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Midnight

by Sister Souljah

3.71 · rating details · 1,103 ratings · 273 reviews

A fierce fighter with heart and a powerful mind, Midnight is willing to do anything to defend his family, the women he loves, and his business and property. In this riveting prequel to her urban classic, The Coldest Winter Ever, Sister Souljah reintroduces readers to Ricky Santiago’s strong, humble, and dangerously attractive lieutenant. The intricate storytelling in ...more

Paperback, 512 pages

Published November 30th 2010 by Washington Square Press (first published 2007)

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Nov 16, 2011

Monique rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: street-life-hustlas-street-fiction, on-and-on-trilogies-two-part-books

Wavered really hard on how to rate this book, what I wanted to say and how I felt about it..I must say I found myself reading it but not really enjoying it--Honestly I found myself annoyed and appalled at the stereotypes, the cultural and religious bias, the arrogance and unbelivable aspect of the main character: the oh so worldly and mature "Midnight" and the lack of positive African Americans throughout the entire novel..I too claim roots in New York, not Brooklyn but close enough to...moreWavered really hard on how to rate this book, what I wanted to say and how I felt about it..I must say I found myself reading it but not really enjoying it--Honestly I found myself annoyed and appalled at the stereotypes, the cultural and religious bias, the arrogance and unbelivable aspect of the main character: the oh so worldly and mature "Midnight" and the lack of positive African Americans throughout the entire novel..I too claim roots in New York, not Brooklyn but close enough to major activity to know that there are success stories not statistics coming out of these places but you would never know that from this book..It is embarrassing and disgusting-- the portrayal of Americans and blacks in general in this book is outrageous and false..ugh..okay so let me digress and get into the plot..young Midnight and his incomparable mother (believe me I say that because every description of her is designed to enforce her superiority over every woman not born in Sudan) are relocated for some vague reason to America to start their life there. While in America, a land where they are able to start their own business, find jobs, housing and gradual acceptance they constantly criticize and berate every person on their block and in the country.. They save and scrimp and are even able to buy a home but still have nothing but complaints and insults to how life is in America and how things are done. So Midnight is some kind of super boy and at the age of seven finds housing, a job for him and his mother and everything, oh by the way he is also a ninja in training and incredible at basketball LOL..Okay so seven years pass, a sister is born and while Midnight is still running around dodging all the girls because oh yeah he is also incredibly handsome, smart and cut.. he catches the eye of a Japanese girl Akemi by his job and after a mere two weeks or so and despite not being able to understand a word she says they fall in love..I didnt mind this aspect of the book so much until like every other thing in his life he gives scathing comparisons and heavily prejudiced views that make you hate Akemi, his mother Umma and definitely him..I did also find it was very laughable and farfetched to believe that at fourteen he could feel he was ready to commit to marriage but apparently he is just that mature. I recognize he was born in another land with different views, beliefs and morals and I find that beautiful and would have been impressed with its power.. and I would have loved it if there were equal portrayals of Americans as well, we are not all the same and the only black girls in the book are promiscuous, teenage moms, and all around trashy..with the exception of the lawyer there was no positivity at all..I was disappointed..I found the descriptions of the Muslim religion very powerful and inspirational however there was just too many comparisons and negative blatant inconsistencies I just couldnt get with...for example how can he talk of the Brooklyn guys as if they were nothing yet he changes his whole style to be like them....how can he criticize how they kill each other when he killed two men...how can he judge EVERYTHING at the tender age of fourteen, seriously it was way too unbelievable..I didnt get the ending and honestly unless they look at his life at twenty-five I have no interest in the outcome it was too silly to take seriously and I was pretty let down..(less)

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Feb 10, 2009

Demetria rated it

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Shelves: fiction

Sister Souljah is a talented writer and the idea of writing a novel based on a character (Midnight)from her best-seller The Coldest Winter Ever sounds like a great idea. However, there are a few things that prevent this novel from being great. One thing is that it's just too long. There are lots of really great books that are hundreds and hundreds of pages long, but what makes this book different is that the ending is incredibly unsatisfying. A book of this length should take readers right up...more

