5 on the Fifth (May 2009)

May 2009 Five on the Fifth Features
Going Down South by Bonnie Glover – Fiction
Serving Justice by Jacqueline D. Moore – Christian Fiction
SThe Black Man’s Little Book of Encouragement by Cassandra Mack – Non-Fiction
Just Loving You by Frederick Williams – Fiction
Cop Out by Robert Davis – Self-Help

Going Down South by Bonnie Glover

No one can love you like family and no one can hurt you like family. I found this to ring true while reading GOING DOWN SOUTH.  Olivia Jean has an unstable relationship with her mother, Daisy, which is exasperated by her close relationship with her father, Turk, a man her mother is struggling to hold onto.  Daisy is jealous of the time and attention he gives Olivia Jean and doesn’t have for her.  When Olivia Jean tells her parents she is pregnant at fifteen, for fear of what the neighbors will think, the only option is to send her to stay with her grandmother.  Daisy’s relationship with her mother, Birdie is also fragile, so she is surprised when Birdie agrees to take Olivia Jean in on the condition Daisy stay as well.   

Serving Justice by Jacqueline D. Moore

Angela Jenkins was raised by her grandmother because her parents died while she was quite young. She lived in a nice neighborhood but didn’t have the money to have the things the other kids did. As a result, she was frequently teased and always felt like an outsider. Her grandmother encouraged her in Christian ways and urged her to excel in school. When she entered college, her three roommates became her family. They all went to law school and two, including Angela became judges. They remained good friends after college.

The Black Man’s Little Book of Encouragement by Cassandra Mack

THE BLACK MAN’S LITTLE BOOK OF ENCOURAGEMENT by Cassandra Mack gives advice, encouragement and support to a group who really needs it – Black Men. It covers relationships, prison time, what to do while you’re there, how to stay out of prison and how not to drag yourself down so you will feel you can’t accomplish anything worthwhile. Chapter 2 lays out just how to become successful. One section describes Martin Luther King’s dream and Malcolm X’s vision. Mack goes into how every life has a purpose and how to find your purpose. She gives concrete advice about baby momma drama and how to avoid it as well as great advice about how to not neglect your children even if they don’t live with you. One chapter tells how to praise your children so they don’t grow up feeling down and depressed. 

Just Loving You by Frederick Williams

The Mitchells are a typical upper middle class American family, who thrive on family drama.  Big Casey, who started with zilch, is now the owner of a major company and has put four children through college.  Family dynamics has the entire Mitchell family turning to the oldest son Jason, to use his power of persuasion to end or solve all family problems. Who wins in this situation? Are the secrets he is forced to keep hurting or helping his family?  Are Jason’s personal life and goals becoming a cesspool?  

Cop Out by Robert Davis

Robert Davis was born in New Orleans and lived with his eight siblings and his grandmother. His father disappeared before any of the children could even remember him and his mother was also missing in action. His grandmother always told him, ‘do the right thing.’ Instead, Robert began supplementing her income by working for chop shops, which buy stolen auto parts. He did a few other things that were not legal before joining the New Orleans Police Department and becoming an officer. He was quite young and when paired with older, corrupt officers and he began to follow their lead, only he got caught because a girl he was pressuring told on him. He and his wife fled to Canada so he could avoid prosecution. Apparently, it was too much for her because she packed up and left. That’s when he knew he’d have to live in the forest. He bought books on survival, camping gear, guns and knives and began to carve out his life in the woods.   

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.