The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
My rating: 3/5 cats
David has insinuated that this novel is in some way comparable to Hitler or Mariah Carey, which I think is unfair. This book has been responsible neither for the attempted extinction of a race of people, nor for Glitter and dog-whistle mimicry. It is not a book that is going to stay in my heart for a long period of time, but one does care about the characters, and she writes vividly and is never boring. And that is enough for three stars cats, considering this was not a book I chose to read myself, so I had no real expectations. If you are a fan of The Wire, (and why wouldn’t you be, since it is the best non-Bluth television show to have been put on the air since Manimal?) this will mostly be old hat to you. But if you are wicked sheltered and don’t know that drugs are bad and destroy communities, check this out, because like The Wire, it shows all aspects: the users, the dealers, the way communities are divided as people die, are jailed, and betray each other. I don’t think there is (still) a lot of literature about women caught up in all of this, so even though it is chock full of early nineties slang, it is still a relevant book, but probably more appropriate for teen girls than David. (How are my capitals so far, do you approve??)
I loved that Sister Souljah was a character in her own book, as the voice of reason and the angel of the projects, saving lives and making a difference and showing the alternative path to a life of crime…And I know that she really is an activist and does do a lot of work for urban communities, but it just comes across as arrogant, doesn’t it?? That the author is also in the book, with all the answers while the characters around her flounder if they do not heed her advice. I kind of want other celebrities to write novels in which they give practical advice like this. Like if Keith Richards wrote a novel, dispensing advice about how to pickle your insides so you live forever, or Britney Spears cautioned her characters, “Hey, maybe wear some panties before you go outside, it’s windy.” Sage advice from celebrity pens.
All in all, it was in no way as painful as reading those romance novels, and the scene in the abortion clinic waiting room was effective and depressing.
Oh, and also this:
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