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sunbummandi's review against another edition
5.0
I have read this book twice. It's hard to put down.
johndpeterson's review against another edition
3.0
Only a third in - very much reminds me of Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks.
brianamf936's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an experience. It’s a classic. I see why everyone raves about it.
nachofunk's review against another edition
4.0
The book follows Winter through her life in New York as the daughter of a prominent drug lord. There are many twists and turns along the way where Winter has to make large life decisions in some very difficult scenarios.
I appreciated the story format and I found it interesting that many parts of the books showed the real life effects of the drug war that I had learned about in The New Jim Crow. It challenged a lot of my biases as a white person and helped me understand the difficult decisions many in our country face. There is some self referential parts where the author refers to herself, which felt a bit awkward to me, but overall the book felt like a story instead of a political point, which made it interesting to read throughout.
I would recommend this book, especially to anyone wanting to learn more about a more accurate representation of people in poverty struggling in the drug war. It’s also nice to have the content in a story format instead of some of the dryer nonfiction out there.
I appreciated the story format and I found it interesting that many parts of the books showed the real life effects of the drug war that I had learned about in The New Jim Crow. It challenged a lot of my biases as a white person and helped me understand the difficult decisions many in our country face. There is some self referential parts where the author refers to herself, which felt a bit awkward to me, but overall the book felt like a story instead of a political point, which made it interesting to read throughout.
I would recommend this book, especially to anyone wanting to learn more about a more accurate representation of people in poverty struggling in the drug war. It’s also nice to have the content in a story format instead of some of the dryer nonfiction out there.
britt_nicole_3's review against another edition
5.0
All these years later and this book still holds up!
tresbelles88's review against another edition
5.0
I read this look about 20 years ago and again recently just to refresh my memory before reading the sequel. It’s just as traumatic as the first time. A reminder of how important decision making is and how decision, good, bad or indifferent have consequences.
kilobyyte's review against another edition
5.0
Okay.... where do I begin...well for starters this novel is the top of the chain in urban fiction. Sister Souljah captures the reader at the very beginning. The main character Winter Santiaga personality jumps right out of the page immediately before you get to know much about her character. Winter is someone that is easily to despise. The whole story centered around Brooklyn and takes us briefly to Long Island and a few other places. Winter was raised in the projects and that is all she is familiar with and calls it home. I could pinpoint the message Souljah was aiming towards in the novel that Winter along with others in the novel were never taught that this is not a place you should want to call home and to build a better life. At a young age, Winter never was viewed with innocence, she was already acting "grown". Her mother was just a child herself when Winter was born and she too walked around like a grown woman instead of a 14 year old girl. Another thing I don't think Souljah addressed in the character analysis of the father-daughter relationship was the strange way she described her father Ricky Santiaga. I know for the book purposes, the reader is supposed to get a detailed visual description of the character, however, it was odd to read about a daughter describing her father in that way. The mother who has no name in the story, is more like a friend to Winter and no not like a sister but a friend. She had a different connection to her father than she did to her mother. She often referred to her father as 'Santiaga' like the people on the streets referred to him. Winter tries to be in the game but she doesn't have the range or the smarts to keep her head above water at least not for too long. Throughout the story Souljah shows us how Winter has a one-track mindset and all she wants is to make money and to shop. We discover that Winter is talented and could have went to school for something in fashion and cosmetology, however Winter wants to make fast money. Ricky Santiaga, the drug kingpin of Brooklyn, thinks he had his family safe and wanted them to live the good life in Long Island. Even with all the nice things he bought them Mrs. Santiaga and Winter wanted to be back in the projects with the metal door to protect them.
Winter and her attraction for Midnight....now this guy here is about the only character with common sense and I can say that was Souljah's angle for this character. Midnight and his real name is revealed midway to the end of the book, was practically Santiaga's right hand and also his lieutenant. Midnight tried to offer advice to Winter but she just did not relate to him because this is not how she was brought up. Midnight was the only one who went unscathed in the entire situation with Santiaga. He had a plan that turned successful while Winter struggled with many ill-gotten plans that were temporary and she did not care who she had to double-cross to make them a success.
Karma is one theme I thought of and that it made its way to Winter sooner than she expected. She couldn't make the moves she wanted to make but she kept going until she was stopped.
The novel had its gritty moments when the mother was in a tragic state twice in the story and we see Winter make a total change in the way she viewed her mother. She was all for self when push came to shove and thought nothing of it. The one thing that troubled me in the story was Sister Souljah adding herself as a character in the book....Now that was something I felt we could have done without although it was very interesting part of the story. I just didn't care for Souljah mentioning herself for so long in the book and as if she was the only one who did no wrong in the story. I did have a issue with the ignorant part about people with HIV as if she could contract it from standing next to a person or by touching them. When Winter visited her father she did not take a "long hot shower" after going there now did she?
The only part I skipped over would be the Souljah/Midnight letters. Now I may be the only one BUT I am not interested in Midnight so much and I was already fed up with Souljah's part in the book I could not take it anymore.
Souljah's premise was to show how many downfalls there are in the black community specifically in a crime drug infested community. Winter wanted apart of that life to make her way but she doesn't get there. Her ego and her mindset did not set the stage for her to be in the business her father reigned in for so long. There were many issues in this story that I question that I felt went unanswered. For example, in The House of Success when Winter was no longer able to return there, why does CPS not go looking for Winter like they did before? She was still 17 years old and yet Souljah allowed her to stay in the house. That part had me slightly confused. My only theory for that is she was showing the reader how the system easily looses track of children and many are missing yet out on the street until they turn 18.
