Brown is the oldest of three hearing daughters born to deaf, working-class African American parents. Both parents were born in the South and attended segregated schools for "colored" deaf and blind children; later they settled in Washington, DC. Brown tells stories of her parents' youth, their tenacious work ethic, their incredible pride of family, their interactions with the deaf African American and white communities, and the suffering they endured living in a hearing world. Brown also relates her own experiences as her parents' interpreter, and how she learned to live in both the deaf and hearing worlds.
The Tides of Truth series follows one lawyer's passionate pursuit of truth--in matters of life and the law. Competition is tough at the Savannah law firm where Tami Taylor serves as a law clerk. But Tami's work sets her apart--and the firm's partners see something special in her. So they assign her to a libel case against an abrasive, outspoken preacher who is either a prophet or a lunatic. On the surface it appears to be an open and shut case; the preacher seems fully outside the bounds of law. And Tami's strict religious upbringing could be the firm's ace-in-the-hole. But as the investigation continues, Tami is troubled by the preacher's uncanny prophetic abilities. And their client seems to be hiding something. Tami returns to her hometown, struggling with several critical choices--as two very different men from the firm vie for her heart. Just when the challenges seem insurmountable, hope for Tami arrives from a surprising place. And it's a higher hope than she's ever imagined.
In The Beat Game, Grammy Nominated music producer Darrell “Digga” Branch shows Hip Hop beat makers and producers how to play in the high-paced game called the music business: Branch draws on his own personal experiences, successes and failures, as well as interviews with his well-known professional peers in the music industry, to provide a comprehensive guide to the legal, financial and creative aspects of the Hip Hop music game. Branch examines the roles of each member of a beat maker and producers winning team such as attorneys, managers, accountants, and friends.This book teaches winning strategies to build character, develop inspiration and motivation to help bring out the best when it matters the most. If you're a beat maker, producer or anyone who wants to make a living from Hip Hop music, The Beat Game is a must read!
“A smart, suspenseful, and unpredictable thriller that will keep readers turning pages until every last lie is revealed.”—Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying For fans of The Darkest Corners and Pretty Little Liars, Amanda Searcy’s debut novel will have readers both disturbed and entranced by one girl’s present-day horrors and another’s haunting past. Flight. All Kayla Asher wants to do is run. Run from the government housing complex she calls home. Run from her unstable mother. Run from a desperate job at No Limits Food. Run to a better, cleaner, safer life. Every day is one day closer to leaving. Fight. All Betsy Hopewell wants to do is survive. Survive the burner phone hidden under her bed. Survive her new rules. Survive a new school with new classmates. Survive being watched. Every minute grants her another moment of life. When fate brings Kayla and Betsy together, only one girl will survive.
The Moment of Truth: Guru/Gang Starr Life & Death Story by Solar At last the whole story is ready to be told... Boston born as Keith Elam, Guru-Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal-and his talents made him into an acclaimed rapper and producer, named by The Source as #30 of Top 50 Lyricists of All Time just for a start. He was an innovative pioneer in Hip-Hop jazz and a chart ruler during the late 1980's & 90's. Respected for both the work he accomplished as the founder of Gang Starr, and also his own critically successful solo projects like the Jazzmatazz Volumes, he was by all rights a star in the game. His lyrical gift spoke to an entire hip-hop generation, that would have heard even greater music from him had the worst of disasters not hit. Once he was a sick man, he found himself vilified in the media and eventually unable to speak at all. At the center of this story is his producer, longtime friend, and business partner Solar who has finally come with his full version of the mysterious events surrounding Guru's final years and during his split with DJ Premier. It's been over seven years since that time and the effects of it still linger. Rumors of everything from his sexuality to his mental state in his final days all hang around any Google search about Guru's life and death. Solar is ready to clear both their names and free Guru's true legacy for his fans. Behind Guru's life, unfinished questions hang that sound like the background of a thriller. From mysterious murders around the Gang Starr camp, a seat-of-the-pants gun trial to police investigations and murder attempts on his own life. Not to mention the heated and very public war of words between Guru's family and Solar, who was appointed a medical proxy for the ailing rapper. This book airs Solar's controversial position in a life story about to have its final moment of truth.