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Dec 29, 2008

Ebony rated it

· review of another edition

I spent most of Midnight: A Gangster Love Story like, really? This character didn’t seem to do the things the Midnight character in Winter did. I kept waiting for things to go awry like in the other book, but there’s a huge gap in the stories. There’s no real drama; we need quasi-happy endings once in a while. I suppose there’s more intrigue that way, but both books read like commercials with all of the details about the material things. I wanted to get to the end so I’d know how the stories ...moreI spent most of Midnight: A Gangster Love Story like, really? This character didn’t seem to do the things the Midnight character in Winter did. I kept waiting for things to go awry like in the other book, but there’s a huge gap in the stories. There’s no real drama; we need quasi-happy endings once in a while. I suppose there’s more intrigue that way, but both books read like commercials with all of the details about the material things. I wanted to get to the end so I’d know how the stories matched but they never did. The other “really” came from the fact that a 14 year old kid behaves so manlike. I just didn’t buy it. I know the argument was because he wasn’t an American, but Midnight was a tough character to swallow whole. Plus, the pictures ruined everything. I wanted to imagine him in my head not see Souljah’s printed version. That kid on the cover looks nothing like either character I imagined when reading either book. The third “really” is Souljah’s self-righteousness. She can’t help herself from preaching. She talked so badly about African Americans and black women that I had to cringe. Did she become born a Muslim one day and I forgot to read about it on allhiphop.com? I was not comfortable with the way her characters privileged almost every other woman of color over black women. It was tough. Plus she argued that black women abort their babies and black men battle over territory that isn’t theirs as if that’s all we do. Americans are stupid and confused but African Muslims have all the answers. BTW I wondered why Souljah chose the Sudan as her backdrop and said nothing about its current state? Besides the lawyer, there isn’t one redeeming black female character in the whole story. Her main character loves his women but treats them as precious objects that he has to protect. They don’t get to protect themselves. They rarely get to speak and hell, he and the love of his life don’t even speak the same language other than sex which conveniently solves everything. The women are very childlike in the story. Not that I don’t act and want to be childlike sometimes but I’m saying the baby women obsession got to be played out after a while. It’s cool that Midnight’s women are creative and business minded even if they are dependent on him and the morals about purity and discipline and attention are good, but all in all, I think the scales tip on the self righteous side especially without a larger picture of postindustrial conditions and gender politics. There’s very little that challenges Souljah’s characters that’s outside of their control. The book is actually quite Larry Elder-like with the exception of her celebration of illegal and murderous activities to protect oneself and ones women. It’s an odd contradiction inherent to the hip hop generation and its products but I would have hoped that a woman like Souljah would have explained the larger more tenuous situation a bit more sophisticatedly than saying Americans have no discipline and morals.(less)

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Dec 10, 2008

British rated it

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Ugh i just wrote a long review but oh well ha ha. I LOVED this book it was so good it gave me a chance to get to know nd understand another culture. I learned things that i would have to be there in person to learn. Their Believes were beautiful although there were somethings i did not agree with but i did agree with most of it. I loved the view on intimacy before sex. I feel the same way toward it but from reading this book it makes me want to hold on to mine even tighter then before, Although ...more

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Jul 08, 2011

Now if I could just get paid for Reading... rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

It is 3:10 in the morning and I just finished the novel. I have a lot of unanswered questions! There has to be a sequel to this one. Does he get his wife back (at the age of 14)? Is he still 14 at the end of the book? What happened to his Father? Or did I miss it? Are they going to move into the house? Is Umma and her Sudanese friends going to open up their school? Ameer seems like a hot head is he and Midnight going to get into it? Is Midnight going to hook up with Bangs and make her a second w...more

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Jun 28, 2011

Ann rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I just finished this book. I have been reading it non stop a little each day. Everytime I put it down it was because I had to but I didn't want to. I wanted more of Midnight and his story. I found myself thinking at a much deeper level about topics the author weaves into the plot. I also kept forgetting that Midnight was only 14. I was so enthralled with this story and each of the characters. This is the first book I've read by Souljah and I'm so glad I've found her talented writing. I have pre-...more

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Nov 19, 2008

Anina Ertel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

I enjoyed this but had a hard time getting into it in the beginning, it was a little slow to me. Then it got better. But not as exciting of a read as Coldest Winter Ever and not really as relevant to Coldest Winter Ever as it was advertised to be, I guess. It's not a sequel, it's more of a somewhat related pre-quel that took a really long time to be writeen. So you know, I expected it to be really really awesome.

