyatta is a
man of many words. His book Forever
Sentimental-AGAPE LOVE is Volume Three in the
Forever Sentimental book series, collections of
poetry that speak straight from the heart. A
gifted wordsmith, the poems are well written.
They flow like a lazy river spreading emotional
attachments that embody the heart and soul of
true love. The lines are crisp and sometimes
haunting. These poems will make you smile but
they will also bring a tear or two.
You�re a Worthwhile Person
in More Ways Than a Million by Simeon Johnson is
an enjoyable, frank and honest read that lauds
the everyday person and the jobs they do. Too
often society overlooks the hotel maid, bus
driver or the building superintendent. But
Johnson points out that without these essential
people who keep society functioning, our lives
would come to a grinding halt.
�Hip-hop, whose entire aesthetic, at least
as promulgated on cable and Radio, seems to be
based on the world�s oldest profession; all men
are pimps and all the women are hos. As a whole,
the Hip-Hop Generation has found prostitution to
be an apt metaphor for American capitalism,
which� has taken the literal and figurative
pimping of black culture to new depth�
�Excerpted from Chapter 6, The Pole Test
Kelvin D. Bodley has
penned an explosive book. He has taken his
experiences of discrimination in the workplace;
and using Biblical principles exposes the wrongs
of racism and unfair employment practices. It
is a very impressive read. From the author�s own
personal experiences The Boiling Pot of
Injustice outlines the negative impact that
racial discrimination has on both the personal
and professional lives of those who are victims
of this type of injustice. His research is
impeccable and his concept is very unique. He
challenges Christians through references to
scripture and by using the Word of God. He
encourages believers to identify racial
injustices in employment and in the world and to
stand up for themselves and not be cowards. The
book is also full of historical notes beginning
with the African American slavery experience in
this country.
Condon assembled a most
impressive cast for the project from top to
bottom, including a number of marquee names
capable of carrying a movie on their own, from
Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx to Grammy
Award-winners
Beyonce� Knowles and
Eddie Murphy to NAACP Image Award-winners
Danny Glover and
Jaleel �Urkel� White to Tony Award-winners
Hinton Battle and Anika Noni Rose to Emmy-winner
John Lithgow.
Ironically, praiseworthy
performances by all of the above were easily
overshadowed by the spellbinding debut of a
relative unknown, an American Idol also-ran, in
fact. No, not tone-deaf William Hung, but
Jennifer Hudson, who came in seventh during
the reality-TV series� third season. You might
remember her, because her surprising elimination
from the contest had prompted guest judge Sir
Elton John to speculate that racism must have
played a part in the results of the voting
In 2003, the ABC-TV newsmagazine 20/20 ran a
story about an honorably-discharged, Navy
veteran who had fallen on such hard times that
he ended up homeless and struggling to survive
by his wits on the streets of San Francisco. In
the heartbreaking segment, Chris Gardner
recounted how, after being abandoned by his
wife, evicted from his apartment, having his
account frozen by the IRS, and having his car
repossessed, he and his five year-old son soon
bottomed-out with no hope in sight. The two
ended up eating at soup kitchens, sleeping in
church shelters and subway stations, and bathing
in public bathrooms, until the frustrated father
finally figured a way to extract them from their
dire circumstances.
Danny Archer (Leonardo
DiCaprio), a soldier of fortune from Zimbabwe,
is in destabilized Sierra Leone to exchange arms
for diamonds with the highest bidder, whether
that be the government or the rebel led
Revolutionary United Front (RUF). You see, this
white Rhodesian is bitter about the loss of a
birthplace he still refers to by its colonial
name. So, he could careless how much blood is
shed during Sierra Leone�s interminable civil
war, so long as the violence is basically black
versus black, and he is able to profit from the
incessant slaughter.
Tertius Coetzee�s (Arnold
Vosloo) was tormented by the guilt he felt over
atrocities he committed on behalf of South
Africa�s repressive apartheid regime. So, the
disgraced police officer testified before the
country�s Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
expecting to cleanse his conscience of the
torture he perpetrated.
But when he continued to
be plagued by memories of his role in the
murders of African National Congress (ANC)
activists, Coetzee decided to visit the family
of one of his victims, Daniel Grotbroom, hoping
to receive additional absolution that might help
him finally find peace. So, he traveled
sand-swept roads across a barren landscape to
the tiny fishing village of Paternoster, a
so-called �colored� community, where he has an
emotional meeting with the 21 year-old freedom
fighter�s parents.
Endeavoring to mimic
Moulin Rouge�s irreverent approach to the
musical genre, Idlewild mixes hip-hop into a
historical flick set in the Thirties during
Prohibition. The film represents the brash
directorial debut of Bryan Barber, who makes
quite a splash via an elaborate musical
throwback replete with chorus lines. This
bifurcated, bittersweet tale of love and
ambition co-stars OutKast�s Big Boi and Andre�
3000 as Rooster and Percival, respectively,
lifelong friends raised on opposite side of the
tracks of a sleepy Southern town of Idlewild,
Georgia.
