Urban Fiction We Had No Business Reading...
Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, 2:18 p.m.Chevy Chase Library
Urban Fiction We Had No Business Reading...
... as kids
We all read things maybe we shouldn't of read as kids. But we were kids, and curious. But good news! Even though we had no business reading these as kids, they're much less enjoyable as adults. Take a look back at these tiles some of us were all so hot to read as kids.
The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
Born during one of the worst blizzards New York had ever seen, Winter Santiaga has earned her name (although Oedipus would have also been a suitable alternative considering her obsession with her father). Daughter to the biggest high-rolling, drug dealer in all of Brooklyn, Ricky Santiaga, Winter has been given the best of everything since the moment she came into the world but that’s all about to change. Once the Santiaga family leaves their Brooklyn home behind things take turn for the worst. Suddenly everything in Winter’s life goes from being impossibly good (no really, Winter is 17 and only goes to school to show off her outfits and NY Department of Education hasn’t said a peep) to impossibly bad. Can Winter’s street smarts and sass save her? If you don’t find out by the end of this book, you’ll certainly find out in one of its many unnecessary sequels.
True to the Game by Teri Woods
Spoiler alert: There's poetry. Set in the 1980's we meet Gena, a beautiful "around the way girl" from Philly (if you liked that dated reference then you are in for a treat) and Quadir, a handsome drug dealer also from the city of Brotherly Love. Fresh off the heels of an abusive relationship, Gena finds herself in a whirlwind romance with Quadir but things quickly take a turn for the worst. Can their love survive in the fast-paced world of drugs, sex and money? Probably not, things generally don't end well for drug dealers in these kinds of books but best of luck to them despite the fact that the average shelf life of a drug dealer in an urban fiction novel is only a couple of years.
Addicted by Zane
Before we all had the internet in our pockets at all times we had to use other means to get our hands on some spicy and downright salacious material, that's where Zane comes in. Zoey Reynard has the life a lot of women dream about, a fulfilling career, a loving husband and three beautiful children but she's at risk of losing it all because of her addiction. Her vice isn't drugs or alcohol but something much more...lascivious. Zoey sits down with a therapist to help her work through her issues while also telling her story. Zane wastes no time getting to the nitty gritty when detailing Zoey's multiple love affairs and let's be honest, that's what you really came for in the first place.
Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree
In the grand tradition of urban fiction, Tracey is an impossibly beautiful young lady who can have any man that she wants except of course for the man that she actually wants. We follow Tracey in this urban coming of age novel as she grows up, but not necessarily matures. Growing up in the age of 80's hip hop leaves Tracey desperate to be a material girl and there are men falling over themselves to give her the material world. Slowly Tracey begins to learn the game she's been playing for years but gets a glimpse into her possible future if she continues on her wild and reckless path. Tyree's debut novel gives us a cautionary tale wrapped in an episode of "Moesha" with a side of "A Different World" and a sprinkling of "BET Uncut" for parsley.
Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth by Zane
I mean...the title is pretty self explanatory but if you insist. Zane brings us a collection of stories in three levels, wild, wilder and "off Da hook." If Zane leaves you with nothing else by the end of this book, she very clearly wants the reader to understand that it's not just men with the desire to get wild in the bedroom (among other places). If your internet goes down and you need to witness a few tantalizing tales the old fashioned way, The Sex Chronicles has fifteen stories for you that we absolutely should not have been reading as teens but we're adults now...you still may want to consider a book cover though. Read the novel that inspired the short lived TV series.
The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
Born during one of the worst blizzards New York had ever seen, Winter Santiaga has earned her name (although Oedipus would have also been a suitable alternative considering her obsession with her father). Daughter to the biggest high-rolling, drug dealer in all of Brooklyn, Ricky Santiaga, Winter has been given the best of everything since the moment she came into the world but that’s all about to change. Once the Santiaga family leaves their Brooklyn home behind things take turn for the worst. Suddenly everything in Winter’s life goes from being impossibly good (no really, Winter is 17 and only goes to school to show off her outfits and NY Department of Education hasn’t said a peep) to impossibly bad. Can Winter’s street smarts and sass save her? If you don’t find out by the end of this book, you’ll certainly find out in one of its many unnecessary sequels.
True to the Game by Teri Woods
Spoiler alert: There's poetry. Set in the 1980's we meet Gena, a beautiful "around the way girl" from Philly (if you liked that dated reference then you are in for a treat) and Quadir, a handsome drug dealer also from the city of Brotherly Love. Fresh off the heels of an abusive relationship, Gena finds herself in a whirlwind romance with Quadir but things quickly take a turn for the worst. Can their love survive in the fast-paced world of drugs, sex and money? Probably not, things generally don't end well for drug dealers in these kinds of books but best of luck to them despite the fact that the average shelf life of a drug dealer in an urban fiction novel is only a couple of years.
Addicted by Zane
Before we all had the internet in our pockets at all times we had to use other means to get our hands on some spicy and downright salacious material, that's where Zane comes in. Zoey Reynard has the life a lot of women dream about, a fulfilling career, a loving husband and three beautiful children but she's at risk of losing it all because of her addiction. Her vice isn't drugs or alcohol but something much more...lascivious. Zoey sits down with a therapist to help her work through her issues while also telling her story. Zane wastes no time getting to the nitty gritty when detailing Zoey's multiple love affairs and let's be honest, that's what you really came for in the first place.
Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree
In the grand tradition of urban fiction, Tracey is an impossibly beautiful young lady who can have any man that she wants except of course for the man that she actually wants. We follow Tracey in this urban coming of age novel as she grows up, but not necessarily matures. Growing up in the age of 80's hip hop leaves Tracey desperate to be a material girl and there are men falling over themselves to give her the material world. Slowly Tracey begins to learn the game she's been playing for years but gets a glimpse into her possible future if she continues on her wild and reckless path. Tyree's debut novel gives us a cautionary tale wrapped in an episode of "Moesha" with a side of "A Different World" and a sprinkling of "BET Uncut" for parsley.
Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth by Zane
I mean...the title is pretty self explanatory but if you insist. Zane brings us a collection of stories in three levels, wild, wilder and "off Da hook." If Zane leaves you with nothing else by the end of this book, she very clearly wants the reader to understand that it's not just men with the desire to get wild in the bedroom (among other places). If your internet goes down and you need to witness a few tantalizing tales the old fashioned way, The Sex Chronicles has fifteen stories for you that we absolutely should not have been reading as teens but we're adults now...you still may want to consider a book cover though. Read the novel that inspired the short lived TV series.
