And the Category Is.
And the Category Is.

Author: Ricky Tucker

Publisher: Beacon Press

Published: 2022-01-25

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 0807003484

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A 2023 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Nonfiction An Electric Literature “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of 2022” Selection A love letter to the legendary Black and Latinx LGBTQ underground subculture, uncovering its abundant legacy and influence in popular culture. What is Ballroom? Not a song, a documentary, a catchphrase, a TV show, or an individual pop star. It is an underground subculture founded over a century ago by LGBTQ African American and Latino men and women of Harlem. Arts-based and intersectional, it transcends identity, acting as a fearless response to the systemic marginalization of minority populations. Ricky Tucker pulls from his years as a close friend of the community to reveal the complex cultural makeup and ongoing relevance of house and Ballroom, a space where trans lives are respected and applauded, and queer youth are able to find family and acceptance. With each chapter framed as a “category” (Vogue, Realness, Body, et al.), And the Category Is . . . offers an impressionistic point of entry into this subculture, its deeply integrated history, and how it’s been appropriated for mainstream audiences. Each category features an exclusive interview with fierce LGBTQ/POC Ballroom members—Lee Soulja, Benjamin Ninja, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and more—whose lives, work, and activism drive home that very category. At the height of public intrigue and awareness about Ballroom, thanks to TV shows like FX’s Pose, Tucker’s compelling narratives help us understand its relevance in pop culture, dance, public policy with regard to queer communities, and so much more. Welcome to the norm-defying realness of Ballroom.

Stand by Your Truth
Stand by Your Truth

Author: Rickey Smiley

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-10-24

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1501178628

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Part memoir, part testimonial, and part life guide, Stand by Your Truth mixes Rickey Smiley’s down-home humor with the values he learned from being raised by three generations of elders, steeped in the Baptist church, and mentored by some of the most celebrated comics in the entertainment industry today. “I’m very passionate about everything that I do and I don’t play any games. I just keep it honest. I don’t put on airs. That’s the only way you can be. If you tell one lie, you’ve got to tell another lie. I’m cool with who I am. What you see is what you get.” Stand-up comic. Single dad. Radio personality. TV star. Prankster. Producer. Community activist. Man of faith. Visit a church, comedy club, college campus, or barber shop, and you’ll find few people who aren’t familiar with, or fans of, Rickey Smiley. At least four million listeners in more than seventy markets tune in every weekday morning to hear him banter with his radio show crew, hilariously prank call an unsuspecting listener, and perform skits featuring his one-man cast of characters, including “Lil Darryl,” “Beauford,” and “Joe Willie.” But in between the rapid-fire jokes and celebrity dish are flashes of how Rickey views the world, from the challenges of raising children, to the importance of education, to the need to always stand by your own truth. After more than two decades in the spotlight, Rickey is finally ready to delve more deeply into the opinions he voices on the air, riffing on those issues that his listeners, viewers, and fans find most important. This collection of personal and powerful essays will speak to readers from all walks of life, and is sure to inspire you to Stand by Your Truth.

Go Home, Ricky!
Go Home, Ricky!

Author: Gene Kwak

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2021-10-19

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1647002559

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From a rising literary star comes a fresh, satirical novel about masculinity and tenderness, fatherhood and motherhood, set in the world of semi-professional wrestling—now in paperback After seven years on the semi-pro wrestling circuit, Ricky Twohatchet, a.k.a. Richard Powell, needs one last match before he gets called up to the big leagues. Unlike some wrestlers who only play the stereotype, Ricky believes he comes by his persona honestly—he’s half white and half Native American—even if he’s never met his father. But the night of the match in Omaha, Nebraska, something askew in their intricate choreography sets him on a course for disaster. He finishes with a neck injury that leaves him in a restrictive brace and a video already going viral: him spewing profanities at his ex-partner, Johnny America. Injury aside, he’s out of the league. Without a routine or identity, Ricky spirals downward, finally setting off to learn about his father, and what he finds will explode everything he knows about who he is—as a man, a friend, a son, a partner, and a wrestler. Go Home, Ricky! is a sometimes-witty, sometimes-heart-wrenching, but always gripping look into the complexities of identity.

Ricky's Hand
Ricky's Hand

Author: David Quantick

Publisher: Titan Books (US, CA)

Published: 2022-08-23

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 180336047X

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From the Emmy Award-winning writer of Avenue 5, Veep and The Thick of It comes a funny, violent and thought-provoking horror story like nothing you’ve seen before. Ricky Smart is a nobody, a Miami Beach paparazzo who scrapes a living snapping celebs. One day Ricky wakes up and realises there’s something wrong with his hand. It’s not his hand. In fact, it’s someone else’s hand. How does he know it’s not his? Because it looks different, feels different and – perhaps the biggest clue – has a four-letter word tattooed across the knuckles. But hey, it's still a hand, and it works just fine, so that's ok. Except a week later, his other hand changes. And a few days after that, Ricky gets a new arm… Ricky is losing his mind as well as his body parts, but he has to pay rent and those seedy photos aren't going to take themselves. The world needs candid shots of pop sensation and local girl Scala Jaq, almost as much as Ricky's bank account does. Yet Scala has a secret of her own, a secret that leads them to an unlikely partnership, the strangest support group ever, and revelations that threaten existence as they know it. It's up to the celebrity and her tormentor to work out what to do with a world of misfits, explosions, and other people's bad tattoos. Because when you've looked for redemption in all the right places, you might need to try the wrong ones.

