Kola Boof is an extravagently talented writer. IF MY FATHER DIES I GIVE BIRTH TO HIM AGAIN gives her what she's due for being an accomplished writer of fiction, poetry and memoir. This selected writings contains excerpts from her best work: *NILE RIVER WOMAN *DIARY OF A LOST GIRL *LONG TRAIN TO THE REDEEMING SIN *FLESH AND THE DEVIL
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE--FESTIVITIES, FUN, FOOD, AND FRAUD!It's Bridget Jones does Christmas in Manhattan--plus a dash of international espionage--in this romantic cozy mystery that mixes sisterly love with a world famous drag queen, a shameful family past, and an irresistible French investigator.Christmas in the Big Apple promises to be especially festive, as all five Bennett sisters are in town for a very special occasion: Annie, the oldest Bennett, is engaged at the tender age of fifty-five-to a charming Scottish man who's crazy about her.But while Bohemian Annie is securely and happily in love with a devoted fianc�, Merle-in-the-middle is navigating the roller coaster of her own love life: Pascal, her one-time French summer fling, has unexpectedly flown to New York for the holidays-and now she's waiting for him in the bustling lobby of the New York City Hilton Hotel, the very same venue as her family's engagement festivities. Pascal says he's come to see Merle (and her son, Tristan), and he's staying in town through the New Year--but why? A relationship ultimatum? Or is there something more mysterious in the works? Because Pascal is a very mysterious dude.On the walk back from engagement cocktails at a romantic bistro, Pascal asks Merle, Annie, and her fiance to accompany him to a little-known club where he promised his brother he'd look up a friend of his. Intrigued, Merle and company follow him to the village, where they're treated to ... a drag revue. Turns out the "friend" is a drag queen, a Marilyn Monroe look-alike who goes by the name Bosom Drearie. But later, Francie, the next-to- youngest Bennett sister, says she's seen Bosom Drearie before -and she looked different from her sisters' description-plus, Francie'd heard the performer got fired and had to reinvent herself. That gets the sisters' sleuth-sense up: Could it be the Bosom Drearie Pascal was searching for is an imposter? Perhaps a wanted one?The truth starts to come out when Pascal admits to Merle that Bosom Drearie is a person of interest to the French Police Nationale-and Merle begins to question his intentions. Is he in New York solely on police business? But it may not be so simple-her own family may be involved. She learns the French police are reopening the investigation into a defunct wine business once owned by her late husband's father-50 years after a questionable deal-and can't help but worry her family's shameful past is tied to her romantic interest... A romantic interest she can't seem to resist...Festivities, fun, food, and fraud-not to mention mystery and romance-abound in this delicious holiday installment of the Bennett sisters' cozy adventures.
From the author of Long Train to the Redeeming Sin, “the most jubilant celebration of black African beauty so far seen in the English language” (The Boston Globe). Following in the footsteps of her idols Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, Kola Boof asserts her own literary prowess with a chilling sociopolitical love story. Set in modern West Africa, Europe, and the United States, and featuring the kind of heroine readers rarely get to encounter in popular culture—beautiful charcoal-skinned Eternity, a spirited and diabolical young African hellcat whose life is stigmatized by a heart-stopping secret—The Sexy Part of the Bible is an erotically astute novel filled with mystery and adventure. Enveloped in the arms of a domineering Fela Kuti–type rap star and revolutionary named Sea Horse Twee, Eternity finds herself miraculously surviving several African rebellions—and in the interim, she powerfully unmasks the science of cloning, which becomes a powerful metaphor in the story. “From the malignant forces of racism and sexism to corruption and cloning, Boof catwalks her way through a shrewdly satirical, erotic, and suspenseful novel of defiance.” —Booklist “Boof has written a novel with the histrionics of daytime drama, boldly sensuous and savvy about the dangers of post-colonial politics.” —Time Out Chicago “Boof spins surrealism, sci-fi, racial politics, feminism, religious debate, postcolonial theory, and more into a thought-provoking, suspenseful novel that manages to keep intriguing characters afloat in a roiling sea of crazy rhetoric.” —Publishers Weekly
With the same piercing intelligence as the bestselling Say it Loud!, Interracial Intimacies hits a nerve at the center of American society: race relations and our most intimate ties to each other. “The best book written on the subject, an exhaustive source of deep, rich scholarship and surefooted brilliant analysis.”—Seattle Times Analyzing the tremendous changes in the history of America’s racial dynamics, Randall Kennedy challenges us to examine how prejudices and biases still fuel fears and inform our sexual, marital, and family choices. He takes us from the injustices of the slave era up to present-day battles over race matching adoption policies, which seek to pair children with adults of the same race. He tackles such subjects as the presence of sex in racial politics, the historic role of legal institutions in policing racial boundaries, and the real and imagined pleasures that have attended interracial intimacy. A bracing, much-needed look at the way we have lived in the past, Interracial Intimacies is also a hopeful book, offering a potent vision of our future as a multiracial democracy.
_________________ 'Timely and profound' - The Observer 'A concise, beautifully written guide to the true good life, written by man of true principles and morals' - James McBride _________________ A timely look at how morals and ethics are overlooked when we try to succeed in this world, by the renowned lecturer Derrick Bell Who will YOU have to become to succeed? Most of us believe that we must compromise our integrity to get ahead in life. With material success now our overarching social goal, the pressure to succeed is stronger than it's ever been. But what does this mean for our convictions, our morals, our ideals? In his book, Derrick Bell demonstrates that it is possible to attain success and not compromise our values by practising what he describes as Ethical Ambition. Setting out seven rules with which to conduct our lives, he places ethics as central to our ambition, so we can simultaneously honour our values and our needs. Ethical Ambition will force you to re-examine your beliefs and motivate you to change your life. It is an important book for our times.