Egyptian/Sudanese-American writer Kola Boof is
the author of seven books published in eight
countries. Her autobiography, �Diary of a Lost
Girl�was this critic�s #1 pick on the 10 Best
Black Books List for 2006.
Born Naima Bint Harith in Omdurman, Sudan, Kola
was adopted by African-Americans, Marvin and
Claudine Johnson in 1979 and became an American
citizen in 1993. The next year, she returned to
North Africa and became a �paid party girl� at
government functions in Egypt and Libya. She
also appeared in more than 40 Arabian films
before meeting Osama Bin Laden who reportedly
took her as his mistress for six months in 1996.
In 2002, Hudson and 70,000 other hopefuls
auditioned for American Idol during the hit TV
show�s third season. Though she was a finalist
and wowed the judges, Jennifer only came in
seventh. Her early departure prompted Elton John
to state publicly that he believed racism played
a part in the voting. Ironically, the emerging ing�nue had to
compete again against American Idol-winner
Fantasia for the role. So, it makes sense that
Jennifer would see some similarities between
herself and the character she�s portraying on
screen.
Born in Brooklyn on April 3, 1961, Edward
Regan Murphy began appearing on stage at the age
of 15, doing a combination of impersonations and
side-splitting observational humor. While still
in his teens, he joined the ensemble cast of
Saturday Night Live, and was instantly
catapulted to superstardom.
Eddie�s movies have made more money than any
other African-American actor in the history of
motion pictures. Here, he talks about his
powerful performance as R&B singer James
�Thunder� Early in Dreamgirls, for which he was
nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best
Supporting Actor category.
Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. was born on
September 25, 1968 in Philly, the city where he
first entered showbiz, performing with Jeff
Townes as DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. He
parlayed his hip-hop success into the Fresh
Prince of Bel Air, the eponymous, hit TV-show
which enjoyed a six-year run on NBC before being
sent into syndication.
In 2002, he landed and Academy Award
nomination for his uncanny transformation into
Muhammad Ali in Ali. Here, he reflects on his
new role in another biopic, The Pursuit of
Happyness, where he plays Chris Gardner, a
single-dad who managed to go from homeless to
multi-millionaire stockbroker.
Born February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
Christopher Gardner never knew his father. He
lived with his mother, Bettye Jean Gardner, whom
he adored, and, when necessary, in foster homes.
Despite a life of hardship and emotional
scarring, his mother provided him with strong
"spiritual genetics" and taught him some of the
greatest lessons of his life, which he follows
to this day.
Today, he�s the CEO of Christopher Gardner
International Holdings, a company he founded
with offices in New York, Chicago, and San
Francisco. The amazing story of his life was
published as an autobiography,
The Pursuit of Happyness, and is the
inspiration for the new
movie of the same name starring Will
Smith.
Djimon Gaston Hounsou was born in Benin on
April 24, 1964 but emigrated at the age of 13 to
Paris where he was homeless, leading a
hand-to-mouth existence, till he was discovered
by a fashion designer who signed him on as a
model. After stints on catwalks all across
Europe, Djimon moved to Hollywood to take a shot
at acting.
Here,
he reflects on his new movie,
Blood
Diamond, where he portrays Solomon Vandy, a
fisherman intent on escaping war-torn Sierra
Leone with his family.
Marie Brown (president of Marie Brown Associates,
a literary agency)
tells us: "...what was actually happening in
Harlem but not reported widely is very strong
evidence of the strength, presence and
resilience of the African American Literary
tradition and continuing presence in Harlem from
1986 through 1996." Read about the
authors and institutions active in Harlem during
this 10 year period
In reaction to
John Ridley's article in
December�s Esquire Magazine; Kam Williams,
shares his thoughts: "There
is a disturbing new trend in the mainstream
media lately, namely, the emergence of
African-American conservatives willing to do the
bidding of right-wing whites by blaming poor
black folks for the host of social ills visited
upon those still stuck in the slums. Rabidly
racist, these Negro-cons are not above referring
to ghetto dwellers by the N-word, as if those
who�ve escaped have achieved some sort of
honorary white status."
Philadelphia, PA�Sonia
Sanchez, 71, and ten other
grandmothers, who are part of an organization
called The Granny Peace Brigade (GBP), were
recently acquitted in a Philadelphia Community
Courtroom on charges of 'defiant trespassing' in
front of an Army Recruitment Center earlier this
year.
The grandmothers�all of whom are against the war
in Iraq�staged a peaceful protest outside a U.S.
Armed Forces Center in downtown Philadelphia on
June 28, 2006. While protesting, the women �sang
peace songs, spoke out against the war, and
displayed colorful banners.�
"This will sound
clich�d, but I am retiring the C. Kelly Robinson
publishing persona in order to spend more time
with my family. This year Kyra and I have been
blessed with the arrival of our first child, and
we are learning firsthand the joys and
challenges so many of you have shared with us in
years past. Personally, I am also learning that
I can no longer compete for book sales by
spending precious funds that now need to be
invested in children's books, formula, and
college savings plans!" �C. Kelly
Robinson
Currently in its 9th year of publication,
COLORLINES
is the leading national, multi-racial
magazine devoted to the creativity and
complexity of communities of color. COLORLINES
features the best writing on the issues that
affect these communities.
