Miranda Benderas, born to an infamous Cuban Kingpin and his trophy wife, an African American supermodel. Miranda grew up with all the luxuries that other girls could only dream of. Her daddy proved that crime does pay. But isn’t there always a cost to having it all? By age 13, Miranda’s father was sentenced to life in prison. Has her father given her the necessary wisdom and tools to navigate through the world without him? Three short years later, Miranda falls into the arms of Philadelphia’s Bad Boy, Sha-Rock. The beautiful flower of a woman that

"Whitefield-Madrano ... examines the relationship between appearance and science, social media, sex, friendship, language, and advertising to show how beauty actually affects us day to day. Through ... research and interviews with dozens of women across all walks of life, she reveals surprising findings, like that wearing makeup can actually relax you, that you can convince people you're better looking just by tweaking your personality, and the ways beauty can be a powerful tool of connection among women"--Amazon.com.

The murder of an esteemed drug dealer has Levour "Tre Pound" King fighting for his life not just in court, where he's facing life without parole, but in the unforgiving streets, where his enemies prefer to give him the death penalty. Tre Pound comes from a family of well-known hustlers; he's a "hood star." Women are his playthings. Even a secret affair with his homeboy's little sister doesn't satisfy him. He is 21 years old and believes the city belongs to the Kings. Tre Pound has swagger and the money of a businessman, he roams throughout the ghetto untouched --- and in his pastime, he robs drug dealers. Not once has he used a mask. He wants his victims to know it was. Tre Pound's exploits affect his 15-year-old cousin, Camille King. Camille hates that Tre Pound runs off all her boyfriends and fears she'll always be alone. Will she ever find love? Will Tre Pound end up behind bars or gunned down? Or will the unthinkable happen? Cross into the perilous streets of Kansas City, Missouri, and find out

The follow-up to his bestselling memoir "Monster," Shakur's "T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E." is a vicious, heart-wrenching, and true-to-life novel that masterfully captures the violence and depravity of gang life.

Angelica "Storm" Hill, a vicious young woman that loves the thrill of living on the edge. She knows just how to get what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. At a young age Storm learned the power of manipulation and mastered it. Growing up with men telling her how beautiful she is, she's sure she could have the world served to her on a silver platter; but she doesn't see the beauty in herself, so she never allows herself to get caught up. . Although she has the perfect sponsor to give her all she desires she still finds herself in the trenches. Storm gets dirty for hers because of the addiction to the rush. At the height of her success her violent streak catches up with her and she finds herself on the run from the law. There is no limit to what she's willing to do to retain her freedom. Heartless is a tale of a young woman too caught up in the allure of the game to see the beauty of the illustrious life she has at her fingertips. Walk with the Don of Urban Fiction as he takes you through an odyssey of the streets that only he can.

Graffiti crews are willing to risk anything for their art. Called vandals, criminals, even creative terrorists, graffiti artists set out to make their voices heard and alter the way people view the world. But when one crew finishes the biggest graffiti bomb of their careers, the consequences get serious and spark a public debate asking, "Where does art belong?" Kevin Coval is the author of Schtick, L-vis Lives, the American Library Association "Book of the Year" Finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, and an editor of The BreakBeat Poets. Idris Goodwin is a playwright, spoken-word performer, and essayist recognized across mediums by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation.

Life can be rough on the streets of Chicago, especially for a young black man growing up in the hood. As gangs are created, drugs are distributed and violence begins to take hold on one's life. There's nowhere to go, but down after enduring the sights of someone being murdered in the backyard of your poverty infested neighborhood at a young age, to being initiated into a gang, where it's death before dishonor. Black John 3:16 is a graphic, deep and propelling tale about gang rivalaries, sex, drugs, crime, lies and chilling truths. Could you survive the streets of Chica