"Black Brass" brilliantly captures the intrigue of city politics, as seen through the eyes of Eddie Cantrell and his young administration. Elected in 1978 as the first African American mayor, Eddie Cantrell must survive all of the hope and desires of the black community that elected him and the suspicions of the white community that wants to control him. Born from a strong, but improverished background, Eddie knows that the world is watching and waiting for him to fail. But he is determined to use his office to open the city to all those who have been left out. And many business and political leaders are not happy about it and work hard to undermine his efforts. Through all of the pressures, problems and temptations laid at their feet, Eddie Cantrell and his administration must see if they will fulfill the Civil Rights prophesies or succumb to the pull of power and greed. Sherry Williams, Esq., a native of Atlanta, Georgia, combines her life-long passion for writing and her professional endeavors in her first published novel, "Black Brass." An accomplished novelist, poet and playwright, Ms. Williams produced or had produced several of her works. Additionally, she has published numerous business articles in respected magazines. President of Miller3 Consulting, Inc., Ms. Williams has spent the last fifteen years providing consulting and advisory services to political leaders and their administrations around the country and abroad on issues of the 14th Amendment, policies of inclusion, economic and business development programs and public sector procurement systems. www.miller3group.com.

This reference profiles every active duty, African-American general officer currently serving in the U.S. military, as well as the men and women who served as the vanguard for today's black officers, including Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. "Chappie" James, and Gen. Roscoe Robinson. Includes a chronology of major events in black military history, a list of black Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and a select bibliography.

Aaron Horne provides the most comprehensive guide to brass music written by black composers. He covers composers from around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Included in the book is biographical information; commission, duration, instrumentation, date of publication, premiere, publisher, discography for each piece; bibliographical sources; and an index which groups the music by numbers, medium, and ensemble. This is the fourth volume in Aaron Horne's monumental effort to provide the most comprehensive guide to music composed by black composers. In this volume he covers composers from around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, including William Grant Still, Ulysses Kay, Anthony Davis, John Coltrane, and other major figures from the world of classical, jazz, and popular music. The main body of the book is divided into sections devoted to African, African American, Afro-European, and Afro-Latino composers. Within each section composers are arranged alphabetically; each entry provides biographical information as well as commission, duration, instrumentation, date of publication, premiere, publisher, discography for each composition. Backmatter includes a Brass Music Index which groups the music by numbers, medium, and ensembles; a title index; discography; and bibliography. As with the earlier volumes, this is an essential reference tool for anyone with an interest in researching and/or performing the music of black composers.

A fierce debut novel about mothers and daughters, haves and have-nots, and the stark realities behind the American Dream. A waitress at the Betsy Ross Diner, Elsie hopes her nickel-and-dime tips will add up to a new life. Then she meets Bashkim, who is at once both worldly and naive, a married man who left Albania to chase his dreams--and wound up working as a line cook in Waterbury, Connecticut. Back when the brass mills were still open, this bustling factory town drew one wave of immigrants after another. Now it's the place they can't seem to leave. Elsie, herself the granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants, falls in love quickly, but when she learns that she's pregnant, Elsie can't help wondering where Bashkim's heart really lies, and what he'll do about the wife he left behind. Seventeen years later, headstrong and independent Luljeta receives a rejection letter from NYU and her first-ever suspension from school on the same day. Instead of striking out on her own in Manhattan, she's stuck in Connecticut with her mother, Elsie--a fate she refuses to accept. Wondering if the key to her future is unlocking the secrets of the past, Lulu decides to find out what exactly her mother has been hiding about the father she never knew. As she soon discovers, the truth is closer than she ever imagined. Told in equally gripping parallel narratives with biting wit and grace, Brass announces a fearless new voice with a timely, tender, and quintessentially American story. Advance praise for Brass The unforgettable mother and daughter at the center of Brass are as bright and tough as the metal itself, and Xhenet Aliu depicts their parallel journeys with equal parts grit and tenderness. Brass is a fierce, big-hearted, unflinching debut. --Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You Xhenet Aliu is ferociously talented. She's written a story so scathingly honest with characters so perfectly real, it left me breathless with admiration. There is no false sentiment here, no misplaced word, just a novel that pulses with a restless energy, a novel that pulses with life. --Cristina Henriquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans.