CAUGHT UP IN THE RAPTURE

Jazmine Deems is twenty-six, and her life hasn't really started yet. She's going to school in the mornings, working at Bullock's in the afternoons, and hoping to get discovered in her free time. She's also just about had it with men. They treat you badly and expect you to be grateful for their attention. Well, forget that. Raised amid the negativity of South-Central Los Angeles, she survived through the church and the strict rules set down by Reverend Deems, her preacher father. But Jazmine, a former fat girl who can sing like a dream, is ready to step out from under his influence, make it on her own, discover her sexuality and have some fun with the help of her wisecracking soul sister and confidante Dakota.
Dakota and Jazmine share their righteous anger at men, girlfriend to girlfriend. Dakota is the more outgoing of the two, and she's determined that, with her help, the talented and beautiful Jazmine will get her share of the spotlight. There's always one man or another in Dakota's life, until something happens that turns Dakota's humor into pain, her opinions into convictions, and her ambition into determination to succeed on her own terms and help both herself and Jazmine to rise up beyond their circumstances. Besides dealing with all that, she's got to keep an eye on the more vulnerable Jazmine as she begins to fall for Xavier.
Xavier Honor, better known as X-Man, has not been able to escape the pull of the streets. He's a gangsta, headed for a life of pure destruction, along with his homies T-Bone and Rich, unless something big happens in their lives. Through his rapping, X-Man sees a chance to escape the hood, and if he can make it out of the ghetto he just might win Jazmine's heart.
Black Tie Records is the hip recording company that unites Jazmine and Xavier, but at the hands of its all-powerful record executive Bobby Strong, the two soon learn that the glamour of the music industry hides some very real lessons about life.

A seamless, convincing, and gruelingly honest first novel, by the 25-year-old Jackson, portrays worlds known to many Americans only through the evening news. Jazmine Deems is 26 and in a major rut: She still lives with her preacher father in her childhood home. She's working toward her master's degree at UCLA, her love life is virtually nonexistent, and, meanwhile, her real dream is to be a famous singer. Fortunately for Jazmine, her best friend, the wild but ever-loyal, street-smart Dakota, has Jazmine's best interests at heart: She wrangles invites to the annual Black Tie Records' executive party in the hopes that Jazmine can pass on a demo tape and be discovered by the label that represents all the best African-American singers. That fateful night turns out to be the beginning of Jazmine's career and of a turbulent romance with the soon-to-be-signed Black Tie artist, rapper (and conflicted gangster) Xavier ``X-Man'' Honor. Trouble in paradise pops up when X realizes that Jazmine- -despite her attraction to him--has no interest in a drug-dealing, gun-toting street punk for a boyfriend, even if he does have a record contract. And then it turns out that Bobby Strong, the Black Tie executive responsible for signing up Jazmine, is a closet coke addict on a downward spiral that threatens to end the young woman's career before it ever gets off the ground. Through it all, Dakota, X-Man's homies Rich and T-Bone, Rich's philandering girlfriend Eyeisha, and the Revered Deems must deal with Jazz and X's impending stardom, as well as the dangers of life on the streets of South-Central L.A. The glitzy facade of the high-powered, back-stabbing music industry provides an effective counterpoint to the scenes set on the deadly streets of America's most notorious ghetto: an impressive debut novel that never lets its message overwhelm the story. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

YA?A story with believable characters, told in an easy-to-read, fast-paced style. Most of the people living in South Central Los Angeles can't escape the pull of the streets. Jazmine Deems isn't one of them. She is smart, ambitious, can sing like an angel, and has big dreams. Havier, a would-be gangsta-rapper better known as the X-Man, doesn't have Jazz's expectations. He figures he'll be hanging with his homeboys for life. When both are discovered by Black Tie Records, they are drawn together, determined to sing their way to stardom. However, they soon find that the road to success, and to happiness, is a lot longer and harder than either of them imagined. Jackson offers an insightful look at the street life, loyalty, and ties of the hood. Peppered with profanity that realistically reflects the characters' speech, this book is a bold, often humorous tale of two young people persevering against the odds, and the potential in everyone to rise above their beginnings, carve out a future, and fulfill their dreams.?Anita B. Short, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Two young African Americans hoping for pop-music stardom become lovers-and pawns in a record-company power struggle-in this earnest debut. Jazmine Deems, a 26-year-old UCLA student anxious to escape her father's strict household, envies the freedom enjoyed by her best friend, Dakota, who introduces her to popular music, current fashion and sexy guys. Life hasn't been as smooth for Xavier Honor, aka X-Man, whose "family" consists of two street buddies and who hopes to rap his way out of the 'hood. X-Man and Jazmine meet at a party thrown by Black Tie Records, the company where producer Bobby Strong, having stumbled during his climb to the top, is looking over his shoulder at young producer Kirk Walker. Jazmine signs with Black Tie after Dakota makes a secret sacrifice on her behalf; X-Man also gains a contract. The two fall in love, while Bobby's world begins to crumble under pressure from his escalating drug use and bad judgment. On the eve of X-Man's and Jazmine's respective album debuts, a secret from X-Man's past becomes public, catalyzing a quick series of violent incidents. As X-Man and Jazmine narrate in alternating first-person voices, Jackson portrays the frailties and frustrations of South-Central L.A.'s residents with more compassion than subtlety. Her effort to tell a Cinderella story while retaining an attitude of hip-hop street credibility results in some awkwardness, but also in an engaging and up-to-date sudser.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Jackson's first novel is set in South Central L.A. with a backdrop in the music industry. Jazmine Deems is a young woman with an exceptional singing voice who decides at an early age that she wants to become a singer. Her controlling father is determined to have his daughter walk the straight and narrow. Her efforts to assert her independence are encouraged by her friend Dakota, who believes in her ability and sets out to ensure that Jazmine is "discovered." Dakota gets invitations to the Black Tie Records gala, where she succeeds in promoting Jazmine to a record company bigwig. Jazmine also meets and begins dating X-Man, the soon-to-be Black Tie Records' rap artist. Jazmine and X-man's relationship becomes compounded when their musical careers are forced into competition by the company executives who are competing for the CEO position. Jackson points out quite cleverly that individuals can get "caught up in the rapture" of their abilities, relationships, and accomplishments no matter where they come from. Lillian Lewis

Jazmine Deems is a UCLA graduate student from South Central Los Angeles who dreams of becoming a rhythm-and-blues singer. With the help of an overzealous, promiscuous best friend, she lands a contract with a prominent record company. Between standing up to her preacher father and struggling against the record company's drug-addicted vice president, she is bound to develop into the strong-willed person she wishes to be. When she meets Xavier Honor, a South Central gang banger who would like to leave his gangster lifestyle and pursue a career as a rapper with the same record company as Jazmine, the two fall in love. However, with their alternate lifestyles and competition between the vice president and a power-hungry executive coming between them, Xavier and Jazmine soon learn that their love and determination to make it in the music industry may not be enough. This first novel is vivid, realistic, and strong, with perfectly fleshed-out characters. Readers will be bound by each word as they watch Jazmine struggle with life and the pursuit of happiness. Strongly recommended.?Shenise Ross, New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.