Follow Me
Follow Me

Author: Ricky Dillon

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-06-07

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1501132024

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this inspiring and hilarious memoir, YouTube star Ricky Dillon gives you an exciting look into his personal life and reveals the ins and outs of being a young star online. Have you ever picked up a new instrument and tried learning to play your favorite song? Or found out exactly how much sour candy you can possibly eat in one sitting? Or given yourself permission to be friendly to a total stranger who looked sad? Ricky Dillon has, and in Follow Me, he invites you to join him on a series of challenges—from serious, contemplative tasks to hilarious, outrageous stunts—that are bound to stretch your mind (as well as your muscles) and change your life for the better. Sure, trying something new or putting yourself out there—facing the unknown—can be scary, but Ricky himself understands what it’s like to face life’s great obstacles. He also knows that every day offers chances to try something new, to push yourself a little farther, and to get a little stronger both inside out. Along with the challenges, Follow Me also ushers readers into Ricky’s real life, sharing exactly how he creates his videos, what it’s like collaborating with other YouTube stars, what his family and friends mean to him, and how he juggles all of his creative endeavors—from music to fitness to writing and beyond—while keeping a positive attitude and appreciating all of life’s adventures, big and small. Inspiring, informative, and incredibly fun, Follow Me is not just a book but a full-on reading experience from one of our most beloved and hardworking social media stars.

Ricky's Confession
Ricky's Confession

Author: Rene' Abril de Cubria

Publisher: BookCountry

Published: 2013-09-23

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1463003242

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The book possesses attributes of all the human elements arousing interest: birth, love, tragedy, failure, success, substance abuse, creativity, politics; and, depending on the reader's perspective, a justified killing or murder; it can't be both. This novel will make you smile a lot, and laugh often. Relating to specific characters, you will feel joy, sadness, and abandoned. Genuinely focused, the novel reveals a young man of many defects in love for the first time at the age of thirty, the challenges he creates, and those of daily living which he faces. More than anything, the novel is about love, and all Ricky will do and how he will change himself to acquire the only woman he's ever loved. It is a remarkable story which will leave you wondering if it is actually true; who knows? I'll never tell....

Rendezvous Eighteenth
Rendezvous Eighteenth

Author: Jake Lamar

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2003-11-21

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1429976373

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Rendezvous Eighteenth marks the emergence of an exciting voice in crime fiction. Ricky Jenks gave up life in the U.S. years ago and is content, if not happy, with his life as a piano player in a small café in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. He has many friends among the other African-Americans living in Paris and is happily, if casually, involved with a French Muslim woman. But then everything changes. His American life comes crashing down on him when his estranged cousin wants help finding his runaway wife, whom he thinks might have come to Paris, even though he's vague about why. That same night Ricky finds a prostitute dead in his apartment building in Paris's Eighteenth Arrondissment, one of the most multicultural sections of Paris. That these two events could be connected is something he never imagines. This intricate, absorbing thriller is ultimately much more than a suspense novel. Lamar's detailed and vibrant portrait of life in Paris is as much the story of a black man's alienation and redemption-indeed, the story of an entire community searching for a home-as it is a taut thriller about revenge, obsession, and murder

ManChild
ManChild

Author: Lenell Robinson

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2022-01-25

Total Pages: 550

ISBN-13: 1662461992

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Trapped behind prison walls for over fifteen years, Man-Child is here! Prison approved and ready for the streets and all who like sex, money, drugs, and murder. Written for the streets of Rochester, New York, who raised Man-Child. Volume 2 coming soon! Lenell Robinson is currently serving a twenty-two and a half to life sentence in a NY state prison. Dealing with the parole board now, Mr. Robinson wanted the story of Man-Child finally unleashed. Read and enjoy!

Headhunters In New York
Headhunters In New York

Author: Darrell Williams

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2017-01-12

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1365675076

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What would you think if the Vice Presidential nominee New York City Mayor, U.S./State senator, congressional representative and top judge and prosecutor all are part of the city most dangerous crime family? And responsible for the deaths of two Mafia Don

Destroying Everything
Destroying Everything

Author: Ricky Adam

Publisher: Drago (Roma)

Published: 2013-05-22

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9788888493923

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Ricky Adam's first book, Destroying Everything, documents over 20 years of some of the most influential and poignant counter-culture photographs ever taken. By bringing together aspects of BMX , Punk and underground youth culture, the collection powerfully captures the freedom of those that do things their own thing their own way and live life from the heart. Lodown Magazine called the book "a testament to Ricky Adam's ability to capture the optimism, energy and enthusiasm of a generation that prefers to live a counter lifestyle."Adam's work is so influential that it has been featured in many international publications and record labels including DIG BMX magazine, Juxtapoz, Obey, Maximum Rock N'Roll, Upper Playground, Hamburger Eyes, Dischord Records, Burning Heart Records, The Independent and more. After the first edition sold out in less than a month, Drago is proud to publish the second edition of his book which includes an additional 12 pages.