COLORLINES; (1) exposes popular lies, reveals
hidden truths, and prioritizes the critical
stories other publications ignore; (2) presents
the best expressions in literature, art, music,
and film - then couples them with incisive
criticism and (3) features the finest art and
photography on the subjects that matter; the
sharpest criticism on the cultural movements of
our times; and the boldest coverage on the
organizing that empowers us.
Hear the words of the Bible brought to
life like never before. Inspired By... The Bible
Experience: New Testament Audio CD or MP3 CD
includes a fully dramatized reading of the
complete New Testament performed by an
unprecedented ensemble of distinguished all-star
actors, musicians, and personalities. A cast of
more than 200 stars, including Blair Underwood
(Jesus), Samuel L. Jackson (God), Angela Bassett
(Esther), Denzel Washington (Solomon), Cuba
Gooding Jr. (Judas), and many others, lent their
talents to create The Bible Experience, a
one-of-a-kind dramatized audio recording of the
Bible, complete with an outstanding original
musical underscore.
"We wish to create a magazine that targets
young black men, roughly ages 17 to 30, to
educate, inform, and inspire, not simply
entertain. We will educate young people by
teaching them how to be responsible in all
aspects of life including family and finances;
we will discuss various political issues in the
country, especially those that affect blacks; we
will also provide information about various
colleges for those interested in pursuing higher
education and about numerous careers, as well as
information about how to become an entrepreneur.
We will motivate young blacks to dream and
achieve those dreams, to be more than what
society or stereotypes say they can be; we will
stimulate thought and encourage our readers to
challenge what they are taught by society rather
than blindly accept everything as truth; we will
attempt to create a stronger sense of unity
among blacks by encouraging them to help
themselves and each other; and we will inspire
them to be creative through sharing and
developing their artistic talents."
This is the first book
devoted exclusively to photographic portraits of
African American writers since
Carl Van Vechten's
work featuring Harlem Renaissance writers in the
1920s and 1930s.
Over a period of thirty
years Lynda Koolish has been photographing
African American authors in their homes, at
public readings, in universities, and at
conferences and festivals.
for a celebratory Breakfast & Book
Signing, Sunday, December 31st @ Yvonne's
Restaurant 503 fifth Ave, Pelham, NY (914)
738-2005 as the celebrate their outstanding
multi-picture partnership and the forthcoming
blockbuster movie PUSH. Friends, Family
and Fans are encouraged to come and usher in the
New Year early with the actor and the author.
Need directions?
Visit
http://yvonnesoutherncuisine.com/
Breakfast
@ 9AM Book signing @10 AM Limited Seating
Fiction
Nonfiction
Quincy
Troupe
Wanda
Coleman
Transitioning to Real Life:
A Common Sense Guide for the African-American
New College Graduate - Book Review by
Jamie Walker 
Breastlessness
- Book Review by Jayne Cubbage
Not Easily Broken by T.D.
Jakes - Book Review by Idrissa Uqdah
Forever Sentimental, Volume
III-AGAPE LOVE by Kenyatta - Book Review by Idrissa Uqdah
You're a Worthwhile Person in
More Ways than a Million! by Simeon W. Johnson
- Book Review by Jayne Cubbage
Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at
Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation
- Book Review by Kam WIlliams
The Boiling Pot of
Injustice by Kelvin D. Bodley
- Book Review by Idrissa Uqdah
Dreamgirls
- Jennifer Hudson Steals the Show in Adaptation
of Tony Award-Winning Musical
-
Film Review by Kam Williams
The Pursuit of Happyness -
Film Review by Kam Williams
Blood Diamond
- Film Review by Kam Williams
Forgiveness
- Film Review by Kam Williams
Idlewild
- Musical Set at Southern
Speakeasy Released on DVD -
Review by Kam Williams
Words with the Author of the Best Black Book
of 2006
Jennifer Hudson
Eddie Murphy
Interview -
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
- Interview
with Kam Williams
Chris Gardner - The Pursuit of Happyness
Interview with Kam Williams
Djimon Hounsou
- The Blood Diamond Interview with
Kam Williams
Marie Brown's TriHarLenium Presentation - Harlem Literary
Scene 1986 to 1996 
The Negro-Cons� Deal with the Devil: Honorary White
Status in Return for Abandoning Fellow Blacks by
Lloyd Williams
Sonia Sanchez and Ten Grandmothers Acquitted
of �Defiant Trespassing�
by Jamie Walker
It's Been Fun, Kids! C. Kelly Robinson
Retires (well sort of)
COLORLINES
YBE
Magazine.com
African-American
Writers: Portraits and Visions (November 2001)
by Lynda Koolish
Join Renowned Actor and
Director, Bill Duke and Best Selling Author
Relentless Aaron
