Dare

by Abiola Abrams

Book Overview

Meet Maya Hope. Double-dipped in cocoa with brick-house curves, she's a lover of jazz, a political poet, and a sociologist. Her best friend and roommate, Athena Jackson, is her opposite in every way--a petite ex-cheerleader who's always blaring rap, grinding out rhymes, and ready to take the next man home. When Maya is forced to pinch-hit in an audition and bust Athena's rhymes, she finds herself on an undercover escapade in the wild world of hip-hop...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416541667
• ISBN13: 9781416541660
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

I dare you to read this and not find something you'll love!

Maya and Athena have been sisters of the heart since gradeschool days, but they're nothing alike. Maya's a Masters degree level sociologist, a poet, and a political activist. Athena's a cheerleader, a rapper wannabe, and though Maya loves her--she thinks her roommate's 'easy'. But love is thicker than disagreements and the bonds of sisterhood are strong between these two sister-friends. When Athena's Mom becomes ill and Athena cannot make the rapper audition of a lifetime, Maya comes and does Athena's audition. When Maya's audacity causes her to win, Athena convinces her to take a sabbatical from her job and continue the ruse until they can get things straightened out and get Athena her chance to shine. Maya thinks she's crazy, til Athena DARES her. Now, these two women aren't children, but Maya can't refuse that dare. "Dare" is a beautifully written book by a woman whose soul is full of light and who obviously wants to brighten up her reader's lives, too. You not only get a heart-rending tale of a strong woman's life, you get life lesson's as well. Abiola Abrams has filled "Dare" with personal dares that will change your life if you open yourself up to them--one of these is a "Beauty Day". No, this isn't pampering at the spa, it's noticing and acknowledging beauty everywhere. Ms. Abrams writes with the rhymic beauty of both a musician and a poet. Her imagery is strong with color and sensory impressions. Scenes from "Dare" will bring tears to your eyes and leave you laughing and cheering. You don't have to love rap or hip hop to love this book. You do need poetry in your soul and be willing to open up and learn--because Maya does have some amazing insights into life in general. Go on--read the first chapter on this page. I dare you. Bet you won't put the book down til you're done. I also bet you're going to keep the book for the rules and the inspirational material in between the narrative. Rebecca Kyle, April 2008

FINALLY-- REAL & SMART AFR-AM CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE!!

GO DARE! I am so excited about writing this review. One of my best friends and I have been arguing about this book for a week, so we're both going to post our reviews. I absolutely loved it, and she wasn't crazy about it. But it got us both talking so I guess that the brilliant author accomplished her point. Here's what the big issue is-- this book is MIS-CATEGORIZED. It is listed as "Urban Lit," but as one of the other reviewers says, Dare is definitely either "CHICK LIT" or just "CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE." I guess that since it's a book by a black woman, the simple category they threw it into was "urban fiction." Here is why I ENJOYED DARE SO MUCH and my friend did not-- our tastes in reading are totally different! I am a LITERARY reader. My favorite authors are Maya Angelou, Edwidge Danticat, Erica Simone Turnipseed, Zadie Smith, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor and Sofia Quintero. I LOVE SMART BOOKS that are creative with strong characters and a meaningful plot. My friend-- whose negative review you will see here ;-D -- loves "urban reads"-- books about hip hop, hustlers, gangsters, etc. If that is what you read or what you are looking for, that is definitely not Dare. No insult against any other authors, but Dare is literature. If you are used to easy reading about pimps, prostitutes, gangs and hustlers, buy something else. If you are an educated reader who loves profound, poetic and thoughtful storytelling and literature, BUY THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY!!! The crazy thing is that because I am biracial, I have friends of all races. However, the books that my white girlfriends read and my black girlfriends read are totally different. The black books tend to be so one dimensional and basic. My white girlfriends are loving Dare too because they are not used to books like the others that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Edwidge Danticat and Abiola Abrams ROCK. Dare is so rich and it was wonderful for me to read something that is as good as or better than "regular" chick lit but aimed at ME!!! The character was not a pimp, prostitute or a hustler, but a strong, proud, educated black woman like me. I didn't intend to keep going on and on, but I guess that the only flaw Miss Abrams has as a writer, if any, is that as a black writer she is above the pack, and that by itself might hold her back. People who are used to Big Macs can't understand caviar. I can't wait for the next book by Abiola Abrams. I couldn't put Dare down. I loved the affirmations and literary references. More, please!!

This book is amazing!

Dare is a unique novel that I found very hard to put down. I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next and it was always unexpected. As a Caribbean-American woman who grew up in Hip Hop culture, it's nice to see parts of myself reflected in literature. I have not encountered another book like Dare: Moving, hilarious and inspiring! I've already told all my friends to read this book but I had to let the world know. I know that this is one of those novels that everyone will be talking aobut and you don't want to be left out of the coversation!

Dare to Have Fun

Ms Abrams does a wonderful job of portraying the behind the scenes world of hip-hop in between the pages of Dare. With two unforgetable characters and non-stop drama, DARE is an easy and fun read.

Dare to Read a Great Book

I don't think that I have ever written a review before but this book was completely different from what I expected. Picture a librarian, spoken word poet type woman falling into the grimy world of hip hop!! I really enjoyed reading Dare. It was a fun and fantastic wild ride. At first I was a little unsure of the affirmations, then I realized that this was because Maya was unsure and as the character became more clear, so did we. The characters were interesting-- I was busy trying to guess who was based on whom? Eventually what got me though, was the heart of the book. I really felt for the characters and their ordeals. Very well written too. I loved the poetry and rhymes. Maya was a true survivor!!! Hot! And the Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Maya Angelou hidden references-- double hot!