A Woman's Work: Street Chronicles: Stories

by Nikki Turner

The heralded Queen of Hip-Hop Lit presents an addictive collection of celebrated urban authors with their fingers on the pulse of the streets.
 
Street lit’s finest female voices—Keisha Starr, Tysha, LaKesa Cox, and Monique S. Hall—deliver searing stories about women who make hard sacrifices to stay on top of their hustle and seize the power, money, and fame they can’t live without. Enterprising and fearless, these players are more than equipped to handle whatever the street throws at them. That’s because they are hellbent on survival—by any means necessary. 

Once again, Nikki Turner shares ultra-realistic page-turners that will keep fans coming back for more.

Genres: Urban

242 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2011

About the author

After Nikki Turner read The Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Souljah she was dismayed that there weren't other books like it. "I wanted to write the kinds of books I wanted to read," said the bestselling author, whose 2002 debut novel, A Hustler's Wife, would go on to sell more than a few 100,000 copies.
While Nikki Turner's first two novels were published by a small publishing house in the Midwest, in 2004 she signed a 2-book deal with One World, an imprint of Ballantine Books, which is part of The Random House Publishing Group. After publishing the first book under that deal, The Glamorous Life in 2005 as well as a short story collection edited by Nikki, Street Chronicles: Tales from da Hood, One World quickly signed Nikki up for three more Nikki Turner Original novels and negotiated a deal with her for her own book line, Nikki Turner Presents. "I want to give new authors the same kind of opportunity I was given," said Nikki. "I want to produce authors who will be household names."

(Taken from author's website)

Reviews

[Andrial Durant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Took off a star, and will continue to do so if I keep reading books that model any main female character as a ride or die for her man like Tiny was for T.I. Nothing against the rap couple or the authors but there are more better examples. 🤭

[Latrisha Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good stories.

[Tiffany Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had no desire to finish this book. Life’s too short to read books that don't move or intrigue you.

[Latoshia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

One of the best books I ever read. I love this book. Nikki is one of my favorite authors. You will love this book.

[Madlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

[Angel Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collaboration! Each story was unique and relatable! OMG I really love Female/ P***y power books lol! Yasssss I'm here for all of this sis!!! ♥

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't been reading nearly as much as usual in the past half of a year and I'm only now starting again. This is the first urban fiction I've touched in awhile and mainly it was because Turner's name popped into my head when searching my new library on-line. Nikki Turner's Riding Dirty on I-95 was the first urban fiction book I ever read and I loved it. She remains to this day one of my three favorite urban fiction authors, along with Dwayne S. Joseph and Allison Hobbs.
But these aren't stories by Turner. The four stories are by the following authors: Keisha Starr, Tysha, Lakesha Cox and Monique S. Hall.
Two of the stories had no business being published. There is potential hidden within the stories but both are a long way off from being ready for the reader. Apparently Turner didn't catch this. And this isn't just personal opinion, as in, I didn't like the story so it's not ready for publication. This is more along the lines of facts, there are huge aspects to each of the two stories I'm pinpointing that are missing and these are crucial aspects to any story. Certain things are needed to have a story and two of the stories included here are missing certain crucial aspects.
Anyway, here goes:

Dying to be a Star by Keisha Starr - This was hands down the best story to be found in this book. The story had a beginning, a middle and an end. The characters development was there, details, etc. The ending was great and I totally expected a cheesy, everything-turns-out-okay ending and that's not where the author went at all. She stayed fairly realistic and I know I appreciated it.

Money, Stilettos, and Disrespect by Tysha - Stilettos don't even make an appearance in this story if I remember right. Why not name it Money and Disrespect? Where do the shoes come into play?
The author has talent which is evident but the story was far too over the top for me. That sucked especially because I found I was really into the characters. I really wanted to keep reading but I wanted to keep reading about the same characters dealing with circumstances that can actually happen to someone. Someone beyond your "average" upper Columbian drug lord that is.

Southern Girls' Escort Service by Lakesha Cox - This was another that I did really like. Everything was here, from beginning to end with details as they should be. I was drawn in to not only the storu but each character as well. My only qualm is that the ending was a bit abrupt but this is probably because of the short story aspect. I wouldn't mind checking out a full length novel by Cox sometime in the future.

