The world first met Midnight in The Coldest Winter Ever, where his strong and honorable character made women of all ages fall in love with him. Readers waited years to finally get to know Midnight and to learn what made him so special. In Midnight: A Gangster Love Story and Midnight and the Meaning of Love, books 1 & 2 of the series, we learn about Midnight’s Sudanese heritage, his early years in the projects of New York, and finally his international travels to secure the hearts and hands of his two young wives.

The third installment of the Midnight series, A Moment of Silence, is a journey into American prisons and even further into the psyche of young black men. Early in the book Midnight finds himself in the midst of a murder and then on the run from the police. He is eventually imprisoned and it is immediately evident that even though Midnight is a part of the system, he is not of it. For a while, he is able to influence some of the men to make positive changes in their lives, but that comes to an end quickly.

In this book, Souljah continues to address some of the major issues we deal with in the black community, including religious and cultural differences, institutionalized racism and love & relationships. She skillfully unpacks the many sides of these issues and lets the reader come to their own conclusions.

One of the more interesting issues Souljah explores is the father-son relationship between black men. Midnight is an amazing young man, and by now it is easy to see how he becomes the man we meet in The Coldest Winter Ever. In his past stories, we’ve learned how his early years with his father and grandfather make him into an honorable man. In this story, we see how his teenage years, influenced by several other black men, make him a warrior. We even get to see more of his relationship with Ricky Santiaga.

If you plan to read A Moment of Silence to finally get all the answers you had from Coldest Winter, you will be disappointed. This book answers some questions and raises others. What is clear, is that we have a lot more to learn about Midnight. However, this is an excellent book. Sister Souljah continues to craft a remarkable story about a black man in America that covers a myriad of perspectives. She is an excellent writer and Midnight is a captivating character. This is definitely one to read. ( )