Michael Daniel Baptiste – författare

A gripping adrenaline rush of a story about growing up on the street, Michael David Baptiste''s novel unfolds like an epic saga of crime and punishment.Presided over by a main character named Michael Banner, known on the streets as Spits, Cracked Dreams takes readers onto the down and dirty streets of the Bronx and into the lives of a drug gang called the Time Bombs. The Time Bombs fear that their territory is being threatened by a rival gang trying to muscle into their trade, so they devise a plan to eliminate the competition. Soon they''re consumed by the desire to make their mark beyond the borders of their hometown. Their cash-fueled dreams carry them far from their poverty-plagued roots, where their lives escalate into horrifying violence. Cracked Dreams introduces an unforgettable cast of snitches, gangstas, dealers, thugs, pimps, prostitutes, hustlers, and ex-cons who learn the hard way that when the street calls, you''d better answer. But they have no idea that FBI agents are shadowing their every move to put an end to the gang''s reign of terror that’s transforming average street corners into bloody battlegrounds. Careening from the drug-fueled avenues of the Bronx to Florida and California, Cracked Dreams tells a haunting tale of sin and redemption.

With a frightening sense of realism and authenticity—the story of a cold-blooded killer and his life-changing relationship with his godchild.Boom, a product of violent street influences has become one of the most feared men in North Philadelphia. He is known for his brutality and the victims he leaves behind. When Booms closest friend, Ivan is gunned down and murdered, Boom takes the law into his own hands. Even after he finds the revenge he seeks, Boom still can''t conceal his devastation. He''s concerned about Shonda, Ivan''s widow, and Sabra, Ivan''s daughter and Boom''s godchild. Caught up in the game of the streets and not accustomed to having feelings other than rage, Boom''s once impenetrable tough exterior is slowly cracking and revealing his utter vulnerability With chilling prose, Michael Baptiste creates a riveting novel that reveals the brutal world of inner-city street life. Godchild dissects the cyclical world of violence and revenge and one man''s attempts to protect a child and make sure she will never suffer the same fate—even if it kills him.