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Cover of The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister SouljahThe Coldest Winter Ever
Modern · Fiction, Young Adult, Classics

The Coldest Winter Ever

by Sister Souljah
1999 · 430 pages · Fiction
80.9Must-Read
Score Modern
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 11 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Winter Santiaga is the spoiled, beautiful daughter of a Brooklyn drug kingpin, and at seventeen she has everything: money, clothes, a big house on Long Island. Then her father is arrested, the family's fortune disappears, and Winter finds herself alone on the streets, using every hustle she's learned to get back to the life she believes she deserves.

Why it's worth reading

It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read and became one of the most influential urban fiction novels ever written. It's raw and fast, and Winter is unforgettable.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

There's drug dealing, violence, sex and lots of profanity. Winter is selfish and doesn't learn easily, and the ending isn't tidy. Sister Souljah appears as a character.

By the numbers

80.9Must-Read Score
  • Readers98 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
PBS Great American Read

Reads as

Moving

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Young adult booksTop 25 · 219 rankedModern booksTop 25 · 1,573 rankedBooks of the 1990sTop 25 · 273 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Coldest Winter Ever worth reading?

Yes. It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read and became one of the most influential urban fiction novels ever written. It ranks #334 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.9 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Coldest Winter Ever about?

Winter Santiaga is the spoiled, beautiful daughter of a Brooklyn drug kingpin, and at seventeen she has everything: money, clothes, a big house on Long Island. Then her father is arrested, the family's fortune disappears, and Winter finds herself alone on the streets, using every hustle she's learned to get back to the life she believes she deserves.

How long does it take to read The Coldest Winter Ever?

About 11 hours (430 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Coldest Winter Ever?

If you liked it, try The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Native Son by Richard Wright or Finding Me by Viola Davis.