LAWRENCE C. ROSS, JR., an important writer of African American literature, has written six books, including The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities; The Ways of Black Folks: A Year in the Life of a People; Money Shot: The Wild Nights and Lonely Days in the Black Porn Industry; Friends With Benefits; Skin Game; and his newest book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses.The Divine Nine is a multiple Los Angeles Times, Essence, and Blackboard bestseller. In both hard cover and trade paper, The Divine Nine is in its seventh printing with over 50,000 copies sold to date. It also remains on the Amazon.com African American studies bestsellers list, and for the past year has been the #1 best selling book among African American college students. His novels Friends With Benefits and Skin Game were Blackboard best sellers. Blackballed is an explosive and controversial book that rips the veil off America's hidden secret: America's colleges have fostered a racist environment that makes them a hostile space for African American students. Blackballed exposes the white fraternity and sorority system, with traditions of racist parties, songs, and assaults on black students; and the universities themselves, who name campus buildings after racist men and women. It also takes a deep dive into anti-affirmative action policies, and how they effectively segregate predominately white universities, providing ample room for white privilege. A bold mix of history and the current climate, Blackballed is a call to action for universities to make radical changes to their policies and standards to foster a better legacy for all students.Educated at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles, Ross received a Bachelor of Arts in History from UCLA. Ross also received a Master of Fine Arts from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Ross has lectured at over 500 colleges and universities, as he is universally recognized as an expert in the field of African American fraternities and sororities. He has appeared on National Public Radio, Good Morning Atlanta, and is regularly interviewed by Ebony, Essence, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, The Root.com, The Grio.com, the BBC and National Public Radio, among others. Ross began his writing career in the mid 90s as the managing editor of Rap Sheet magazine, the West Coast's first hip hop publication. After two years of writing about hip hop and interviewing the top stars in music, Ross moved to the Los Angeles Independent Newspapers, where he covered local politics in Westwood, Culver City, Hollywood and West Hollywood, for three years. Ross currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife April and their son Langston..