If This World Were Mine - Hardcover

Four former classmates of a prestigious African American college have a "journal club" where, nearly 20 years later, they still meet regularly to talk about what's going on in their lives. Dwight is filled with resentment towards whites, and it's about to raise some serious conflicts at his job. Leland is still coping with the death of his partner, Donald, from AIDS. Riley's afraid that the love's gone out of her marriage, and that she'll never be able to achieve the success as a poet-singer she's dreamed about. And Yolanda... well, Yolanda's just started a romance with former pro football player Basil Henderson, but longtime E. Lynn Harris fans just know where that's going to lead. The multiple first-person narration can be confusing at times, but the convoluted plot does sort itself out neatly in ways sure to entertain Harris's previous fans, as well as anybody who likes Terry McMillan or Gloria Naylor.

"So much humor is sprinkled through E. Lynn Harris's warm and timely new novel that we almost miss the pain lying underneath or the significance of its theme: Harris, who has written poignant love stories about African-American life before, turns eloquently again to the question of how people--black people in this case--learn to love in a tough and toughening society. What we don't miss is the complicated political dilemma that Harris weaves quietly and seamlessly through the lives of the four protagonists, all of whom, as the book opens, find that their star is rising."
--Pat Holt, San Francisco Chronicle

"A breakout bestseller that features a sizzling mix of fast-paced storytelling...and lyrical sexuality."
--Paula L. Woods, Dallas Morning News

"It is rare to read a novel with African-American characters as refreshing as these. Harris keeps the dialogue lively and the action zipping along while fully developing story and characters. Ultimately both fun and moving, the book has something to impress nearly any reader."
--Booklist