Contemporary African-American Books F Bailey-Williams, Nicole A Little Piece of Sky BAI Song Byrd, raised in poverty by her single mother, longs to escape from her outsider status in her family and neighborhood, but guilt keeps her from truly enjoying life after her mother is killed and she goes to live with her father in much improved circumstances. F Bandele, Asha Daughter:  A Novel BAN Miriam, a rigid and self-contained woman, is forced to face her own past in order to move into the future after her beloved nineteen-year-old daughter is killed by a New York police officer in a case of mistaken identity. F Brown, Parry “Ebony Satin†The Shirt Off His Back:  A Novel BRO Terry, a single father of eleven-year-old twin girls, must fight to keep custody of them when their mother, who abandoned them early on for a career overseas, decides she wants them for another career move--improving her family image. F Buckhanon Upstate  BUC When Antonio, as a teenager, is convicted of involuntary manslaughter for killing his father, his young, bright and ambitious girlfriend, Natasha is faced with difficult choices.  The novel unfolds as a series of letters between them.  F Bunting, Eve Face at the Edge of the World BUN Jed tries to come to terms with the suicide of his best friend, a gifted young African-American writer. F Bohjalian, Christopher A. The Buffalo Soldier BOH Terry and Laura Sheldon lose their 9-year-old twins in a flash flood. After a year of putting their lives back together, the couple, who are unable to have more children, decide to adopt a 10-year-old African American boy. F Clair, Maxine October Suite:  A Novel CLA October Brown's life is torn apart when she becomes pregnant and the man she loves deserts her, forcing her to raise her child alone and try to protect him from the emotional harm she grew up with. F Clease, Pearle What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day CLE Ava Johnson, the owner of a successful hair salon in Atlanta, moves back to her hometown of Idlewild, Michigan when she tests positive for HIV. Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do Regina Burns attempts to reestablish her life after rehab, rescue her childhood house from debt that she established as a dope fiend, and recover from the death of the love of her life. F Copage, Eric A Kwanzaa Fable COP Thirteen-year-old Jordan discovers the meaning of Kwanzaa and the importance of his identity as an African American after the death of his father. F Davis, Bridgett M. Shifting Through Neutral DAV In early-1970s Detroit, African-American teenager Rae Dodson struggles to care for her ill father, who suffers debilitating migraines, after the departure of her mother and tries to make sense of her parents' dysfunctional relationship and her own future. F Dickey, Eric Jerome Thieves’ Paradise DIC Dante Brown is determined to stay straight, facing unpaid bills, possible eviction, and slim-to-no chance with Pam, the waitress-actress who has caught his eye, he agrees to one more con, when this deal goes bad he agrees to one more, then one more. F Draper, Sharon M. Battle of Jericho  DRA A high school junior and his cousin suffer the ramifications of joining what seems to be a "reputable" school club. Darkness Before Dawn Recovering from the recent suicide of her ex-boyfriend, senior class president Keisha Montgomery finds herself attracted to a dangerous, older man.     Forged by Fire Gerald, a teenager who has spent years protecting his fragile half-sister from their abusive father, must face the prospect of one final confrontation before the problem can be solved. Romiette and Julio Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating. Tears of a Tiger The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school. F Ewing, Rita Homecourt Advantage EWI When the New York Flyers has a chance to win the basketball championships, it is Casey Rogers's responsibility to make sure the players' wives don't add any more stress to their husbands' already hectic lives. F Flake, Sharon The Skin I’m In FLA Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like. Money Hungry All thirteen-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.   