The Word on Street Lit No. 2
By Vanessa J. Morris, Clarion Univ. of Pennsylvania -- Library Journal, 03/10/2008
Appropriately for Women’s History Month, the following titles in this second installment of our new column—click here to read the first by Rollie Welch—focus on women’s stories, depicting the realities of inner-city life as experienced by African American women. What are the consequences of making split-second decisions driven by emotion, survival instincts, and desperation? What are the reasons for staying and surviving in the hood or chasing a dream of getting out and making a better life elsewhere? How do characters appreciate their womanhood in the midst of all the drama and uncertainty?
Street fiction came to the fore during the 1970s with the works of Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim. But the 1999 publication of Sister Souljah’s Coldest Winter Ever and Teri Woods’s True to the Game breathed new life into urban fiction, attracting female readers and writers to what had been a male-dominated genre. Souljah set the tone with her uncompromising tone and her frank depiction of the gritty realities faced by her protagonist. In successfully self-publishing her debut novel, Wood proved the efficacy and profitability of independent publishing. She also established the standard for fast-paced storytelling. Other notable female authors include Vicki Stringer, who founded Triple Crown Publications, the most popular and prolific publisher of street fiction; Nikki Turner; Keisha Ervin; and Tracy Brown.
Woods returns in this month’s column with her long-awaited sequel to True to the Game, and other familiar names—Deja King and Chunichi—continue to write important women’s stories. Debut authors also make an appearance, proving that an increasingly crowded genre still has room for new voices. One note about the term street lit: lit, short for literature, refers to both fiction and nonfiction; street fiction is the fictional leg of the genre. As many fans of street fiction also like to read biographies of hip-hop stars and rags-to-riches stories like that of actress Felicia Pearson (The Wire), this column will occasionally review nonfiction titles.
Pick of the Month
Chunichi. Return of a Gangster’s Girl. Urban Bks., dist. by Kensington. 2007. 198p. ISBN 978-1-6016-2027-9. pap. $14.95. F
Verdict: The fourth installment in Essence best-selling author Chunichi’s saga about gangster girl Ceazia, now back home in Virginia, will be read by the legion fans who want to find out who plays game on who, who wins and who loses. Buy multiple copies, along with the other titles in the series: A Gangster’s Girl, Married to the Game, and The Naked Truth. The Gangster Girl’s Saga compiles all three novels into one volume.
Background: Ceazia is usually the bad girl in charge. A force to be reckoned with, she tells it like it is, does it the way she wants it done, and gets it the way she demands it. But not this time—the hood diva is given a reality check when her best gal pal, Diamond, spices up the competition in the men department, a challenge that sets Ceazia’s green eyes ablaze.
DeVaughn, LaShonda. A Hood Chick’s Story. LaShonda DeVaughn Pub. 2007. 300p. ISBN 978-0-6151-6867-8. pap. $15. F
Verdict: DeVaughn makes a welcome debut in the urban fiction genre with this gritty, authentic tale about young adults growing up hard and coming of age in the hood. Her easy, accessible novel may also attract reluctant readers.
Background: Tiara and Tre live in the Boston projects, running from shelter to shelter with their mom to escape an abusive, alcoholic, drug-addicted father. With such unsettled childhoods, it's no wonder the streets call to Tiara and Tre—sister joins a ruthless female gang, and brother starts selling drugs at age 13. But their street life catches up with them when their younger brother, Sharod, pays the ultimate penalty. Still, Tiara has hope that she will somehow find redemption, which sets up the story for a possible sequel.
Endy. In My Hood II. Melodrama Pub. 2007. 256p. ISBN 978-1-9341-5706-0. pap. $15. F
Verdict: This snappy sequel to the saucy, fast-paced, and uncompromising In My Hood brings back such main characters as the smart and ruthless Nettle and introduces new players like Wild and Nate, who are shaking up Newark’s streets. There’s also Latino flavor and Asian American links, which makes for a solid addition to public library urban fiction collections.
Background: Nettie and her lover, Maria, have cooked up a risky scheme to take out Leroy, the reigning drug king; Wild is on the prowl to score big and rule the hood. With similar goals, Nettie and Wild join forces and form a deadly and diverse crew to confront Leroy. Can such an alliance be a true blue crew? Is everyone as they really appear? Who really runs the hood?
King, Deja. Bitch Reloaded: Part 2. Triple Crown Pub. 2007. 201p. ISBN 978-0-9778-8047-8. pap. $15. F
Verdict: An excellent representation of the urban fiction genre, this sequel to Bitch brings Precious’s story to a satisfying close after much chaos and drama. Well written, with plenty of action and intrigue, it is sure to please.
