African American Families

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for ourselves? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration for kids ages 10 and up to help them succeed on and off the court.

Between Freedom and Equality begins with the life of Capt. George Pointer, an enslaved African who purchased his freedom in 1793 while working for George Washington's Potomac Company. It follows the lives of six generations of his descendants as they lived and worked on the banks of the Potomac, in the port of Georgetown, and in a rural corner of the nation's capital. Between Freedom and Equality offers a moving and inspiring look at the challenges that free African Americans have faced in Washington, DC, since the district's founding.

When Shaylene leaves her small-town life to live with her sister Sandy in the city, she's quickly thrown into a world of hidden hustles, streetwise survival, and complicated family dynamics. As Sandy's secrets unfold, Shaylene faces the reality of her sister's life—a harsh contrast to her own ideals. Both women must navigate their love for each other against a backdrop of conflict, choices, and the pursuit of a better life. Can their bond survive the truth that threatens to tear them apart, or will the streets swallow them whole? Author: True Story

Jesse Peterson is nothing but trouble. He’s got a reputation around town and, being honest, it’s about as filthy as that old truck he drives. His tendency to let his fists do the talking might have a little something to do with that. I couldn’t remember ever hearing anything good about him. In fact, had I not gotten a flat tire outside his house one blistering afternoon, I might not have known he had another side. A side that made me wonder whether the good in him outweighed the bad. It didn’t take long to see he was kind and funny and maybe even sweet. But … I’m not allowed to ...

Have you ever heard of a family of lies and secrets? Well the Wood family who's made of Ash, Cherry, Teak and the matriarch of the family Simon Wood is each carrying their own secret that will snatch the heartbeat right out of the family. Simon raised his three kids to be strong and mighty because that’s the only way he knew how but what he didn’t realize is that raising them to be so strong also taught them to be cold and disconnected. When they were kids he had his own version of Simon Says but as all three kids grow up and each dive into their own harsh realities the kid version of ...

Charmaine Heaton is a young, beautiful, God-fearing photo journalist with a feisty attitude, but a heart of gold. When she involves her best friend's brother Devin—a victim of a troubled childhood—in her plans to travel on assignment to war-torn Afghanistan, she discovers that he's the love of her life. But, will she be able to convince him that he is worthy to be loved and that their love is worth fighting for.

When secrets kiss the edge of exposure, love turns lethal. Kissing Westbrook Goodbye — the explosive continuation merging Kissing Cousins Book 5 and The Westbrook High Series Book 11. Two worlds collide in one messy, unforgettable series. The Westbrook crew might’ve graduated, but adulthood comes with bigger lies and sharper consequences. Some have run off to college, some stayed behind, but no one left their demons behind. Everybody’s favorite couple, Amber and Patron, are fighting for a marriage that keeps slipping through their fingers. Patron’s wrestling his vows and past ...

June Hanson: Calix Moore was like nothing I’d ever experienced in this life. He stormed in with no regard for what it might do to my heart, only his own. I wanted to open up and give him a chance, same as I had the first night we met—the night we threw all caution to the wind and spent twelve passionate hours behind closed doors. But when the sky brightened, and I looked next to me, I knew I could never allow him to see me again. Except fate had other plans and now he’s standing in front of me, at my place of business, with a knowing smirk pulling at his lips.

HE HAD A SEXY WIFE, MILLIONS IN THE BANK, AND A COMMUNITY THAT RESPECTED HIM BUT THREW IT ALL AWAY. COCAINE IS A HELL OF A DRUG ........ There once was a brother who knew how to play the game, who sold out his people for fortune and fame, who bowed to his master and sold his things, who prayed to diamonds, and bowed to rings, who married a snow bunny and praised her vagina, who bought her a mansion and things that were finer, who abandoned his sister, and stabbed his brother’s back, who rose to cocaine, and fell to crack, who once was a king, but now was a fiend, who lost his mansion, his...

After seeing the dark side of addiction, Tamika desperately tries to stay clean with the help of her suspicious acting husband. Expecting Reggie to save her soul she quickly learns that he has his own dangerous demons that may threaten his life and the sanctity of their marriage. Amina is still fuming from the revelation of Russo’s paralyzing shooting and makes sure he pays for his deceit dearly. Completely helpless Russo discovers that the devil you know is the best option when he seeks help from a vengeful relative. For better or worse is truly tested in these marriages…will the ...

