Michael D. Beckford

Matthew Peterson is a twenty-one-year-old black male that goes about his life as he ordinarily does. An opportunity to play video games with his best friend into the wee hours of the morning. As a young black male teen, they taught Peterson to always have respect for law enforcement, so he would not be a statistic of police violence in a Jim Crow America. Both of his parents are well to-do with a combined household income of $2.5 million dollars a year. Living in a plush gated community in the suburbs of West Palm Beach, Florida; Matthew's parents have done their best to shelter him from the daily woes and worries of most black teens his age. Their belief system has always been to make Black America Great Again through education and entrepreneurship. What was once a normal day for the well-to-do Matthew Peterson, ends up into a forty-minute horror of conflict with the police.Timing is swift and survival rates of black males and their interactions with the police is always in question.Will this be an example of another urban black teen fallen to the hands of the police?

Malcolm Turner is a foster kid, turned prostitute. He grows up in some of the lowest foster homes that a minor should have to endure. Lies and lies have been told to him his entire existence. Early on he discovers the golden ticket to his black sexuality. Or as outsiders term it that are looking for black sex (BBC). Malcolm's sole method of survival is to sell his body to the highest bidder. The underbelly for sex is at an all-time high, and Malcolm enjoys a small taste of the monetary benefits of discreet sex and culture. What was formerly a straightforward means to come up with quick cash, has now crippled Malcolm into a life of sex-slavery. Sex trafficking accounts for $28 billion annually in the United States. And in the City Of Atlanta, Georgia where Malcolm lives, $290 million dollars flows through the underground sex code like water. Will Malcolm be able to break free from his pimp? Or will he continue to endure a life of pain, depression and struggle, all for a quick buck?

Daquan Bell a.ka. Juju is on a mission to leave the community he has grown to love the most. With the passing of his mother and on the edge of turning twenty. He no longer has any reason to continue to live in the apartment his mother left him on the Southside of Chicago. He has high hopes for a new house in the burbs, and only he can stop himself from achieving the American dream. As he ponders on his life and the goals and dreams he has for himself, he interacts with the 'cigarette man' on the way to the corna store. Just like any ordinary day, 'the cigarette man' ask Daquan for change. What happens after this specific interaction, will change the course of Daquan's mindset for the rest of his life. Will Daquan be chosen as the saving grace for his community? Or will he need more than grace to deliver him from a community that has had a hard time believing in itself?

Roman Chase is no ordinary teen, he's the son of a king-pin and he doesn't even know it. Roman tends to live his life on the edge, he'll purchase whatever he feels in his heart that money can buy. With his addiction to drugs and loose women, he'd spare no dime to get what he wants. And when Roman wants something he'd do whatever it takes to get it, no matter the cost. While his mother Keke Chase is the protector of secrets, Roman will stop at nothing to find the truth. And in his exploration of truth, he might just dig up more skeletons than can be found in the grave or the trap house. How far would you go to unlock buried secrets, how deep would you dig to uncover the truth? How much pain can you endure when the ones you love the most, have you living under an illusion? Sex. Lust. Pain. Frustration. Suicidal Thoughts. Addictions. Hallucinations. Fornication. Depression. This is The Black Out, for everyone that doubts their lineage matters, take an inside look at Roman's story.

Fatherhood is a sharp dive into the love loss that occurs when a relationship between two loving people goes south. Kesha and Lance are ripped apart at the news that Kesha is pregnant. Their once dream relationship changes into a nightmare. The pressure from outside forces on both sides of the fence, gives their opinion on what direction Kesha and Lance should go since she revealed her pregnancy. Arguments are the ritual of the day. Lance and Kesha look in the mirror and realize they are in a flawed relationship. They were envied by friends and now looked down on by those same individuals. Lance doesn't simply wish to be a baby daddy, he desires to be in his daughter Brittany's life on a daily basis. Unfortunately, those same outside forces that have helped to influence Kesha's decisions, is likewise the puddy that muddies the water between Lance and his relationship with his daughter. How far will Lance go to get shared custody of his daughter? How many miles will he travel just to spend a moment with his child? The rules have shifted and there is no sign of negotiation. Until he has a court-approved order, Kesha could claim single parent status.Lance must navigate an unequal justice system as he fights for the rights to be with his child. Kesha has taken upon herself to move further away from him as the war between her and Lance has only one likely victim. Brittany. Fatherhood is a triumphantly therapeutic book for all fathers that believe in fighting for their child. The system is corrupt, but there is always hope that the pendulum can swing in your favor.

A troubled teen from the Southside of Chicago gives an intimate account of his daily struggles and hustles as he strives to make something better of himself. He goes by the name of Daquan Bell, but most know him as JuJu.His father and mother separated while Daquan was at a very young age, leaving he and his mother to fend for themselves. A typical reality for many of the teenagers that grew up on his block.Growing up under the tutelage of a single mother, Daquan quickly adapts to the social issues in America. He becomes the man in the house and questions the very order of society as we know it.Daquan witnesses the profiteering of his fellow neighbors in Chiraq. The disproportionate number of individuals on welfare and the lack of good paying jobs for blacks in the city.He has a good friend that sells and distributes a whole cocktail of drugs just to survive.The Chicago crime rate is at an all-time high and being outside on the wrong block after midnight could get someone sent to the morgue.At the age of nineteen Daquan has witnessed more than most people would ever witness during their lifetime. But even with all the bad, Daquan recognizes that some good could come from his block if people were to wake up and take action. With a strong mother and a good friend, he meets. Daquan may finally understand what it means to do good in a neighborhood rife with so much bad.This is not your average drug dealer book, this is African American Urban fiction at its best. For everyone that believes in second chances and have a hope for a way out, don't read anymore gangsta books till you have read Supply& Demand. A breakout novella by Michael D. Beckford.

Too Many of our young brown and black boys are going to prison. Whose going to SPEAK UP For Them? Speak Up Poetry speaks to the very core of American society, from civil rights, love, the church, and issues of the day. This book of poetry has a wealth of knowledge for those who are hungry for a change.This Special Edition Includes a workbook, free first chapter of 'Little Black Bird' and five bonus poems.