Lynette Holloway’s Summer Reading List

E. Lynn Harris’ In My Father’s House is a return to what we loved most about this late author: the glitz, the glam, the twists, and the turns. In My Father’s House is set in South Beach Miami and debuts the character Bentley L. Dean III, who upon “coming out” to his parents became estranged from his wealthy family. He’s been in South Beach building a successful modeling agency, but the recession forces him to make tough decisions about his business, which includes taking a secretly gay A-list Hollywood actor up on an offer that will be nearly impossible to turn down. In My Father’s House serves up E. Lynn Harris at his best.

Platinum, by music journalist Aliya S. King, is predominantly set in New York City’s music industry and takes readers behind the fictional scenes of the trials and tribulations of hip-hop royalty’s marriage and relationships. King has said that the inspiration for Platinum came from an article she’d written for VIBE, during which she interviewed several wives of hip-hop artists and really got to see what it was like in their world—and it wasn’t all Jimmy Choos, red carpets, and private jets. So while Platinum is fictional, the stories within the novel are based on what she learned about these women’s lives.

For moms and dads who are looking for a summer read for their ’tweens and teens, Snatch: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York is perfect. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Charles Fuller of A Soldier’s Play, Snatch is an adventurous novel that takes place over 36 hours, and centers on the lives of two brothers living in New York City in the 1800s. The boys help a fugitive slave elude a gang of slave catchers, and the wild chase takes them throughout the streets and tunnels of old New York. This page-turner is also educational, and comes with an accompanying teacher’s guide. It’s available exclusively on davidandmeinnyc.com.

In 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter, we meet Davie Jones, an ugly duckling growing up in small-town Mississippi. Carter weaves a deftly wry, deeply romantic, and borderline twisted story about life. Davie thinks life can’t get any worse—she is raised by an abusive mother and is tortured at school with the nickname “Monkey Night.” What’s more, she is hopelessly in unrequited love with the most handsome, popular football player in school, James Farrell. But she undergoes a metamorphosis in this captivating coming-of-age-story.

Till You Hear From Me, Pearl Cleage’s new novel, showcases her singular talent for capturing the heart, soul, and rhythm of America in a pitch-perfect snapshot of a young woman caught at the intersection of Obamamerica and the legendary Civil Rights Movement, between personal loyalties and political realities. Just when it appears that all her hard work on Barack Obama’s campaign is about to pay off with a White House job, 35-year-old Ida B. Wells Dunbar finds herself on Washington, D.C.’s post-election sidelines while her 20-something counterparts overrun the West Wing.