Author: Porschea Jade
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1648406076
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In a matter of hours O’Hajee’s life changed for the worst. Having two of the most important people in his life fighting for theirs, it begins to turn his heart cold. Not knowing which way to turn, he starts his man hunt for the ones responsible for hurting them. When things take an unexpected turn, O’Hajee may just have to sacrifice everything in the name of family and love but a few bumps in the road put his trail on ice, can he manage to find some level of normalcy? Or will he be lost to the streets for good? Siya’s on the run of her life, after not only crossing Myeke but Deuce as well. Proving the saying ‘money is the root of all evil’ true, she flees New York and takes refuge else where. But when she begins to realize the error of her ways, she will go back to fix the damage she’s caused at any cost. Even if she has to pay with her life. In this next installment, the crew is in for the ride of their lives as family ties are tested. Promises are broken and new dangers lurk around every corner. Can they withstand the storm that’s beating down their doors? Or will they fold under the pressure?
Good Girl With A Dope Boy Fetish 2
Author: Porschea Jade
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1648406076
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In a matter of hours O’Hajee’s life changed for the worst. Having two of the most important people in his life fighting for theirs, it begins to turn his heart cold. Not knowing which way to turn, he starts his man hunt for the ones responsible for hurting them. When things take an unexpected turn, O’Hajee may just have to sacrifice everything in the name of family and love but a few bumps in the road put his trail on ice, can he manage to find some level of normalcy? Or will he be lost to the streets for good? Siya’s on the run of her life, after not only crossing Myeke but Deuce as well. Proving the saying ‘money is the root of all evil’ true, she flees New York and takes refuge else where. But when she begins to realize the error of her ways, she will go back to fix the damage she’s caused at any cost. Even if she has to pay with her life. In this next installment, the crew is in for the ride of their lives as family ties are tested. Promises are broken and new dangers lurk around every corner. Can they withstand the storm that’s beating down their doors? Or will they fold under the pressure?
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1648406076
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 206
Book Description
In a matter of hours O’Hajee’s life changed for the worst. Having two of the most important people in his life fighting for theirs, it begins to turn his heart cold. Not knowing which way to turn, he starts his man hunt for the ones responsible for hurting them. When things take an unexpected turn, O’Hajee may just have to sacrifice everything in the name of family and love but a few bumps in the road put his trail on ice, can he manage to find some level of normalcy? Or will he be lost to the streets for good? Siya’s on the run of her life, after not only crossing Myeke but Deuce as well. Proving the saying ‘money is the root of all evil’ true, she flees New York and takes refuge else where. But when she begins to realize the error of her ways, she will go back to fix the damage she’s caused at any cost. Even if she has to pay with her life. In this next installment, the crew is in for the ride of their lives as family ties are tested. Promises are broken and new dangers lurk around every corner. Can they withstand the storm that’s beating down their doors? Or will they fold under the pressure?
My Heart Belongs to a Dope Boy: Serenity and Gutta
Author: Tina J
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 255
Book Description
Synopsis Serenity is a woman trying to get a better job and move out the hood. Unfortunately, money is tight and there's no where for her to go. She's forced to stay with her mother, whose chosen her man over her kids but when he tries his luck with Serenity, she has to make a decision, even if it means she's be homeless. Gutta is a man who cares about nothing and no one. He's been with Nykeema for the last six years but not just choice. Continuing to deal with her has been a headache and it's come to a point where enough is enough. He unexpectedly meets Serenity and there are no sparks whatsoever. The two of them try their best to stay away from one another, however; as fate would have it, they find themselves in a complicated situation neither of them can pull away from. Will Gutta leave Nykeema, and is it enough for Serenity to take a chance on him?
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 255
Book Description
Synopsis Serenity is a woman trying to get a better job and move out the hood. Unfortunately, money is tight and there's no where for her to go. She's forced to stay with her mother, whose chosen her man over her kids but when he tries his luck with Serenity, she has to make a decision, even if it means she's be homeless. Gutta is a man who cares about nothing and no one. He's been with Nykeema for the last six years but not just choice. Continuing to deal with her has been a headache and it's come to a point where enough is enough. He unexpectedly meets Serenity and there are no sparks whatsoever. The two of them try their best to stay away from one another, however; as fate would have it, they find themselves in a complicated situation neither of them can pull away from. Will Gutta leave Nykeema, and is it enough for Serenity to take a chance on him?
