The Word on Street Lit: Curtis L. Alcutt, Cairo & Travis Hunter

Street lit established its roots when writers hand-sold books out of car trunks, in beauty salons, and on street corners. Now librarians can learn all about street lit in an authoritative professional work titled The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature by Vanessa Irvin Morris, who cofounded this column three years ago. Some intriguing chapter titles include '"It's Like a Movie in My Head': Street Lit and Its Appeal to Readers," "The Streets Are Callin': The Street as a Literary Motif," and '"Who Put This Book on the Shelf?': Collection Strategies for Street Lit."

This month's featured books contain plenty of amped-up sex, brutal violence, and betrayal—business as usual, I say.

Pick of the Month

Alcutt, Curtis L. Sins of a Siren. Strebor: S. & S. Oct. 2011. 358p. ISBN 9781593093334. pap. $13. F
Trenda Fuqua thinks of herself as a 26-year-old entrepreneur who uses her biological assets to get what she wants. With her astonishing emerald eyes, Trenda is all about sex appeal and turns heads when strutting down Washington, DC, streets. But those alluring eyes identify her in a video as rogue cop Darius Kain's sex partner-while he's on duty. Uh, oh! Darius wants her dead, and her survival instinct kicks in. Trenda changes her name to Mya Collins and hops a cross-country train to Oakland, CA, where she quickly finds new playthings. This girl is all that—gold-digging, ruthless, insatiable, and bisexual. My scorecard of her carnal conquests came to three men and one woman in fewer than 100 pages! But Mya/Trenda is just getting started. This girl is nasty as she can be and believes, "If you keep ya body tight, you'll keep ya money right." Sassy!
Verdict Hot XXX sex scenes will have readers reaching for a cool drink, and the violence will have them sitting bolt upright in their chairs. Like Trenda, this one's a sure thing.

Cairo. Kitty-Kitty, Bang Bang. Strebor: S. & S. (Zane Presents). Nov. 2011. 355p. ISBN 9781593093037. pap. $15. F
You gotta keep an eye on Katrina Rivera—this girl keeps it movin'. In Cairo's The Kat Trap, Katrina parlayed her smoking sexuality to seduce men and then assassinate them at the point of climax. Huh! Now, Kat has distanced herself from that bloody work and deals with a whole new set of problems. Her hated mother lies brain dead in a hospital (Kat says to pull the plug!). Alex, or Daddy Long Stroke as he calls himself, keeps calling for sexual hookups, but Kat senses he's a hit-it-and-leave-it kind of guy. So what's this walking magnet for drama to do? Obviously, she goes with what she knows and signs on to plant a bullet in the dome of her mother's abuser. Sexual tension plays a big role on each page, and it's only a matter of time before Kat pulls a man under her sheets. As she says, "But e'ery bitch needs a bad boy rockin' 'er bed e'ery now 'n then."
Verdict Kat is one bad woman, but as fun as her character is, the novel bogs down in lengthy, repetitive passages of trash talk. Still, street lit readers will appreciate the eroticism and brutal violence marking Cairo's story line. The "Zane Presents" label will move it with minimal hand-selling.

Hunter, Travis. Momma's a Virgin. Strebor: S. & S. 2011. 214p. ISBN 9781593092474. pap. $12. F
Raped as a teenager, 27-year-old Zola Zaire finds herself bent over a couch with a man hissing in her ear, "You'd be such a good wife. It's too bad I have to kill you." From this chilling opening, Hunter weaves a complex story contrasting family values with abuse that leads to murder. Alternating chapters introduce Ian DeMarco, a man grieving for his murdered wife and daughter. Ian and Zola cross paths, but we are not immediately shown for what purpose. Secondary characters play important roles in solving several murders, and there's a cameo appearance by author Pearl Cleage.
Verdict This work ends up being more of a murky procedural mystery than a hard-hitting street lit novel. Alternating story lines compete with one another only to be thinly connected in an unrewarding ending. Despite the alluring title, it will likely leave readers scratching their heads.

Hudson, George Sherman & Mz. Robinson. Executive Mistress. G Street Chronicles. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780982654354. pap. $15. F
The Atlanta corporate world connects with the streets when Asia Turner plants her five-inch heels into the carpet of G&L marketing firm. Questionable résumé, be damned—Asia sets her sights on a corner office and what CEO Parker Bryant is packing in his trousers. Nothing is off-limits during Asia's climb to the top, including slipping the drug ecstasy into a rival's water bottle. Living by the motto "A pretty bitch never has to be a broke bitch," Asia uses sex as a weapon on a nuclear scale. She's a master manipulator doomed to fall hard; one wise street hustler calls it as he sees it: "You just another ho in a pretty package."
Verdict Loaded with ruthless backstabbing, this story features an ultra-sneaky cast of characters. Not to mention sex, behind office doors, underneath and on top of executive desks, and even in a Saks dressing room. I didn't think anyone would successfully reach the top of the corporate ladder, but somebody does, of course. A solid acquisition for all urban collections.

Slater, Thomas. No More Time-Outs. Strebor: S. & S. (Zane Presents). Nov. 2011. 276p. ISBN 9781593093471. pap. $15. F
Five different characters alternate narrating this story of a dysfunctional Detroit family caught in a difficult situation. Wisdom Jones was a star college basketball player who now drives a mail delivery van. His father is an amoral minister with who sexes up dozens of women, sometimes three in one day! His sister is deep into two extramarital affairs, and one brother runs with a gang, while the other brother is tied to the crack pipe. Wisdom hopes the drama of their mother's kidney failure will bring them together—tough duty because nobody seems to care one way or another.
Verdict The five different voices overly complicate a story line marked by awkward prose, and several underdeveloped sideplots add to the confusion. To make matters worse, sex scenes are more lukewarm than hot, and lengthy setups will have readers' eyes glazed over by the time violence finally erupts. Slater's novel, which ends with a promised sequel, carries the "Zane Presents" label. Your call for purchase.

Starr, Keisha & others. Woman's Work: Street Chronicles. One World: Ballantine. (Nikki Turner Presents). 2011. 238p. ISBN 9780345504302. pap. $14. F
Starr, Tysha, Lakesa Cox, and Monique S. Hall contribute short stories centering on four assertive female characters who enter rough street life with varying results. In Starr's "Dying To Be a Star," Melissa James breaks from her Christian household and bolts to Atlanta to be a singing sensation only to do more work on her back than in front of a microphone. In "Money, Stilettos, and Disrespect," Tysha introduces Aisha, a Youngstown woman seeking revenge for the torture, rape, and murder of her beloved mother who finds that revenge is a heavy burden. Cox takes readers into a prostitution ring in "Southern Girls' Escort Service," where double-crossing between the working girls happens without warning. The final story, Hall's "Ms. G-Stacks," has the wifey of Stacks taking over his drug business while he serves five years in prison. But Ms. G-Stacks puts her sexual skills to work and reveals a crooked cops' scheme. All four stories have a crisp flow and connect to the streets while highlighting women who refuse to take any mess from men.
Verdict The realistic situations mark this volume as a fine example of the street lit theme of strong-willed African American women dealing with conniving men and crime. Don't hesitate to buy copies, as the "Nikki Turner Presents" label seals the deal.