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The Coldest Winter Ever
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
Renowned hip-hop artist, writer, and activist Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly unforgettable first novel. I came busting into the world during one of New York's worst snowstorms, so my mother named me Winter. Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent Brooklyn drug-dealing family. Quick-witted, sexy, and business-minded, she knows and loves the streets like the curves of her own body. But when a cold Winter wind blows her life in a direction she doesn't want to go, her street smarts and seductive skills are put to the test of a lifetime. Unwilling to lose, this ghetto girl will do anything to stay on top. The Coldest Winter Ever marks the debut of a gifted storyteller. You will never forget this Winter's tale.
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mollyrotondo
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ what an excellent read! Winter‘s story is so heartbreaking. You root for her but also find her extremely frustrating. I also loved how Sister Souljah wove herself into the story and was very honest about herself. It‘s a story that teaches a lesson but is so entertaining you forget you‘re learning. Really glad I read it and can‘t wait to receive my copy of the new sequel.

all_4_kb Loved this. Read SOOOO long ago but remember loving it 4y
mollyrotondo @KBlackScan I know so many people who read it around the time it came out and loved it. So when I heard Sister Souljah was doing an interview for B&N for the new book I knew I had to finally read this one. Her interview was amazing! 4y
45 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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KatieDid927
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Mehso-so

I understand why this is a classic. If I read this book back when it was initially published, I would‘ve loved it. I did enjoy some of the nostalgia of that era, but that‘s where most of my enjoyment ended. The homophobia and HIV stigma was yikes, even for the time it was published. The MC is horrible. The author includes herself as a character, but that whole section was ultimately pointless. I never got over the materialism. ⬇️

KatieDid927 I think the best way to sum it up is it was a similar experience to watching the 1995 film Kids. The portrayal is authentic, but visceral and unpleasant. It‘s also not something I need to revisit, and lively debate can be had about the merits of the work itself. 4y
50 likes1 comment
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GreenGrl87
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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I feel like I‘ve probably posted about this one here before... oh well! 🤷🏾‍♀️
A book by a Black author that opened my interest into a new genre was The Coldest Winter Ever
Author: Sistah Souljah / Genre: Urban Fiction

This book not only opened me up to a new genre of reading, but a really whole new world I never could have imagined. & changed my idea of what a book could be. #Blackliteracyisrevolutionary

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BookDee
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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First day off starts with a book #holidayseason.
I hope it won‘t be the coldest winter ever hahaha get it ? 🤦🏾‍♀️

Nute I don‘t think that Sister Souljah gets enough attention for this series. I was so happy that this first book of the series got a listing on The Great American Read. 4y
BookDee @Nute did you liked the book, I felt like I was too old for the book and the behavior of Winter as a young black woman shocked me. Her relation with sex was so toxic. I guess that was the goal of the writer, a way for us to be aware that this exist. 4y
9 likes2 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Panpan

While this is a good urban fiction book, the classic in the genre I was annoyed and angered by the amount of homophobia throughout.
There is a chapter where the main and her mentor (sister soujor herself which is a choice) meet a group of GIV positive women. The fear mongering in this chapter had me checking again what year this was written and how disappointing. By 1999 we had more education then this author shows and her mentor was supposed

ChaoticMissAdventures To be highly educated, and lectures the main to educate herself. Yet she apparently had not read any on the disease but yet choose to add it in. All of the good this book does in talking about urban life is completely undone by these other issues. 4y
19 likes1 comment
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MelKelsey
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

17:Told from the perspective of a teenaged daughter of a drug lord, the narration of The Coldest Winter Ever is incredible! The voice of Winter, who is smart and self-absorbed, transports the reader to the Brooklyn streets. The strength of the writing wanes when the author becomes a character in the story.The focus gets muddied and Sister Souljah has a haughty view of herself. The book does improve, but the ending feels abrupt and disappointing.

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DeepBlue
Coldest Winter Ever (UK) | Sister Souljah
Pickpick

A unexpected smack in the face to wake a bitch up. Or a bitch ass N*****

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NamasteReading
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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#LitsyLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Happy Monday!! 💚

1) The Sims 4, Writing, READING.