Background: King puts protagonist Precious Cummings back on a rampage to avenge her husband’s death. After trying to "do the right thing" by using legal means to find Supreme’s killer to no avail, she is drawn back to the streets to do things her way and track down Nico, her ex-drug dealer boyfriend whom she suspects murdered her husband.
Mink, Meesah & De’Nesha Diamond. Desperate Hoodwives. Touchstone: S. & S. 2008. 336p. ISBN 978-1-4165-3752-6. pap. $14. F
Verdict: Graphic sex aside, Zane fans will also enjoy this series opener for its moving stories and empathetically portrayed characters. For adult collections only; if you purchase, be sure to order the second book, Shameless Hoodwives, due out in July 2008.
Background: A kind of inner-city equivalent of the popular TV show Desperate Housewives, this sexy, saucy romp focuses on four women living in an Atlanta housing project. Aisha is a wifey, waiting for her drug-dealer husband to get out of jail. When she decides to make her own money to maintain her high lifestyle, the consequences are inescapable. Devan—young, attractive, and single—schemes to trick her NFL player boyfriend into marrying her; he’s her ticket out of the hood. Although well intentioned, Lexi, a mother of four kids by three different fathers, suffers another streak of bad luck in her relationships with men. Privileged, naive, and white, Molly leaves her safe suburban lifestyle to be in the projects with a philandering husband.
Pearson, Felicia "Snoop" & David Ritz. Grace After Midnight: A Memoir. Grand Central. 2007. 233p. ISBN 978-0-4461-9518-8. $22. AUTOBIOG
Verdict: With its rhythmic street prose, this outstanding memoir reads like an urban fiction novel, reminding us that street lit is a genre-blending literary phenomenon featuring voices that must be heard. Essential for street lit collections.
Background: Actress Pearson, renowned for her dramatic work on the HBO series The Wire, has written an honest, inspiring, and forthright account of her rough-and-tumble youth (which included jail time). Pearson shares her insights on the impact of her unstable childhood, spotlights significant mentors who helped her survive, and discusses her lesbian lifestyle, which keeps her heart open to being loved in what has been for her, until now, an unloving world. [Grace After Midnight was originally an Xpress Review last fall, but Vanessa felt that it deserved a second look in the context of street lit.—Ed.]
Poole, Daaimah S. & others. Diamond Playgirls. Dafina: Kensington. 2008. 304p. ISBN 978-0-7582-2356-2. pap. $15. F
Verdict: While not strictly street fiction, this collection of novellas by four seasoned urban fiction divas—Poole, Miasha, Deja King, and T. Styles—will circulate based on author recognition and the authors’ talent for telling solid coming-of-age stories about strong African American women.
Background: Dior, Tamara, Chloe, and Mona Lisa are all single, professional African American women moving into their new apartments in a Harlem, NY, brownstone. Ultimately crossing paths in a local club on Valentine’s Day, the women learn they have more in common than their address. Friendships blossom.
Sher, Sheri. Mercedes Ladies. Vibe Street Lit: Kensington. Mar. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-1-601-83003-6. pap. $15. F
Verdict: Giving voice to the pioneering hip-hop group Mercedes Ladies, this autobiographical novel by the group’s founder is an important addition to any street-lit collection.
Background: Sher, founding member of the first all-female hip-hop crew, chronicles the group’s experiences during hip-hop’s early days and provides an authentic portrait of the struggles women faced in the hip-hop game. Her behind-the-scenes details of street and park shows in the boroughs of late 1970s New York City and depiction of such pioneers as Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and Donald D give readers a strong feel for the history of hip-hop. Sher also well documents the realities of inner-city poverty that spark enduring friendships among young women striving to get their voices heard in the game.
Woods, Teri. True to the Game II: Gena. Grand Central: Hachette Book Group (USA). 2007. 232p. ISBN 978-0-446-58166-0. pap. $14.99. F
Verdict: This highly anticipated sequel to the street-lit classic True to the Game is essential for all street fiction collections in public libraries. It will renew interest in the original novel and make fans anxious for the next novel in the series, True to the Game III, due summer 2008. [Previewed in Ann Burns’s "African American Perspectives."—Ed.]Background: Recovering from the death of her drug-dealer lover, protagonist Gena now has his secret cache of illicit earnings at her disposal and is spending it at will, igniting a cat-and-mouse game for the dough by Quadir’s crew, Quadir’s rival Jerrell, and the Philadelphia Police Department. At the same time, Gena falls in love with Jerrell, not realizing that he is Quadir’s murderer and is after her money. A mysterious guardian angel comes to Gena’s rescue, which sets up another exciting installment in the series.
