The Coldest Winter Ever :: essays research papers

Debut novel by hip-hop rap artist child 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 infernal region slang, asfinely tuned to its heroines voice as Alice Walkers The Color Purple. The subject matter, though, has a certain flashiness,like a black Godfather family saga, and the heroines eventual fall develops simply glancingly from her character. Born to a14-year-old mother during one of New Yorks worst snowstorms, winter Santiaga is the teenaged daughter of RickySantiaga, Brooklyns top drug dealer, who lives like an Arab prince and treats his wife and quadruplet 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 reveal of thehouseafter all, nob odys 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 vision 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 nearly young Turks leads to his arrest. Then he doessomething really stupid he murders his wifes cardinal weak brothers in jail with him on Rikers Island and gets two consecutive feeling 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. slightness aside riveting stuff, withlanguage so frank it curls your hair. (Author tour) -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. each rights reserved. --Thistext refers to the Hardcover edition. Book Description Renowned hip-hop artist, writer, and activistic Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to lif e in a powerful and dead