True to the Game by Teri Woods

Oh my goodness, I think I might be going to hell for reading this book. This novel is part of the "street lit" genre of fiction that is incredibly popular with some African-American readers. We are discussing these books for our genre study at work and I chose this particular title because it was one of the first contemporary books of its kind to be published, and self-published at that. The plot centers on Gena, an 18-year-old hustler who survives by acquiring drug dealer boyfriends who pay her way in life. One night at a club in Harlem she meets, Quadir, the biggest drug dealer in South Philly. They immediately get together and the rest of the plot revolves around all of the money she spends, the sex they have, the raunchy, depressing lives of their friends, and Quadir's battle with the Junior Mafia, a rival drug dealing operation. The amount of cursing, nasty sex and disrespectful attitudes toward women in this book nearly made me sick every time I read it. But I have to say, Teri Woods knows how to keep the story going. Her writing is sloppy and the transitions between scenes are terrible, but her plotting is good. I did want to find out how the story ended and what would happen to Qua and Gena. However, I feel that my mind has been dirtied by reading this. It was just...yuck. Not recommended!