Keisha & Bobby is a coming of age tale chronicling the relationship between three friends. Coming from the same inner-city background they are each faced with different opportunities in life. Keisha's gift of intellect leads her to the achievement of educational triumph at an exceptionally young age. A passion for service leads Bobby to become a community organizer for positive change. Wanda, the inheritor of a keen photographic eye, uses her talent to frame the defining moments in the lives of those she's connected to. All of their experiences culminate into one life-changing moment that saves one of them from a negative experience. Themes of education, justice and pursuit of dreams are woven together to deliver a message that no matter where you come from, you can win. Just believe.
Explains the neurological, emotional, and behavioral impacts of violence and trauma experienced by newborns, infants, children, and teenagers. Traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can affect children physically, mentally, and emotionally, sometimes with long-term health and behavioral effects. Abuse, neglect, exposure to community and domestic violence, and household dysfunction all have the potential to alter brain development and behavior, but few people are able to recognize or respond to trauma in children. Given the prevalence of childhood exposure to violence—with one in four children ages 5 to 15 living in households with only moderate levels of safety and nurturance and infants and children ages 0 to 3 comprising the highest percentage of those maltreated—it is imperative that students and professionals alike be able to identify types and consequences of violence and trauma. This book provides readers with the information they need in order to know how to detect and prevent ACEs and to help children who have lived through them.
In the third Livingston novel, “more secrets are exposed and old enemies learn to forgive as this family faces, together, what life throws their way” (RT Book Reviews). After a long run of misfortune, betrayal, and broken hearts, the Livingston family and their soul food empire are thriving. Toussaint is the Food Network darling, Malcolm’s BBQ Soul Smoker is the toast of QVC, and Bianca’s brainchild, TOSTS—Taste of Soul Tapas Style—is a sensation on L.A.’s Sunset Strip. Only Jefferson hasn’t made his mark—and he partly blames Toussaint. When he receives an unexpected promotion, Jefferson is ready to show his cousin just how big a mistake he made—until a fire breaks out, an old enemy reappears, and a stranger threatens the family’s legacy. Jefferson and Toussaint must now work together to keep the dynasty from falling apart. Can they put their differences aside long enough to take care of business? Praise for Lutishia Lovely and the Business series “A great new taste in the literary world.”—Carl Weber, New York Times bestselling author “Worth every moment.”—Donna Hill, Essence® bestselling author “Drama, laughter, and a little bit of naughtiness . . . You’ll be wanting more.”—Urban Reviews “A great story. This should make for a fascinating new series.”—APOOO BookClub
Imagine if you can buy a house. Rehab this house. Rent out this rehab house to a qualified renter. You then go to the bank and refinance this beautiful house. Pull some equity out, lower the APR, and then guess what? Repeat. Do it again. This may sound too good to be true but believe me, it’s happening every day. This book will be an eye-opener. It has the side effect of making you lots of money. Start reading now! • Find the right properties. • Find motivated sellers. • Earn 60 percent profit on a 10–0 percent investment. • Leverage profits and build your wealth. • Convert problems into gigantic paydays. • Take action now!
The lives of an ostracized gay Southern boy, a wealthy Connecticut woman, and an African-American chef converge in a chic Manhattan café, in a tale ranging from 1920s North Carolina to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and the present day.
Bobbys Song - California dreamin, is a collection of stories about two friends. One friend, Rick Nelson is a retired contractor now working part-time as a Private Investigator. The other friend, Bob Moore who is dead joins Rick in Spirit form in helping to solve various mysteries in both the spirit, and living world. Their adventures take them from one side of the Country to the other, and back again. Sometimes even traveling into the Past to help a Spirit find peace. Bob and Rick come to the very edge of death at times, as well as witnessing Gods justice being dealt out to those who deserve it. Along the way, certain gifts and or special abilities are given to both friends to help them with their work, while meeting some very interesting characters along the way... Both living and dead. Each story is a new adventure for our average everyday heros. And as time passes, their friendship grows and stays strong even though they live in two different worlds.
While it is true that youth is a wonderful period in life, for others, the teenage life could be the worth thing that could happen. Recalling her sad experiences as a youth, author Yvonne Louis describes her teenage past as nightmarish and readers can find out exactly why with the release of her new book A Teenage Tragedy, released through Xlibris. A Teenage Tragedy is based on Louis true life story of the hard struggle of growing up through her teens. Born into a rich family of Haitians in Florida, the author grew up with so many things and privileges early. Her father was already a well-known drug dealer who struggled on what to do with their familys immense wealth. Things changed for the worse when the Feds took away their homes and raided them for the drugs and fake money hidden by her father. The embarrassing events forced the family to move to Haiti, only to go through another series of hardships. People with guns would came looking for her father for the money he owed them. Instability and uncertainty continued to hound the family, causing a violent relationship between the parents, leading to separation and Louis eventual return to America. Forced to live with her aunt, the author had to deal with starting her life all over again. As she grew up, she went through a series of trials and tribulations that challenged her sanity. With issues such as domestic violence, sex, prostitution, peer pressure, teen pregnancy and education, readers will find many lessons and views to relate with.
Thirty years after the Vietnam War, eight U.S. veterans – still scarred from the psychological shrapnel of combat and seeking the healing that has long eluded them – bravely return to the country where their enemy lurked so long ago. Retired VA psychologist Dr. Ken Carson prepares the men to minimize the trauma of their journey while Reverend Johnny Green and Rabbi David Aloni lend spiritual support. In Vietnam, the veterans confront their painful, haunting memories: crossing leech-infested rice paddies in the dead of night surrounded by enemy; peasants who could be carrying weapons under their loose fitting “pajamas”; terror in the tunnels; degradation in the whorehouses and more. Finally able to relate to each other emotionally, without the detachment that was necessary for survival during the war, the men form a mini-platoon during the trip, bonding in their quest for wellness. Written by a distinguished psychologist and told from the perspective of eight fictional but vivid central characters, Shrapnel: A Journey Toward Psychological Healing highlights the courage of the veterans while eloquently examining the long-term effects of combat stress and helping to remove the stigma of mental health treatment. www.shrapnelnovel.com
RECOMMENDED BY GILLIAN FLYNN ON THE TODAY SHOW • A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she's not the first—and she may not be the last. . . . “I read this thriller that is Get Out meets The Vanishing Half in one night.”—BuzzFeed “Extraordinary . . . A terrifying tale of fears and hatreds generated by racism and class inequality.”—Associated Press EDGAR® AWARD FINALIST • BRAM STOKER® AWARD FINALIST • PHENOMENAL BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Esquire, Vulture, PopSugar, Paste, Publishers Weekly • ONE OF COSMOPOLITAN’S BEST HORROR NOVELS OF ALL TIME It’s watching. Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the night of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the newlyweds’ daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood. It’s taking. As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz’s high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls. It’s your turn. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.