It's a situation of dissapointment not dissimilar to that new Guns N...more

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Mar 24, 2009

J.hill rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone Male looking for a positive message about what being a Man is all about

Recommended to J.hill by: Mom Dukes

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 18, 2011

Chevonne rated it

· review of another edition

I felt so many ways when I read this book. For one thing, I felt S.S. was using this book to educate the readers on the customs and lifestyles of Midnight's country and religion. Learning something by chance where you don't expect it is great, but the force-feeding of Muslim and Sudanese ideals were an over-bearing subject in this book. The next thing that stood out to me was the fact that once the "mystery" of Midnight from TCWE was revealed, I really didn't like him that much. So arr...more

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Aug 06, 2011

Te'Amo rated it

· review of another edition

I've read and heard so many negative reviews and this is why it's taken me so long to get this one. Majority of the reviews that I was reading or hearing were all saying it had nothing to do with "The Coldest Winter Ever" until someone finally told me it was about Midnight and his transition into America. Today on Goodreads I read a lot of negative reviews stating that Souljah portrayed black women in a negative light and how "unrealisitic" this was and the stigmas etc etc. I...moreI've read and heard so many negative reviews and this is why it's taken me so long to get this one. Majority of the reviews that I was reading or hearing were all saying it had nothing to do with "The Coldest Winter Ever" until someone finally told me it was about Midnight and his transition into America. Today on Goodreads I read a lot of negative reviews stating that Souljah portrayed black women in a negative light and how "unrealisitic" this was and the stigmas etc etc. I feel like this: There is a reason why this book is included in the FICTION section because it's not supposed to be truthful just a story for entertainment so I really don't understand why so many are upset at the things she decided to write about and the view she took on it. I can actually relate to a lot of the things she wrote about such as females selling themselves short and being so quick to reel a guy in through sex or their sex appeal and wearing the tight fitting clothing and such. YES there are more positive females around but Souljah is the author and she decided that she wanted to bring other things to light so I can't blame her or be upset with her and say her book is trash because of that. Others were also upset because they thought that this would be a Coldest Winter pt 2 but had they read the synopsis then they would've known this wasn't the case. I respect this book because it opened my eyes into a new tradition and way of life over in Africa. I always hear about people being Muslim but none the way Midnight was raised to be. Yes I felt Midnight was over the top because of his good looks, fighting skills, and how between 7-14 he was handling things that me at 27 am still struggling to do. But when it's all you know and are used to, it comes naturally. All in all this was a good book to me

Not only was the writing style on point the story was very interesting and new to me. I enjoyed following the day to day in the life of Midnight because although I see and hear about the people he ran into I don't stop and dwell into their lives but Souljah let me in a little more through her writing. I've read a few books that are poorly written and/or edited and it was good to be able to just continue reading the story without having to stop or get annoyed because of all the typos or trying to decipher the poor grammer. This novel also helped me to understand why black men settle down with women outside of their race. When you grow up seeing/hearing the same things you want something new and different, something that's ALL your own and the entire town can't tell you their life story before you get it out of them for yourself.(less)

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May 02, 2011

Audrey rated it

· review of another edition

This book was very good, hard to put down which was a problem only because it was very long. The story went on for ever. It is a good thing that the charchters pulled you in so that you cared enough to keep reading. I heard the sequeal is even longer. It is the story of a boy whose family was sent to America for a better future. Since the father stays behind, Midnight must become the man of the house and support and protect his family. The arrangments fall through and the family is forced ...more

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May 23, 2010

Darnetta rated it

· review of another edition

Midnight by Sister Souljah takes us into the life of Midnight; a small character in Sister Souljah's debut novel, The Coldest Winter Ever. Having been born and raised in Sudan, Midnight learned early on what is meant to be a man in the Muslim faith. After moving to the United States (New York more specifically) at seven years old and without his father, Midnight took the role as head of household with no qualms. Protecting and providing for his mother, whom he called Umma, and his sister, Naja, ...moreMidnight by Sister Souljah takes us into the life of Midnight; a small character in Sister Souljah's debut novel, The Coldest Winter Ever. Having been born and raised in Sudan, Midnight learned early on what is meant to be a man in the Muslim faith. After moving to the United States (New York more specifically) at seven years old and without his father, Midnight took the role as head of household with no qualms. Protecting and providing for his mother, whom he called Umma, and his sister, Naja, he helped create a family business, Umma Designs, which allowed his mother to bring traditional Sudanese Muslim beauty to her growing customer base. Beyond what he did for his household, Midnight indulged in martial arts, took a job at a fish market, and found love in and Asian girl, Akemi. He often avoided the foolishness, according to Midnight, American-born Blacks indulged in (like having premarital sex), in exchange for growing his business so that he could move his family out of Brooklyn. But being a disciplined young man was not met without challenges. Midnight is forced to end a few lives, struggle with temptation, and attempt to navigate in a land much different than his own. Will Midnight triumph over all the adversity set before him? Or will he succumb to the pressures that puberty, poverty, and being Black in America places upon him?

