Homage to Fame's Immortal Debbie Allen

For every woman who grew up in the '80's who couldn't get enough of the movie Flashdance, aspired to look like Jennifer Beals in her leotard and wanted to learn how to do her fancy "tip toe and point to the judges" routine; this book is the perfect read. It's the ultimate "guilty pleasure" without the guilt. Tia William's sophomore novel It Chicks is targeted to teenage girls, but take it from a 30-something-year old... this is not your average teen book. It Chicks spills over with intriguing characters; albeit, some of them are a little over the top. Besides the typical bratty teenage kids, there's plenty of sex talk, fashion and name dropping. A debut book series, It Chicks takes place at an elite New York City school for the performing arts. I could picture the hardcore dance routines and smell the sweat in the dance studios. Williams does an excellent job of capturing the youth of today with her savvy, fun and humorous dialogue. You won't be able to put the book down, and you'll catch yourself repeating the immortal words made famous by Debbie Allen, "Fame costs, and right here is where you start paying, in sweat."

Chics Love Literature: I Am Not My Hair

Chics Love Literature: I Am Not My Hair
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Chics Love Literature: I Am Not My Hair

I Am Not My Hair

The title of this post may be the stolen words of India Arie's hit song, but protagonist-- Venus Johnston felt this way long before Miss Arie belted out the words.

In Trisha R. Thomas's 2000 debut novel, Nappily Ever After, she tells the story of a thirty-something African American woman who is fed up with her job, her boyfriend and yes, her hair. Venus, who grows weary of the day-to-day turmoil of maintaining a healthy mane of locks takes the notion: "I'm sick of my hair" to a new level when she sits in her faithful hairstylist's chair and tells her to shave it off. Though she thinks parting from her hair is a stepping stone to new-found freedom, she becomes the victim of other circumstances-- life.

Though the book is about a black woman's journey to find happiness; women of all races and ethnicities can relate to the trials and tribulations in this story. If you've ever been on a "search for self," this book is sure to please you. You'll catch yourself rooting for the main character, as well as rolling your eyes at some of her antics, but most of all you'll continue to flip through the pages to find out what happens next.

You'll definitely want to read the book first because a film adaptation is due to hit the big screen in 2008 with Halle Berry to portray the happily shaven main character.