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Do You Read Street, Ghetto or Gangsta Lit?

Juan Williams just wrote a story about what ghetto lit is doing to black publishing. He says that black women read way more than the brothers and we are responsible for the growth of the genre he's calling ghetto lit. Check out the article here. Do you read these books? If so, why? And do you think that glorifying the gangsta life is a problem or is it just entertainment? Just asking because this is the second discussion in a week about the subject. Things are getting heated on either side so I'd love you to weigh in. And do you think this has an impact on what kind of books will be available to us in the future?

Tags: black women, ghetto lit, juan williams, literature, street lit, wall street journal

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Permalink Reply by Danielle on November 19, 2009 at 11:45am: I enjoyed this article about "ghetto lit" it asks some important questions and brings up important issues about the way black people are depicted and the images that are put out there for our youth and for others to judge us by.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Natasha D on February 22, 2010 at 1:32pm: Man oh man. I can honestly tell you that when I was younger, you couldn't stop me from picking up a Flyy Girl book, True to the Game, Coldest Winter Ever, etc. I know all about what those type of books represent and as I've grown I've come to realize that it's not only degrading ourselves but also seeming as if we lack creativity. So yeah, it is a problem. Yes, there are drug dealers, criminals, gold diggers, hores, etc. out there in the world amongst African Americans but that shouldn't be all we write about it. Just as we have criminals, there's a also a wide amount of successful African American teachers, lawyers, doctors, leaders, etc. Why not write about them??? It's quite sad because when you pick up a book written by a White man or basically any other race, their books range from mystery, to romance, to action, to sci fi. The list goes on and on. But when you pick a book written by an African American, you already know what to expect. A Black man or woman going to jail, selling drugs, trying to live the "gangsta" life, drama, fighting's, sex, sleeping with someone to get in higher places, etc. All negative. Now as far as those type of stereotypical books being written in the future, who knows??? Maybe readers will get bored and tired with the same old stories. Only time will tell. There are too many stereotypical images portrayed of us. Movies, music videos, the radio, and books. We can definitely do a whole lot better than what we're putting out.; ▶ Reply to This