Burn [Mass Market Paperback]

Black Artemis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

In Explicit Content, Black Artemis, the self-described "unapologetic hip-hop feminist activist," explored the twisting inner world of the music industry. In Picture Me Rollin' it was the poetry of the street and the crimes of the heart. Now, in her latest novel she plunges a female bond agent with a troubling past into the graffiti subculture, where a dangerous and unpredictable fate awaits.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A feisty young Latina, Jasmine Reyes, abandoned by her drug-addled parents as a teen, is mourning the prison suicide of her gifted twin, Jason. She runs her struggling bail bond business (funded with money saved from working as a hooker) like a social worker, attempting to salvage lives before they're lost to a cycle of hardened criminality. She thus gambles on posting bail for Malcolm "Macho" Booker, a talented graffiti artist whose sweet nature reminds her of Jason. Macho's failure to appear for a date in court plunges Jasmine into a gritty urban underground. Artemis packs the book with entertaining if one-dimensional street lit clichés and characters (a gruff cop who becomes Jasmine's lover; an HIV positive pre-op trannie), as Jasmine confronts a shady gang of graffiti artists and the sleazy founder of a too-good-to-be-true community health clinic. Artemis's previous offerings include Explicit Content and Picture Me Rollin' (as well as the chick lit novel Divas Don't Yield, written under her own name, Sofia Quintero). This busy, formulaic tale, with its hyperbolic and hyperactive twists and turns, is done with sensitivity and has genuine noir appeal. (Aug.)
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About the Author

Black Artemis is a hip-hop activist, writer, and speaker in New York City. She holds a master's degree from Columbia University and has worked with many social justice organizations throughout the country. Artemis is also a screenwriter who has won recognition for her work. She enjoys working with youths to find their voice through art and politics.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451218574
• ISBN-13: 978-0451218575
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Self-proclaimed Ivy League homegirl Sofia Quintero is a writer, activist, educator, writer, speaker and comedienne. She began her career as a policy analyst and advocate and worked for various nonprofit organizations and government agencies. An unapologetic generalist, she has worked on issues from police brutality to multicultural education. After years of working on a range of policy issues, she decided to heed the muse and pursue a career in entertainment.

While working on her debut novel, Sofia co-founded Chica Luna Productions to identify, develop and support other women of color seeking to make socially conscious entertainment. Among other projects, Chica Luna launched The F-Word for young women of color ages 16-25 who wish to increase their media literacy and acquire film and radio production skills. She wrote two short films that Chica Luna produced and have won acclaim on the festival circuit CORPORATE DAWGZ(a comedic ode to White folks who ""get"" it) and BLIND DATE a feminist romantic comedy with a dirty mouth.)

Under the pen name Black Artemis, Sofia wrote her debut novel EXPLICIT CONTENT -- the first work of fiction about female MCs in the hip hop industry -- which was published by the New American Library/Penguin in August 2004. Her second Black Artemis novel PICTURE ME ROLLIN' hit bookstores in June 2005 and is about a young Latina whose obsession with Tupac Shakur leads her on quest to find self-love. Sofia's novels as Black Artemis have been hailed by critics of all stripes -- reviewers, educators and readers -- for being as intelligent and substantive as they are entertaining and accessible. Her third Black Artemis novel BURN will be published in August 2006.

Sofia also writes ""chick lit"" under her real name. Her debut novella THE MORE THINGS CHANGE appears in FRIDAY NIGHT CHICAS the first chick-lit anthology by and about Latinas. She recently turned her screenplay INTERSTATES into a novel titled DIVAS DON'T YIELD as part of a two-book deal with One World/Random House. DIVAS DON'T YIELD follows four girlfriends as they drive from New York City to San Francisco, each packing a little more ""baggage"" than she thought. Sofia's second novel for Random House will be published in 2007. She also will publish two additional novellas in future anthologies to be published by Avon/Harper Collins and Atria/Simon & Schuster.

