In 2001, at the age of only 22, the virtually unknown Mike Skinner was signed for a five album record deal. Since then, Mike Skinner has won a worldwide reputation for fusing home-grown hip-hop with the proud British tradition of observational song writing, which stretches from The Beatles and The Kinks to Blur and the Arctic Monkeys. In the multi-faceted guise of The Streets he, along with the likes of his friend and peer Dizzy Rascal, has been largely responsible for giving British rap its own identity, distinct from that of its American influences. Alternating between spells of reckless indulgence and sardonic commentary on his own excesses, Mike Skinner has established the kind of instantly accessible pop persona which only comes along once or twice a generation. Now he brings us The Story of the Streets. Moving chronologically through five albums, and the different phases of his life that they represent, Mike shares personal details of his modest upbringing in Birmingham, as well as the wild extravagances of life in the showbiz fast lane. Personal, shocking and funny; but deeply intelligent, insightful, opinionated and searingly honest - this is a lesson in the making of pop history, narrated by a voice that has informed a generation.

Recklessly loyal. That's how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately she's grown resentful of everyone--including her needy best friend and her absent mom--taking her loyalty for granted. Then Arden stumbles upon a website called Tonight the Streets Are Ours, the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, who gives voice to feelings that Arden has never known how to express. He seems to get her in a way that no one else does, and he hasn't even met her. Until Arden sets out on a road trip to find him. During one crazy night out in New York City filled with parties, dancing, and music--the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does--Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

After doing a 5-year bid, all ex-drug dealer Breeze wants is a normal life with the love of his life and his children. Determined to stay on a straight and narrow path, he follows all the rules of his probation, and even works a full-time job as a janitor. But when the pressure becomes too much to handle, he reverts back to what he knows best. With everything under control, he's the happiest man alive—that is, until he realizes his happiness was achieved at the cost of another man's losses. This brings Breeze back to a part of his life he'd hoped never to relive. He puts his combat boots on and is ready for war, not knowing if the battle will land him back in lockdown. In order to keep his happiness, Breeze is willing to risk it all. Bestselling author Chunichi brings readers another engaging tale of life on the streets. The Streets Keep Calling will make you ask yourself, "How far would I be willing to go for survival?"

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR TAYARI JONES “How can a novel’s social criticism be so unflinching and clear, yet its plot moves like a house on fire? I am tempted to describe Petry as a magician for the many ways that The Street amazes, but this description cheapens her talent . . . Petry is a gifted artist.” — Tayari Jones, from the Introduction The Street follows the spirited Lutie Johnson, a newly single mother whose efforts to claim a share of the American Dream for herself and her young son meet frustration at every turn in 1940s Harlem. Opening a fresh perspective on the realities and challenges of black, female, working-class life, The Street became the first novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies.

Brandon Novak, an actor known for the films Jackass and Viva La Bam, among others, was a teenage skateboarder, but his lust for heroin led to a junkie’s destiny on the streets of Baltimore. Arrests, rehabs, and drug-tortured love triangles consumed Novak’s life, until his childhood friend and Jackass alumnus Bam Margera guided him to MTV fame. But Novak’s stardom led him down a self-destructive path that forced him to sculpt his future. This suspenseful memoir is interspersed with action, humor, and inspiration.

Forbes, Best Business Books of 2022 Behavioral Scientist, Notable Books of 2022 The facts, not the fiction, of America’s immigration experience Immigration is one of the most fraught, and possibly most misunderstood, topics in American social discourse—yet, in most cases, the things we believe about immigration are based largely on myth, not facts. Using the tools of modern data analysis and ten years of pioneering research, new evidence is provided about the past and present of the American Dream, debunking myths fostered by political opportunism and sentimentalized in family histories, and draw counterintuitive conclusions, including: Upward Mobility: Children of immigrants from nearly every country, especially those of poor immigrants, do better economically than children of U.S.-born residents – a pattern that has held for more than a century. Rapid Assimilation: Immigrants accused of lack of assimilation (such as Mexicans today and the Irish in the past) actually assimilate fastest. Improved Economy: Immigration changes the economy in unexpected positive ways and staves off the economic decline that is the consequence of an aging population. Helps U.S. Born: Closing the door to immigrants harms the economic prospects of the U.S.-born—the people politicians are trying to protect. Using powerful story-telling and unprecedented research employing big data and algorithms, Abramitzky and Boustan are like dedicated family genealogists but millions of times over. They provide a new take on American history with surprising results, especially how comparable the “golden era” of immigration is to today, and why many current policy proposals are so misguided.

The year is 1976. Veteran New Haven homicide detective Frank Suchy has finally learned to cope with the demons in his life and the daily pressure of ‘the job’—being exposed to every manner of death that could possibly befall someone—all the while celebrating his third year of sobriety. But when his best friend’s child is brutally murdered in broad daylight outside a downtown shopping mall, his world begins to deteriorate, bringing back the nightmares that he thought were locked away long ago. Recollections of his brief friendship with rock singer Jim Morrison (who he befriended at the 1967 New Haven concert where the singer was arrested onstage), and all the other terrible memories he had worked so hard to suppress…come pouring back. To make matters worse, there are external forces that threaten Detective Suchy’s wellbeing. Pressure from bureaucrats and the political elite to curtail any exposure of the case to the public in the wake of New Haven’s recent massive Urban Renewal Project, and the simmering racial and social divide between the minority communities against the police department in particular, send Detective Suchy over the edge. He spirals out of control in a desperate race against time to solve this horrendous case, hoping to somehow redeem his soul—and the city’s, for that matter—even if it means laying down his own life in the process. What Detective Suchy eventually uncovers is the seedy, horrifying underbelly of the 1970s.