5 on the Fifth (June 2009)

Another month has come and gone and we’d like to thank you for stopping through to view the latest favorites from RAWSISTAZ (as featured on our column at Blogging In Black.  While we review hundreds of books every year, not many fall in the TRR Favorite category (rated 4.5 or 5 on a 5 scale). So, it gives us great pleasure to share these with you.

After viewing, please share your favorite books from the last month.

June 2009 Five on the Fifth Features

The Way We Roll: A Bama Gamma Pi Novel by Stephanie Perry Moore – Young Adult
Finding Grace On A Less Traveled Road: A Cancer Doctor Reflects on Living and Dying by R. Elliot Willis, MD – Inspirational
Assata and The Secret of The Cowrie by Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson – Children’s Fiction
This is What I Signed Up For by Jerald Howard – Fiction
Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts – Fiction

The Way We Roll: A Beta Gamma Pi Novel by Stephanie Perry Moore

From the time she was old enough to understand English, college sophomore Malloy Murray has heard and seen the rites and customs of Beta Gamma Pi Sorority.  Her mother, the National President and her godmother live, and breathe for the lavender and turquoise.  Much to Malloy’s dismay they want the same for her.  Malloy’s resentment of the sorority stems from the fact her mother has always put the sorority before Malloy’s happiness.  Anger propels her to pledge but her heart is not in it.  A series of events have Malloy rethinking the bonds of sisterhood. 

Finding Grace On A Less Traveled Road: A Cancer Doctor Reflects on Living and Dying by R. Elliot Willis, MD

One thing R. Elliot Wills knew; there had to be more to life than the one his parents were living. They were a family of nine, living in one of the toughest projects in Chicago. For the most part his father, after a brief stint in the military, settled into a drunken existence. His mother had enough love to sustain the family and every now and then his father would gain employment, which made things tolerable. But, Willis’ despair was insuperable, and his struggle almost insurmountable. 

Assata and The Secret of The Cowrie by Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson

Have you ever seen someone wear porcelain-like seashells at the end of their locs?  Did you wonder why wear seashells?  In ASSATA AND THE SECRET OF THE COWRIE, Vickie M. Oliver-Lawson tells a story about cowrie shells that explains what they are, where they come from and why they are used to adorn the hair.  The story begins in a small African country, near a river, where a little girl named Assata spends her days looking for these beautiful shells.  

This Is What I Signed Up For by Jerald Howard

Thomas Carson is a dreamer but his dreams aren’t coming to reality.  Ashamed of being a failure in his girlfriend Darbye’s eyes, he contemplates suicide, but a phone call saves his life.  

Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts

In BEFORE I FORGET by Leonard Pitts, Mo, a well-known musician from the 70s, gets lost on his way to a gig. He goes there every week so he can’t figure out what happened. He goes to the doctor and finds out. At age 49, he has early onset of Alzheimers. Mo is shattered but is referred to a group of others just like him. They tell their stories, give each other comfort and make life better for each other. Mo realizes he has some unfinished business, mainly with his son, Trey, whom he has ignored most of his life. There were always jobs to be done, recordings to be made, trips on the road and so he really doesn’t know Trey.  

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (TRR) are the team of reviewers for RAWSISTAZ Literary Group (www.rawsistaz.com) and are committed to supporting and spreading the word about African-American titles. Since inception in January 2001, they have reviewed approximately 5,000 titles, been published in numerous print and online magazines, and provided online newsletters for book lovers worldwide.