I Am Ayah: The Way Home

I Am Ayah: The Way Home
Author: Donna Hill
Publisher: Sideways Books
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2023-05-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1649371683

"[A] rich and tender story of family, home and love." —Ms. Magazine Set amid Sag Harbor’s vibrant African American history, bestselling author Donna Hill weaves a stunningly rich story about finding the way home...no matter how long the journey takes. Alessandra Fleming has spent most of her life running from her past. Her budding photography career, her life in Manhattan, all serve to distract from the secrets and guilt she’s never been able to face. Then the call. Her estranged father is in the hospital...and Alessandra must return home to Sag Harbor, crumbling the first wall between her past and her present. For some, coming home is a relief. For Alessandra, it’s a reminder of the family she’s lost, of the time she’ll never regain. But the answers—the secrets—of her family are hidden in the house, waiting for her. And the only one who may be able to help her uncover them is her father’s neighbor, Zach, who brings with him an attraction that’s intense and instantaneous, yet oddly familiar. Now Alessandra is being pulled back not only into her own complex family history, but into the richly documented lives of four extraordinary women. Generations touched by tragedy and triumph, despair and hope. And it’s in these aching echoes of the past that Alessandra’s own story—her mistakes and her capacity to love—will take shape, guiding her to the life she’s meant to live...and the extraordinary person she will become.

I Am Ayah—The Way Home

I Am Ayah—The Way Home
Author: Donna Hill
Publisher: Sideways Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-05-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1649371462

History and the present collide in this fascinating and poignant new novel from Essence bestselling author Donna Hill.

Confessions in B-Flat

Confessions in B-Flat
Author: Donna Hill
Publisher: Sideways Books
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2020-11-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 164063830X

Optioned for film by Amblin Partners with Octavia Spencer to produce. Essence bestselling author Donna Hill brings us an emotional love story set against the powerful backdrop of the civil rights movement that gripped a nation—a story as timely as it is timeless... The year is 1963. In Harlem, the epicenter of Black culture, the fight for equality has never been stronger. The time is now. Enough is enough. Yet even within its ranks, a different kind of battle rages. Love thy neighbor? Or rise up against your oppressors? Jason Tanner has just arrived in New York to help spread the message of his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., of passive resistance, while beat poet Anita Hopkins believes the teachings of Malcolm X with all her heart: that the way to true freedom is “by any means necessary.” When Jason sees Anita perform her poetry at the iconic B-Flat lounge, he’s transfixed. And Anita has never met anyone who can match her wit for wit like this... One movement, two warring ideologies—can love be enough to unite them? Confessions in B-Flat is a celebration of the hard-won victories of those who came before us, and a stark reminder of just how far we still have to go.

All the Way Home

All the Way Home
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Publisher: Yearling
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2012-03-28
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0307809838

It’s August 1941, and Brick and Mariel both love the Brooklyn Dodgers. Brick listens to their games on the radio in Windy Hill, in upstate New York, where his family has an apple orchard; Mariel, once a polio patient in the hospital in Windy Hill, lives in Brooklyn near the Dodgers’ home, Ebbets Field. She was adopted by Loretta, a nurse at the hospital, and has never known what happened to her own mother. Someday, somehow, she plans to return to Windy Hill and find out. When a fire destroys their orchard, Brick’s parents must leave the farm to find work. They send him to live in Brooklyn with their friend Loretta, even though Brick knows that their elderly neighbors need his help to pick what’s left of the apples. The only good thing about Brooklyn is seeing the Dodgers play–that, and his friendship with Mariel. Maybe, together, they’ll find a way to return to Windy Hill, save the harvest, and learn the truth about Mariel’s past.

The Way Home For Wolf

The Way Home For Wolf
Author: Rachel Bright
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2018-10-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1408349329

A sparkling story of friendship, set in the snowy Arctic, from the bestselling creators of The Lion Inside. Wolf cub Wilf doesn't want help from anyone. Whatever it is, he can do it all by himself. But when Wilf finds himself lost and alone in the chill of the Arctic night, he discovers something important: sometimes we all need the helping hand of a friend. This positive rhyming tale of friendship and community is perfect for stubbornly independent little cubs everywhere! Look out for more heart-tingling tales from Rachel Bright and Jim Field: The Lion Inside The Koala Who Could The Squirrels Who Squabbled

We Refuse to Be Silent

We Refuse to Be Silent
Author: Angela P. Dodson
Publisher: Broadleaf Books
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2024-04-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 150649112X

