Cheaters
Dickey, Eric Jerome
Dutton. July. 400p.
ISBN: 0-525-94386-2. $23.95
(click on the title or cover to order online)

This is Dickey's fourth book and as a former actor and stand-up comic, his writing is both funny and complex. Set in Los Angeles and its singles scene, the story is about a group of young people in their late 20's with advanced degrees, hard bodies, and substantial sexual appetites. There is Stephan, a software designer who loves and leaves Brittany, Toyomi, and Samantha, but meets his match with Chante, an accountant with a major firm. She captures his body and heart. Then there are Darnell and Dawn, the married friends of Stephan. Darnell spends his evenings writing his novel while Dawn, who desperately wants a child, is mostly angry that Darnell doesn’t seem interested. Because Dawn is so disagreeable, Darnell turns to Tammy, a friend of another friend. There are so many characters, but Dickey manages to keep them individual and special as fireworks go off when their ideas of love, loyalty, and commitment differ. This is a remarkable tale of seduction, betrayal, heartbreak, revenge, and true love.

The Courage to Hope: From Black Suffering to Human Redemption
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Dixie, Quinton Hosford and Cornel West (editors)
Beacon. 256p.
ISBN: 0807009539. $20.00

The editors Hosford and West say this "testament of hope" and a tribute to their friend, the late James M. Washington, who wrote Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayer by African-Americans. This collection of voices including Judith Weisenfeld, Albert J. Raboteau, Charles Long, James H. Cone, and many others cooperate to create a new theology based on the African-American religious experience against America’s religious landscape. From studies of specific cases in African-American history and theology, the book moves to discussions of how African-American experiences can and should inform all studies of American life. The dialog also uncovers the human soul that unites everyone and overcomes racial, economic, and social identities that often separate us.