He's the type of man she should be running far away from. A man she has no business getting tangled with personally. And still, she wants him and all the intoxicating ways of his wild world. Giving away his heart was never part of the deal when it came to women. It was only supposed to be about pleasure. Nothing else and nothing more. He's in for a rude awakening when his world collides with a woman as bold, assertive, and determined as he is.

Burned by his faith. Abandoned by his family. Coming out was nothing compared to finding a reason to forgive… Embittered, Lawrence Greene can't catch a break. He loathes his dead-end job, and his love life is pitiful. When his religious mother returns seeking reconciliation, he’s torn between resentment and his need to heal. As his mother fights for a place in her son's life, her presence conjures painful memories for Lawrence. But when a sexy and good-hearted man named Hakee Mitchell comes knocking, will Lawrence let go of his grief and embrace a fresh start? The Freed Church Boy is a ...

He's hard, cold, and stubborn as a bull. He has no right to want to be with her. She's everything he's not. Warm, patient, and attentive. Yet, the two of them find themselves badly wanting each other. Neither of them has ever had the guts to tell each other how they truly feel. Will they get it together, or will she find comfort in the arms of someone else who's brave enough to steal her heart?

Ocean Ray is a country girl at heart but has no choice but to embrace the city life after losing her father. Moving to New York to live with her auntie was her mother’s best option for herself and her children until her mother passed away from cancer. Now that Ocean has learned the city, she is making new friends. Not being used to befriending people outside of her race, she will soon learn that a person’s color doesn’t determine their values. Even after several traumatizing experiences, Ocean finds herself falling for the one person who will never understand her struggle in life but ...

Seven years ago, Mckayla, the woman of Ray’s dreams, abruptly disappeared the same day a member of his family was killed in a hit and run accident. When she resurfaces out of the blue engaged to his cousin (Shawn), Ray struggles with letting her go and focusing on his job as Chief of Staff to his father, Governor Walt Rucker. Shawn makes the separate startling discovery that the families of him and his and his new fiancée are already tied together deeper than their nuptials could stich them, and he decides to keep it to himself for the time being. After a by chance run-in, Ray and ...

Sequel to: The Story Of Ms. Gertie King (Book #4 in the Bentley Family Adventure Series) Howdy, ya'll, I'm back! It's Ms. Gertie King here, and the year be nineteen hundred and seventy-eight. I can hardly believe it, but I've now reached the ripe ol' age of ninety, and thanks be to the Lord; he's showered me with many blessings in my long life. For the most part, I still has my mind fully intact, my boomin' voice has not left me, and I can still chase after the young'uns if'n they don't run too fast! My grandbabies be keepin' me young, that's for sure. For those of you who don't know it, ...

When Misha finds out she has a chemistry class with Zachary, she never imagines they would become lab partners. As the two work brilliantly together in the class, Misha hides the hidden connection between the two of them. Zachary is the co-host of an online podcast, which makes him somewhat of a campus celebrity. Once a mystery caller calls into his show, he fantasizes about who she is and meeting her face to face. When he discovers the caller is his lab partner, the shy and pretty Misha, he falls for her in a way he didn’t think was possible. Misha’s girl-next-door personality is ...

In 1850s South Carolina, an enslaved woman named Rose faced a crisis: the imminent sale of her daughter Ashley. Thinking quickly, she packed a cotton bag for her with a few items, and, soon after, the nine-year-old girl was separated from her mother and sold. Decades later, Ashley’s granddaughter Ruth embroidered this family history on the sack in spare, haunting language. Historian Tiya Miles carefully traces these women’s faint presence in archival records, and, where archives fall short, she turns to objects, art, and the environment to write a singular history of slavery.

When Melody Owens receives a call informing her that her seven-year-old daughter, Haven, is missing, her world is shattered. After she learns the details surrounding Haven’s disappearance, she is angry but keeps her anger at bay so she won’t cause further pain for her family. As she copes with Haven’s disappearance, she discovers a shocking betrayal that makes keeping her family together nearly impossible. Rueben Owens can barely stand seeing his family in agony. He feels helpless and like a failure for not protecting his daughter. He does all he can to comfort his wife Melody and ...

Being more than a Daddy’s girl has always been the goal. Finding herself outside of being the baby proved itself to be the hardest thing. He seemed familiar. Something safe, someone she knew she could let her guard down around. A man that wasn’t just around because of what her last name could offer. The car she drove wasn’t the only thing that moved fast.