Ms. G-Stacks by Monique S. Hall - This, at 40 pages, shouldn't have even been added to the book in my opinion. It's basically 40 pages of "I'm the best ride-or-die chick out there and I'll murder anyone who tries to get at my boo." There. You've now read the story.


I don't know, I expected more. I was at a different point in my life when I found the urban fiction genre and now I'm at a totally different point. I think I'm still able to look at a book - from any genre - and give my "unbiased", open opinion on it but I can see clearly that I'm moving away from urban fiction as a whole.
The two authors I mentioned above are two I feel safe to say I'll always be able to continue to read because while they are urban fiction authors, they also cross the lines. Anyone can read them. The characters may be black, the settings mostly urban, but the books are certainly not only for black readers. The average mystery reader, black, white or anything else can pick up one of Joseph's books and be intrigued. The average drama and/or erotica reader can do the same with Hobbs'. Turner seems to have gone the route of wanting one target audience only and sadly, I'm not it.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded this audiobook because I was in the mood to try something different, but it did little more than remind me why I tend to stick to what I know and like. This book just did not do it for me. I had a really hard time identifying with it, and not just because I am a white girl from the meth belt of America (although that probably had something to do with it). It bothered the crap out of me that the book was supposed to be a testament to female independence and identity but so much of the women's identities were blurred by the men in their lives (men who stereotypically used them and took advantage of them).

I also had a really hard time empathizing with any of the women because they just seemed to make one bad decision after the other then wonder why their lives were in such a terrible state of affairs. I'm not anti-sexy in books, but the sex scenes in this book were in no way sensual or erotic. They were just nasty.

But at the heart of it, it just wasn't well written. The plot lines were interesting enough to keep me listening, but the prose and the dialogue were repetitive and the show/tell ratio was so far in the tell factor it was ridiculous. And really, this was just subjectively NOT for me.

Kelly I. Hitchcock
Author of The Redheaded Stepchild

[Janderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ALMOST finished this one...
It's hard to review a book of short stories as a whole, so a brief review of each:
Story #1: 1 star - it's a pornographic made-for-tv story with a main character I absolutely disliked.
Story #2: 2.5 stars - the story was interesting and had potential, but the author decided to err on the side of graphic depictions of violence rather than substance.
Story #3: 4 stars - this was pretty good and I'll look for more from this author (Lakesha Cox)because she wrote an interesting murder-mystery that kept me interested and wanting more!
Story #4: .5 stars - couldn't finish this one, it's just too much for me to have so many stereotypes thrown in the first 5 pages. Black men are drug-dealing gangsters, Police are bad, Women do what there men tell them.

[Synthia Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole book feels like extreme dramatic irony. Starting with Melissa's love and admiration for Jasmine's mother (a women clearly using her). While the book is an easy, entertaining read, all of Turner's characters and short stories are typical, predictable and beginning to run together in a giant blur of exaggerated street fiction.

[Anita Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki has submitted a great collection of short stories from authors that tell it from the boss ladies point of view. They all keep it real in their hustle and show you just how far they would go to stay on top.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of each individual book but the first book was absolutely the best--I actually cried at the end. The second book-eh...nothing to write home about. The third book was better but still not like the first one. The last book can be skipped.

[Tracey Sims · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was that great of a read.

[Charmain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. Im interested in reading the the full books of the short stories i read in that callaboration.

[Regina Lloyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook.

[Bigttny · Rating 3 out of 5]

this wasnt 1 of her best. I really didnt like this book

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the first 3 stories were decent reads - Dying to be a Star; Southern Girls Escort Service; and Ms. G. Stacks... I couldn't get with the last story - Stilettos and Disrespect

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Turner has done it again !

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turner leads a collection of street credit ladies in a work about the work of a woman. Its a collection of what women do & go through from the POV of the woman. Some bring drama and mo drama.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book.

[Youpier Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed hearing about these young girls struggles to live a life in the streets of fame, drugs, prostitution and prison.

[Nicole Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio Book Mini-sodes

[Quastarcella Borom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban lit at its finest

I enjoyed all four stories. The characters were strong women. They did what they had to do to right the wrongs against them.

[Goodread · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read, I Loved 3 of the 4 storys, And I Liked the 4th

[Shà · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was awesome!!!! i enjoyed every bit of it