My Manz and 'em

Growing up in the West Second street housing projects, in Plainfield, New Jersey, Malik Jones has based his life and reputation in the streets on loyalty. The son of a hustler, yet fatherless, he is raised by a single, working, mother of three. Malik's life is impacted by these circumstances as he easily becomes influenced by his surroundings at a young age. Teaming up with neighborhood friends, Malik climbs the criminal ladder, gaining instant status in the streets. Now a seasoned veteran in the game, Malik is ready to take he and his crew to the top until he is taught a valuable lesson. After an inevitable prison sentence, finding himself and religion, Malik is returning to the streets with the intent of climbing a new ladder and taking a better path then before. With a new outlook on life, in the process, Malik is even able to discover real love. But as with anything else in life, you must crawl before you can walk. See what Malik Jones is faced with as he struggles to crawl in a world where it seems the deck is stacked against him...Especially after he

J.M. Benjamin is an Award Winning author born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. He has quickly made his presence felt in the fast growing genre of Urban Literature. Ironically, having spent more than half his life in the streets and a substantial amount of time incarcerated, J.M. Benjamin's only credential as a street tale story teller is simply his own first hand experience and knowledge of what the streets consist of. ôI was in the Game wholeheartedly, since I was 12 years old, and throughout that time I survived near death experiences and escaped prison as being my permanent place of residency. For that I am blessed. Those are just two out of many things that inspire and motivate me to write, and if my stories save at least one person's life, whether it be death or imprisonment, or cause them to change their game plan, then my work is serving it's purpose,ö he says. As fate would have it, growing up in an urban community and practically being raised in the streets, J.M. Benjamin's upbringing provided him with the necessary tools he now uses in his work to capture and display the reality and horrors of the streets world-wide. He is also a motivational speaker, sharing his experiences and knowledge of the streets at various high and junior schools, colleges, probation and religious programs for the youth, institutions for incarcerated men and women, and urban communities throughout his travels, in hopes to make a difference. Although his name may be unknown to some, this author continues to pay his dues behind the scenes as well as at the forefront in the literary worldàSenior Editor of Don Diva Magazine, Susan Hampstead acknowledges him as ôbeing one of the new underground writers making a noise behind the prison walls,ö while he was still incarcerated. Since then, J.M. has collaborated with some of the top African American authors of his genre, including Essence #1 Best Seller, author of ôA Hustler's Wife,ö Ms. Nikki Turner, Al Saadiq Banks, and Crystal Lacey Winslow. JOLIE, a magazine created by the talented Vivica A. Fox ranked J.M.'s freshman novel ôDown in The Dirtyö as #2 hottest summer read of this past summer! But it doesn't stop there for this author, he was nominated for BEST NEW BREAKOUT AUTHOR OF THE YEAR and BEST STREET NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2006 by the African American Literary Awards, which on September 27th of 2006, he brought back home to Plainfield the award for Best Street fiction of the Year, over the likes of Teri Woods, Nikki Turner, and Queen Pen. He has also been nominated in two categories again for Best Street Lit of 2007 and for his short story in an anthology at the Chicago Black Authors & Books Award hosted by Infini Promoters. His novel ôDown in The Dirtyö was featured on the Wendy Williams Experience Book club as the book of the month for July and was acknowledged by Michael Baisden of the Michael Baisden Show for his success after incarceration. He also recieved accolades for the #1 Urban Book out of the Top 10 Street Lit novels of 2006-2007, sponsored by The Writer's Inn. J.M.Benjamin has been compared and related to the late great Claude Brown and the late great Donald Goines for his ability to entertain and educate, and his passionate work ethics. J.M. Benjamin was released from prison, fully loaded and prepared to enter into a new game with the same drive and approach as he did when he ran the streets, only this time he has a different product to offer. It is J.M. Benjamin's intent to capture the street lit genre in its rawest form in hopes to deter the youth and his peers alike who have traveled or intend to travel down the path he once chose. Being introduced to readers in the anthology, ôMenace II Societyö with the short story titled ôKeeping It Gangstaö and his debut novel, ôDown in The Dirtyö he is ready to secure a position in the Urban Literature genre and become a major asset when it comes to making a difference in the minds of his readers. J.M Benjamin is a father of three. He is the founder and along with his partner Kevin R. White, the owner of Real Edutainment Publishing which he has just released his sophomore novel titled My Manz And 'Em Feb 14th 2007 under. J.M.Benjamin's third novel will be released this summer under Flowers In Bloom Publishing, followed by his fourth novel late 2007 titled Heaven & Earth under Real Edutainment Publishing.