Begging for Change  African-American teenager Raspberry Hill, off the streets after years of homelessness with her mother, inexplicably steals money from one of her best friends and wonders if she is no different than her recently returned, drug-addicted, thieving father. SC Who Am I Without Him  short stories FLA So I ain't no good girl -- The ugly one -- Wanted: a thug -- I know a stupid boy when I see one -- Mookie in love -- Don't be disrespecting me -- I like white boys -- Jacob's rules -- Hunting for boys -- A letter to my daughter. Presents ten short stories about teenage girls struggling with issues of self-worth. F Ford, Darnella Rising  FOR Nine-year-old Symone is adopted by a wealthy family after her mother dies of a drug overdose, and Symone struggles to adapt to life in the affluent Michigan suburb that is a far cry from the Dorchester projects she is used to. F Grimes, Nikki Bronx Masquerade GRI While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates. Jazmin’s Notebook Jazmin, an African-American teenager who lives with her older sister in a small Harlem apartment in the 1960s, finds strength in writing poetry and keeping a record of the events in her sometimes difficult life. F Hall, Rachel Howzell A Quiet Storm HAL Rikki Moore has always been the star of her family, outshining her young sister, Stacy, but no one knows the truth about Rikki's obsessive tendencies and emotional breakdowns, until Stacy stumbles upon Rikki's darkest secret and must decide if she should protect her sister or do the right thing. F Hayes, Hunter A Pair Like No Otha’  HAY Magazine columnist Shemone Waters is right on track with her ten-year plan for success, but she is thrown off course when Darnell Williams, a high school friend who spent several years in prison, returns home looking for love. F Haynes, David Right By My Side HAY Marshall Field Finney is black, hip and urbane; he's cool, wisecracking, and outspoken; and, best of all, he is always loveable. Somebody Else’s Mama  This book tenderly explores the trials and joys of a middle-class family in the heartland and brings to life two strong, independent women. F Hill, Ernest A Life for a Life:  A Novel HIL D'Ray Reid, imprisoned for killing a young man in a convenience store robbery, is forced to reckon with his crime when he is befriended by the dead boy's father. F Jasper, Kenji Dark JAS Thai Williams, a filing clerk for the Washington D.C. Department of Public Works with plans to attend college, has not quite severed his ties to the ghetto in which he grew up, but a criminal act forces him to think about his life. F Joe, Yolanda My Fine Lady:  A Hip-Hop Novel JOE Imani, an aspiring singer, finds herself torn in different directions that test her loyalties to her father, a nightclub owner who sees her as his ticket to wealth, her boyfriend who has dreams of using her a s a springboard to becoming a producer, and college professor Orenthal Hopson who wants to transform her from hip-hop hopeful to a jazz diva. F Johnson, Angela The First Part Last JOH Sixteen-year-old Bobby finds out that he is going to become a father and suddenly all the things that seemed important to him before are insignificant as he and his girlfriend, Nia, try to sort out the situation and decide what to do. Fourteen-year-old Marley's seemingly perfect life in the small town of Heaven is disrupted when she discovers that her father and mother are not her real parents. F Johnson, Doris Rhythms of Love  JOH Brynn Halsted, a prima ballerina for a Harlem dance troupe, renews her friendship with jazz club owner and composer Simeon Storey and is headed for happily ever after when a devastating attack puts her career and her future in limbo. F Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees KID Fourteen-year-old Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared from Lily since her mother's death ten years earlier, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers, and find a safe haven in Tiburon, South Carolina at the home of three beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August. F Larson, Nella Quick Sand; and, Passing LAR Presents two novels written by Harlem Renaissance author Nella Larsen in which she documents the realities of life in Harlem during the 1920s. Passing A reprint of Harlem Renaissance writer Nella Larsen's 1929 novel in which Irene, an African-American woman with a comfortable life, is disturbed by the return of a childhood friend, Clare, who has passed for white since adolescence and now wants to rejoin the African-American community. F Luntta, Karl Know It By Heart LUN Teenagers Dub Teed, his sister Susan, and a neighbor Doug Hammer befriend Ricky Dubois, the daughter of a mixed marriage when someone puts a burning cross on her parent's front lawn. F Mansbach, Adam Shackling Water  MAN A talented young saxophonist, Latif James-Pearson, migrates from Boston to New York in the hopes of apprenticing himself to his hero, Albert Van Horn. McD McDonald, Janet Project Girl 305.09 The author tells the story of her struggles to reconcile her ghetto background and the world of private schools, wealthy classmates, and important jobs offered to her because of her academic talent. F Spellbound  McD Raven, a teenage mother and high school dropout living in a housing project, decides, with the help and sometime interference of her best friend Aisha, to study for a spelling bee which could lead