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For decades Americans have turned to LIFE to see, understand, and remember the most important events and people of our time. Just as LIFE once opened up the glittering Kennedy White House, LIFE now focuses its lens on Barack Obama. The American Journey of Barack Obama covers the candidate from his childhood and adolescence to his time as editor of The Harvard Law Review and his Chicago activist years, culminating with the excitement and fervor of the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The unfolding drama of Obama’s life and political career is cinematic in scope, and never has it been presented so compellingly. In addition to a powerful array of photographs that were taken by many of the country’s greatest photographers (and some that were snapped, in the quiet moments, by Obama family members themselves), this book also includes a Foreword by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an incisive narrative biography and original essays by some of our finest writers, including Gay Talese, Charles Johnson, Melissa Fay Greene, Andrei Codrescu, Fay Weldon, Richard Norton Smith, Bob Greene and several others. Many readers will find a new understanding of Obama. All readers will feel that they are bearing witness to a singular, undeniably American story.

Become a fan of The American Journey of Barack Obama on Facebook!

The American Journey of Barack Obama hit stores October 7, 2008.

Enter our contest below and you just may be 1 of 5 lucky people randomly chosen to receive a copy of this impressive historical new book!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

ELIGIBILITY:
This contest is open to ONLY United States citizens 18 years of age or older. The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club Managers and their dependents are not eligible to enter or win.

HOW TO ENTER:
Only one entry per person will be accepted; multiple entries will be disqualified.

HOW TO WIN:
All entries must be received by 11:59 pm PST FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008. The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club is not responsible for missing or delayed entries due to any malfunctions of the entry form on this site. Winners will be randomly selected from all entries received by the club managers of The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club. Each book must be accepted as awarded, for it is not transferable and has no cash surrender value. All winners will be notified by email no later than Wednesday, November 19, 2008. Winners must respond to the confirmation email before the book is mailed to them.

PRIVACY DISCLAIMER:
All entries become the property of The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club. The winners’ name, email and mailing address will be forwarded to the publisher for processing. Winners will receive their books directly from the publisher. No one’s personal contact informtion will be released or sold to any third party companies or services. All information collected is used only to serve you better in the event you are a winner.

GOOD LUCK!

88 Ways to Die
Johnnie Mitchell
Johnnie Mitchell Publishing, July 2007
$13.95 US; ISBN: 0615151159

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In the year 1988, black private detective Ellis Mason finds himself swept into a wave of big time trouble. What started as a routine case of tailing an ex-con’s wayward girl friend, turns into something much more sinister.

When the girl friend is murdered, and the ex-con is charged, Ellis reluctantly sets out to clear him. Ellis soon finds himself investigating a young and sexy executive secretary, that’s having an affair with a married congressman running for re-election, and is living far beyond her means. He creates an uneasy alliance with Brad Royce, the son of the owner of a top flight detective agency.

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A recent conversation with Houston-based writer, TL James, about her novel The MPire: In Search of the Lost, revealed a new author very determined to become a household name with her trilogy about a powerful and enchanting black family who just so happens control the fate of the world!

So what are readers and reviewers saying about MPire: In Search of the Lost . . .

“With clever manipulation of the literary classics and biblical themes, coupled with clear and concise mastery of the written word, author T.L. James pens a spellbinding and riveting novel that is simply unprecedented in THE MPIRE: In Search of the Lost”
- Kai for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

“I recommend The MPIRE to all readers who enjoy novels that can stretch them and take them on a satisfying literary journey filled with the mystical, spiritual and even a bit of the romantic.”
- Angelia Menchan, APOOO BookClub

So check out her interview with The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club and then stop by author TL James’ blog for a special promotional give-a-way!

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Twisted Lies: The Novel
Sophie Jones
Sophie’s Words, March 2006
$15.00 US; ISBN: 9774202058

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In the novel, Twisted Lies, Zina & Robert Roman live the perfect life; lots of money in the bank, a beautiful home in suburban Houston, and they both have wonderful careers (she is a corporate trainer at one of Houston’s largest energy companies and he is a football star- turned-software-millionaire). Zina tries to hide the guilt she feels after she spends one night of passion with a sexy stranger, while Robert tries to hold together a lie that he’s been keeping from Zina for years. Everything begins to crumble as friends, lovers, and strangers become entangled in “Twisted Lies.”

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Hello everyone! I’m LaConnie Taylor-Jones and I am so excited that the first stop on the A Love For All Times Virtual Book Tour featuring my new romance, When a Man Loves a Woman, is with the members of the The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club!

Readers who have read romances know they are predictable — the hero and heroine introduced at the beginning of the story are going to be together by the end of the story. But what I enjoy most about writing in this genre is the challenge of telling a good story and bringing to the forefront “real-life” issues readers can relate to in the lives of the characters between the beginning and end of the story.

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Romance B(u)y The Book’s host, Michelle Buonfigilio, did a FABULOUS interview with my all time favorite historical romance writer, Beverly Jenkins! Check out Beverly’s interview below and how she “lovingly uses African-American history in her romance novels to give them depth and heart.” So enjoy this Lifetime Video presetation on African-American Romance!

Are you an avid romance reader? Then Michelle Buonfiglio’s Romance B(u)y The Book on Lifetime.com is one of the perfect places online to learn about today’s popular romance writers!

Join Geneva Holliday and The GRITS Online Reading Club as we turn up the heat this month with her new sexy release, Seduction! So listen to the author’s message if you didn’t hear it playing when you arrived to this page, watch the Seduction Book Trailer, then, TAKE ACTION by entering our Seduction Summer Give-a-Way for a chance to win this sizzling sexy read for this summer!

Seduction
Geneva Holliday
Broadway Books, June 2008
$12.95 US; ISBN: 076792746X

Listen to the Geneva’s message if you missed it!

Watch the ‘Seduction Book Trailer’ for the answer to our contest question!

Answer our contest question to win your FREE copy of Seduction!

Visit Geneva Holliday online to learn more about Seduction and other novels in her GROOVE series!

Heavenly Places
Kimberly Cash Tate
Walk Worthy Press, March 2008
$13.99; ISBN: 1577948572

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Meet Treva Langston – a beautiful and intelligent woman who is married to a God-fearing man who loves her, and mother to three wonderful daughters who adore her. So why doesn’t her family bring her joy? Well, Treva has been plagued with self-doubt her entire life. Everything she has ever tried to accomplish has always been viewed through the lens of ‘color’ thanks to her mother. For a while, Treva was able to escape her feelings of inadequacy and find her worth in a very successful career in the Midwest. Now she’s jobless and returning to her hometown filled with painful memories and a mother who hasn’t changed a bit. It will be her sister’s gentle nudging to join a women’s home Bible Study group she facilitates that literally changes her life. The transformative power of God’s word and the “heavenly places” He promises in her studies, helps her to forgive, value friends and family, and discover once and for all that those promised ‘heavenly places’ have been right there with her all along.

To every woman who has ever doubted she is fearfully and wonderfully made, Heavenly Places by Kimberly Cash Tate is a novel for you!

Purchase your copy of Heavenly Places by Kimberly Cash Tate today!

Author Website: http://www.kimberlycashtate.com
Author MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kimberlycashtate
Blog: http://www.kimberlycashtate.blogspot.com

The Straight-UpTruth About The Down-Low: Women Share Their Stories of Betrayal, Pain and Survival
Joy Marie
Creative Wisdom Books; March 2008
$16.95 US; ISBN: 0981544328
 

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Book Description

Imagine . . . You have finally met Mr. Right. He’s handsome, sexy, charming, intelligent, articulate, and financially successful. He even portrays the role of an excellent father. He does not smoke, drink or use drugs and he has a decent credit history. You marry him and buy your dream house in the suburbs. Your children attend the best schools and you live in a wonderful neighborhood. You’re finally living the American dream, but one day you wake up and realize Your Prince Charming is really a lying Queen. You discover your husband is secretly sleeping with men. He is part of the secretive subculture known as the ‘down-low.’

The purpose of this book is to provide support and resources for the wives, lovers and families that have been victimized by homosexual men masquerading as straight.

This is not a book full of statistics, articles or scientific data. It was written by two women who have experienced the anguish and misery of being married to men on the down-low. They will share from the depths of their hearts, souls and minds as they tell their stories and the stories of other women who have lived through this experience. Contrary to the beliefs of some authors, there are telltale signs when a man is on the down-low. We will address those signs and answer many of your questions that have been ignored by other books written on the subject.

Purchase your copy of The Straight-Up Truth About The Down-Low by Joy Marie today!

Author Website: http://www.straightuptruth.com
Author MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/joymarie08
Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/joymarie08

Our celebration of National Poetry Month would not be complete if we did not include poetry — rhythms and rhymes – enjoyed by our youth! On Friday, March 7, 2008, “Behind the Book” held an all-day series of author visits with various classrooms at PS 274, in Brooklyn, NY.

So check out this delightful video with Tony Medina reading a poem about jazz from his book, Love to Langston, with 3rd graders!

Spotlight Book . . .

Love to Langston
Tony Medina
Lee & Low Books, February 2002
$17.95 US; IBSN: 1584300418

Book Descripion

From one Harlem poet to another, Love to Langston is a tribute to one of America’s most talented and beloved poets, Langston Hughes. Written in the art form Hughes cherished most, this biography in verse captures glimpses of the poet’s world through his voice as author-poet Tony Medina imagines it.