Wednesday, September 19, 2007







BLACKS DO READ!! ( I swear we do!!)

You are truly blessed today my friends!! I want to talk about my most favorite hobby. No, it's not Fogg contrary to popular belief. It's reading!! I love it. Rare is the day that I venture into the world without at least 2 books in my bag, backpack (yes I'm still a hardcore backpacker even in my old age) , or purse. I have 3 books on the back seat of my car just in case passengers get bored. I take my books with me everywhere I go because any spare time, free time, or down time, can be spent, learning, broadening your horizon, or simply imagining. All of those things can be accomplished simply, by reading. Reading to me, fiction at least, is like creating a movie in your head. You can imagine things any way you want, based on the initial description from the author.

There are good books, bad books, and horrible books. As many of my Internet and real-life friends know, I do not read nigglature. Well.......truthfully, I have read nigglature only, I repeat ONLY to have a full understanding of what bullshit truly is. Let me define "nigglature" for you my good people:(Especially for you Jayspice and Onyx, my dears)

Nigglature is fiction usually written by a Black author. (PAUSE for the CAUSE-THONG ON FIRE??? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!) Very often nigglature is self-published. Self publishing offers the perk of getting your work out to the masses, however, I have encountered SO MANY self published books that are literally brimming with mistakes. Okay, okay, Ninja is not perfect contrary to popular belief, you may run across a typo here or there in my BLOG, but I'll be damned, yes DAMNED if you find a major one in any book I publish. I don't want my book looking like I just printed it at Kinko's and used string and weave/bonding glue to hold that bad boy together. Yes, there are some that ARE JUST THAT BAD. (make sure you click the words SuperBallerSupreme for an example)


Nigglature usually involves some poor little girl from the projects, (cause you know, that is where ALL the Black folks are), she usually has a severe lack-of-Daddy complex. This complex causes her to turn to...who else? Your friendly neighborhood drug dealer!! Who else is there to save the poor ghetto girl from welfare and clothes from the various Arab-owned "Hip-Hop" stores? Nobody. Not a family member, a teacher, a role model, a girl scout leader, a mentor, a case worker, a church member, or anyone else in the universe. In the ghetto there is only SuperBallerSupreme starring as the New Millennium Jesus Christ, savior of any and all little brown boys and girls. Let us glorify his image by writing even more about him!!*pauses to step over pile of steaming hot shit* He usually saves her for a moment, sleeps with her, clothes her in Baby Phat and gives her a new car, yet causes her more trouble then anyone is worth, someone gets shot/stabbed/jumped/hit by a car/double crossed/stolen from/set up and either they or someone else does jail time. Sometimes a lesson is learned though you usually are so lost in all the bitches/hoes/and niggas that you can't find it....I basically just broke down every Nigglature book out there. I MADE Ninja Jr read that Keisha Ervin book "Me & My Boyfriend", ( the title is hilarious play on Tupac's song titled: Me & My Girlfriend-where Tupac was not speaking of any female, that brother was talking about his GUN). (By the way I found that in the library at the school I work at) Ninja Jr. came to me after 20 minutes of reading and said "Mama I can't do this anymore it has too many spelling mistakes and it's making me feel like I am getting dumber by the minute." I said, "Baby read it for me, and then tell me all of the things wrong with it." The next day Ninja Jr. brought me the book and said outside of the misspelled words, horrific grammar, lack of punctuation or excess punctuation, the story was...well to put it bluntly she called it "hot garbage". I told her all Black books, are not this way. I promptly handed her Octavia Butler's "Kindred" to soothe the pain of having to "dumb-down" to read that "book". Ninja Jr. then told me that ALL of her friends have been reading these kinds of books, (!), including this one: I swear I am not lying I have read this book . Example, here is the blurb for this book: "Tressie faithfully prayed every night that God would send her a thug." WHO THE HELL IS PRAYING FOR A THUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shaking my head and side-eyeing ANYONE who dares defend this.




Don't get it twisted there are sub-categories too, like some Black Erotica is very very borderline nigglature. Some is great, sensual, hot, all of that, however some is written to mirror the internal workings of a 17 year old boys libido. Even established Black Erotica authors, such as Zane, have their bad moments. That book (and several others was TERRIBLE!!!!)


Nigglature has probably always been around, but I feel this was the beginning of the end. Calm down, calm down, I know there are plenty of people who LOVE,LOVE, LOVE this book, I however, do not. I will give it props on the fact that it was at the very least grammatically correct (with the exception of slang words or phrases which are what they are) and someone actually used spellcheck before actually publishing it. I believe that the fact that it was published by Pocket Books and is a mass market book, is the reason for this. I have yet to write a full novel, but you best believe when I do it won't read as an 8th grade girl's badly written diary. I'm sorry but NOTHING was believable about this book, not even Sister Souljah's own guest appearance in her own book. I like Sister Souljah, I appreciate what she is trying to do, however, she gets a "Do Better Black People" Award from me.

Anyone need a recommendation on some NON-Nigglature, hit me on email , I will be happy to share with you anytime. I personally own over 500+ books, and still collecting, no I don't just stick to Black authors, but I don't read shitty books, whether authored by Black, White or purple. I am really into Black Science Fiction and I would love to introduce you to it. I also love mysteries, suspense, sexy, educational, if it's a good read I'm with it. Let me help you get started:
frazy.com
One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets
frazy.com
Skin I'm In, The
frazy.com
When White Is Black
frazy.com
Kindred
frazy.com
Ghettonation: A Journey Into the Land of Bling and Home of the Shameless
frazy.com
Great Sky Woman: A Novel
powered by frazy.com





15 spit wisdom:

soumynona said...

