The Autobiography of an American Ghetto Boy

The story of an African American child and young teenager growing up in the real ghetto, the housing projects. Coming from a dysfunctional and violent family where contrary to what poor Black people are always depicted as; there is no God, no church on Sunday, no marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., and no singing in the church choir.

This is the story of tens of millions of African American children locked away, in the segregated, red lined ghettos and housing projects of America. Living in a bad environment, in horrific conditions, in bad schools, where death rides hard and is known by everybody.

INTRODUCTION: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN AMERICAN GHETTO BOY

The screams and howls of centuries of terror, violence and brutality transcend time as you, the reader, are taken on a tremendously honest, epic journey from Africa to Western Europe to the Americas in this compelling, violent, and true story of two turbulent and distinct African American families of unbridled good and evil, both born and raised in the brutality and horror of American slavery, segregation and Jim Crow. The journey takes you all the way to the terrifying, vicious and savagely honest, invisible black ghetto world of a child, and then teenager, growing up in the Whittier Street Housing Projects, where the schools of hard knocks and real fucked up shit are taught, lived, and died in, side by side.

I found out early on that this was not going to be an easy book to write. I wanted to write an autobiography about my early childhood and teen years and the horrific murderers, pimps, gangsters, drug dealers, drug addicts, rapists, child abusers and thieves, that I grew up with, lived with, called family, and write about in The Autobiography of an American Ghetto Boy. I soon realized that I could not write about me as an African American child and teen living in America, without writing about White America, what it was like when I was a child, how it shaped the people around me.

An alternately poignant and powerful autobiography, a riveting overcoming-the-odds memoir. "A MUST READ!" - Kam Williams, Book Reviewer - Baret News Syndicate. The story of an African American child and young teenager growing up in the real ghetto, the housing projects. Coming from a dysfunctional and violent family where contrary to what poor Black people are always depicted as; there is no God, no church on Sunday, no marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., and no singing in the church choir.

This is the story of tens of millions of African American children locked away, in the segregated, red lined ghettos and housing projects of America. Living in a bad environment, in horrific conditions in bad schools, where death rides hard and is known by everybody.

INTRODUCTION: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN AMERICAN GHETTO BOY

The screams and howls of centuries of terror, violence and brutality transcend time as you, the reader, are taken on a tremendously honest, epic journey from Africa to Western Europe to the Americas in this compelling, violent, and true story of two turbulent and distinct African and African American families of unbridled good and evil, both born and raised in the brutality and horror of American slavery, segregation and Jim Crow. The journey takes you all the way to the terrifying, vicious and savagely honest, invisible black ghetto world of a child, and then teenager, growing up in the Whittier Street Housing Projects, where the schools of hard knocks and real fucked up shit are taught, lived, and died in, side by side.

I found out early on that this was not going to be an easy book to write. I wanted to write an autobiography about my early childhood and teen years and the horrific murderers, pimps, gangsters, drug dealers, drug addicts, rapists, child abusers and thieves, that I grew up with, lived with, called family, and write about in The Autobiography of an American Ghetto Boy. I soon realized that I could not write about me as an African American child and teen living in America, without writing about White America, what it was like when I was a child, how it shaped the people around me and what it is like to now live in America, which for tens of millions of African American children is horrific, terrifying, and not so very different than it was for me as a child.

"Tony Rose's powerful autobiography about growing up in the Whittier Housing Street Housing Projects in Roxbury. I can't put it down; the book is written with such passion. I get so emotional about triumph and this book is a triumph." - Kay Bourne, Arts and Entertainment writer and critic, and The Boston Theater Critics Association, "2015 Elliot Norton Award" recipient.

Tony Rose was born in Roxbury, (Boston) Massachusetts and raised in the Whittier Street Housing Projects. He is an NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literature and the Publisher/CEO of Amber Communications Group, Inc., the nation's largest African American Publisher of Self-Help Books and Music Biographies.

Tony Rose is the editor of numerous books and the co-writer of the national bestseller, Is Modeling for You? The Handbook and Guide for the Young Aspiring Black Model, written with Yvonne Rose, and has penned the critically acclaimed, international best-seller, "Before the Legend: The Rise of New Kids On the Block and A Guy Named Maurice Starr, The Early Years".

He has also written, compiled, edited and published, the award winning, international best-seller, African American History In The United States of America—An Anthology—From Africa To President Barack Obama, a Top Ten Best African American Book and has wrote the critically acclaimed, international best-seller, non-fiction book of the year and a Top Ten Best Black Book of 2015, "America the Black Point of View—An Investigation and Study of the White People of America and Western Europe". Tony Rose led the movement towards modern Independent Book Publishing for the African American Self-Publisher and Independent Book Publisher as we know it today. In 2001 he founded Quality Press, the nation's largest "African American Book Packager For Self-Publishers". WWW.QUALITYPRESS.INFO

He is noted as the first African American Independent Publisher to ink a multi-book, multi-year, Co-Publishing/Imprint deal with a major book publisher (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), in addition, Rose has acquired/licensed paperback rights from: Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins and Hyperion Books for publishing and distribution by ACGI. He has also, successfully negotiated numerous world-wide partnerships, licensing and eBook licensing deals for ACGI in the United States, South Africa, Canada, Europe and Asia.

Tony Rose was born in Roxbury (Boston) Massachusetts, raised in the Whittier Street Housing Projects, was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force after serving in the Vietnam War, and attended the University of Massachusetts, the University of California and the New England Conservatory of Music. He was employed as a production assistant at the Burbank Studios, sales division at Warner/Electra/Atlantic Records, accounts representative at Warren Lanier Public Relations and A & R representative at RCA Records, Los Angeles, California.

Rose returned to Boston and along with record producer Maurice Starr became the primary architect of that, which in the late 70's and 80's would be called "The Boston Black Music Scene" a movement that ultimately led to the discovery of the international blockbusters Prince Charles and the City Beat Band, The Jonzun Crew, New Edition and New Kids on the Block.

In 1979 he formed Solid Platinum Records and Productions. Rose in the 80's held recording / production deals with Virgin Records, Atlantic Records and Pavilion / CBS/Sony Records. His Solid Platinum Records and Productions was the first African American production company to have a production deal with Virgin Records.

In 1983, albums produced by Tony Rose and Prince Charles Alexander "Gang War" and "Stone Killers" for their act Prince Charles and the City Beat Band reached Gold Album status and shared the charts with Michael Jackson's Thriller for six consecutive months in the number one, two and three positions throughout the world and his legendary "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band” albums "Gang War", "Stone Killers", "Combat Zone" and singles, have accounted for more than six Million sold worldwide.

Rose’s many music awards include “Gold” and “Platinum” Albums and “Ampex Golden Reel" Awards for recording and engineering New Kids on the Block. Rose has also penned "Before the Legend – The Rise of New Kids on the Block and …A Guy Named Maurice Starr – The Early Years", published August 2008.