When a Dope Boy Falls for a Good Girl 2
Author: Sweet Tee
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781539344483
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
Adjusting to hot steamy Savannah, Georgia Taylor and Candy attend different colleges and both meet some interesting people along the way as they make it through freshman year. At Savannah State Univ. Taylor tries her best to remain faithful while enjoying freedom. At Savannah College of Art and Design, Candy was perfecting her craft and gained a fan base with her clothing designs at school. This new found fan base has drawn a creepy stalker her way. How far will he go? D'Marco started his own business doing architecture and freelance work. He wanted to live a normal life and leave the dope game behind but old habits die hard and he finds himself in a questionable partnership. Will this partnership cost him his freedom, life, or love of his life, Taylor? Back in Milwaukee things weren't the same since D'Marco left and his crew was dismantled by Jamal, Jayla, Kayla, Raven, and Tyree. But with new evidence brought to light, Big Tone guarantees payback will be a bitch for those involved. In the meantime, there is new blood sniffing around looking for new territory and he goes by the name Black Rob. Hang on to your seat as the drama, secrets, and madness continues with the crew from Milwaukee.
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781539344483
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
Adjusting to hot steamy Savannah, Georgia Taylor and Candy attend different colleges and both meet some interesting people along the way as they make it through freshman year. At Savannah State Univ. Taylor tries her best to remain faithful while enjoying freedom. At Savannah College of Art and Design, Candy was perfecting her craft and gained a fan base with her clothing designs at school. This new found fan base has drawn a creepy stalker her way. How far will he go? D'Marco started his own business doing architecture and freelance work. He wanted to live a normal life and leave the dope game behind but old habits die hard and he finds himself in a questionable partnership. Will this partnership cost him his freedom, life, or love of his life, Taylor? Back in Milwaukee things weren't the same since D'Marco left and his crew was dismantled by Jamal, Jayla, Kayla, Raven, and Tyree. But with new evidence brought to light, Big Tone guarantees payback will be a bitch for those involved. In the meantime, there is new blood sniffing around looking for new territory and he goes by the name Black Rob. Hang on to your seat as the drama, secrets, and madness continues with the crew from Milwaukee.
Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem
Author: Daniel R. Day
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0525510532
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Dapper Dan is a legend, an icon, a beacon of inspiration to many in the Black community. His story isn’t just about fashion. It’s about tenacity, curiosity, artistry, hustle, love, and a singular determination to live our dreams out loud.”—Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VANITY FAIR • DAPPER DAN NAMED ONE OF TIME’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time. Decade after decade, Dapper Dan discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics. He invented stunningly bold credit card frauds that took him around the world. He paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity with which he approaches all things: learning how to treat fur himself when no one would sell finished fur coats to a Black man; finding the best dressed hustler in the neighborhood and converting him into a customer; staying open twenty-four hours a day for nine years straight to meet demand; and, finally, emerging as a world-famous designer whose looks went on to define an era, dressing cultural icons including Eric B. and Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, Mike Tyson, Alpo Martinez, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, and Jay-Z. By turns playful, poignant, thrilling, and inspiring, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem is a high-stakes coming-of-age story spanning more than seventy years and set against the backdrop of an America where, as in the life of its narrator, the only constant is change. Praise for Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem “Dapper Dan is a true one of a kind, self-made, self-liberated, and the sharpest man you will ever see. He is couture himself.”—Marcus Samuelsson, New York Times bestselling author of Yes, Chef “What James Baldwin is to American literature, Dapper Dan is to American fashion. He is the ultimate success saga, an iconic fashion hero to multiple generations, fusing street with high sartorial elegance. He is pure American style.”—André Leon Talley, Vogue contributing editor and author
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0525510532
