Brooklyn: a captivating, powerful story with gritty realism

Brooklyn by Tracy Brown is a story of a master manipulator and serial survivor who will destroy anything in her path in order to get what she wants. The story opens with a murder and Brooklyn Melody James leaves behind a web of lies, heartache, and betrayal. As her life slips away, she recalls the events that brought her there. Brooklyn learned the art of the hustle of her parents, who used the church to get money and she is determined to be the type of woman who lives by her own rules. After one explosive fight with her parents, she runs away to New York City. There, she charms her way into the inner circle of hustlers and picks up the necessary tricks of the trade. With an inflated ego, ambition and ruthlessness, she leaves a trail of burned bridges and broken hearts. Little does she know that her reign of terror is about to end; but the question isn’t who will do it, it’s who wouldn’t? 

Brooklyn is the third book I have read and reviewed for Tracy Brown and I think this one is my favorite. I devoured this book in two days. I was hooked from the opening chapter and I could not put it down. It was captivating from the beginning with its powerful story with its heartbreaking grittiness and realism. At first, Brooklyn was easy to sympathize with as she realizes the facade her family puts up is all a front but as she goes from group of friends to group of friends, her behavior and lack of remorse is heartbreaking. Even at points when it seems she is turning a new leaf and getting on the straight and narrow, her selfishness rears its ugly head. The identity of her killer was a shocker! Sadly, Ms Brown passed away before this book was published but I hope she knew how impactful her stories have been for me and millions of other readers. I highly, highly recommend Brooklyn! 

Brooklyn is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Hold You Down: an emotional ride for single Black mothers in 1980s New York City

Hold You Down by Tracy Brown is a story about the perils of love and the ties that bind us. Mercy and Lenox Howard have always had each other. Abandoned by their mother, raised by their grandmother, they grew up on the mean streets of Harlem. As single moms with young sons, they are determined to survive and give their sons brighter futures. Mercy is the quiet, straight laced, playing the book and yet struggles to make ends meet. Lenox is the diva, the wild child, always looking for excitement and making it big in life. Their boys, Judah and Deon, are more brothers than cousins, and have forged a bond that seems unbreakable. When Lenox believes that success and power is hers for the taking as she heads down a path that will forever alter the course of her life as well as the life of her loved ones. 

I read Ms. Brown’s previous book, Single Black Female and knew I was in for an emotional ride. Hold You Down takes place in New York City during the late 1980s into the 1990s. It is a powerful, heartfelt story of a family trying to better themselves and the challenges they face. There were beautiful moments of celebration and family joys. There were gut wrenching moments of tears and devastation. I admire the strength of the characters as they come to grips with their lots in life and do their best to overcome them. Ms. Brown gives readers a hard-hitting, gritty, no-holds-bar story of life for black single mothers in 1980s New York. She does not hold back from the realities that Mercy and Lenox face and the Catch-22 they live in. Be prepared to laugh and cry with Mercy, Lenox and their sons. I highly recommend Hold You Down. 

Hold You Down is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Single Black Female: an edgy, hard hitting story about the lives of four women

Single Black Female by Tracy Brown is the story of four women who must face life’s struggles as women, mothers, wives and what it means to be Black in America. Ivy Donovan is a successful stylist and entrepreneur who has raised her two sons after their father, Michael, was sentenced to prison. After years of loneliness, her loyalty to Michael has wavered and she is desperate to have more to her life than what she has. Cara “Coco” Norris is successful and single but something is lacking. Deja Maddox is a successful real estate agent, married to Bobby, a sergeant with the NYPD. It seems that they have made it. But everything isn’t what it seems in their high polished life. Nikki Diamond is an intelligent, self-made businesswoman and social media influencer with millions of adoring fans. She lives loud and large with no regrets and feels the ladies around her need to let loose. She is certainly willing to help them. However, they soon must face the ultimate test as one of their own gets caught up in a situation that polarizes a neighborhood and a community. Where will they stand? Who will they fight for? 

From the opening chapter, Tracy Brown’s story promises to be an edgy, no holds bar, hard hitting, and a reality gut check.. And wow, does she deliver! Yes, it is about four friends who struggle with “the dramatic twists and turns of life, love and what it means to “make it” in America”. However, she offers an in depth, brutally honest look into a life and a reality that I have never experienced and will never truly understand. These women find themselves in the Catch-22 of trying to better yourself and staying true to your roots and your neighborhood. Single Black Female holds nothing back as it highlights the nuances in the Black community as they live, love and face the joy and pain of being a Black woman. Ms. Brown writes a story that smolders with a hidden fire you know is there but you pretend it’s not. You wait as the flames get higher and higher until you can’t ignore it any longer. It is not light reading but I thoroughly enjoyed it as I hung on every word, turning each page as I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. I highly recommend Single Black Female. 

Single Black Female is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.