Riley and Dashawn have been friends since they were three. They got into skateboarding together and have advanced to the point where it's time to create a Sponsor Me tape. They bring a third skater along, Natasha, and try to get some good clips around a new office development. Then the police storm into the lot. The three skaters quickly scatter, trying their best not to get busted. Riley and Natasha arrive at the meet-up spot. They wait and wait, but Dashawn never shows. The next day Riley visits Dashawn, only to discover that the police have given him a “beat-down.” Nothing like this has ever happened before, and for Riley it is a wake-up call that whether they know it or not, not everyone lives in the same world he does. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
THIS BOOK COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE Every five seconds, one more person develops diabetes. Worldwide, 285 million people are affected by type 2 diabetes. Many of them have no idea. Here is the personal story of one man who has unearthed the mysteries of this global epidemic and offers hard-won practical advice for how readers can take control of their lives and combat this deadly disease. "Sugar Nation is a must-read! As a fitness expert myself, who has dealt with family diabetes and coaching families on how to limit their sugar intake, this book is a fundamental tool in educating the world on just how dangerous dietary sugar can be. Jeff O'Connell's direct yet user-friendly approach to this important and overlooked subject is more than refreshing. All will benefit from picking this book up." -- Jennifer Nicole Lee, author of The Jennifer Nicole Lee Fitness Model Diet
Originally written in 1938 but never published due to its controversial nature, an insightful guide reveals the seven principles of good that will allow anyone to triumph over the obstacles that must be faced in reaching personal goals.
Born in Miami's notorious Liberty City, Luther Campbell witnessed poverty, despair, and crime firsthand. His uncle Ricky did not want him trapped by the "invisible chains" of systemic racism, so Ricky schooled him on the necessity of a black man running his own life, controlling his livelihood, and owning property. Embracing these lessons, Campbell discovered his gift for entrepreneurship: He created one of the first hip-hop record companies, Luke Records, which started out of a shed in his mom's backyard and grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. As a rapper on his own label, Luke became known as the "King of Dirty Rap" and helped pioneer the worldwide phenomenon of Miami Bass. He went on to become the front man and manager for the rap group 2 Live Crew, and was key to the success of the group's controversial platinum recording As Nasty As They Wanna Be. His hugely popular and provocative music infuriated the Man, and Luke was marked as public enemy number one when hip-hop crossed the color line into white America. Campbell would spend more than a million dollars of his own money fighting cops and prosecutors, and he went all the way to the Supreme Court to protect his—and every other artist's—right to free speech, setting landmark legal precedents that continue to shape the entertainment industry to this day. In Campbell's clear and honest voice, he shares unforgettable stories of his rise to celebrity status, including illicit tales from his raunchy concerts. He also breaks down how he lost his fortune, but in the process gained a better perspective on life. His father taught him to be responsible for his actions and to be proud of himself. Campbell expressed this by being cocky and holding his head up high, but, as he acknowledges, "America has never been an easy place for a black man who doesn't know how to apologize." Touching on some of the most pressing issues of our time, The Book of Luke is a raw and powerful memoir of how one man invented southern hip-hop, saved the First Amendment, and became a role model for the disenfranchised people of the city he calls home.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A passionate manifesto that exposes hypocrisy on both sides of the political divide and points a way out of the tribalism that is tearing America apart—from the CNN host hailed as “a star of the 2016 campaign” (The New York Times), now seen on The Van Jones Show Van Jones burst into the American consciousness during the 2016 presidential campaign with an unscripted, truth-telling style and an already established history of bridge-building across party lines. His election night commentary, during which he coined the term “whitelash,” became a viral sensation. A longtime progressive activist with deep roots in the conservative South, Jones has made it his mission to challenge voters and viewers to stand in one another’s shoes and disagree constructively. In Beyond the Messy Truth, he offers a blueprint for transforming our collective anxiety into meaningful change. Jones urges both parties to abandon the politics of accusation. He issues a stirring call for a new “bipartisanship from below,” pointing us toward practical answers to problems that affect us all regardless of region or ideology. He wants to tackle rural and inner-city poverty, unemployment, addiction, unfair incarceration, and the devastating effects of the pollution-based economy on both coal country and our urban centers. Along the way, Jones shares memories from his decades of activism on behalf of working people, inspiring stories of ordinary citizens who became champions of their communities, and little-known examples of cooperation in the midst of partisan conflict. In his quest for positive solutions, Van Jones encourages us to set fire to our old ways of thinking about politics and come together to help those most in need. Includes an invaluable resource of contacts, books, media, and organizations for bipartisan bridge-building and problem solving. “Van Jones is a light in the darkness when we need it most. In the tradition of the great bridge builders of our past, Van’s love for this country and all its people shines through.”—Cory Booker, U.S. senator, New Jersey “Van Jones’s voice has become an integral part of our national political debate. He is one of the most provocative and interesting political figures in the country.”—Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator, Vermont