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Dapper Dan is a legend, an icon, a beacon of inspiration to many in the Black community. His story isn’t just about fashion. It’s about tenacity, curiosity, artistry, hustle, love, and a singular determination to live our dreams out loud.”—Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VANITY FAIR • DAPPER DAN NAMED ONE OF TIME’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time. Decade after decade, Dapper Dan discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics. He invented stunningly bold credit card frauds that took him around the world. He paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity with which he approaches all things: learning how to treat fur himself when no one would sell finished fur coats to a Black man; finding the best dressed hustler in the neighborhood and converting him into a customer; staying open twenty-four hours a day for nine years straight to meet demand; and, finally, emerging as a world-famous designer whose looks went on to define an era, dressing cultural icons including Eric B. and Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, Mike Tyson, Alpo Martinez, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, and Jay-Z. By turns playful, poignant, thrilling, and inspiring, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem is a high-stakes coming-of-age story spanning more than seventy years and set against the backdrop of an America where, as in the life of its narrator, the only constant is change. Praise for Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem “Dapper Dan is a true one of a kind, self-made, self-liberated, and the sharpest man you will ever see. He is couture himself.”—Marcus Samuelsson, New York Times bestselling author of Yes, Chef “What James Baldwin is to American literature, Dapper Dan is to American fashion. He is the ultimate success saga, an iconic fashion hero to multiple generations, fusing street with high sartorial elegance. He is pure American style.”—André Leon Talley, Vogue contributing editor and author
Foghorn Leghorn
Author: BIG BRUISER. DOPE BOY
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781944486310
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 78
Book Description
"The voice of this book. It has everything I want and yet I really can't explain it. It's hurt shit. A laugh that ends with a turned head and a teary eye. Each poem sings for lost unknowns to come home. It's funny, straightforward, absurd, sad, and, ultimately, true in the way that only art can be. Say hello to the gay Rodney Dangerfield. Say hello to the Boom Doctor. Say hello to your first real boyfriend. Join me in welcoming this new voice. The Big Bruiser Dope Boy. One of the new wolves. May he forever huff and puff. We will never escape his cartoon." --Sam Pink, author of Person & The Garbage Times/White Ibis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781944486310
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 78
Book Description
"The voice of this book. It has everything I want and yet I really can't explain it. It's hurt shit. A laugh that ends with a turned head and a teary eye. Each poem sings for lost unknowns to come home. It's funny, straightforward, absurd, sad, and, ultimately, true in the way that only art can be. Say hello to the gay Rodney Dangerfield. Say hello to the Boom Doctor. Say hello to your first real boyfriend. Join me in welcoming this new voice. The Big Bruiser Dope Boy. One of the new wolves. May he forever huff and puff. We will never escape his cartoon." --Sam Pink, author of Person & The Garbage Times/White Ibis
Finessed a Dope Boy's Heart
Author: Racquel Williams
Publisher: Urban Books
ISBN: 1645562875
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
"Mika Blake works in law enforcement, and is married to one of the most distinguished detectives on the police force. Everything looks good on the outside-- but Rasheem is controlling and two-timing, so Mika buries herself into her career. She soon crosses paths with Jakeel, an ex-con fresh out of prison. The jovial jailbird piques her interest, and Mika soon forgets that there are certain lines you just don't cross. Now she's playing with two men on opposite sides of the law. Can Mika walk away, or will she make a move that could lead to murder and mayhem in her once quiet life?"--Provided by publisher.
Publisher: Urban Books
ISBN: 1645562875
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
"Mika Blake works in law enforcement, and is married to one of the most distinguished detectives on the police force. Everything looks good on the outside-- but Rasheem is controlling and two-timing, so Mika buries herself into her career. She soon crosses paths with Jakeel, an ex-con fresh out of prison. The jovial jailbird piques her interest, and Mika soon forgets that there are certain lines you just don't cross. Now she's playing with two men on opposite sides of the law. Can Mika walk away, or will she make a move that could lead to murder and mayhem in her once quiet life?"--Provided by publisher.
