"From one of rap's most personal and evocative writers comes a memoir in the vein of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane about how Boosie Badazz, one of the industry's most controversial figures, was able to overcome insurmountable odds--including a murder indictment, kidney cancer, and a diabetes diagnosis--to make his musical dreams a reality"--

From one of rap’s most evocative writers comes a stirring memoir and “masterpiece of a book” (Snoop Dogg) about how Boosie Badazz, one of the industry’s most controversial figures, was able to overcome insurmountable odds to make his music dreams a reality. A Baton Rouge native who began rapping at age fourteen, Boosie Badazz was already a cult hero in Louisiana when, in 2009, he was sentenced to two years in prison. The next year, he was indicted on even more serious charges, eventually landing him on Death Row. Prosecutors played Boosie’s music in the courtroom to paint him as a thug with no chance of redemption. However, against overwhelming odds and the backdrop of a social media campaign to #FreeBoosie, he was freed in March of 2014 with a rare second chance to make his music dreams come true. With illuminating prose, this “truly great read” (DJ Vlad, CEO of VladTV) explores the relationship between Boosie’s life on the streets with his ceaseless tear through the rap industry. From near-death experiences to a ruthless bout with kidney cancer to a life-threatening diabetes diagnosis, Boosie has overcome remarkable challenges to make a name for himself as one of rap’s most influential voices. A redemptive story with an urgent voice, Cross the Tracks is the survival tale of a man who wasn’t sure he would live to see another day...but who rose from the ashes to change the rap industry forever.

An inspiring story of how God called one man to "go back and make a difference" Dolphus Weary knows from personal experience just how harmful racial division can be. Growing up in rural Mississippi, he leared that if poverty, hunger, and disease didn't kill him, racism, bigotry, or the Klan just might. So when a college basketball scholarship gave him the opportunity to get away from the broken, racially divided city of Mendenhall, he jumped at the chance. But he couldn't outrun racism. Eventually God called him back to his hometown--to the city where the railroad tracks not only separate economic classes but also represent a divide in the church. Believing that prejudice is ultimately a spiritual issue, Weary went back to Mississippi and worked to break down racial divides and promote productive dialogue, greater understanding, and ultimately racial reconciliation. The founder and part-time president of R.E.A.L. (Rural Education and Leadership) Christian Foundation, Weary helps ministries and communities realize that a "kingdom mentality" is possible only when we stop limiting God's work to a denomination or racial group. "Crossing the Tracks" offers an insider's look at Weary's life and experiences. It recounts both the heartbreaking and victorious events that helped him overcome the odds. Profoundly honest and never more timely, this book encourages Christians to partner together to turn the ugly legacy of racism wherever it is found into a beautiful community of hope.

At fifteen, Iris is a hobo of sorts—no home, no family, no plan. Her mother died when she was six, and her selfish father hires her out as a companion to a country doctor’s elderly mother. Iris, stuck in the middle of 1920s rural Missouri, discovers that "hobo" is short for "homeward bound," and cultivates an eccentric cast of folks into family, creating the home she never had. But when she learns that a neighboring tenant farmer may have had more than his hands on his pregnant daughter, Iris must intervene to save the girl and her unborn baby. The many facets of what makes a family are illuminated with warmth and charm in this beautifully crafted tale.

This is a must-read book! Come with Ray Ray across the tracks where it seems like only bad things happen. Ray Rays mother always told him to stay away from those railroad tracks since he was a small kid. In fact, he received the only spanking that he ever got being down on those tracks! Ray Ray was a good church-going kid until that fork in the road led him into that pool hall that took him on a journey across many tracks that he could not turn back from. There are always pros and cons to the choices we make in life. The pros for Ray Rays lifestyle were the cash and the people in his life, but the cons were devastating when he loses dear friends at a very early age across the tracks.

This “stirring…emotionally raw” (Publishers Weekly) young adult debut novel about three teens entangled by secret love, open hatred, and the invisible societal constraints wrapped around people both Black and white is perfect for readers of All American Boys and The Hate U Give. There is an unspoken agreement between the racially divided towns of Bayside and Hamilton: no one steps over the train tracks that divide them. Or else. Not until Zach Whitman anyway, a white boy who moves in from Philly and who dreams of music. When he follows his dream across the tracks to meet his idol, the famous jazz musician who owns The Sunlight Record Shop in Hamilton, he’s flung into Capri Collins’s path. Capri has big plans: she wants to follow her late mother’s famous footsteps, dancing her way onto Broadway, and leaving this town for good, just like her older brother, Justin, is planning to do when he goes off to college next year. As sparks fly, Zach and Capri realize that they can help each other turn hope into a reality, even if it means crossing the tracks to do it. But one tragic night changes everything. When Justin’s friend, the star of Hamilton’s football team, is murdered by a white Bayside police officer, the long-standing feud between Bayside and Hamilton becomes an all-out war. And Capri, Justin, and Zach are right in the middle of it.