Girlz 'n the Hood
Girlz 'n the Hood

Author: Mary Hill-Wagner

Publisher: Pact Press

Published: 2021-09-25

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 9781646030781

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Girlz in the Hood is the unsentimental, moving, and surprisingly humorous account of a girl and her ten siblings who grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Mary's mother was a fierce matriarch, a single mom who raised eleven children with the help of welfare checks and a fire arm hidden in her bra. Drugs, guns, and pregnancies were everyday occurrences, but Mary and her siblings took it all in stride, spying on the grown-ups, playing in the streets, and helping to take care of the new babies when they were born. The dubious yet colorful cast of characters that came into their lives (the Jehovah Witnesses, the whores, the addicts, the "fathers"), and the never-ending series of hardships (the jail terms, the knife fights, the mental illness, and homicides), couldn't shake the core of the family. This is the story of Mary, but, even more so, it's the story of her mother, a uniquely strong and extraordinary woman who was able to survive moments of pain and disappointment by laughing at the comedy of human missteps, miscalculations, and downright stupidity. This is also a story about race and of poverty and how, over time, it can wear you down and destroy you, because, although Mary got out okay, her sisters and brothers were not so lucky.

A Face for Picasso
A Face for Picasso

Author: Ariel Henley

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Published: 2021-11-02

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0374314098

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A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens "Raw and unflinching . . . A must-read!" --Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends "[It] cuts to the heart of our bogus ideas of beauty." –Scott Westerfeld, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Uglies I am ugly. There's a mathematical equation to prove it. At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome -- a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive it. Growing up, Ariel and her sister endured numerous appearance-altering procedures. Surgeons would break the bones in their heads and faces to make room for their growing organs. While the physical aspect of their condition was painful, it was nothing compared to the emotional toll of navigating life with a facial disfigurement. Ariel explores beauty and identity in her young-adult memoir about resilience, sisterhood, and the strength it takes to put your life, and yourself, back together time and time again.

Girls From da Hood 8
Girls From da Hood 8

Author: Treasure Hernandez

Publisher: Urban Books

Published: 2013-08-01

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1622861450

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Urban Books' popular Girls From da Hood series is back, bringing readers more dramatic tales about the lives of some tough, resourceful women who can hold their own when things get rough on the streets. Gabby Davenport spent the first fifteen years of her life in the suburbs, living a privileged and sheltered existence. When her mother dies unexpectedly, she is forced to move from her middle class neighborhood into Cumberland Projects in Brooklyn. Gabby's life will never be the same. Mika, the queen bee of the projects, doesn't appreciate the arrival of this private-school good girl. Mika and her posse are on a mission to make Gabby's life miserable, and things only get worse when Mika's "friend with benefits" B-Waite decides he wants to make Gabby his girl. Mika is ready to go to war to win back her man, and she doesn't care who she has to take down in the process. Keisha, Shawna, and LaRhonda are best friends forever, as the saying goes. Nothing will tear apart this tight trio—or so they think. When Keisha steps out of her box to become more of her own person, tension builds among the girls. In the eyes of her trusted friends, her lifestyle has become questionable. What happens when her secrets and desires are revealed? Shawna's life is just starting to look up. She's been hired at a major record label, and she's making enough money to move out of the projects for good. When her good news is met by fake smiles, Shawna gets a new perspective on how her girls really feel. LaRhonda sees each of her friends moving up while she's still struggling in the confines of the ghetto. After she gives birth to her second child by the age of eighteen, she feels like her dreams are out of reach. Her growing jealousy isn't easy to hide. What will happen when her misery wants company?

Reading Race
Reading Race

Author: Norman K Denzin

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2002-03-29

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780803975453

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In this insightful book, one of America's leading commentators on culture and society turns his gaze upon cinematic race relations, examining the relationship between film, race and culture. Acute, richly illustrated and timely, the book deepens our understanding of the politics of race and the symbolic complexity of segregation and discrimination.

Blessings in Disguise
Blessings in Disguise

Author: ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2007-01-09

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1416548203

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The second book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley They share a precious gift. . . . Joining Rachel Jackson's church youth group has been a lifesaver for Camille, Alexis, Jasmine, and Angel. The fabulous four share everything from juicy gossip to mentoring school kids. But their loyalty is put to the test when two of the girls get caught up in problems of their own -- and may drag their girlfriends down with them. Will they forget who their friends are? Wealthy Alexis seems to have the perfect life -- but no one can see her fear as her parents head for divorce. Meanwhile, Jasmine is tired of being the glue that holds her mother and siblings together, and she escapes by moving in with her father. Both girls are tempted to do something drastic to get the attention they crave, and both need to hear Rachel's hard-won advice on why stealing will only get them more trouble. But when it comes to winning back Camille and Angel's trust, Alexis and Jasmine will have to find the answers in their own hearts.

Girls from Da Hood
Girls from Da Hood

Author: Nikki Turner

Publisher:

Published: 2006-04

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780786284450

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Girls From Da Hood is the story of Unique, Nina, and Anyeh, three of the baddest dirls from the good you ever want to meet.

You Can't Sit With Us
You Can't Sit With Us

Author: Nancy N. Rue

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2014-12-09

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0718019431

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Bullying doesn’t end in the hallway anymore—with a smartphone or tablet, it can happen anywhere. According to the Ambassadors 4 Kids Club, one out of every four students is bullied—and 85% of these situations never receive intervention. Parents, students, and teachers alike have amped up discussions on how to solve the bullying problem for a networked generation of kids. Written by bestselling author, Nancy Rue, each book in the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy focuses on a different character’s point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The books, based on Scripture, show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for tween girls. You Can’t Sit With Us, the second book in the series, tells the story of Ginger Hollingberry, a new sixth grader at Gold Country Middle School. Ginger has been the brunt of teasing and taunting from the queen bee of GCMS, Kylie Steppe, and her so-called Wolf Pack. Kylie and the Pack favor a new and especially hurtful medium of taunting: social networking. What follows is a candid look into the growing world of cruel cyberbullying, showing kids that bullying doesn’t always end at school—it can now follow you even into your home and torture 24 hours a day.

Street Dreams
Street Dreams

Author: K'wan

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: 2007-04-01

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1429904402

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Love, Betrayal and Loyalty on the Streets of Harlem Daruis, a.k.a. Rio, the only child of a singer turned alcoholic, feels he has nothing to hold on to except the idea of escaping the ghetto. Years ago, he took a gun charge for a friend and did some prison time. Unable to find a job when he gets out, Rio turns to hustling as a way out. In the meantime, Rio finds escape in the arms of his soulmate, Trinity. When Trinity's mother died, her abusive father looks to her to play the role of house wife and bedmate. Trinity finds strength to endure in Rio's arms. Together they vow to do whatever it takes to make it out of the ghetto. But soon they find their backs against the wall when the streets come to claim their due.

Magic City
Magic City

Author: Trick Daddy

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-11-16

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1439157677

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“A thug is someone who stands on his own. He lives by the decisions he makes and accepts the consequences. A thug is comfortable in his own skin. I wear mine like a glove.” Trick Daddy was born a thug—just a stone’s throw from downtown Miami, yet a world away from its dazzling beauty and sparkling wealth. Where grinding poverty, deadly crime, and devastating racial tension taught kids to live by the ’hood rules. Remarkably, Trick came from nothing and made it big just when his chances had run out. Magic City is the extraordinary tale of a boy whose father was a pimp, who learned to hustle to survive, and whose only role model was his brother, the drug dealer he watched plying his trade on the block. It’s the untold truth behind the cult movie Scarface, of the drug money that transformed the city into a shining mecca for the rich and famous while turf wars between smalltime pushers claimed countless lives. It’s also the incredible story of how that potent mixture of extremes—the electric pulse and glittering abundance of South Beach and the crime, corruption, and despair in its shadows—gave rise to the most dominant sound in hip-hop today. Magic City is an ode to Miami, a riveting tale of a paradise lost and a native son determined to infuse it with new life.