Bad Choices Make Good Stories: The Strange True Story of the First Influencer
Author: Oliver Markus Malloy
Publisher: Bookmaester
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 730
Book Description
Special Anniversary Omnibus: Get all three books for the price of one! _____ Part 1: Going to New York _____ The strange true story of the first influencer. Oliver, a hacker living in Germany, meets Donna online. She's an American girl living in New York. After chatting and talking on the phone for months, he finally decides to surprise her with a visit. But he soon finds out that things are not what they appeared to be, and that this visit will change his life forever. “Nobody has ever killed themselves over a broken arm. But every day, thousands of people kill themselves because of a broken heart. Why? Because emotional pain hurts much worse than physical pain.” -Oliver Markus Malloy, Bad Choices Make Good Stories “Don't ever think you're better than a drug addict, because your brain works the same as theirs. You have the same circuits. And drugs would affect your brain in the same way it affects theirs. The same thought process that makes them screw up over and over again would make you screw up over and over as well, if you were in their shoes. You probably already are doing it, just not with heroin or crack, but with food or cigarettes, or something else you shouldn't be doing.” -Oliver Markus Malloy, Bad Choices Make Good Stories "A must read. One of those rare books that sucks you in from the first to the last page." ★★★★★ - Amazon Review _____ Part 2: The Heroin Scene in Fort Myers _____ America has a heroin problem. Oliver moves from New York to Florida. Battling with depression, he gets sucked into the seedy underworld of Fort Myers, where he encounters a number of female drug addicts. He empathizes with them because of his own traumatic past. Oliver feels compelled to try to help them escape the addict lifestyle, but learns the hard way that he is in way over his head. "A truly fascinating and unexpected look at the darker side of addiction." ★★★★★ - A. Allyson, Goodreads _____ Part 3: Finding Happiness in Los Angeles _____ If you're a fan of Dave Chappelle or John Oliver, you'll love this book. After writing a book about his bizarre adventures in America's underbelly, Oliver finally finds love among his readers on Goodreads. "I think it will become a standard for people who are dealing with loved ones struggling with addictions." ★★★★★ - B. Bridges, Amazon Review Dear Reader, You're a little late to the party. Where the hell have you been? This is already the third and final part of the trilogy, and you're only joining us now? Tsk tsk tsk. Let me get you up to speed on what you've missed so far: In book one, Going to New York, you missed the utterly fascinating, nay spellbinding saga of me growing up in Germany and later emigrating to New York. I was a brooding, troubled teenage hacker. Wow! Good stuff! It's almost like my life was the perfect kind of crazy to make a really awesome book! Anyway, being a teenage hacker came in handy later in life. I went from rags to riches thanks to my keen understanding of technology and how to use the web to my advantage. In New York I was married to Donna, a girl I had met online. She was an agoraphobic, prone to temper tantrums. And fun was had by all, which led to a divorce 16 years later. That's where the story gets really interesting. I began dating. It didn't go well. I was no good at it. OK, truth be told, I was really bad at it. Apparently I had terrible taste in women. A heroin-addicted hooker named Alice broke my heart and robbed me of my will to live. Doesn't sound very fun, does it? But it's a fun read, I promise. Dark, but fun. Mesmerizing even! Brokenhearted, I moved from New York to Florida. That's where the first book ends. The second book you missed (I'm not mad at you. I'm just disappointed.) is called The Heroin Scene in Fort Myers, which is a very fitting title, believe me. Sometimes I'm a slow learner, so I dated my way through the heroin scene in Florida, and I couldn't figure out for years why I wasn't finding any wife material. But oh how I tried. And tried. In all the wrong places. Pretty sad. I'm not proud of it. After years of sad pathetic sex with heroin addicts I was a wreck. My younger self wouldn't have even recognized me. Lucy and Veronica had turned me into a broken, humiliated shell of a man. My heart had been ripped out of my chest so many times, it was a miracle I hadn't killed myself yet. (Seriously, it's a fun read. I promise!) At the end of the book I had it up to here with heroin addicts. I told myself never again would I let myself be sucked in by the sweet lies of manipulative, fake love. The name of the final chapter was NO MO HO. No more whores. I needed to change my life before my life was going to kill me. I hopped on a plane, back to my native Germany, to lick my wounds and heal before returning to America. That's where the second book ended. And now, for our third and final act...