2) Psychological Thrillers, Medical Thrillers, Law/Crime, all the gory stuff with lots of blood. 😬

3) I have a blue heeler mix with a terrier. My little farm dog from the big city.

4) My Goodreads account has better accuracy. All owned.

5) I collect Amazon Prime boxes. 🤷🏽‍♀️

6) Feels like -44 outside my front door right now. Tagged book is my mood.

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EchoLogical
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Mehso-so

Slowly checking off items from my #blackandbookedchallenge. This one was difficult to read because I'm not a fan of contemporary urban fiction at all but I'll attempt to separate the book from the genre...

An unlikable MC and generally little action did nothing to win me over BUT I couldn't stop reading, if only to see Winter get what was coming to her. Make of that what you will.

⭐⭐⭐

KT1432 I felt the same way! I didn't end up finishing the book when I tried reading it last year because it was due back to the library. I have a hold on it right just so I can see what happens lol. I hated the MC and didn't really enjoy the half I did read. Not my cup of tea at all. 6y
EchoLogical @lele1432 She was the worst! 6y
63 likes1 stack add2 comments
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gradcat
Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Maybe it‘ll be the coldest winter ever, but maybe not...all I know is that some preparations are in order. I‘m so grateful for the pool my mother put in the backyard for me. It means I don‘t have to leave home to exercise. Unfortunately, it does come to an end in the winter...we covered it today.
#Gratitude30
#Weather
@hermyknee

tracey38 What a nice pool. 6y
gradcat @tracey38 Thank you, Tracey! 😊😊😊 6y
kspenmoll Such a lovely, peaceful spot to swim in. 6y
85 likes1 stack add3 comments
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AmberWB
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

I‘m not sure what to say about this. It was an excellent book. I am glad I read it, but it was horribly depressing. I felt like I was watching a slow motion car wreck. I think what gets me the most is that I see a lot of Winter in many of my students, and I don‘t know the answer or how to help.

26 likes2 stack adds
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AmberWB
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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This isn‘t a book I would have chosen on my own, but one of my co-workers told me that I had to read it. It is an intense read so far and I am guessing there is probably not going to be a happy ending. But glad to be giving it a chance.

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MirrorMask
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Here's the two books I plan on using for #TwoinThree this weekend. They're both on my #GARBingo card, which I haven't read any books from in about two months 😬. I definitely won't finish the #GreatAmericanRead in time.

@Samplergal

Samplergal Yay! You got this. 6y
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AshleyHoss820
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

Actions 👏🏻 have 👏🏻 consequences 👏🏻. Too bad Winter Santiaga couldn‘t listen to Sister Souljah and remove herself from the vicious cycle. Winter isn‘t very likable but she‘s very real. What will you live for? What will you die for? Will it be worth it? The moral lesson in this is clear. And we should ALL listen. #GreatAmericanRead

DGRachel Gah. This is the second review I‘ve seen recently for this book. I seriously need to move it up my TBR list. It‘s one of the few GAR books that I haven‘t read that looked intriguing enough for me to buy a copy. 6y
AshleyHoss820 @DGRachel This is one that you have to see all the way through! I REALLY hated Winter to the point of wanting to bail. But I didn‘t, and I‘m glad I didn‘t! The novels overall effect is what‘s important! 😄 I‘m slowly making my way through the GAR list too, trying to get the ones I haven‘t read. 6y
66 likes2 comments
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bookandcat
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

Oh wow. I picked this one up because it was on the #GreatAmericanRead list and I was completely blown away.

Winter Santiaga, daughter of Brooklyn drug Lord Rocky Santiaga, sucked me in, twisted round my heart and spat me back out. I finished the book blinking, in disbelief of my surroundings, because it was so transporting.

Sister Souljah has a keen ear for dialogue and a keen eye for detail. Stellar read. 5⭐.

Warning: sex/strong language.

