Gangsta Literature?



I was at the mall today and went to Walden Books, and I was just intrigued with these books that I was seeing. Maybe the picture of the girl caught my eye. She is cute as heck. As far as this kind of book is concrened, it's been a trend I haven't really put money towards, the "gangsta novel", filled with alot of the familiar imagery of gangsta rap songs and "hood flicks"

It could be said that these continue the tradition started by Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim. However, a case could be made that these books are crude and exploitative, and of no reedeming social value, like much gangsta rap itself.
Heck, even the Iceberg Slim books were pretty disturbing; I will give him props for "Pimp", his autobiography, and Donald Goines did good with his book "Black Gangster", but these were exceptional.

I am going through this other book called "Bad Girlz" and its a quick, simple read, mixing Ice Cube's "Player's Club" with some XXX type imagery. I wouldn't recommend these to anybody, though. I think that anybody should really be checking for WEB Dubois "The Souls of Black Folk" and Alex Haley's "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". I don't think gangsta literature is of redeeming value for anybody.