Customer Reviews

WOMEN'S WRITES: A M.A.M.M. Productions Collaborative Effort

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Women's Writes is a collaboration of stories by Angelia Vernon Menchan along with Jennifer Coissiere, Darnetta Frazier and Shaneika Ferguson. Women's Writes began with the story Zen Cooper, Ghetto Genius by Angelia Vernon Menchan. This was a great story from start to finish. I'm interested in seeing how the relationships with Zen, Frieda (Zen's mother) and Crazy Charlie (Zen's father) plays out. I can't wait to read the full length novel when it comes out.

The second story is titled Secrets Amongst Us by Jennifer Coissiere is about two half sisters meeting for the first time. This was a very entertaining story of secrets, hurts and forgiveness. Although there are a few grammatical errors, I thought the author did an excellent job for a first time effort.

The third story titled Neika's Loves by Shanieka Ferguson is about the loves that literally saved her life. Shaneika lists the Grand Piano, the Alto Saxophone and her brother from another mother as her loves. She describes how each changed her life. This was a nice easy read.

The fourth story, titled 30 Days by Darnetta Frazier is about two sisters grieving the death of their mother. One sister seemed to be holding her grief in while one seemed to almost stop functioning all together. One of my favorite quotes from this story is "Yeah, its been 30 days since Mama died, but time don't mean a thing when you've lost someone." Danya may have let her self go by remaining in her bed, not bathing, etc., but she allowed herself to grieve fully. Whereas Anya was holding her grief in. Another good first time effort.

The fifth story, titled Audra's Faith by Jennifer Coissiere is about a wife grieving from the tragic death of her husband. This story is my favorite from this author.

The last story is called Jacquan Goes Home by Angelia Vernon Menchan. This story is about Jacquan, a protégé of Malcolm and Cinnamon. Jacquan comes home for a visit after graduating from Westside Prep School. His mom immediately informs him that they don't have room for him. This is an excellent example of mentoring and how much of a difference it has made in a young man's life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Women's Writes, Angelia hit it out of the park with her two stories, Jennifer, Danetta and Shanieka did a fantastic job with their first works.

Women's Writes is a collection of short stories by four unique women. In Secret's Among Us, Jennifer Coissiere tells the effect secrets have on a family; Shaneika Ferguson's Neika's Love gives a personal look inside the heart of a young girl and her only love; 30 Days by Darnetta Frazier shows the effects of losing a parent and Angelia Menchan gives readers a sneak peak into the life of Zen Cooper, Ghetto Genius, a teen-ager who is loved by her father from afar.

All of the stories give a different and unique perception of the power of love, family, hurt and forgiveness. Each story complements the next. I enjoyed reading each story and I look forward to reading more, collectively and individually, by each of these authors.

Priscilla C. Johnson

APOOO BookClub

Angelia Vernon Menchan, Jennifer Coisierre, Darnetta Frazier and Shanieka Ferguson collaborated to write short stories about life, secrets, and love. I applaud the publisher for giving new authors a venue to publish their stories.

The story "Zen Cooper, Ghetto Genius" by Angelia Menchan, centers on 15-year-old Zen Cooper, who is gifted and considered the smartest, scariest kid her teacher had ever met. Zen is dealing with several problems at home, while still maintaining good grades. One story, "Secrets Amongst Us" by Jennifer Coisierre is about a young woman who meets a stranger who claims to be her sister. This leads to several problems, as the main character could not believe or accept that her dad had been unfaithful to her mom. "Neika's Loves" written by Shaneika Ferguson is about how love can save someone's life.

The stories in WOMEN's WRITES were good, but needed more editing and character development to entice readers to become involved or concerned about the characters. The story I enjoyed the most was, "Zen Cooper, Ghetto Genius", it was about family, and taking care of the person you loved. I enjoyed reading about the teenager, the central character, who demonstrated much courage. It was the strongest story line, with a great back story about sexuality and mental illness, and the one I would enjoy reading as a full-length novel.

Reviewed by RM Jackson

of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers