David Ritz

Of course Jemeker paid a heavy price for her involvement in the drug game. Learning from her sources of a federal investigation, Jemeker went on the run. For two years she saw her son only intermittently. Her love for him brought her back to LA, even though she knew she would be arrested. Jemeker served twelve years in federal prison, losing precious years of her son's life that can never be recaptured, plus her legitimate business and her drug money. But in prison she was touched by God. She saw the path of destruction she had sown and vowed to change her life and carry forth a positive message upon her release. Jemeker has done so. In Queen Pin, written with New York Times bestselling author David Ritz and Geoff Martin, Jemeker has brought to life, in vivid and gripping detail, a story the likes of which has heretofore been told only as fiction

While Felicia Pearson is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what's most remarkable about 'Snoop' is what she has overcome in real life. Born a three-pound, cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore and raised in a foster home, Snoop proved she was as tough as the streets. Showing an early aptitude for drug slinging and violence, she thrived as a baby gangsta until she landed in Jessup State Penitentiary after killing a woman in self-defence. There she rebelled violently against the system and it would take the news of the murder of her childhood mentor, a local drug-dealer called Uncle Loney, for her to decide to turn her life around. Then, after being discovered in a nightclub by one of The Wire's cast members and recruited to the show, fiction began to mirror life as 'snoop', drawing on the tribulations of her past, created one of television's most frightening and intriguing villains

"Number One" was a phrase my father--and, for that matter, my mother--repeated time and time again. It was a phrase spoken by my parents' friends and by their friends' children. Whenever adults discussed the great Chinese painters and sculptors from the ancient dynasties, there was always a single artist named as Number One. There was the Number One leader of a manufacturing plant, the Number One worker, the Number One scientist, the Number One car mechanic. In the culture of my childhood, being best was everything. It was the goal that drove us, the motivation that gave life meaning. And if, by chance or fate or the blessings of the generous universe, you were a child in whom talent was evident, Number One became your mantra. It became mine. I never begged my parents to take off the pressure. I accepted it; I even enjoyed it. It was a game, this contest among aspiring pianists, and although I may have been shy, I was bold, even at age five, when faced with a field of rivals. Born in China to parents whose musical careers were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, Lang Lang has emerged as one of the greatest pianists of our time. Yet despite his fame, few in the West know of the heart-wrenching journey from his early childhood as a prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to his difficult years in Beijing to his success today.Journey of a Thousand Miles documents the remarkable, dramatic story of a family who sacrificed almost everything--his parents' marriage, financial security, Lang Lang's childhood, and their reputation in China's insular classical music world--for the belief in a young boy's talent. And it reveals the devastating and intense relationship between a boy and his father, who was willing to go to any length to make his son a star.An engaging, informative cultural commentator who bridges East and West, Lang Lang has written more than an autobiography: his book opens a door to China, where Lang Lang is a cultural icon, at a time when the world's attention will be on Beijing. Written with David Ritz, the coauthor of many bestselling autobiographies, Journey of a Thousand Miles is an inspiring story that will give readers an appreciation for the courage and sacrifice it takes to achieve greatness.

Pastor Albertina Merci, the former blues singer turned minister, juggles rap, romance, family, and faith in the third book in this delightful series. The unexpected arrival of fifteen-year-old rapper J Love hits Pastor Merci with the force of a whirlwind. When J's mother is killed in a tragic bus accident, Albertina is named his legal guardian. The situation quickly complicates her budding romance with Mario, the owner of a thriving L.A. caf . As Albertina struggles to keep things on an even keel, J embarks on a dangerous journey of his own. Seduced by Bishop Henry Gold's daughter Damitra, J abandons his career as a gospel rapper and joins the flashy, materialistic world of gangsta rap. Pastor Merci must draw on every ounce of faith she has to bring everyone's voyage to a happy ending.

Albertina Merci is back in this delightful second book featuring everyone's favorite blues singer turned evangelist After Albertina's dear friend Mr. Mario, the owner of Mr. Mario's Downhome Caf , has a heart attack and then loses his wife to diabetes, he decides that his lifetime love of soul food is over for good. Mr. Mario vows to go healthy, both personally and professionally, and tries to get Albertina on board, but it quickly becomes clear that he may be looking for more than pastoral support. And while he is undeniably romantic, Mr. Mario believes in the power of man...not God. The only heat isn't in the kitchen, though. Clifford Bloom, a white DJ who has been a fan of Albertina's since her days as a blues singer, is now a member of her church and he always seems to be there just when Albertina needs him. Could this blossoming friendship be leading somewhere romantic? Caught between two very different men, Pastor Merci also has to battle to save her little church in the heart of Los Angeles as mega-church pastor Bishop Gold wants not only the land where her church sits, but her nephew Patrick's loyalty, as well.

A former R&B singer-turned-evangelist, feisty Albertina Merci comes to the aid of Maggie Clay, a biracial beauty and reigning television sitcom diva, who has become caught in a self-destructive morass that Albertina must uncover. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Ray Charles (1930-2004) led one of the most extraordinary lives of any popular musician. In Brother Ray, he tells his story in an inimitable and unsparing voice, from the chronicle of his musical development to his heroin addiction to his tangled romantic life. Brother Ray is "candid, explicit, sometimes embarrassing . . . and deeply human — just like his music" (Chicago Sun-Times).

The voice of Jimmy Scott is one of the world's most mesmerizing instruments, transcending gender and age. But its beauty is inextricably entwined with pain, hardship, and tragedy-yet Scott's resilience made his life a story of triumph. Born in Cleveland in 1925, Scott was orphaned as a teenager, and suffered from Kallman's syndrome, which kept his voice unnaturally high. He toured with Lionel Hampton in the'40s and recorded for Savoy Records. In 1962 Ray Charles produced and played on what many agree was Scott's best album, Falling in Love Is Wonderful , and a career breakthrough seemed imminent. But it was not to be, and Scott returned to Cleveland to work as an orderly and a shipping clerk-until he was rediscovered performing at his friend Doc Pomus's funeral in March of 1991. Acclaimed biographer David Ritz, with Scott's cooperation, has created a poignant portrait of a man whose voice cuts to the sadness and hope within us all. Faith in Time resonates like a haunting melody.

One of the great women of American music, equally at home singing blues and jazz, Etta regales us with tales of her chaotic childhood, the stars she has known, and her troubled trip to stardom in this mesmerizing autobiography.

Born to a music-loving family, the Neville brothers grew up immersed in the sounds and culture of New Orleans, and the blended rhythms of the city are reflected in their wide range of musical styles. The result, like their native city, is a rich gumbo of flavors: Art, with his keyboard wizardry Aaron, with his angelic voice Charles, a spiritual seeker and jazz devotee and Cyril, whose passion for music matches the intensity of his politics. In The Brothers, each tells his story candidly, recounting the early hits, the problems with drugs and the law, and the circuitous route to success. Along the way, the brothers tell the story of the New Orleans culture as well,the birth of rhythm and blues, the folklore behind the fabulous Mardi Gras Indians, the painful racial climate, and the family whose legacy is now a part of our musical history.