DGRachel Ooh, I‘m so glad to see a great review for this book. It‘s one of the ones I bought this summer because of GAR and just haven‘t gotten to it yet. I‘m even more excited now! 6y
bookandcat @DGRachel I had NO idea what to expect and it was definitely a ride. Once you're settled in you are IN IT. I need to read the sequel asap. 6y
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squirrelbrain Ooh this is on my GAR bingo card too.... 6y
bookandcat @squirrelbrain this one knocked my socks off! It is unlike anything else on the GAR list I've read so far (and I've read about 60). 6y
MelKelsey I super concur with your review! 5y
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BeckyRoy
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

Working on a project for my MBA and this book is calling my name! I can‘t wait to get back to it. One of my gauges for a great book is if I end up reading it in the 🛀🏿 bathtub after the water has drained!!! This has happened two nights in a row!!!

Texreader 🤣🤣🤣 6y
saresmoore This was a cold bath book for me, too! 🙌 6y
emilyhaldi I can‘t wait to read this one! 6y
24 likes3 comments
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Luvlivelyfe
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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A classic read #sistersouljah #winter #🔥🔥🔥

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Skeebies05
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Saw this on the Great American read and looked it up and then . . . Bought it 😳😳 because I need more books 🤷🏽‍♀️

( also I may have come up with a fix for the pic problem I was having-I tried it by just downloading and it did not work. if I edit it it will work - I added an overlay.)

riversong153 I saw this too. I read this back in high school...although it is not appropriate content for a hs student lol 7y
Skeebies05 @riversong153 Did you like it? 7y
riversong153 @Skeebies05 yes...it was good! 7y
23 likes3 comments
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saresmoore
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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You guys. This book is in my head like a sickness. I will absolutely finish this today.

Ruthiella Love it when a book grabs me like that! 7y
emilyhaldi This sounds like something a little different... #stacked!! 7y
BarbaraBB Sounds good, like @emilyhaldi says, and I am so looking for something different!! 7y
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saresmoore @Ruthiella Me, too! It‘s refreshing and sort of exhilarating at while I‘m reading, but like a cup of cold brew it leaves me feeling jittery and uneven. 7y
saresmoore @emilyhaldi @BarbaraBB Brace yourself for the street language—it reads like a ‘90‘s rap song—but the perspective is so vastly different from my own experience, I‘m finding it enthralling. 7y
TiredLibrarian I may try this. Was surprised to see it on the Great American Read top 100 list. 7y
saresmoore @TiredLibrarian When selecting which of the list I wanted to read, I chose both books I had neglected to read for a long time and those that were outside of my usual reading realm. This one certainly met the latter criterion, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! 7y
79 likes1 stack add7 comments
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saresmoore
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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I finished A Separate Peace and was utterly underwhelmed by it. 😑 Started this one, which is boldly opposite to Knowles‘ classic in almost every way, and I am loving it!

#GARbingo

As an aside, I‘m wondering what would possess publishers to print a 500-page book on cheap paper with almost no margins, then bind it all in a tiny, glossy hardcover. It makes the reading experience not so great. #firstworldproblems

Moray_Reads Cheap paper is so bad and I HATE tiny margins. Being able to adjust on the Kindle definitely emphasises layout works in printed books 😒 7y
batsy When my sister used to travel back from college in the US she brought No Disrespect back with her. I was in my late teens and I remember it blew my mind back then. Need to check this out! 7y
Suet624 I loved A Separate Peace when I read it. But I was 13 years old. So.... 7y
saresmoore @Suet624 🎶To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn)🎶 7y
75 likes4 stack adds4 comments
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bookgirlmagic
Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

Finished The Coldest Winter Ever by @sistersouljah over the weekend and I don‘t even know how some of y‘all were reading this in middle school. lol This book was an extremely good read and just when I thought Winter was going to catch a break in life, another plot twist was thrown at me. More of my thoughts are on the blog.

