By Stacy Brown NNPA Senior National Correspondent Bill Cosby said his widely criticized admonition that young Black men should “pull their pants up” was less about fashion...

The systemic bias that has historically failed Black people in the USA is no less evident in Canada. That reality is laid bare in the...

Claude Cummings has been unanimously nominated by the NNPA Executive Committee to receive the NNPA 2025 National Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and achievement...

People in the News

Thursday, September 11, 2025

People in the News

Thursday, September 11, 2025

NAIL IT: Breaking into the Black Elite looks at the progress of Blacks

NAIL IT by Shonette CharlesRALEIGH —“NAIL IT: Breaking into the Black Elite,” is a that novel examines the progress African Americans have made in the New South and the racial struggles and class issues that still exist. This is the debut novel for Shonette Charles, a graduate of Harvard University and resident of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Set in the fictional town of Fairchester, North Carolina, “NAIL IT: Breaking into the Black Elite” follows Sahara and Noah Kyle and reveals the world of exclusive social clubs and black fraternities and sororities. According to one Readers’ Favorite reviewer, the author does “a fantastic job of bringing this undocumented world to life.” The novel also probes the notion of the “New South” and the class friction and racial struggles that middle class and upper class African Americans face as they straddle two worlds. It “reveals much about the lifestyle of elite black society,” according to another Readers’ Favorite reviewer.

“NAIL IT: Breaking into the Black Elite” is published by Seamare Press and will be available in paperback and ebook. It can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and other retailers.

Shonette Charles is a graduate of Harvard University and Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She resides in Raleigh, North Carolina and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and The Links, Incorporated.   In addition, she is the founder of “Pearls, Poise & Protocol,” an online blog. For more information about “NAIL IT: Breaking into the Black Elite” or Shonette Charles, visit www.shonettecharles.com.