Essence

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FICTION Hardcover
1. I Say a Little Prayer by E. Lynn Harris (Doubleday, $21.95)* (6)
2. When Somebody Loves You Back by Mary B. Morrison (Dafina Books, $24)*
3. Satin Nights by Karen E. Quinones Miller (Warner Books, $23.99)*
4. What They Want by Omar Tyree (Simon & Schuster, $21.95)*
5. God Don’t Play by Mary Monroe (Dafina Books, $24)*
6. Divas of Damascus Road by Michelle Stimpson (Walk Worthy Press, $22.99)* 7. Dirty Red by Vickie M. Stringer (Atria, $23.95) (9)
8. Chasing Destiny by Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton, $24.95) (1)
9. Baby Brother’s Blues by Pearl Cleage (One World/Ballantine, $24.95) (7)
10. Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns by J. California Cooper (Doubleday, $23.95) (2)

FICTION Paperback
1. A Sin and a Shame by Victoria Christopher Murray (Touchstone, $14) (1)
2. Caramel Flava edited by Zane (Atria, $15)*
3. Angel by Teri Woods (Teri Woods Publishing, $14.95)*
4. Hold U Down by Keisha Ervin (Triple Crown Publications, $15)*
5. Say U Promise…Again! by Michel Moore (Say U Promise Publications, $15)*
6. Deadly Reigns II by Teri Woods (Teri Woods Publishing, $14.95)* 7. Temptation by Victoria Christopher Murray (Walk Worthy Press, $6.50)* 8. When a Sistah's Fed Up by Monica Frazier Anderson (AuthorHouse, $18.95)* 9. Riding Dirty on I-95 by Nikki Turner (One World/Ballantine, $13.95) (6) 10. My Woman His Wife by Anna J. (Q-Boro Books, $14.95)*

NON-FICTION Hardcover
1. Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny by Hill Harper (Gotham, $20) (2)
2. Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings by Tyler Perry (Riverhead, $23.95) (4)
3. A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown (Crown, $24.95) (3)
4. Life Is Not a Fairy Tale by Fantasia (Fireside, $21.95)*
5. Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans (Amistad, $24.95) (1)
6. Soul Sanctuary by Jason Miccolo Johnson (Bulfinch Press, $29.95)* 7. From Slavery to Freedom by John Hope Franklin and Alfred Moss Jr. (Knopf, $49.95)* 8. Lies at the Altar by Robin L. Smith (Hyperion, $24.95)* 9. Mama Made the Difference by T. D. Jakes (Putnam Adult, $19.95) (8) 10. Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster by Michael Eric Dyson (Basic Civitas Books, $23)*

NON-FICTION Paperback
1. The Willie Lynch Letter by Kashif Malik Hassan-El (Frontline Dist. Int’l, $3.95) (2)
2. The Covenant With Black America by Tavis Smiley (Third World Press, $12) (3)
3. The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson (Africa World Press, $9.95) (1)
4. Hip-Hop Street Curriculum by Jawanza Kunjufu (African American Images, $12.95)*
5. Chicken Soup (African American Woman’s Soul) by Jack Canfield et al (HCI, $14.95)*
6. Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind? by Michael Eric Dyson (Basic Civitas Books, $14)* 7. Callus on My Soul by Dick Gregory (Dafina Books, $15)* 8. Keeping Black Boys Out of Special Education by Jawanza Kunjufu (African American Images, $15.95) (6) 9. We Beat the Street by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt (Puffin, $6.99) (10) 10. Reallionaire by Farrah Gray (HCI, $12.95) (5) ABOUT THIS LIST:

The Essence Best Sellers list is based on reports of retail sales. Respondents are African-American bookstores. Numbers in parentheses indicate last month’s position. An asterisk indicates a debut title on this list.

REPORTING STORES:

Hood Books Headquarters (Warren, Michigan), (313) 515-7961
Mood Makers (Rochester, New York), (585) 271-7010
Precious Memories Bookstore (Richmond), (804) 726-8501
Truth Bookstore (Southfield, Michigan), (248) 557-4824
Nu World of Books (Beaumont, Texas), (409) 838-2242
Pyramid Books (Boynton Beach, Florida), (561) 731-4422
Black Images Book Bazaar (Dallas), (214) 943-0142
African American Images (Chicago), (773) 445-0322
Karibu (Hyattsville, Maryland), (301) 559-1140
Kana CD’s & Books (Columbus, Ohio), (614) 577-1897)
Jokae’s African American Books (Dallas), (214) 331-8100
Brownstone Books (Brooklyn), (718) 953-7328
Knowledge Bookstore (Brampton,Ontario), (905) 459-9875
Shrine of the Black Madonna (Detroit), (313) 491-0777
Black Classics Books (Mobile, Alabama), (215) 476-1060
Cushcity.com (Houston, Texas), (281) 444-4265
Under One Roof (Killeen, Texas), (254) 554-6553
Alkebu-Lan Images (Nashville), (615) 321-4111
Shrine of the Black Madonna Bookstore (Houston), (713) 645-1071
Dynasty Books (Charlotte, North Carolina), (704) 563-4520
Heritage Bookstore (Rancho Cucamonga, California), (909) 484-8411