Product Description

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for developing me into a
beautiful and talented woman.
Thank you for being my protector
and my guide.
And as I make my way along my journey,
bless me with the wisdom to make
intelligent choices.

So begins Sorority Sisters by Tajuana "TJ" Butler, a dazzling new voice in African-American fiction. In this wonderful debut novel, five young women from diverse backgrounds pledge an African-American sorority and learn the true meaning of sisterhood.

CAJEN is a naive freshman whose brief affair with Jason, the campus Romeo, has life-changing repercussions. With hardly a chance to cope with her new circumstances, she finds herself dealing with the stress of pledging while battling feelings of depression and guilt.

TIARA grew up as the oldest of five children raised by a single mother in the projects of Gary, Indiana. Motivated by Rhonda, her mentor through the Big Sisters program, she has worked hard for everything she has achieved. Simply being in college is a victory for her.

CHANCEY is brilliant, with a photographic memory that has allowed her to breeze through school. In fact, she skipped her freshman year entirely and entered college as a sophomore. She has always been made to feel like an outsider because of her intelligence, and the sorority represents an opportunity for her finally to fit in.

STEPHANIE is the spoiled only child of a prominent, wealthy family from Savannah. She is used to getting the best and expects no less. But Stephanie is adopted and harbors a secret about her birth mother that she fears win cause others to think less of her.

MALENA is ambitious, talented, and smart. She knows what she wants and is steadfast when it comes to achieving her goals. Her strength and resolve ultimately benefit the group as a whole.

These five very different young women are thrust together and soon must learn to unite and draw upon one another's talents. During the course of their pledge process, they struggle to discover and define their futures, finding strength in the group and within themselves.

In Sorority Sisters, Butler writes with sensitivity and authenticity about issues revolving around class, friendship, self-discovery, sexuality, and love. She has created characters who remain with you long after the last page has been turned. A gifted young storyteller, Tajuana "TJ" Butler has a voice we'll be hearing from for a long time.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #842558 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Released on: 2007-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780345494948
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Bouncy and dialogue-driven, but awkwardly written, this debut novel strives to teach its predominantly African-American, 20-something female audience how to become strong and self-confident women independent of the financial or emotional support of family and boyfriends. While certainly a good life lesson, this maturing process occurs for five college women during one melodramatic sorority rush week, and there are so many characters with predictable, public-service-announcement problems that it's a challenge to sort them all out, much less learn from their mistakes. The hapless heroines--cute ingenue Cajen Myers, spoiled rich kid Stephanie Madison, romantically torn Malena Adams, ghetto-born-and-raised Tiara Johnson and book-smart Chancey Wright--must overcome their diverse economic and social backgrounds in the process of pledging a choice sorority. While the women vie for the best look and the best guy (both of which receive an excessive amount of description), the five friends also seem to compete for "worst obstacle to success," what with Cajen's herpes, Stephanie's drug-addicted biological mother and other issues like cheating boyfriends, unwanted pregnancy and low self-esteem. These are all worthy topics, but Butler's crowd of characters commonly experience revelations that conveniently guarantee a shallow victory for all by story's end. The book aims for suspense--will all five women join the sorority? Will they commit to the right man?--but the stereotypical characters and predictable situations remain insubstantial, although perhaps entertaining and even informative for a teenage audience. (May) FYI: Butler founded Lavelle Publishing, which issued this book in 1998.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Butler writes a very engaging story about five African American college women struggling with campus life and the rigors of pledging. Cajen, Chancey, Malena, Stephanie, and Tiara come from diverse backgrounds and all have equally ambitious goals. Their decision to join the sorority and become a part of an enduring sisterhood forces each woman to utilize her unique strengths and confront her buried weaknesses. Cajen, the freshman, seduced by a more experienced upperclassman, struggles with the aftermath of a one-night stand; Chancey is the insecure girlfriend of a soon-to-be professional football player; Malena is the highly motivated and independent college student; Stephanie is the adopted daughter raised by a prominent Atlanta family; and Tiara is the disadvantaged inner-city girl struggling with her distrust of men. Each woman matures to confront her insecurities through sheer determination to survive not only the pledging process but also the rite of passage between friends and the unique bonds of sorority sisterhood. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Butler realistically captures the trials and tribulations of African-American college women. . . . Rarely has there been a depiction of African-American college life as vivid and accurate as Sorority Sisters."
--Lawrence C. Ross, Jr., author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities

"Sorority Sisters examines the issues facing women walking a tightrope between the teen years and adulthood. . . . The fact that the author provided a peek into the pledge process of African-American sororities made the book even more tasty."
--Seventeenmag.com

"Butler?s approach to the issues surrounding sororities and fraternities, sex and relationships, friendships and sisterhood, [is] genuine and down to earth. Sorority Sisters is a relaxing read that offers a trip down memory lane for some and a heads-up for others."
--Black Issues Book Review

"Tajuana ?TJ? Butler scores big. . . . Serious subtexts involving STDs and loyalty never come across as preachy. Butler keeps her prose light and entertaining, making Sorority Sisters an enjoyable page-turner."
--Honey magazine


From the Trade Paperback edition. -- Review

Customer Reviews

WAY TO GO SOROR AND TO ALL THE LADIES IN PINK!
First, thanks to Amazon. Com for recommending this book as wellas many of the other books by first time african american authors thatI've met as a result of purchasing books via Amazon.com.

TJ has done a fine job at her first attempt as an author and I can't wait to read additional books from her. Her characters are well developed and the storyline is interesting in Sorority Girls. Sorority Girls was a page turner and I read the book in one day! No matter whether you're Greek or Non-Greek, any sister can relate to this book as it deals with friendship and female-bonding. Highly recommend to anyone and I don't think you will be disappointed.

I've read better--MUCH BETTER!
I felt like I was reading a pre-teen novel. The characters were very underdeveloped, she spent more time on the characters' sex lives instead of their sisterhood, and she spends a lot of time on their physical apprearance. It does not take a genius to figure out what sorority she is talking about. She makes the characters seem like a sorority is the answer to everything. They are trying to cope with major struggles in their lives but as long as they get into their sorority everything will be okay. Oh please! Ms. Butler obviously has some sort of identity crisis herself if she makes her characters this shallow! I would not recommend this book to anyone!

Sophistication at It's Best
Ms. Tajuana Butler has done the public a favor by gracing us with the book "Sorority Sisters". This past weekend I read the book while I was home for the Thanksgiving holidays. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and am considering pledging a sorority. Yet, the book goes so much deeper than the process of pledging. It displays the everyday, real-life struggles of 5 college women and how they choose to deal with this while they are in college. Even though my time was limited over the break I always seemed to find the time to pick up from where I left off whenever I put the book down (whether it be before going to bed, in the bathroom, or on the phone). I feel that I can relate to so many of the incidents that occur in the book. You can tell that Ms. Butler spent a great deal of time researching the college atmosphere and college life in general. Upon my return from the holidays I told several friends about the book and all of them are dying to read it. I would like information on purchasing several copies and would like to know how I could contact Ms. Butler to tell her what a fine job she has done. I look forward to the next book. P.S. The "Desires of a Woman" was also very inspiring. Keep up the good work. Thank you, A huge Fan