Oh yes! I like your list and I must say, I'm usually the one coining clever words but nigglature is one that I will have to cop from you...and your examples are classic! If I may suggest a bit of nonnigglature try out Drylongso.

Q said...

BWHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHAHHA



you
killed
me



THE WINTER WASNT THAT COLD!!!???? under the post tags? seriously???!!


We dog that damned shit so bad still, dont we!?

Leoninatl said...

*CLAP CLAP CLAP*

As a frequent visitor to my local bookstores, I sideye the African-American section that they have in some stores, because they mix up all that nigglature with the good stuff.

S.K. said...

ummm....you don't need to worry about who's praying for Gawd to send them O K - yous just a gelous cater anyway!!!

LOL!!!

You know I had to say that. :) Seriously though Ninja Jr is superstar. I love that she's smarter than the average.

But find a good AfricanAmerican Lit spot is like finding a good fogg spot sometimes. :) And I can't always be bother with Amazon and the like. But I will be checking for Kindred. You're the 2nd person to recommend that book.

Thembi said...

THANK YOU for naming this mess...Ive been calling them "Pork Rind Stories" ever since I got a free one that I finished in 90 minutes. I gave up on counting typos after the first 10 pages and the highlight of the book was a randomly placed poem about Frankie Beverly that was clearly intended to be delivered spoken-word stle.

Ninjagirrl said...

HAHAHA! Thembi...you cracked me up. Nigglature is a word created by one of my Crunk & Disorderly friends, I can't remember who, though I am sure someone will remind me. There is no other word to describe it though. I'd rather read random doodles in a marble composition book, less typos, better content....

As for the Frankie Beverly lyrics? I honestly can't stop laughing at this. My daughter attempted to read one where the very FIRST word on the first page was "NIGGA". She uses that book to prop the window in her room up....

70ssoulchild said...

Dead @ Ninja Jr using nigglature to prop open window!!!

*Gives Ninja a huge black power fist for this post*

Thanks for my reading list *winks*.

I saw some folks in Borders by my job fawning over that mess when I was buying my Ledisi CD and I just shook my head.

Its like feeding a malnourished soul some Cookie Crisp.

Minerva Exertion said...

Hello Ninjagirl. First time poster. I enjoyed this post and the comments. I too hate the "chitterling circuit" books. I will definitely send you an email for recommendations.

BoSoxQT said...

Man, my disdain for THAT book knows no bounds. I read it because everyone was raving about it, and then I was ready to cuss everyone out when I finished it (but I didn't. It would be pure or virginal). I wish I could get those hours of my life back.

Nigglature has ruined my bi-weekly trip to Book-A-Million. The African-American section is a joke where I live. They mix this stuff up with the classics, and the truly good pieces of literature get lost in the shuffle.

My love affair with reading is on going. I think college made me weary for a while. Up until then, I couldn't put a book down. But now I'm back to being in love with leisure reading. And I will certainly hit you up with some recommendations.

O Hell Nawl said...

Letting yall know right now. Im stealing the word Nigglature and using it in a strip at O Hell Nawl.

then im going to copyright the word and sue all you lil mooncrickets who try to use it.

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog via another and will definately mark this as a fav.

I am a black librarian and have too been shocked at the amount of garbage that is being published as 'street lit' aka Nigglature. Unfortunately, I have come across quite a few of these titles in the college library where I work that have been ordered by other (yt)librarians who for some reason believe all black students/readers read this type of ish. Fortunately, I'm able to add titles like the ones you mentioned that help us from becoming "dumber by the minute."

Ninjagirrl said...

Thanks Anonymous Librarian! I appreciate that. I'll be updating most likely Sunday night, busy week for me....anyways, I love that you said dumber by the minute because that is true! I had another educator say to me, "Well at least they are reading" NO!!! Why can't it be QUALITY reading then!! not a 106&Park video in print form!!

Janice said...

*cries and cries*

I got a shout out...but not a good one. I do read nigglature. Not as much as I used to but....

Kindred has been on my bookshelf for quite some time now. With your persistence I have decided to read it. I'm only a couple of chapter into it and I'm smacking myself for not reading it earlier.

moniruc said...

I love this post because everything you say in it is so very very true. I am a 21 year old and I also own over 500 books and somehow managed to read more than that in my short lifetime ( I am no where near being finished with my literature consumption craze). However, I have never read Black Science Fiction. I am interested in checking some of these books out. Your email link is not working right now so if you could share your list with me at monir7586@yahoo.com, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for your time.

Stuck in my head said...

I'm super late on this comment. Just got linked to this site from a link in someone else's comment box. (http://stuffblackpeoplehate.com/2008/05/28/movies/)

I am a high school history teacher and work a lot with mentoring young girls who are addicted to nigglature. Horrific. I have some girls who carry books with them constantly, but those are the books they are reading. I have been really working hard to get the students I mentor to read other material by the black authors they really need to support.

Fortunately they have listened to me and are branching out and even beginning to look back at the stuff they used to read with shock and awe.

The English teacher I work with had all his students read Kindred this year and in summer school last year, and you cannot believe how many students read that book and said it was the first book they had ever read all the way through.

 
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.