I enjoyed reading Midnight's story. Though I was initially disappointed that this was not the anticipated sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever (we waited ten years for it), I really liked learning about Midnight's values and goals. It was quite different to see someone at such a young age, so mature. This is also what will distract most readers. Most of the events in the story happen when Midnight is 14 years-old and it is hard to convince readers that someone so young is this focused. There were grammatical errors that cannot be overlooked, but there is a plethora of knowledge throughout the novel about the Muslim faith that made the errors a minute detail in hindsight. Although the novel is intimidating in length (two pages short of 500), I am not sure the message would be well received without as many pages. I recommend Midnight to Sister Souljah fans who are interested in finding out, in great detail, who Midnight is and those interested in reading the third installment of this series (which is supposed to bridge the gap between TCWE and Midnight). However, I want Sister Souljah to cater more to her readers by not waiting another ten years to bring us the last book. (less)

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Feb 18, 2010

Amanda added it

After reading The Coldest Winter Ever, I could not get enough. Once I found the book Midnight, I was so excited and started reading it right away!! At first I expected it, like many others, to meet up with The Coldest Winter Ever and explain how he got to the position he was in, considering in the book Midnight he starts off so young but so levelheaded. It did not come to link the two together, but never the less I was not disappointed. I read a lot of reviews talking about how the book was not ...more

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Dec 19, 2009

Desera Favors rated it

I finished this Book (5) days ago and I am so pissed! The book is amazing, I never read a book that was so offensive yet I was unable to put the book down. I was also disappointed because I felt my beautiful Sistah didn't make a connection with "The Coldest Winter Ever",(this is the book Midnight was introduced in) She made him into this supposed perfect Black Man instead. I felt hated and completely worthless after reading this book. I am used to my Sistah's books being uplifting, but...more

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Dec 12, 2009

Barbara O'Neal rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 12, 2009

Mocha Girl rated it

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Shelves: cross-cultural

I will forego a synopsis of the novel because Amazon provides a fairly detailed description for Sister Souljah's latest offering, Midnight: A Gangster Love Story, the prequel featuring a character of the same name featured in her bestselling, The Coldest Winter Ever. Set in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the author revisits the Brooklyn landscape with Midnight coming of age against the backdrop of a tough urban setting. He navigates the streets and survives largely because of his faith, devotion to...more

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Jul 11, 2009

Joshunda Sanders rated it

· review of another edition

I exaggerated when I complained that this book was 600 pages long. I finished it last night, though, and when I did, I realized what made it feel so long. Too much description, not enough detail. I expected to dislike this book a lot, though, because I had a range of weird feelings after I read "The Coldest Winter Ever," Sistah Souljah's first novel. I thought she inserted herself too much into that book, and she went overboard at the end of it, basically processing the issues she had ...more

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Apr 03, 2011

Jaay Ferocity rated it

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Shelves: my-favorites

After reading this book for the first time, I couldn't get enough of it! I read it three more times after.

Reading this book gave me a better insight of the Muslim religion. I used to think that it was only about wearing a hijab, but it's much more than that.

The biggest quality I adores about Midnight was his love for the females in his life, Akemi and Umma. He had love Bangs but at the same time, he knew that she was a threat to his spirituality and the female he TRULY love...more

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Sep 16, 2010

Imani J rated it

The book starts off slow, with to much details, but like i said earlier while reading it, i understood why she did it and the main reason is to teach us while we read. I guess sometime when your are reading for enjoyment you dont want to be taught, BUT im actually glad she went in great details about somethings, it help me to understand alot of things throughout the book. I totally enjoyed this book, it a book that has a great message. Me being a women that grew up in the street of brooklyn with...more

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Jan 20, 2009

Monica rated it

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This is Sister Souljah's book, who is about one of the characters in the Coldest Winter Ever, Midnight. Considering, a common denominator in both books, I thought in someway the books would cross paths, disappointingly that never happened. This book is much more laid back and closely resembles a biography as it traces the roots and upbringing of the character. He's age 7 and he's age 14, through an entire 500 pages. I didn't see the point. Overall their alot of great things in the book, as far a...more

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Dec 07, 2011

Sarah rated it

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Shelves: read-in-2011

This book is difficult for me to assess. I enjoyed reading it. Sister Souljah is an impressive figure. She's done a lot of work for her community, and is so opinionated and well-spoken she can shut down a room of dissenters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DzeioDw...). She can sometimes boil down an idea in such a simple manner, that you're left wondering why you never saw it that way before. For example, my favorite quote from her is on the idea of "Street Lit": "I think that wh...more

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Jan 24, 2009

Adrienna rated it

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Sistah Souljah starts off speaking about Midnight's family--Umma (mom) and dad sending his family off to U.S. from Africa (what ever happened to Midnight's father afterwards). Midnight's manhood arose at the age of fourteen, after discovering the hard-knock life in NY and few rumbles at the early age of seven.

In this book, normally do not see photos or images of people while reading the content especially in a fiction book. It brings the story more to life, feels more lifelike, and ...more

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Feb 10, 2009

Neil rated it

· review of another edition

I read this because I wanted to understand urban fiction just a little better. As it turns out, this book is very hard on the audience for urban fiction, so I doubt it will do much but disappoint the people who have chosen The Coldest Winter Ever as an iconic book. But it's still an interesting book in many ways.

Written from the perspective of a 14-year-old Sudanese immigrant to the US, this is the story of a young Islamic man trying to navigate American, particularly African-America...moreI read this because I wanted to understand urban fiction just a little better. As it turns out, this book is very hard on the audience for urban fiction, so I doubt it will do much but disappoint the people who have chosen The Coldest Winter Ever as an iconic book. But it's still an interesting book in many ways.

Written from the perspective of a 14-year-old Sudanese immigrant to the US, this is the story of a young Islamic man trying to navigate American, particularly African-American, culture while keeping his mother and sister safe. For political reasons not explained in detail, they've been forced to come to America to stay safe and Midnight must take on the role of man of the family very early, which in his culture is a very important role indeed.

In terms of realism, this is just plain silly: Midnight is, among other things, devoutly religious, a ninja-in-training, a successful businessman, a basketball star, a reader, a strong chess player, and a magnet for women of all ages. He achieves all of this because of his father's powerful influence, despite the fact that he never sees his father after age 7. He has a good mother who also influences him, but she can't speak any English and is completely sheltered from the real world by her son. Yet somehow Midnight is brilliant and never makes a misstep despite the fact that he is home-schooled from age 7 by a mother who is a complete fish out of water. He falls in love with a 16-year-old Japanese artist, in America for her show at the MOMA. She also loves him and they spend the book courting, despite the fact that she also doesn't speak any English. She also seems to want nothing more than to be sheltered and put on a pedestal by a boy with whom she can barely communicate. Even in simple terms of the number of tasks that Midnight can fit into a day, this book is fantasy writ large. Midnight is the truest kind of Mary Sue. He just can't do any wrong.

I found many aspects of the book troubling too. The book is almost universally critical of African-American culture, while completely glorifying Islamic Sudanese culture. Even worse, the women in the novel are written as if they could desire nothing more than be hidden away from the world and allowed to be creative goddesses, making babies and art but locked away from human interactions. Neither of the two main female characters seems troubled by the fact that they cannot communicate with anyone in the culture where they live. Only Naja, Midnight's little sister seems to bridle against his control, and even her revolts are minor. What would happen if Midnight was killed, or if he wasn't perfect and made major mistakes? One more disturbing aspect of the book is the casual way in which Midnight kills two men. Granted, they are not nice men (and despite the subtitle, Midnight is not a gangster), but in both cases Midnight kills them because of threats, not because they actually do anything of substance. Finally, don't even get me started on the idea that a 14 year old and a 16 year old could make a successful marriage. If you want to analyze this book deeply as realism, I don't think you can like it, let alone love it.

Yet despite all of that, I'm giving the book four stars. Here's why: First, this is a romance, a work of the fantastic set in a variation of the real world. Within the fantastic version of the world that it creates, it's internally consistent. This is a story told from the perspective of a character, and from his worldview, what happens here (despite it's improbability in real-world terms) is believable. More important, Sister Souljah tells an interesting story that kept my attention throughout, even at moments when I was shaking my head at the possibility of a young man like Midnight or the political subtexts underlying the romance.

