15 May 2013

Street Smart: Urban Fiction in Public Libraries

Today I presented a webinar with the Public Library Association entitled, "Street Smart: Urban Fiction in Public Libraries". In this presentation I traced the history of street lit, characteristics of current-day street lit, and a plethora of resources for the genre. I've embedded the presentation below:


                    

05 May 2013

Spring 2013 Reads: StreetLiterature.com's Recommendations

Hi there; Happy Spring! Listed below are my top Street Lit recommendations for this season. If you are a librarian, feel confident to purchase these titles for your patrons. If you are a teacher, you may see your students walking around with these titles in their backpacks or bumping into walls while walking and reading these fantastic stories. I hope you will read them too!

Souljah, Sister. 2013. A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story. NY: Atria. 
Hardback | ISBN-13: 978-1439165317 | $26.99 USD | 432 pages

Finally, after a decade or more of a wait, we get the answers to all the questions that The Coldest Winter Ever left us with. What happened to Winter? What happened to the fallout of the Santiaga family? How did Midnight wind up with the twins? How did life turn out for everyone?

Through the eyes and experiences of the middle child, Porsche, we learn the devastating effects of the disintegration of a drug lord's family. A must read. A must have for all public library collections.

I was interviewed by Drexel University about my reading response to A Deeper Love Inside. Feel free to read my review.

Blue, Treasure E. 2013. Fly Betty: A Harlem Girl Lost Novel. NY: Cash Money Content.
Paperback | ISBN-13: 978-1936399314 | $14.95 USD | 416 pages

Author Treasure Blue is a rare writer who can really tell a women's story. In this installment of his Harlem Girl Lost series. Fly Betty is a mother-daughter story, illustrating how the sins of the parent are often paid with the life experiences of the child.  

All the elements of Street Lit ring strong in this story: girl from the hood who tries to move up and out of poverty by any means necessary, overcoming the street violence of prostitution, and surviving drug addiction. 

Fly Betty is a redemptive story of a young woman seeking to break the cycle of her mother's past and pain. Highly recommended for all public libraries.

Clark, Wahida. 2013. Honor Thy Thug. NY: Cash Money Content.
Hardcover | ISBN-13: 978-1936399390 | $22.99 USD | 320 pages
Ebook | ISBN-13: 978-1-936399-40-6 | $9.99 USD |  

Released just 2 weeks ago, Clark's latest Thug Love novel is already boasting a 5-star rating on Amazon.com (with 217 customer reviews). Clark hit the New York Times Bestsellers list during the first week of the novel's release, making it her fourth appearance on the stellar publication roll call. Needless to say, Honor Thy Thug is a must-have title for your library or personal collection.

Book Description: "Urban lit’s favorite ride or die couple, Trae and Tasha, are back as they fight to hold onto their volatile relationship which gets closer to exploding with each passing day. Their friends, Angel and Kaylin, are caught up in their own drama which pits brother against brother in a final showdown. Faheem and his wife Jaz, face their worst nightmare which almost takes them totally out of the game. Meanwhile, Kyron, who brought Trae to the brink of murder and Tasha to the edge of insanity, is back and hell bent on revenge.

When Trae makes the deadly decision to work for the most violent Chinese crime organization in the city and renew a business relationship with Charli Li, the one woman who can never be trusted, his rocky marriage and life are threatened. Tasha is forced to step in, and things get really crazy. Can Trae escape the grips of the mob with his life and hold on to his wife? Honor Thy Thug will leave you gasping for more." - Amazon.com.


Other titles to consider:

T. Styles. 2013. RedBone 2: Takeover at Platinum Lofts.
NY: Urban Books. 
Pprbck | ISBN-13:  978-1601625403 | $14.95 USD | 343 pp.

What readers are saying:
Action packed. "Thrilling." "3 thumbs up." "T.Styles is one of the best in the game."


Santiago, Nisa. 2013. Face Off: Part 4. The Baddest Chick Series.
NJ: Melodrama Publishing. 
Paperback | ISBN-13: 978-1934157664 | $14.99 USD | 272 pages


What readers are saying: 
"Great Read!" "I read this book in one day." "I love all of Nisa Santiago's work."


Mill, Meek. 2013. Tony Story. G Street Chronicles Presents. 

Jonesboro, GA: G Street Chronicles.

Paperback | ISBN-13: 978-1938442704 | $14.99 USD | 256 pages

Set in the streets of Philadelphia, from which hip hop star Meek Mill hails, this story is sure to please.


An Important Resource for School Libraries

Please check out this excellent presentation by Chicago high school librarian, K.C. Boyd, on collection development for street lit in school libraries. Definitely worth the time.

Save the Date! Street Lit Webinar May 15th



StreetLiterature site *ON HIATUS*

Greetings, This site is *on hiatus* until further notice. There are reasons: 1/ Since street lit has become pretty mainstream in publicat...