The women have something to say. Are you listening? In this powerful and needed collection, editor Angela P. Dodson brings together the voices of more than thirty-five accomplished women writers on the topic of violence and injustice against Black men. These writers are journalists, authors, scholars, ministers, psychologists, counselors, and other experts. They are also wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties, and friends. Each lends her voice to shine a new light on the injustices and dangers Black men face daily, and how women feel about the vulnerability of our sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, uncles, friends, and other males we care about as they navigate a world that often stereotypes and targets them. Contributors include: -Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, poet, and author of The Light of the World -Brenda M. Greene, founder and executive director of the Center for Black Literature, director of the National Black Writers Conference, and professor of English at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York -Goldie Taylor, former US Marine, MSNBC contributor, author, and an editor at large of The Daily Beast -Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize winner, National Humanities Medal recipient, and author of Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns -Charisse Jones, award-winning journalist and coauthor of eight books, including Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America and the New York Times bestselling memoir of Misty Copeland, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina -Audrey Edwards, former executive editor of Essence magazine and the author of seven books, including the award-winning American Runaway: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years -Michelle Duster, author, public historian, and great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells -Sonya Ross, managing editor of Inside Climate News, founder of Black Women Unmuted, AP's first Black woman White House reporter, and first Black woman elected to the board of the White House Correspondents Association -Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, contributing writer at The New Yorker, Leon Forrest Professor of African American Studies at Northwestern University, author of Race for Profit, and editor of How We Get Free -Donna Brazile, endowed chair of the Gwendolyn and Colbert King public policy lecture series at Howard University, member of USA Today's Board of Contributors, Fox News contributor, and author of Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House -Darnella Frazier, citizen journalist awarded a Pulitzer citation for her role filming the murder of George Floyd The catalyst for a national conversation, this collection offers historical context that is often missing from public discussions and media coverage, while demonstrating an ongoing pattern of demonizing Black men that is rooted deep in the history of our nation. The essays in this book engage with the emotional toll anti-Black violence takes on women in particular and cast a vision for future activism.

A House Divided

A House Divided
Author: Donna Hill
Publisher: Dafina
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2017-06-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496707923

Families always have secrets. And secrets have the power to heal—or hurt. Now beloved author Donna Hill's enthralling novel explores the wrongs we do for the right reasons, and the ways we struggle to reconcile the truth. Journalist Zoie Crawford had to leave New Orleans to finally make her own life. Her grandmother, Claudia, inspired her to follow her dreams—just as her mother, Rose, held on too tight. But with Claudia's passing, Zoie reluctantly returns home, where the past is written in the lonely corners of the bayou and the New South's supercharged corridors of power. And there she discovers a stunning, painstakingly kept secret—one that could skyrocket her career, but destroy another woman’s—and change both their vastly different lives, for better or for much worse. Zoie has always put the truth first. Now, as the line between the personal and professional blurs, and she tries to understand her relatives’ deception, she must face some tough questions. Is there a way to expose the truth and save those you love? And at what cost? Heartfelt, emotional, and revelatory, A House Divided is an unforgettable tale about making the hardest of choices, coming to terms with all you could lose—and finding what forgiveness and family truly mean.

The American Queen

The American Queen
Author: Vanessa Miller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2024-01-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0840708882

In 1869 a kingdom rose in the South. And Louella was its queen. Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there’s no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry. But when William finally listens to Louella’s pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles. Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. And though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness—and fight for the freedom and dignity of all. Transformative and breathtakingly honest, The American Queen shares the unsung true history of a kingdom built as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life. Based on a true story Inspiring and thoughtful read Stand-alone novel Book length: approximately 102,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs

The Light on Halsey Street

The Light on Halsey Street
Author: Vanessa Miller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2023-09-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 084070996X

Two girls’ lives are irrevocably intertwined the summer of 1985 in the streets of Brooklyn, New York, and neither will ever be the same in this coming-of-age story that spans decades. In the summer of 1985, Lisa Whitaker is a church kid headed to college on a scholarship while her best friend, Dana, is floundering in the wake of her mother’s latest eviction. Though Lisa tries to help, their paths diverge. Fifteen years later, Lisa has a beautiful family and is stepping into her dream job as the director for a social services organization. Everything is going right—until her future is snatched away by identity theft. Her life begins to unravel, and Lisa wants nothing more than to see the woman responsible pay for her crimes. When she was a teenager, Dana Jones always felt alone in this world. Her mother was addicted to drugs, her boyfriend was entering a life of crime, and it seemed Dana, too, was heading down the wrong path. The only bright light was her friendship with Lisa. Now, in the new millennium, Dana finally gives herself permission to dream—to believe she is stepping into better days. But when the betrayal of their friendship comes to light, it will take a lifetime to forgive the destruction that youthful summer in Bed-Stuy set in motion. In this latest story from beloved author Vanessa Miller, two girls from the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, find that their paths have been woven together by the love of community and a friendship that is tested by time, betrayal, and unforgiveness. Inspirational Christian fiction Stand-alone novel Perfect for fans of Tara M. Stringfellow, Terry McMillan, and Kimberla Lawson Roby Book length: approximately 85,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Girls Write Now on the Other Side of Everything

Girls Write Now on the Other Side of Everything
Author: Girls Write Now
Publisher: Feminist Press at CUNY
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2023-05-30
Genre: Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN: 1558613323

In partnership with Dutton Books, Amazon Literary Partnership, and Feminist Press, Girls Write Now On the Other Side of Everything: 2023 Anthology is a multi-genre showcase of the best writing from today’s next-gen voices and leaders. Do you know what it’s like to communicate with your family across a salty ocean’s divide? Do you want the sun and moon to enter your home with stories written in embers? Do you seek voices that will shatter expectations? Welcome to the other side of everything. It’s the other side of silence, the other side of childhood, the other side of hate, the other side of indifference, it’s the other side of sides, where the binary breaks down. It’s a new paradigm, a destination, a different perspective, a mindset, a state of openness, the space between the endless folds in your forehead, hopes for tomorrow, and reflections on the past. This anthology of diverse voices is an everything bagel of literary genres and love songs, secrets whispered in the dark of night, conversations held with ancestors under the sea.