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Phillis Wheatley Book Club

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The Coldest Winter Ever: A Novel (1) (The Winter Santiaga Series)

A New York Times and USA TODAY Bestseller
“50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Last 50 Years.” —Essence
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

The instant classic from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Life After Death brings the streets of New York to life in a powerful and utterly unforgettable novel.

I came busting into the world during one of New York’s worst snowstorms, so my mother named me Winter.

Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent Brooklyn drug-dealing family. Quick-witted, sexy, and business-minded, she knows and loves the streets like the curves of her own body. But when a cold Winter wind blows her life in a direction she doesn’t want to go, her street smarts and seductive skills are put to the test of a lifetime. Unwilling to lose, this ghetto girl will do anything to stay on top.

Twenty-five years and over one million copies later, The Coldest Winter Ever is a bestseller and a national treasure, a classic handed down from one reading generation to the next. Whether you are reading it for the first time or have cherished it for years, you will never forget this Winter’s tale.

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Published Sep 20, 2005

384 pages

Average rating: 8.53

245 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Lisa the Diva
Jan 02, 2024
10/10 stars
5 ⭐️
Tazz
Aug 08, 2025
Highly enjoyed this book.. read as a teen and loved it ever since then re read as an adult as it elevates your mindset
Lilboricuabrat
Jul 27, 2025
6/10 stars
I finally got around to reading this book at 40, even though it felt like everyone read it back in high school. While I can see why it had such an impact on readers at the time, I personally found it hard to connect with. The characters’ lifestyles and choices were so far removed from anything I or my friends experienced at that age, which made it difficult to relate to. Winter’s relationship with her parents, especially her father, felt strange to me — she always referred to him by his first name and often commented on his looks, which I found a bit uncomfortable. And the conversations she had with her mom about boys were surprising in a way I didn’t expect. That said, the book wasn’t bad. I can appreciate it as a bold, raw story that offers a glimpse into a world I never experienced — but because it felt so unrelatable to me, it was hard to fall in love with it the way others did.
Ashleypatt
Mar 20, 2025
I love everything she write
Sharii_barii
Dec 21, 2024
8/10 stars
Great book not the absolute BEST urban literature I've read but I can understand why it was revolutionary at the time.

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