Around the Way Girls 5 is a 2008 urban fiction anthology written by Tysha, Mark Anthony, and Erick S. Gray, published by Urban Books.  Serving as book five of Around the Way Girls the book is a collection of stories about street-smart women in the borough of Brooklyn.

Positives:

• Great characters
• Great, memorable stories
• Effective storytelling

Negatives:

• Lots of unlikable characters

Plot:  The anthology is separated into three stories: “Keepin’ It in the Family” follows sisters Diamond, Essence, and Chanel who’re trying to escape the life that their father has forced upon them.  “Pound-cake” follows a nineteen year old named Pound Cake who tries to protect her friend Minnie from her abusive boyfriend. “So Seductive” follows friends Simone and Cinnamon who seduce men into one night stands then rob them.

“Pound-cake” is by far the best story.  It has the most interesting characters, most moving story, and a satisfying ending (that is until someone else dies).  The whole story surrounding Minnie is just sad and just keeps going down hill.  “Keepin’ It in the Family” is a really good story as well.  Though it is slow it does manage to be deep, especially with the sister’s struggles to free themselves from their father’s grasp. I like that the story allows the three good character development.

Perhaps the least memorable of the three is “So Seductive” and it’s not because it’s a bad story, because it’s not.  It’s because the characters are doing some pretty deplorable things, even though Cinnamon is doing the things for her daughter Tarsha.  Yes, Cinnamon’s mission to reunite with her daughter is a moving story, but it’s everything around it that makes her an unlikable character.  This isn’t Grand Theft Auto.  Still, it is a good read. (3 out of 5)

Characters:  The anthology has a lot of great characters.  Some are just awesome, while some are complete douchebags. “Keepin’ It in the Family” features main protagonists, Diamond, Chanel, and Essence; sisters who are trained to be prostitutes by their father, Dallas, and uncle, Houston. The sisters are likable and they feel unique enough to be different while complimenting the strengths and weaknesses of each other. They do somewhat have the three troupe; one’s the leader, one’s the fiery one, and one’s the sweet one.  I like Maurice as a character and the progression of his relationship with Chanel was actually warranted. Dallas and Houston Collins are just complete dicks and are the worst examples of family.  Dallas pimps his daughters out while Houston acts as the enforcer.  Yeah, they’re the perfect role models.  And thankfully, they do get what they deserve by the end of the story.

“Pound-cake” features main protagonists Pound-cake and her friends, Sabrina, Minnie, Joy, and Lady Rah.  Now, don’t get me wrong, these girls are all douchebags save for maybe Minnie.  But they have a good amount of personality that makes their dialogue and interactions entertaining.  And they are very active.  I like Pound-cake because she seems a bit more thoughtful than the others, especially when it comes Minnie.  Minnie is a likable character, but at times a frustrating character.  A lot of people know a person who’s in an abusive relationship and the toll it takes on them and those around them.  Yes, I felt sorry for her but when she lost her baby I was more upset with her than with her boyfriend, Winter.  Even Sabrina’s rival Carissa had a pretty strong personality.  But perhaps the most interesting character was Double-tap.  He’s this contract killer who has an interesting personality and seems pretty thoughtful. Especially with his relationship with Pound-cake.

The main protagonist of “So Seductive” is Cinnamon, recently out of jail and trying to get custody of her daughter Tarsha.  I’m sorry, Cinnamon is representative of one of these hood women who is just immature.  And that immaturity nearly cost her daughter her life.  It’s hard for me to identify with her character because unlike the other characters from the other stories, she’s actually got a child and bringing the child through the mud as well.  Simone seems as bad as Cinnamon.  Yes, they have deep personalities, which makes for good characters, and their interactions feel believable. Midas was a decent character (kind of like an anti-hero) and I like the business relationship between these two characters. I kind of liked Tito too.  He was pretty level headed.

So in terms of characters there are a lot of deep, well-written characters, just not a lot of likable ones.  Almost everyone’s a douchebag but that doesn’t necessarily make for bad characters. (4 out of 5)

Writing: Thumbs up to the writers for just delivering a solid read. Erick S. Gray (“Pound-cake“), Mark Anthony (“So Seductive“), and Tysha (“Keepin’ It in the Family“) are just awesome writers.  I can’t say particularly which one stood out the most because I’m not familiar with their previous work, but I do feel that they did a great job with the pacing, storytelling, and overall setup.  Each of the stories feel plausible and have great direction.  The writing can be extreme and this is definitely not a book for young adults.  There’s lots of sex, cursing, violence, and even murder but honestly it does feel balanced.

One problem with the writing is the street lingo and it’s not really a problem.  For people who aren’t from the streets it can be difficult to keep up with the conversations.  However, people of familiar territory will flow right into it.  Hell, there were some names and phrases I had to look up in the Urban Dictionary.  Especially the dialogue.  Also, it would’ve been nice to have more likable and relatable characters but I understand that this book was made for a certain demographic.  All in all, the writing stands pretty high. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Around the Way Girls 5 is just a great read, especially for those who’re familiar with that lifestyle.  Probably the issues are the unlikable characters and lingo but they don’t detract enough to make the story bad.  But the story does excel with good writing, good storytelling, and great characterization.  Around the Way Girls 5 gets 3 out of 5.