The Coldest Winter Ever :: essays research papers

Debut novel by hip-hop rap artist Sister Souljah, whose No Disrespect (1994), which mixes sexual history with politicaldiatribe, is popular in schools country-wide. In its way, this is a tour de force of black English and underworld slang, asfinely tuned to its heroines voice as Alice Walkers The Color Purple. The subject matter, though, has a received flashiness,like a black Godfather family saga, and the heroines eventual fall develops only glancingly from her character. Born to a14-year-old mother during one of New Yorks worst snowstorms, Winter Santiaga is the teenaged miss of RickySantiaga, Brooklyns top drug dealer, who lives like an Arab prince and treats his wife and four daughters like a queen andher princesses. Winter lost her virginity at 12 and now focuses unwaveringly on varieties of adolescent self-indulgence sexand sugar-daddies, clothes, and getting her own way. She uses school only as a stepping-stone for getting out of thehouseafter all, nobodys paying her to go there. But if theres no money in it, why go? Meanwhile, Daddy decides its timeto move out of Brooklyn to truly fancy digs on Long Island, though this places him in the discomfiting position of not beingabsolutely hands-on with his dealers and sure enough the rise of some young Turks leads to his arrest. Then he doessomething really stupid he murders his wifes two weak brothers in jail with him on Rikers Island and gets two consecutivelife sentences. Winters then on her own, especially with Bullet, who may have replaced her dad as top hood, though whenshe selfishly fails to help her pregnant buddy Simone, theres worsemuch worseto come. Thinness aside riveting stuff, withlanguage so frank it curls your hair. (Author tour) -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This school text refers to the Hardcover edition. Book Description Renowned hip-hop artist, writer, and activist Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly