Currently reading the book. Review coming soon...

best book ive ever read

This is a classic urban fiction book that both male and female enjoy reading. Teens can often relate to the life and struggles of this rebellious teenage who wants to live the fast life. The author is very explicit and detailed which allows readers to paint a mental picture of the story. You won't be able to sit this book down.

This book is about a teenager who is used to the streets and having daddy give her everything she wants but when her dad can no longer give her what she needs and her world starts to fall apart what is she supposed to do? ( )

This is very explicit read of how a rebellious, street-smart, ruthless "do-whatever-it takes" attitude teenager survives after her father is no longer able to give her the pampered lifestyle that she is accustomed.

i really enjoyed this book. it was about a young girl who was very spoiled and her father was a kingpen (top drug dealer in their surroundings) she has the normal life until her father start making the wrong moves and end up in jail. the FBI made a visit to their house while he was out of town. They took everything including the cars and clothes; took her mother for questioning. So its just her and her sisters to fend for themselves. Now she continues in school until she ends up following up the wrong crowd. she gets into some trouble. when her mom went to jail the child protective services came and took her sisters; they tried to take her but she ran away and went to this home. she stayed until she meet sister souljah and some rapper. To find out the rest of the story...read the book!!! but i would recommend this book to young adults and mature adults.

The book was pretty realistic and people could relate to it in different ways. I didn't like how it ended for certain reasons, but overall it was a good book. ( )

okay...so when the students I work with found out that I'm a pretty voracious reader, the only thing any of them wanted to know was "Have you read 'The Coldest Winter Ever'?" I, of course, had never heard of this book. An attempt to relate or at least take their suggestions to heart has led me to check this out...with endorsements from P. Diddy and Will Smith's wife, how could you go wrong? (whoa.)

So this story is basically about the spoiled daughter of a successful drug dealer in Brooklyn. For a while it's all about sex, fancy clothes, hanging with the girls. Then the father gets arrested and our protagonist has to fend for herself. You kinda root for her, but she's also really irritating. What actually bothered me the most was that Sister Souljah, the author of the book, is a character in the novel..it just doesn't work for me and seems cheap. For the most part you see the appeal and the downside of this lifestyle, but overall it does come off a little bit like a scandalous, edgy, afterschool special...kids don't do drugs, and don't hang out with people who deal them either. ( )

Classic neo-urban book. A good jump off book for anyone who wants to read urban fiction. If you already are a reader of urban books and have not read this then your reading is incomplete.

appeal-action packed, page turner,urban morality tale ( )

Recommended as the quintessential read for this genre I thought I would give it a try. Seems like real insight to a culture that I knew nothing about. ( )

This is one of the best books I've ever read!! It is definately one of my favorites! ( )

What's to be said that hasn't been said all ready......forever a classic!

The things I'll read for work! I did not like this book, the main character is a spoiled brat who can't manage to get herself together without prostitution. ( )

Winter Santiaga has it all. She's got the looks, she's got friends and a loving family, and most importantly her father provides all the luxuries a girl could want. Then one day Winter's father is busted for his drug dealing and put in jail. Immediately the whole Santiaga family falls apart. Winter's sisters are put into foster care and Winter's mother loses hope and turns to drugs. Winter's alone for the first time in her life and she's quickly learning that there's no one she can count on but herself.

A quote on the back of this book said something about Winter being a self-absorbed brat, but because the author is so talented, you still have sympathy for her. I whole-heartedly agree. Every time Winter scrapes together any money, she immediately spends it on fancy clothes and shoes. She's smart, but her talents go to waste as she won't listen to anyone responsible and double crosses all her friends. Still, I was rooting for her throughout the book. ( )

Winter is a Brooklyn girl at heart. Her daddy is the biggest drug lord in the area, and he treats his girls like queens. At least he does until he is picked up and thrown in jail for just about every charge in the book. Winter is forced to fend for herself in a hostile environment and make money the only way she knows how: hustling goods. She goes from the house of her sugar daddy, to her jealous aunt’s where she is betrayed by a neighbor to Child Services. After a brief stay in a teen shelter, Winter finally meets her nemesis, Sister Souljah and that is where the real trouble begins.

This book is very graphic. Sex scenes are told in detail. It paints an ugly picture of the Brooklyn streets and the mentality of the drug dealer. The term, victimless crime is never actually used, but it is easy to see that that is how the dealers see their job. Sister Souljah does a great job of integrating herself into the book and only coming off sounding slightly pretentious.

Due to the graphic nature of this novel, I would recommend it to older readers (16-20). I wasn’t sure I liked the story at first, but it definitely grows on you. As a middle class white girl from the northwest, I feel that I have gotten to see a side of our country that I have never experienced in reading this book. It is well written, despite the slang and the main character is amazingly well developed through her inner dialog. ( )

Fast read about urban drug dealer lifestyle. Characters are vivid and realistic. Grammar is awful, but once you get used to it, not too bad. ( )

The main character was unlikable. This would have been fine, except the author inserted herself coded as a savior figure. I skipped to the end, learned the lesson, and was done. ( )

This was a great book. I strongly recommend it to anyone. It was so interesting I didn't want to put it down. ( )