L. Miller – författare

Are bad girls casualties of patriarchy, a necessary evil, or visionary pioneers? The authors in this volume propose shifts in our perceptions of bad girls by providing new ways to understand them through the case of Japan. By tracing the concept of the bad girl as a product of specific cultural assumptions and historical settings, Bad Girls of Japan maps new roads and old detours in revealing a disorderly politics of gender. Bad Girls of Japan explores deviancy in richly diverse media: mountain witches, murderers, performance artists, cartoonists, schoolgirls and shoppers gone wild are all part of the terrain.

Are bad girls casualties of patriarchy, a necessary evil, or visionary pioneers? The authors in this volume propose shifts in our perceptions of bad girls by providing new ways to understand them through the case of Japan. By tracing the concept of the bad girl as a product of specific cultural assumptions and historical settings, Bad Girls of Japan maps new roads and old detours in revealing a disorderly politics of gender. Bad Girls of Japan explores deviancy in richly diverse media: mountain witches, murderers, performance artists, cartoonists, schoolgirls and shoppers gone wild are all part of the terrain.

Are bad girls casualties of patriarchy, a necessary evil, or visionary pioneers? The authors in this volume propose shifts in our perceptions of bad girls by providing new ways to understand them through the case of Japan. By tracing the concept of the bad girl as a product of specific cultural assumptions and historical settings, Bad Girls of Japan maps new roads and old detours in revealing a disorderly politics of gender. Bad Girls of Japan explores deviancy in richly diverse media: mountain witches, murderers, performance artists, cartoonists, schoolgirls and shoppers gone wild are all part of the terrain.

​Malik "e;Black"e; Savage grew up on the unyielding concrete of 11th Street in North Philadelphia. Raised in extreme poverty, Black spent his early years navigating the ridicule of his peers—wearing hand-me-down clothes, split-soled shoes, and relying on free school lunches—while fiercely protecting his younger siblings, Hezekiah and Neferriti. But hardship turned to absolute catastrophe in high school when a horrific accident took their mother's life and their father was handed a 20-year prison sentence.​At just sixteen, Black becomes the defacto head of the household. Though an aunt moves in to prevent the children from being swallowed by Child Protective Services, a relentless caseworker continuously searches for any excuse to split the family apart. Refusing to become another teenage corner boy, Black juggles odd jobs across the city to keep the lights on and food on the table. But when an eviction notice lands on their door, survival forces his hand. Black makes a fate-altering call to his cousin Boog, an established, high-stakes hustler from Uptown.​By nineteen, Black has grown into an imposing presence: 6'2"e;, 220 pounds, with midnight-black skin, a crisp beard, and piercing, unwavering green eyes. Balancing his criminal ascension with night classes in business and finance at Community College, Black operates like a phantom. He bans all electronics and phones from his illicit affairs, conducting business strictly through word-of-mouth and a tight-knit network of blood relatives. Along the way, he uses his legal acumen and street capital to manage his cousin Dawud "e;Dill Bundles,"e; a talented artist trying to break into the music industry.​When Black meets Amara—a sharp, stunning 5'4"e; medical student at Temple University originally from Atlanta—she sees right through his smooth exterior to the dangerous world he inhabits. She plays hard to get, but Black's quiet persistence eventually wins her over, sparking a deep, powerful bond. Black keeps her completely shielded from the game, even traveling with her to Georgia to meet her family—where his strategic mind immediately spots new territory to expand.​When a test run in Atlanta goes tragically sideways, leaving Boog dead at the hands of a skittish local dealer, Black is thrust into the driver's seat of a sprawling organization burdened with massive debt, entrenched beefs, and corrupt Philly detectives closing in. Forced to reveal the truth to Amara, Black lays out his ultimate philosophy: "e;They don't want people like us in top positions in any industry because they can't control the dynamic or our thinking... the streets are the foundation, the boardroom is the destination."e;​Cruising the city in a midnight-black BMW X5, clad in tailored designer attire, and moving through the shadows as "e;Black Death,"e; the streets wonder what drives a man who seems to have it all. But Black doesn't care for the women chasing his image or the clout of the corner. His true desire is absolute power, generational stability, and unshakeable success—and he will burn down anyone who stands in his way

$TRATEGICBy L. MillerEvery move has a purpose. Every dollar has a destination. Every person has a position.Tariq Bell learned the streets of Philadelphia the hard way. To outsiders, he looks like another hustler chasing fast money, but Tariq operates differently. He studies people, calculates risk, watches patterns, and turns every situation into a strategy. For him, nothing is random.Then the game catches up.Sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, Tariq loses his freedom—but gains something more valuable: time to think. Behind the walls, he studies business, advertising, branding, psychology, and the mechanics of legitimate wealth. While other inmates count the days until release, Tariq is building a blueprint for his future.When he walks out, he doesn't return to the streets looking for another hustle.He creates $TRATEGIC.Tariq begins transforming everything he learned on the streets into a legitimate business empire built around marketing, logistics, branding, and book distribution. But leaving the street life behind doesn't mean the streets are willing to leave him alone. Old enemies remember him. Former associates want access to his new money. And people who once underestimated him begin realizing that Tariq's greatest weapon was never the hustle—it was his mind.As pressure builds around his growing empire, Tariq must balance loyalty, ambition, revenge, and survival while proving that the same intelligence that made him dangerous in the streets can make him powerful in the boardroom.Because when you're $TRATEGIC, the hustle isn't the destination. It's the foundation.Money can be earned. Power can be acquired. But knowing exactly when—and where—to make your move is what separates a hustler from an empire builder.