to a college preparatory program and four-year scholarship. F Mckinney-Whetstone, Diane Tempest Rising  McK Three young girls, Shern, Victoria, and Bliss, must somehow find a way to cope with the worst experience of their lives when their mother's nervous breakdown results in them being placed in a foster home run by Mae, a compulsive gambler, and her mean-spirited daughter, Ramona. F Monroe, Mary God Don’t Like Ugly  MON Annette Goode, abused by the boarder her mother has taken in, is forced out of her self-imposed solitude when the beautiful, worldly Rhoda decides to be her friend, but Annette finally comes to realize Rhoda's friendship is more burden than blessing. God Still Don’t Like Ugly Annette Goode meets the father who left her and her mother when she was an infant, loses her groom when her uncle announces that she used to be a prostitute, and reconnects with the friend who murdered her rapist. Gonna Lay Down My Burdens  Carmen Taylor, in love with Chester Sheffield since childhood, spends one memorable night with the man even though she remains committed to her fiance Burl who has been in a wheelchair since a stunt she pulled in high school. F Morrison, Toni The Bluest Eye MOR An eleven-year-old African-American girl in Ohio, in the early 1940s, prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be beautiful. Love  The late Bill Cosey, one-time owner of the Cosey Hotel and Resort, a hot spot for vacationing African-Americans, is kept alive through the memories of the women he loved and who were loved by him. F Myers, Walter Dean Handbook for Boys:  A Novel MYE Sixteen-year-old Jimmy, on probation for assault, talks about life with three old men in a Harlem barbershop and hears about the tools he can use to get what he wants. F Ojikutu, Bayo 47th Street Black OJI Best friends J.C. and Mookie go to work as their neighborhood's African-American liaisons to the Chicago Mafia in the 1960s and soon become the most feared figures on 47th Street, but when J.C. is sent away for a murder both men committed, he builds up fifteen years of resentment that is ready to explode by the time he is released. F Packer, ZZ Drinking Coffee Elsewhere  PAC Brownies -- Every tongue shall confess -- Our Lady of Peace -- The ant of the self -- Drinking coffee elsewhere -- Speaking in tongues -- Geese -- Doris is coming. Presents eight short stories revolving around young African-Americans, from little girls in a Brownie troop to a young man who accompanies his father to the Million Man March. F Parks, Suzan-Lori Getting Mother’s Body  PAR When Billy Beede learns that her mother's burial spot is about to be plowed up to make way for a supermarket, Billy sets out to dig up her mother, and the stash of jewels that is rumored to be buried with her, before she misses her chance. F Revoyr, Nina Necessary Hunger  REV Step-sisters and rival athletes Nancy and Raina form a supportive bond as together they combat racism, experience self-discovery, and awaken to their first feelings of love. F Robinson, C. Kelly Between Brothers ROB Four young housemates from a historically black university attempt to save a community center in a low-income Washington D.C. neighborhood while they cope with intense personal struggles of faith, love, and family; and the effort is made even more difficult by a sophisticated local drug dealer who wants the center shut down. F Sapphire Push SAP Tells the story of Precious Jones, an African-American girl abused by her mother and raped by her father for years, who is put into an alternative school after her father impregnates her for the second time. American Dreams  Developments in World War II force Amy Mochida and her family to move from Hollywood to an internment camp with other Japanese Americans, changing Amy's friendship with eleven-year-old Jeannie. F Scott, Sophfronia  All I Need to Get By SCO Crita Carter, a successul tax accountant in Manhattan, returns to her small hometown in Ohio when her father becomes ill and finds herself once again trying to deal with the problems she believed she had left behind, including her brother's drug addiction, and a never-forgotten high school boy-friend. F Sinclair, April Coffee Will Make You Black SIN The story of an African-American woman growing up on the south side of Chicago during the turbulent 1960s as she tests the limits of racism. I Left My Back Door Open Forty-one-year-old divorcee Dee Dee Dupree, a Chicago radio disc jockey, searches for true love while also trying to help her best friend Sharon who is ready to admit to being a lesbian, and Jade, another friend whose marriage is falling apart. F Souljah, Sister The Coldest Winter Ever SOU Winter, born into a wealthy drug-dealing family in the Brooklyn ghetto, grows up thinking of herself as the queen of the world, but everything comes