The Coldest Winter Ever Author: Sister Souljah | Language: English | ISBN:
B004CLYLAI | Format: PDF
The Coldest Winter Ever Description
Renowned hip-hop artist, writer, and activist Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly unforgettable first novel.
I came busting into the world during one of New York's worst snowstorms, so my mother named me Winter.Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent Brooklyn drug-dealing family. Quick-witted, sexy, and business-minded, she knows and loves the streets like the curves of her own body. But when a cold Winter wind blows her life in a direction she doesn't want to go, her street smarts and seductive skills are put to the test of a lifetime. Unwilling to lose, this ghetto girl will do anything to stay on top.
The Coldest Winter Ever marks the debut of a gifted storyteller. You will never forget this Winter's tale.
- File Size: 2624 KB
- Print Length: 545 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1416521690
- Publisher: Washington Square Press (November 30, 2010)
- Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004CLYLAI
- Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,753 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #5
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Urban - #13
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > African American - #56
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > African American > Urban
- #5
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Urban - #13
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > African American - #56
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > African American > Urban
"The Coldest Winter Ever," by Sister Souljah is a gritty street fable with a lesson to be told. Sister Souljah deserves a lot of recognition for making a point in the vein of Malcom X and Richard Wright's "Native Son." To break the cycle of negative consequence, it takes some tough choices; choices seemingly unglamorous but in the interest of greater humanity necessary.
To tip my hand, reading this book was a stretch for me. I was recommended this book by a young African-American single Mom colleague as one of the best books she has read. Myself, being a middle-aged boring married Caucasian guy recommended to her "Catch 22." What speaks to you is a reflection of where you come from...your experiences. So, she read Catch 22 and I read "The Coldest Winter Ever." I'm not sure how much she got out of her reading assignment but Souljah's book was a mind-broadening experience.
The tale of Winter Santiago, daughter of a successful gang lord drug dealer, is one of a young adult, street-wise beyond her years moving from having her known world at her fingers to one of survival and destitution is a cautionary tale of the choices we make and the consequences we learn to live with. Winter, though a sympathetic character, makes cold choices that in her mind will lead to things in life she considers important...money, clothes, control, possessions. Sister Souljah has a way of weaving the reader into the tale without being heavy-handed with the message she speaks to.
Usually the aspect of literature that draws me in is the writing, and I believe with this book Souljah was still trying to find her voice as a writer. Some of the language comes off as hackneyed and still yearns to be peppered with originality.
There are a few books that leave an impression months afteryou've read them and The Coldest Winter Ever is one such book. Not because TCWE was necessarily a literary masterpiece but rather because it was riveting, engrossing and must read for all. Although fictional in nature people like the Winters and the Santiagas of the world do exist. It's the story of the rise and fall of Ricky Santiago's family told from the main characters perspective. TCWE is set in Brooklyn, NY and is narrated by, Winter, so named because she was born on the coldest day ever to Ricky Santiago a drug dealer and his 14 year old wife. As one of Brooklyn's top drug lords Santiago kept his family(immediate and extended) on top and provided the best of everything for them even thought they lived in the projects. When he decided to move the family to Long Island the threads that loosely held this family together quickly began to unravel. After Winter's Dad, Santiago, is arrested and imprisoned in life for selling/trafficking drugs, Winter must face the challenges of making it on the streets of New York with no education or skills; of course she refuses to give up the lifestyle she's become accustomed to and the heinous acts that she commits along the way are unforgiving, stupid/dump, cutthroat and leave little room for compassion. Even thought she ended up being homeless she could still spend $5,000 faster than most people could spend $5.00. Winter's main concern was always about her looks and finding a man with money to take care of her in a lifestyle that she was accustomed to. Winter was raised on money, street smart principles but with no values or morals; heck even education wasn't important as long as one had good looks and money...didn't matter if it was drug money.
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