This is a wonky, middle-aged white man's review of a book that is none of those things. But I was surprised to find myself, against all likelihoods, caught up in this story. (less)

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Sep 26, 2011

Ryan Johnson rated it

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I loved this book! I really got into it, mainly for the same reasons most people didn't like it. It was not what I was expecting. Everybody thought this was going to be the follow up to Coldest Winter Ever, I stated reading it for that reason. I wanted to check back in with Winter but there was no Winter. lol. What I found instead was a character that I thought I knew, I actually didn't. Midnight this sexy thugish black man, in Winter eyes. Turned out to be a strong, intelligent, family oriented...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Karentha rated it

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This was a terrible disappointment, do not buy this book, borrow it from someone and when your done advise them to take it back! This book is good if your interested in young, interracial, muslim love but other than that there was no real "Gangsta Love Story" like the title says!

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Dec 09, 2008

Gina rated it

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Man, finished this book, did not like the ending at all. Midnight comes to live in New York with his mom, Umma and sister Naja. Falls in love with a Japanese girl who doesn't even speak English. After falling in love with her and marrying her, her father takes her back home to Japan. That's how it ended. So dang mad at that! I would hope that there is a continuation.

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Mar 17, 2009

Carolyn rated it

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I loveD this book. The wisdom of "Midnight" is on point. Sistah is on point with her manchild view of the world that he lives in. I would have loved if she brought the story to his involvement with "Winter's" father. Hmmmmm, maybe she'll write a part 2. If so, I'm looking forward to it. To all my fellow readers, enjoy!

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Apr 23, 2011

Suzy rated it

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Recommends it for: Nick, Elise, Teri

Recommended to Suzy by: Joana

Very surprising! Like it so far; well-written.

I would definitely read something by Sister Souljah again! This is a very engaging and unique tale of a Sudanese Muslim boy from an educated, wealthy family immigrating to the hood in Brooklyn with his pregnant mother. Given that I work with many Muslim immigrants--mostly from Africa--the book was particularly interesting to me. As the protaganist becomes a young man (the book spans 7 years), this preternaturally mature boy ("Mid...more

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Jul 09, 2009

Kuroi rated it

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May 11, 2011

Crystal Belle rated it

i would like to start this review by saying that i LOVE sista souljah and i LOVED "the coldest winter ever." initially, i didn't want to read this book when it first came out because i thought too much time lapsed between her last novel and this one. however, i decided to take a chance and read it. i am extremely disappointed in this novel. first and foremost, the character midnight from "the coldest winter ever" and this character seem to be two different people. there is no...morei would like to start this review by saying that i LOVE sista souljah and i LOVED "the coldest winter ever." initially, i didn't want to read this book when it first came out because i thought too much time lapsed between her last novel and this one. however, i decided to take a chance and read it. i am extremely disappointed in this novel. first and foremost, the character midnight from "the coldest winter ever" and this character seem to be two different people. there is no connection and no reoccurring characters. the novel is told in the first person which is intriguing, yet because midnight's character remains flat throughout the novel, many of the chapters seem underdeveloped and trite. most of the characters are not developed at all, which makes the writing seem very elementary and unrealistic, almost fantasy-like.

my primary issue with this book is the terrible portrayal of african american women! every african american woman in the book, young and old, was negative, promiscuous, loud, raunchy, and the list goes on. there was not ONE great female character who was black, unless she was from the Continent (Africa). i do understand that souljah wanted to depict the perspective of a young african male, yet still, it seemed embellished and overdone, lacking any true insight into the division between africans and african americans apart from what is stereotypically believed to be true.

i did enjoy some aspects of the love story between akemi and midnight, although it seemed really impossible. they get married without speaking the same language (at the age of 14 and 16 under muslim law), which is both mysterious and beautiful, as well as unfathomable. some of the scenes between akemi and midnight are truly beautiful and really get into the heart of young people coming of age in the world.

all of the "good" characters were asian, african or jewish. there were zero positive african-american characters which i am blown away by considering souljah's background and activist work. yes, i enjoyed her attempt to dispel myths about Africa, however, while doing that, she completely denigrated the african-american community...i ordered the sequel before starting to read this, so i guess i will read the next one out of sheer curiosity...

p.s. there were lots of typos also!(less)

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About Sister Souljah

Sister Souljah is an American hip hop-generation author, activist, recording artist, and film producer.

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Quotes from Midnight

“I'm not who you think i am. If you love me, you love me for the wrong reasons.” — 15 people liked it

“there are the non-believers, make believers and true believers!” — 10 people liked it

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