Publisher: Bookmaester
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 730
Book Description
Special Anniversary Omnibus: Get all three books for the price of one! _____ Part 1: Going to New York _____ The strange true story of the first influencer. Oliver, a hacker living in Germany, meets Donna online. She's an American girl living in New York. After chatting and talking on the phone for months, he finally decides to surprise her with a visit. But he soon finds out that things are not what they appeared to be, and that this visit will change his life forever. “Nobody has ever killed themselves over a broken arm. But every day, thousands of people kill themselves because of a broken heart. Why? Because emotional pain hurts much worse than physical pain.” -Oliver Markus Malloy, Bad Choices Make Good Stories “Don't ever think you're better than a drug addict, because your brain works the same as theirs. You have the same circuits. And drugs would affect your brain in the same way it affects theirs. The same thought process that makes them screw up over and over again would make you screw up over and over as well, if you were in their shoes. You probably already are doing it, just not with heroin or crack, but with food or cigarettes, or something else you shouldn't be doing.” -Oliver Markus Malloy, Bad Choices Make Good Stories "A must read. One of those rare books that sucks you in from the first to the last page." ★★★★★ - Amazon Review _____ Part 2: The Heroin Scene in Fort Myers _____ America has a heroin problem. Oliver moves from New York to Florida. Battling with depression, he gets sucked into the seedy underworld of Fort Myers, where he encounters a number of female drug addicts. He empathizes with them because of his own traumatic past. Oliver feels compelled to try to help them escape the addict lifestyle, but learns the hard way that he is in way over his head. "A truly fascinating and unexpected look at the darker side of addiction." ★★★★★ - A. Allyson, Goodreads _____ Part 3: Finding Happiness in Los Angeles _____ If you're a fan of Dave Chappelle or John Oliver, you'll love this book. After writing a book about his bizarre adventures in America's underbelly, Oliver finally finds love among his readers on Goodreads. "I think it will become a standard for people who are dealing with loved ones struggling with addictions." ★★★★★ - B. Bridges, Amazon Review Dear Reader, You're a little late to the party. Where the hell have you been? This is already the third and final part of the trilogy, and you're only joining us now? Tsk tsk tsk. Let me get you up to speed on what you've missed so far: In book one, Going to New York, you missed the utterly fascinating, nay spellbinding saga of me growing up in Germany and later emigrating to New York. I was a brooding, troubled teenage hacker. Wow! Good stuff! It's almost like my life was the perfect kind of crazy to make a really awesome book! Anyway, being a teenage hacker came in handy later in life. I went from rags to riches thanks to my keen understanding of technology and how to use the web to my advantage. In New York I was married to Donna, a girl I had met online. She was an agoraphobic, prone to temper tantrums. And fun was had by all, which led to a divorce 16 years later. That's where the story gets really interesting. I began dating. It didn't go well. I was no good at it. OK, truth be told, I was really bad at it. Apparently I had terrible taste in women. A heroin-addicted hooker named Alice broke my heart and robbed me of my will to live. Doesn't sound very fun, does it? But it's a fun read, I promise. Dark, but fun. Mesmerizing even! Brokenhearted, I moved from New York to Florida. That's where the first book ends. The second book you missed (I'm not mad at you. I'm just disappointed.) is called The Heroin Scene in Fort Myers, which is a very fitting title, believe me. Sometimes I'm a slow learner, so I dated my way through the heroin scene in Florida, and I couldn't figure out for years why I wasn't finding any wife material. But oh how I tried. And tried. In all the wrong places. Pretty sad. I'm not proud of it. After years of sad pathetic sex with heroin addicts I was a wreck. My younger self wouldn't have even recognized me. Lucy and Veronica had turned me into a broken, humiliated shell of a man. My heart had been ripped out of my chest so many times, it was a miracle I hadn't killed myself yet. (Seriously, it's a fun read. I promise!) At the end of the book I had it up to here with heroin addicts. I told myself never again would I let myself be sucked in by the sweet lies of manipulative, fake love. The name of the final chapter was NO MO HO. No more whores. I needed to change my life before my life was going to kill me. I hopped on a plane, back to my native Germany, to lick my wounds and heal before returning to America. That's where the second book ended. And now, for our third and final act...
The Preacher's Daughter
Author: Kendra Dunn
Publisher: La Femme Fatale Publishing
ISBN: 0979265673
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 266
Book Description
My father's church was on one end of the block and Slay conducted his business on the other. It was a street that, depending on which direction you were going, led you to heaven or to hell. At the time, I didn't have the fortitude to tell that as a disciple of the Lord, down on the corner is exactly where he needed to be - slinging scriptures as the dope boys slung rocks. I disobeyed my father's commandment and followed my heart... a decision that, indeed, led me to hell.
Publisher: La Femme Fatale Publishing
ISBN: 0979265673
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 266
Book Description
My father's church was on one end of the block and Slay conducted his business on the other. It was a street that, depending on which direction you were going, led you to heaven or to hell. At the time, I didn't have the fortitude to tell that as a disciple of the Lord, down on the corner is exactly where he needed to be - slinging scriptures as the dope boys slung rocks. I disobeyed my father's commandment and followed my heart... a decision that, indeed, led me to hell.
Farm Boys' and Girls' Leader
I Know This Much Is True
Author: Wally Lamb
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780060391621
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 884
Book Description
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780060391621
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 884
Book Description
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.