crashing down when her father is arrested and all their belongings confiscated by the government. F Southgate, Martha The Fall of Rome SOU Latin instructor Jerome Washington, the only African-American teacher at an all-boys boarding school in Connecticut, finds his ideals about race challenged by a promising young African-American student who responds to Jerome in an unexpected way. F Thomas, Jacquelin Singsation THO Deborah Anne Peterson has always been grateful for her small-town life and her beautiful singing voice, but when she signs a record deal with a big-city producer, she finds herself torn from the life she has always known. F Thomas, Trisha R. Roadrunner:  A Novel THO Dell Fletcher, a major-league baseball star who has become addicted to pain medication following an injury, is forced into hiding after his wife calls the police following a violent domestic altercation, and the officer who responds tries to insinuate himself into the Fletcher family. Nappily Ever After Venus Johnston has always appeared to have the perfect life, but when she becomes fed up with her boyfriend's fear of commitment, she makes some drastic changes which impact her life in ways she never imagined. F Tramble, Nichelle D. The Dying Ground:  A Hip Hop Noir Novel  TRA As Maceo Redfield tries to learn the truth behind his childhood friend's death, he finds himself drawn deeper into Oakland's drug underworld. F Tyree, Omar Diary of a Groupie TYR Tabitha Knight, a young woman who makes a living by dating and sleeping with wealthy older men, finds her life becoming more complicated when she is recruited by a private investigator to entrap a high-profile celebrity who is believed to have sex with underage girls. A Do Right Man Bobby Dallas, a handsome, educated, heterosexual African-American man seems to have everthing going for him--good looks, good job, and good intentions--but he just cannot seem to find the one woman who would make his life complete. Flyy Girl:  An Urban Classic Tracy is sixteen and obsessed with collecting designer clothes, jewelry, and boys while her best friend Raheema struggles to follow a different path by focusing on grades and achievement which challenges Tracy to reexamine her life and goals. For the Love of Money Tracy Ellison, now a major Hollywood star, returns to her East Coast roots and stirs up unrest among her friends, family, and past loves Just Say No! Best friends Darin and John, college students from Charlotte, North Carolina, have a hard time resisting temptations in the world of R&B when John becomes a singer on the way to stardom and Darin, fresh from a career-ending football injury, agrees to become his manager. F Vernon, Olympia Eden:  A Novel VER A fourteen-year-old African-American girl in Mississippi is sent to care for her cancer-stricken aunt on the other side of town, where she learns about crime, brutal forms of "justice," and dignity in death. F Williams, Lori Aurelia Broken China WIL China Cup Cameron, a fourteen-year-old single mother with only her paralyzed Uncle Simon for support, takes on tremendous personal debt in hopes of a beautiful funeral after her daughter dies. F Woods, Teri True to the Game WOO Young lovers Gena and Quadir, living high off the profits of Quadir's drug empire in the 1980s, discover that crime has its price when things start to go wrong and they are unable to get out of the game. F Woodson, Jacqueline The Dear One  WOO Twelve-year-old Feni has to adjust when the pregnant young daughter of an old friend of her mother's comes to stay with them. The House You Pass on the Way  When fourteen-year-old Staggerlee, the daughter of a racially mixed marriage, spends a summer with her cousin Trout, she begins to question her sexuality to Trout and catches a glimpse of her possible future self. If You Come Softly After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen-year-old Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother has twice abandoned her, fall in love and then try to cope with peoples' reactions. I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This Marie, the only African-American girl in the eighth grade willing to befriend her white classmate Lena, discovers that Lena's father is doing horrible things to her in private. Locomotion Inspired by his teacher, eleven-year-old Lonnie begins to write about his life in a series of poems in which he discusses his feelings about his friends, his foster mom, his little sister Lili, and the death of his parents. Maizon at Blue Hill After winning a scholarship to an academically challenging boarding school, Maizon finds herself one of only five African Americans there and wonders if she will ever fit in. Miracle’s Boys Lafayette's close relationship with his older brother Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother.