The Coldest Winter Ever is about a spoiled self absorbed hood brat that I was rooting for something bad to happen to halfway through.  To say I dislike the little girl is an understatement.  But she is a product of her upbringing so I understand her misguided motivations.  However, I wanted some growth from her so so bad.  I never knew there were women like this until I spoke to a friend who also comes from Brooklyn that confirmed it.  In the end, it is what it is.  The book did seem careful to me to show hood life but not too much.  I loved SIster Souljah's comments on life throughout the book and the character studies in the back (I had the 25th anniversary addition).  And while the book was slow, it wasn't a snail's pace.  Overall a good read, like juvenile urban fiction, but I'm not vested enough to continue reading the sequels.