Her first screenplay INTERSTATES upon which the novel DIVAS DON'T YIELD is based was twice a finalist for the Sundance Institute'S screenwriting lab and won the 2001 San Francisco Black Film Festival Screenplay Competition. Her second screenplay the baseball comedy M.L.B. was a finalist for the ABC New Talent Development Award in 2003. She is at work on her third screenplay THE MACKTRESS which is a cross between BOOMERANG and BROWN SUGAR with a feminine twist.

With her good friend and business partner Elisha Miranda (aka E-Fierce, author of the YA hip hop novel THE SISTA HOOD), Sofia recently founded Sister/Outsider Entertainment, a multimedia production company. S/O is developing several projects for television, film and stage.

As an activist, Sofia serves on several boards of directors of several social justice organizations. She is also a member of the SpeakOut collective, the country's only national not-for-profit organization that promotes progressive speakers and artists on campuses and in communities. Her essays have been published in such diverse venues as Ms., Blu, Fuego, 360hiphop.com, politicallyblack.com and migente.com. Sofia and her work have also appeared in major publications like the New York Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Times, Latina, and Upscale.

"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (4.5 stars) Simply Wonderful, August 1, 2006

By 

Urban Reviews "Your Source for the Best in AA... (Online) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Burn (Mass Market Paperback)

Bond agent Jasmine Reyes is willing to give anybody a second chance. Her latest client is graffiti artist Macho Booker, who reminds Jasmine of her own deceased twin brother Jason. But when a $10,000 bail is posted, and Macho vanishes without a trace, Jasmine will stop at nothing to find him. But she may have bit off more than she can chew when Jasmine finds out a devastating secret about Macho's employer Dr. Adriano Suarez. Suarez is a modern day Robin Hood providing affordable healthcare to New York's poorest residents. But he doesn't want his questionable practices exposed or for Jasmine to find out how much he's connected to Macho's disappearance. Jasmine also has her own personal issues when her past demons slap her in the face.

Burn is an ambitious and innovative novel by Black Artemis. Artemis tackles many issues in the novel such as affordable health care, HIV/AIDS, and the justice system. I really like the excellent character development in this novel. I thought that Jasmine Reyes' profession as a bond agent was a refreshing and unique change from other women protagonists. Incorporating the whole graffiti culture into the story was not only entertaining but enlightening as well. This novel also shows how one's past mistakes can catch up to them when you least expect it. Burn is full of breathtaking, real life drama that pulls no punches. Black Artemis knows how to tell a story and helps us to open our eyes to a culture we might not have known to exist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Girl Friday!, April 18, 2007

By 

CHayes "Cheryl" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Burn (Mass Market Paperback)

Girl Friday!

Burn by Black Artemis is a book about a female bail bondswoman named Jasmine Reyes. Jasmine is not your average run-of-the-mill girl; she is a take-charge woman and when she puts up a bond for your release you better make every court appearance or else!

Burn is a well-told street tale which includes social commentaries such as the AIDS epidemic, lack of good quality health care, and the justice system. Take a journey with Jasmine as she chases down bail jumpers, gets in fights, tries to save lives and runs her own business. Risking her life in what is known as a man's job, Jasmine takes to one of her clients, and her mission is to make sure he is returned to society safely.

Several of the characters in this story were very artsy and dramatic; readers could definitely relate to them. Black Artemis deftly incorporates a secondary storyline about street art and the trials and tribulations that some of these groups go through to showcase their creativity via 'tagging' and basically to be accepted.

I recommend this book to young high-school students who are trying to find their way in society today.

Cheryl H
APOOO BookClub

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Artemis Gets Better & Better, October 1, 2006

By 

Sone Boogs (Bronx, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burn (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished reading "Burn" this weekend, purposely missing my train stop 'cause I was at the end of the book. "Burn" was a real juicy page-turner. I liked how complex and tough Jasmine was. I loved Felicidad and how she was portrayed - real, multi-dimensional and funny without being the cliched tranny clown. All the characters felt fully realized and the plot was hot! I learned alot about the bail bond business. I could totally see "Burn" turned into a movie.