Kofi Quaye – författare

SUPERSTAR, is the story of Mystique, an African-American super model whose star qualities are based not so much on her beauty than the fact that she represents the unusual and exotic. Her persona captivates the public with its aura of exotic elegance, making her a huge international sensation and a superstar. Mystique is on the top of her game; she is the superstar supermodel in demand for endorsements and movie roles; she has her own label, line of jewelry and perfumes. Her face and name had become iconic.But to stay on top of her game, she has to survive.Her star power and celebrity status bring her into contact with scheming managers, sex hungry account executives, manipulative agency operators, and ruthless bosses who interact with her as business associates, advisers, managers, friends, admirers, and lovers. Some have good intentions. Others have dubious motives, yet all of them are necessary components of the money making machine in she has become in the highly competitive world of fashion modeling with Mystique as the central figure. The underlying themes explored in this novel include people and change, virtue and vice, avarice and greed, crime and punishment, all in the context of the pursuit of the American Dream with the immigrant experience as a backdrop.

This book will inform and educate the general public on illegal immigration and its effects not only on those directly involved in the process, but on the general population as well. Writing about it in the context of its impact on contemporary society seems to be the best way to do it. How the different media view it, the degree to which the public has been influenced to view the question of immigration in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are included in the issues discussed, analyzed and elaborated on, as we attempt to look at the process of immigration, legal and illegal, from the standpoint of its impact on society as a whole. If some of the stories seem to be familiar, it is because the people are real, and the things they talk about actually happened. They are essentially true stories told by people who want to share their real-life experiences. Only in a few instances have names been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

CHANGES is the story of a family in crisis; it is the story of an immigrant family trying to cope with life in urban America, about the trauma that cross-cultural conflicts bring, the pressure to conform or do your own thing, against the backdrop of todays America. In order to integrate into the mainstream, or for that matter, pursue the American Dream, can an immigrant family maintain their identity, their native lifestyle, in the turbulent ambiance of urban America or do they succumb to its pressures and change their lifestyle altogether?These are the fundamental questions that most immigrants face, and have to deal with. Many succeed; others fail, while a few just hang in there. The main characters are Ebo, the husband and father; Christina, the wife and mother, and Chris and Lisa, two teenage kids, aged sixteen and eighteen.In the face of overwhelming odds, Ebo tries to maintain control of the family, and tries to do it the only way he knows how; the old fashioned way. Along the way, he runs into a few characters that expose him to some of the diversity on the American social, cultural and political landscape.

What happens when a hardcore American thug and hustler meets a young African wannabe gangsta in New York? Culture shock for the African when he finds out the real deal in the thug life, in the hood, in the mean streets of America, that wearing the wrong colors can get you killed, that being at the wrong place at the wrong time can be a fatal mistake. Culture shock for the American gangsta when the African pulls his girl, because she finds him real and grounded among other things. Together, the unlikely pair go up against the big boys and end up with more problems than they bargained for.

It doesnt take much to become a dead boy walking in America or elsewhere and on a collision course with early death or some other form of youth related violence. For a young African-American named Trayvon Martin, all it took was to run into a young white wanna be police packing a gun and willing to use it. He was shot to death in Sanford, Florida in a tragic case which exploded into the headlines in March 2012. For others, it is driving a nice car in a white neighborhood in a major American city, the way it happened to Syracuse native, Johnnie Gamage in Pittsburgh. He was shot and killed by Pittsburgh police. He was driving a Jaguar owned by his uncle, Ray Seals, formerly of Pittsburgh Steelers football teamFor Stanley Tookie Williams, popular for all the wrong reasons yet nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, it is for crimes he was charged with and executed as the leader of the CRIPS gang in Los Angeles. For many others too many list to list here, it is being at the wrong place at the wrong time when a drive by-shooting occurs. For many more around the globe, you are a dead boy walking when you are born in a war torn country and are forced into an army as a child soldier.

Let us begin with the notion that there is nothing like a blueprint for a successful dating relationship or marriage. No one can teach anyone how to enter into and maintain a perfect marriage or relationship or avoid the common mistakes people make that wreck marriages and relationships. Not even a counselor, psychologist, or minister or anyone else can provide a plan that can guarantee a successful romance, marriage, love affair, or a dating relationship. There are just too many variables involved that make such a prediction impractical, if not impossible.Relationships, marriages, and love affairs work as a result of the time, effort, and energy put into it by those involved. For some, everything works out just fine and everybody is happy, but sometimes, the opposite happens and the question becomes: why do some succeed, while others fail? It gets even more complicated when one of the two people involved is from another race, country, or culture.

In the beginning, most immigrants from Third World countries look at immigration mainly as a trip to another country specifically for the purpose of pursuing higher education, seeking employment, or both, saving most of their earnings and returning to their native countries where they would enjoy a better life as a result of the funds they bring with them or the higher education and professional credentials they had gained overseas, that can get them better jobs in their native countries. But it doesnt always work out that way. Many get stuck in America, Europe, Australia and other parts of the world. They are trapped, never to return to their native countries. Ultimately, they have to deal with the worst nightmare of most immigrants from Third World countries: their lives end before they can go back home. This book analyses the underlying factors that create the conditions that force men and women to live in overseas countries with cultures they are not used to or dont like and what can be done to avoid becoming a victim.