"The Choir Director" - Carl Weber

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Weber, Carl. (2011). The Choir Director. Kensington. 

First Jamaica Ministries is no stranger to scandal; the mega church congregation is still trying to survive the news that its beloved choir director had been involved in many gay affairs with congregants over the past few years. Unfortunately, things are only going to get worse. On the brink of financial ruin after the choir director scandal, Bishop T.K. Wilson brings in a new music leader, Aaron Mackie, hoping to revive the congregation and escape bankruptcy. With his delicious physique and playboy attitude, Mackie brings a whole new set of problems. The story races with passionate moments, revenge and deceit around every corner. Readers quickly realize that it may not be possible for First Jamaica Ministries to continue, especially since everyone has something to hide.

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Appeals

• flawed characters
• fast pacing
• passionate, dark mood

Other Carl Weber Titles

• Big Girls Do Cry 
• Torn Between Two Lovers  
• Something on the Side       
• Up to No Good

Similar Authors*

• Eric Jerome Dickey
• Mary B. Morrison 
• Omar Tyree

*located through Reader's Advisor Online

"Denial" -Stuart Kaminsky

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Kaminsky, Stuart M. (2005). Denial. Forge.

Lew Fonesca is an unlikely detective. Hoping to escape his wife’s hit and run death, Lew hides out in an office (used as an apartment), drowning his sorrows in old movies and Dairy Queen. Though his primary occupation is a process server, word has gotten around town that Lew is very adept at finding people. With his sidekick/bodyguard Ames at his side, Mr. Fonesca takes on two deadly cases; one involving the hit and run of a high school boy, the other a murder at a retirement home—absent a body. In an effort to solve these mysteries, both men encounter deception and hatred, as well as one person’s unrelenting desire to protect. The fourth in a six book series, Denial is sure to capture the attention of seasoned Kaminsky veterans, as well as those jumping head first into the series. 

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"The Coldest Winter Ever" -Sister Souljah

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Souljah, Sister. (1999). The Coldest Winter Ever. Pocket Books.

As Dr. Tania Nadeem points out in her review of The Coldest Winter Ever, “once you get over your unease with this unfamiliar way of life…you realize that this book, in its own way, is a touching coming-of-age story about a misguided adolescent who has taken up money, beauty and power as her identity.” Common topics in this novel include drug dealing, drug addiction, teen drinking, casual sex, and murder. The variety of content that may be deemed inappropriate is extensive and layered throughout the entirety of the novel. However, the issues that are dealt with in The Coldest Winter Ever are very real issues that many children, adolescents, and adults deal with on a daily basis, and sweeping them under the rug will not erase them.

Winter deals with quite a few issues that many adolescents are familiar with; she wants to be with her family, she isn’t sure if she can trust her friends, she is exploring her sexuality in a time when hormones are raging, and there is a disconnect between the lifestyle she wants and what she can reasonably attain. There are also quite a few issues that adolescents may not have encountered; extensive drug use and drug dealing, casual sex, the use of guns and razors as weapons, having parents in prison. Winter and her friends act as many other adolescents at this age, as if there are no consequences for their actions:

“If I wasn’t pregnant,” Simone said, “I’d have your back. But I gotta look out for this one here,” pointing to her belly. Me and Simone stayed up drinking the rest of the night.(pg. 161)

The consequences for actions like this, such as drinking while pregnant, become apparent throughout the end of the story, when Simone loses her baby and Winter ends up in jail for her relationship with Bullet.  Winter’s life does not turn out as she expected, and it is likely that adolescents will see this story as a cautionary tale, rather than a “how-to” guide.

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References

Nadeem, T. (2010). “The coldest winter ever” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(1), accessed through Wilson Web Book Reviews Digest Plus.

Souljah, S. (1999). The Coldest Winter Ever. New York, NY: Pocket Books.