Terry McMillan (1951- ) is a best-selling author of vivid, humorous novels about the trials of black women in America. In her breakthrough book, Waiting to Exhale (1992), she highlighted a dilemma shared by many accomplished African American women: the difficulty of establishing a healthy, happy relationship with a similarly accomplished African American man. Her depiction of a group of funny, resilient professional women looking unsuccessfully for love struck a deep chord with readers and became a runaway success. McMillan's fast-moving fiction touches on many issues key to black women -- from identity to family roles -- but touches lightly. Her themes are hardly new, but never has an author made them resonate with so many readers. McMillan's novels have become gospel for a vast black audience the publishing world never knew existed, but she also has established her popularity across racial lines. For her ability to portray black characters without viewing everything through the lens of race, she has become a pioneer of what has been described as 'the New Black Aesthetic'.
Genre: Relationship fiction
Waiting to Exhale by 
A Day Late and a Dollar Short by 
I Almost Forgot about You by 
Terry McMillan : a critical companion by 
Terry McMillan : the unauthorized biography by