By the end of the novel we have come to the realization that there is no hope for Winter and through all of those moments of maybe she will get out of here maybe she will get through this but no not at all. She ends up in the same predicament as her father. The fate of her mother is as tragic as her life even though she never really believed that she would be in such a state. The mark that scars Winter is something that disturbs me and I really hoped for a different ending and no I don't think Winter & Midnight should have ended up together. The second Santiaga daughter seems to follow the same path as Winter even though they spent years apart they are just alike. I was hoping that Souljah would have continued Winter's story picking up where she finally gets released from prison but I guess we have to figure out for ourselves what happens or what usually happens to women when they served a sentence and is released back into society. But what will Winter do? I think it is worth another novel to find out since she will be older than she was was when she went into prison, and the ugliness which is a reminder of what she did to others and how she treated her mother is left on her face. So what does the Winter Santiaga who was all about beauty, high fashion, glamour,the fast life and fast money do with what she has left? I think I would much rather have a sequel of Winter's story than any other character.
All in all I enjoyed the book. It did move quickly and left you frustrated with Winter. It leaves you to think about how women end up in the prison system serving time for other people's crime in several cases. Plus much more that left you questioning the actions and the result of several characters.
This was more of a think piece than a review but those are just some of my thoughts on The Coldest Winter Ever. I have seen some chapter by chapter reviews. But this was just scattered thoughts on the characters. This book is a must read.
Winter and her attraction for Midnight....now this guy here is about the only character with common sense and I can say that was Souljah's angle for this character. Midnight and his real name is revealed midway to the end of the book, was practically Santiaga's right hand and also his lieutenant. Midnight tried to offer advice to Winter but she just did not relate to him because this is not how she was brought up. Midnight was the only one who went unscathed in the entire situation with Santiaga. He had a plan that turned successful while Winter struggled with many ill-gotten plans that were temporary and she did not care who she had to double-cross to make them a success.
Karma is one theme I thought of and that it made its way to Winter sooner than she expected. She couldn't make the moves she wanted to make but she kept going until she was stopped.
The novel had its gritty moments when the mother was in a tragic state twice in the story and we see Winter make a total change in the way she viewed her mother. She was all for self when push came to shove and thought nothing of it. The one thing that troubled me in the story was Sister Souljah adding herself as a character in the book....Now that was something I felt we could have done without although it was very interesting part of the story. I just didn't care for Souljah mentioning herself for so long in the book and as if she was the only one who did no wrong in the story. I did have a issue with the ignorant part about people with HIV as if she could contract it from standing next to a person or by touching them. When Winter visited her father she did not take a "long hot shower" after going there now did she?
The only part I skipped over would be the Souljah/Midnight letters. Now I may be the only one BUT I am not interested in Midnight so much and I was already fed up with Souljah's part in the book I could not take it anymore.
Souljah's premise was to show how many downfalls there are in the black community specifically in a crime drug infested community. Winter wanted apart of that life to make her way but she doesn't get there. Her ego and her mindset did not set the stage for her to be in the business her father reigned in for so long. There were many issues in this story that I question that I felt went unanswered. For example, in The House of Success when Winter was no longer able to return there, why does CPS not go looking for Winter like they did before? She was still 17 years old and yet Souljah allowed her to stay in the house. That part had me slightly confused. My only theory for that is she was showing the reader how the system easily looses track of children and many are missing yet out on the street until they turn 18.
By the end of the novel we have come to the realization that there is no hope for Winter and through all of those moments of maybe she will get out of here maybe she will get through this but no not at all. She ends up in the same predicament as her father. The fate of her mother is as tragic as her life even though she never really believed that she would be in such a state. The mark that scars Winter is something that disturbs me and I really hoped for a different ending and no I don't think Winter & Midnight should have ended up together. The second Santiaga daughter seems to follow the same path as Winter even though they spent years apart they are just alike. I was hoping that Souljah would have continued Winter's story picking up where she finally gets released from prison but I guess we have to figure out for ourselves what happens or what usually happens to women when they served a sentence and is released back into society. But what will Winter do? I think it is worth another novel to find out since she will be older than she was was when she went into prison, and the ugliness which is a reminder of what she did to others and how she treated her mother is left on her face. So what does the Winter Santiaga who was all about beauty, high fashion, glamour,the fast life and fast money do with what she has left? I think I would much rather have a sequel of Winter's story than any other character.
All in all I enjoyed the book. It did move quickly and left you frustrated with Winter. It leaves you to think about how women end up in the prison system serving time for other people's crime in several cases. Plus much more that left you questioning the actions and the result of several characters.
This was more of a think piece than a review but those are just some of my thoughts on The Coldest Winter Ever. I have seen some chapter by chapter reviews. But this was just scattered thoughts on the characters. This book is a must read.
jluszczak's review against another edition
1.0
DNF.
I really really tried to like this book. Multiple people in my life have said that this book is their favorite ... BUUUT I couldn't get into this.
Winter was extremely hard to feel empathy towards and to just relate to in general. The writing style was difficult for me to get around. 8 chapters in and I gave up.
I really really tried to like this book. Multiple people in my life have said that this book is their favorite ... BUUUT I couldn't get into this.
Winter was extremely hard to feel empathy towards and to just relate to in general. The writing style was difficult for me to get around. 8 chapters in and I gave up.
msmoore475's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in 1999 when it first came out I was 24. Rereading it now at 45 gives me a whole new perspective. I love how Sister Souljah developed her characters leaving me wanting to know what happened to each one. The story is just as relevant today as it was then. I'm excited to read the sequel.