BWRB Lol I don't think we were supposed to be. But it was so good! 7y
Chelleo I‘m one of the few people who didn‘t care for this book. 🤷🏽‍♀️ I do appreciate it‘s place in #urbanlit and #diversevoices it just wasn‘t my speed 7y
3 likes2 comments
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queenmo78
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah

One of the best books of all time loved loved loved

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MrBook
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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#TBRtemptation post 1! Many consider this to be the best urban fiction novel. Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent drug-dealing Brooklyn family. After they move to the suburbs, things change, and she'll put her street smarts and seductive skills to work. She'll do whatever it takes to stay on top and live luxuriously. Will it be her downfall? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

82 likes4 stack adds
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diovival
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Very important question: Why is it so 🤬 cold?! #currentmood

parasolofdoom And I still sent my poor husband for iced coffee 😬 7y
Reviewsbylola I know. It‘s so brutal. 😩😩 7y
diovival @parasolofdoom That's love 😂 7y
See All 13 Comments
diovival @Reviewsbylola Windchill is 6 below zero. I am not about this life. I can't believe I agreed to go out tonight. 7y
carrceli My menopausal body is loving it! 7y
diovival @carrceli 🤣🤣 7y
JenP And we just flew back from Costa Rica last night. From 80 to -8 😫 7y
MicheleinPhilly I hate the heat and welcome the cold but this is just too damn much. We had to take Pickles to an indoor play center yesterday! 7y
diovival @JenP Yiiiiiiikes! 😱 7y
diovival @MicheleinPhilly Another very important question: Does Pickles wear winter booties? 7y
Meeko93 I ask the same thing quite often these last few days 7y
MicheleinPhilly She does not. We have them for her but I‘m pretty sure she would hate wearing them outside. We just wash her paws when she comes in to remove any salt. 7y
diovival @MicheleinPhilly I remember when my friend's dog Buddy got his first pair of winter booties. It reminded me so much of how my cats react to wearing a cat harness and leash. So funny. 7y
36 likes13 comments
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stargazerblue49
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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The culture shock for this book is almost too much for me. This girl spends more on one outfit than I spend on food in a month or on concert tix for 2 to see our fave band! I can't even imagine spending that much in one go on books! This girl is smart but she needs to straighten out her priorities! (Disclaimer: this is coming from a small town girl who wears scrubs most days. I realize my worldview is... limited?) 👚👖 👟👍🏽

celtichik And that's by 1999 standards! 8y
Lmstraubie I don't think you're ideas are limited. You just have a different set of priorities. No judgement, just different. 8y
OrangeMooseReads $500 on one outfit!? WOW! That is more than I spend on groceries in a month as well and I have a bottomless pit for a child. Your ideas are not limited at all. 8y
carrceli Ditto. 7y
43 likes1 stack add4 comments
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stargazerblue49
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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You don't have to ask me twice, ice cream! 😍😍😍

43 likes1 stack add
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KGlibrarian
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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Pickpick

A compelling urban fiction story about the devastating circumstances of poverty-stricken families living in the projects of Brooklyn. Though it was written 17 years ago, its portrayal of the dangerous world of drugs is still relevant. The characters are well-crafted and the conversational tone makes it a page turner. Definitely worth the read! (Warning: there is crass language and explicit sexual scenes that may bother some readers.)

6 likes1 stack add
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fairlyliterary
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah

I remember reading this. I've actually read it twice. It was gritty and may be credited for adding steam to the ever-popular "Urban/Street fiction" genre. I didn't care too much for Winter because she could've been better. She was definitely smart so I didn't like the dumb choices she made. As for the writing, Sister Souljah did an excellent job writing this book. #urbanfiction #nostalgiaread

TheNextBook This book was amazing! This was everyones book in middle school. Winter was a hot ass mess and I loved the drama of it. 8y
fairlyliterary @TheNextBook It was! I just had an issue with Winter but I think she was influenced by her environment and wasn't looking for an escape. In middle school you say? Same story here :) 8y
TheNextBook I was in 7th grade and read this like 3 times! I feel like every black girl in the school was reading it! 8y
fairlyliterary @TheNextBook You got one more read in than I did. I'm almost certain that was the case. 8y
7 likes4 comments
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surlyspice
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
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it's nice when previous readers point out good stuff for you yay library books

2 likes2 stack adds
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TheNextBook
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah
Pickpick

Girl! Let me tell you about how cold Winter is?! This book was passes around my middle over a decade ago and I still love it! Think New York coming of age story with a father in jail and your life falling apart with a dollop of street smarts! So good. You cant put it down! But so extra! No shame.

3 likes3 stack adds