A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Between Christmas, the annual Fall Festival, and baby-mama issues, South Bay High is vibrating with activity, excitement, and drama. . . The holidays are coming, along with all the madness and materialism that comes with them. As usual, Jayd is just trying to stay sane while everyone around her is losing it. Mickey's got a major secret and Jayd's girl Nellie is trying to stir up trouble with her loose lips. Vengeful Laura is trying to undermine Jayd's performance in the school production of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. Rah's baby mama, Sandy, is trying to keep him from seeing his daughter. And that's just for starters. Worst of all, Jayd's grandmother warns her that serious trouble is on the way. Between a spiritual cleansing, a potion, and the mystical support of her gifted ancestors, will Jayd be able to stop all this homegirl drama in its tracks?

In the first book of a fierce new series, meet Memphis's hardest ride-or-die chicks as they fight along with their infamous men to lock down the Dirty South. Memphis is the crime capital of America, and no one knows that better than the women born and raised on its mean streets. It's put sisters Ta'Shara and LeShelle on opposite sides of the street game, where blood means nothing and loyalty doesn't last long. It's also got Yolanda, an ambitious drug mule, and Melanie, a police detective, caught up with the same man--the notorious hustler Python. These four women think they've got the game figured out, but the one man they have in common will have them living double lives and wondering who will come out on top. Forget what you heard about East Coast/West Coast, 'cause real vendettas are born in the Dirty South. "Diamond's ear for street talk comes across loud and clear. . .a violent and profane tale, which launches a gritty new series. The divas here are realistic characters, and the pacing zooms. . .one of the best constructed street lit stories of 2010." --Library Journal "A nonstop, hard-hitting page-turner." --Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker

Are you ready to stop living paycheck to paycheck? Do you want to own your time? Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft offer a new world of opportunities for millions of people. You’ve heard about it but maybe don’t know where to start. Life gets busy, the bills stack up, and instruction manuals aren’t provided. Just a few years ago, Mukon Ngoyi wore these same shoes. She was working three jobs and struggling to pay the rent. These days, she’s one of the highest rated drivers around. Mukon earns $90,000 a year and is known as the “Hustlin’ Hummingbird” of the rideshare game. Making it to the top wasn’t easy, though. That’s why Mukon wants to share the hard lessons she learned on the road. Her debut book, Hustlin’ Hummingbird, is not only about her own rags-to-riches story. It is not just a tale of female strength and perseverance. The Hustlin’ Hummingbird is also a guidebook. It was made to help people from all walks of life to follow her road to success. Mukon outlines everything an aspiring driver—or a curious rider—needs to know about the rideshare business. You’ll learn how you can transform it from an occasional hobby into a moneymaking career that YOU control. Buckle your seatbelt. Start the ignition. Hustlin’ Hummingbird is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Corey Gary is nothing but a low class street runner for a local drug dealer until the day he gets caught in a drug bust. While serving five years in South Carolina's Department of Corrections, the woman he love the most— and mother of his only child—betrays his trust and love. Now, he's back on the streets, and he's got a plan. Corey is going to get back what belongs to him, including his son and the love of his life. He also plans to conquer the lucrative market of Myrtle Beach. A wise forty- dollar investment becomes millions after Corey is introduced to a half- Nicaraguan, half-Cuban drug lord from Central America. Using the alias Walt Diznee, Corey turns a small business into serious street cred. Unfortunately, the love of his life gets involved in a relationship with another drug pusher, placing all of them in jeopardy. Meanwhile, an ex-stripper named Felicia gets a second chance at life when Mr. Teflon sends her to college. She ends up a federal agent and is now playing both sides to traffic cocaine across state lines. Will her path help or hinder Corey? It turns out loyalty is everything in this rough world of hate, envy, and death.

Sin grabbed the letter and as he held it in his hand he looked at the envelope that was addressed to him with a smile on his face. Then a look of curiosity came over him, I wonder what's this about, he thought. I just talked to her the other day and she didn't tell me that she was sending me a letter. Becoming more anxious he tore open the envelope. All the life had drained out of him at that very moment. Everybody ain't who they say they are, but she better keep her mouth closed.

Vivica A. Fox is a dynamo who has created a lasting career on her own, through sheer, roll-up-your-sleeves DIY hustle. Every Day I'm Hustling is a personal book with a message Fox passionately believes in: that you make your own luck, that you never ever wake up in the morning thinking somebody’s going to call you and offer you that part or ask you out on that date that’s going to change your life, that you have to wake up and put on your longest eyelashes and fiercest heels and go out and make your life happen yourself. The actress provides start-today strategies for success in business and “been there” lessons in love, buttressed with stories from her early family life all the way through to today. Always honest and always funny, Fox also tells behind-the-scenes tales from some of her biggest movies — such as Uma Thurman’s life-changing advice during Kill Bill and Will Smith's downtime pep talk on Independence Day. And she maps out exactly what it took to come back with a role on the smash hit Empire and her own frisky show on Lifetime, Vivica’s Black Magic. She also shares her how-is-she-53? secrets to looking your best, no matter the age on your driver’s license.

As the holidays approach, Mickey has a secret, Nellie is attempting to cause trouble, Laura is trying to undermine Jayd's performance in the school play, and the mother of Rah's baby does not want him to see his daughter anymore.