After years of waiting and rumors of sequels and motion pictures, Sister Souljah fans finally have another story featuring characters from her bestselling book, The Coldest Winter Ever.Midnight, a prequel, takes place before The Coldest Winter Ever and follows the coming of age of Sister Souljah's popular character of the same name. But, the truth is, this book is very different from The Coldest Winter Ever. There is no mention of the Santiagas, or of any of the drama and turmoil readers know he went through before rising as a hustler. This book focuses only on Midnight, who at a very young age, is sent to America from the Sudan with his pregnant mother. They eventually arrive in Brooklyn, and must adjust quickly to the cultural differences. Readers follow the boy, Midnight, as he grows, tries to remain true to his religious faith, and protect his family by any means necessary.
Even though Midnight wasn't the prequel I thought it would be, I did enjoy the book. The story is a simple love story. Genuine and unassuming, but well-told. Fans of The Coldest Winter Ever looking for a similar book may be disappointed. Midnight is much more about character development and bringing light to the way foreigners view African Americans than life on the streets. There isn't much page-turning action. And, while there are still essences of urban fiction in the book, I believe Souljah was writing for a different genre. So, while Midnight overall is a good read, Urban fiction fans, who have waited so long for more insight into Winter's story, may be ultimately let down.
Midnight is Available at Azizi Books and BlackBooksDirect.com
