On a move by Terry Bisson

Calling attention to the plight of death row activist, journalist and NPR contributor Abu-Jamal, award-winning science fiction author Bisson attempts a full-scale portrait of the controversial figure implicated in a police slaying in Philadelphia nearly two decades ago. What he delivers is a well-intended rehash of mainstream media accounts. The book's real value is in its chronicle of Abu-Jamal's bold, inquisitive youth on Philadelphia's mean streets, inspired by his exceptional mother to become a compulsive reader with a deeply curious mind. In school, Abu-Jamal discovered the causes of black liberation and black power, and became a natural student leader. In his early teens, he faced his first police run-in at one of George Wallace's presidential campaign rallies and was "beaten so badly that his own mother didn't recognize him." His tenure with the Black Panthers during their glory days awakened his talent for writing and activism, and so impressed his comrades in Philadelphia that they made him lieutenant of information at age 15. Abu-Jamal's tireless efforts on behalf of the Panthers brought him to the attention of Hoover's FBI, placing him on the infamous Cointelpro target list. A series of painful episodes of police harassment and intimidation against Abu-Jamal followed, ultimately leading to that fateful night in 1981 when Abu-Jamal was shot and seriously wounded while defending his brother during a conflict that ended in the shooting death of an officer. Labeled a "cop-killer," Abu-Jamal faced a highly charged trial that ended in a death sentence that has stirred international interest. Written in short, energetic vignettes, Bisson's tribute occasionally fails to fill in the gaps in Abu-Jamal's travails, choosing heated rhetoric over researched substance at a time when more information and less fist pumping would suit the imprisoned writer's cause well.
Review from:amazon.com

Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildrws D. Taylor

In this fictionalized account, Mildred D. Taylor recounts her own memories of growing up in a large family and being faced with racial discrimination. This story tells of a black family's struggle to survive racism and poverty in Mississippi during the Depression Era. Nine-year old Cassie Logan learns of the social injustice in her as her happy world collapses. Cassie begins to see that the Anglo community sees her as inferior to themselves because of the color of her skin. Through house burnings, night riders, and extreme hatred, Cassie and her family fight to keep the land that belongs to them.

Critics have addressed Taylor's ability to write about the horrors of racism with pride, strength, and respect for humanity. Readers are touched by the turmoil that Cassie and her family have to go through. Middle school students would be intrigued by the action, as well as able to see life through Cassie's eyes.


Review from:edb.utexas.edu

Middle Passage by Charles Johnson

Rutherford Calhoun, a freed slave from the cotton fields of the south, finds himself in New Orleans, a city where he immediately feels at home. He describes the town as having an air of steamy sexuality, its citizens seemingly in the constant pursuit of sin, and the women, who are beautiful, always smell of roses. Rutherford admits to being a thief and living off others. Unable to find work in the salons and Negro bars, he turned to stealing, which comes naturally to him. Reverend Chandler, his master, had noticed Rutherford's manual dexterity when he was a young child and could do nothing to stifle the boy's tendency for thievery, although he tried to teach him penmanship and Biblical virtues. Rutherford reveals that he has always been drawn to extremes, to sensations and to new experienc...
Review from:bookrags.com

The Coldest Winter Ever by: Sister Souljah

The Coldest Winter ever represents the strength, trust, indepedence and self control that one has to successfully

obtain in order to survive a certain life altering situation. Living in Brooklyn, New York, a young lady by the name of Winter Santiaga has to learn how to independently live her life the hard way after her drug dealing father, Ricky Santiaga is arrested for a number of criminal acts. After Winters mother turns to drugs and her two little sisters are turned over to child services, Winter does whatever she has to do to survive. She ends up using her body and whatever else it takes to gain the life that she is accustomed to but soon after, her life takes an even tighter hold of her and she has to fight even harder to cut that hold loose. So will she survive or will she let this unexpected lifestyle take a grip of her and twist her life upside down
Review from:shvoong.com

Diary of a Groupie by Omar Tyree

Tabitha Knight lives a very peculiar life. A child of foster care who has grown into an attractive and ambitious adult, she now finds solace, excitement, and security in the company of rich and famous men whom she dates as a discreet and charming groupie.

Everyone wants to be loved. Tabitha understands that. She shares her gifts with those who seek and, perhaps, need love the mostmale celebrities. She remains anonymous by changing her name, age, and address as often as she changes the men she dates.

Only a few things remain constant in her life: the continued love and support of her foster sisters in Seattle and the record she keeps of her life in her secret diary.

When a wealthy banker offers Tabitha a huge paycheck to help bring to justice a high-profile celebrity who is known to have sex with underage women, Tabitha finds herself on the wrong side of desperate men, some of whom have more to lose than just their privacy. Those who want the information in her diary to stay secret threaten Tabitha, her sisters, and anyone who comes to know its contents.

Omar Tyree, the "New York Times" bestselling author, is back with a suspenseful thriller of what happens when a young woman threatens the famous and powerful.

Review from: flipkart.com

Tyrell by Coe Booth

Now that his father is in jail, nothing seems to be going right for 15-year-old Tyrell. His mother's refusal to work and her stint with welfare fraud have forced them into homelessness and life in a roach-infested shelter in Hunts Point. At the shelter, Tyrell soon realizes that his attraction to another resident, Jasmine, could derail his dreams of a future with his girl, Novisha. Torn between the needs of the women in his life and his seven-year-old brother, Tyrell is determined to stay clean as he agonizes over creating a new life for his family. This is a thrilling, fast-paced novel whose strong plot and array of vivid, well-developed characters take readers on an unforgettable journey through the gritty streets of New York City's South Bronx. At its heart is the painful choice the teen must make as he realizes the effect of his mother's failure to do right by their family.
Review from :sellerslibraryteens.blogspot.com

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

"I Know Why the Caged Bird sings is the autobiography of Maya Angelou. She tells of the hardships she experienced in her youth, beginning with her parents' divorce when Angelou was only three years old. As a result of the divorce, Maya and her older brother are sent to live with their grandmother in a small, Arkansas town. Here, she experiences the horrors of racism and learns to hate herself for not being white. When she is eight, Maya goes to live with her mother in St. Louis. There, she is sexually abused by her mother's live-in boyfriend, and is emotionally scarred by the terrible experience. Finally, after Maya has become aware of racial prejudice and religious hypocrisy, she begins to find her voice. Maya's mother marries a man who proves to be a positive father figure, and the family moves to Los Angeles. Here, Maya spends her teenage years being defiant and getting herself into a lot of trouble. When she becomes pregnant in her senior year of high school, however, she gains the confidence to become a strong woman and a good mother to her child."
Review by: Judy Berman