Book reviews and more!

Posts tagged with ‘African American Writers’

BLACK DEUTSCHLAND by Darryl Pinckney

July 14, 2016

INCISIVE YET LYRICAL novel captures Berlin and Chicago in the 1980s through the eyes of a gay Black writer. B PLUS

BLACK DEUTSCHLAND
Farrar
2016

Grade: B PLUS

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HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA, by Kiese Laymon

December 31, 2013

RAW, BRILLIANT ESSAYS by Kiese Laymon (with notes from family and friends) unfold a black American experience. B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA
Agate Bolden
2013

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LITTLE GREEN, by Walter Mosley

May 22, 2013

SLEUTH EASY RAWLINS’S near death in a brutal crash adds a metaphysical perspective to this intricate LA noir.

Grade: B PLUS

LITTLE GREEN: AN EASY RAWLINS MYSTERY
Doubleday
2013

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ESLANDA, by Barbara Ransby

April 23, 2013

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE of Eslanda Robeson, influential writer, civil rights activist, and wife of Paul Robeson.

Grade: B PLUS

ESLANDA: THE LARGE AND UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE OF MRS. PAUL ROBESON
Yale University Press
2013

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PERCIVAL EVERETT BY VIRGIL RUSSELL, by Percival Everett

February 28, 2013

COMPLEX, ALLUSIVE META-NOVEL plays with structure, yet captures the poignancy of a father/son relationship.

Grade: A MINUS

PERCIVAL EVERETT BY VIRGIL RUSSELL
Graywolf Press
2013

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THE DOUBLE V, by Rawn James, Jr.

February 17, 2013

COMPELLING, DEEPLY RESEARCHED history of racial segregation and integration in the US military. Eye-opening!

Grade: B PLUS

THE DOUBLE V: HOW WARS, PROTEST, AND HARRY TRUMAN DESEGREGATED AMERICA'S MILITARY
Bloomsbury USA
2013

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A WOMAN LIKE ME, by Bettye LaVette with David Ritz

February 12, 2013

SHOCKING, TOUCHING, SALTY memoir from singer Bettye LaVette follows the highs and lows of her career and life.

Grade: SOLID B

A WOMAN LIKE ME
Penguin/Blue Rider Press
2012

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THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LUCILLE CLIFTON, 1965-2010

December 23, 2012

I don’t review poetry here, but I cannot help taking a minute to rave about the new collection of poems by the late, great Lucille Clifton.  The poems are beautifully curated, the book design is clear and readable, and the foreword by Toni Morrison was touching in its recognition of Clifton’s gifts.  Do think about buying this if you’re a poetry fan—or maybe even if you aren’t!  Clifton was a strong and distinctive voice, and the power of her work cannot be denied.

THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LUCILLE CLIFTON, 1965-2010
BOA Editions
2012

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A CHANCE IN THE WORLD, by Steve Pemberton

September 16, 2012

AN INSPIRING MEMOIR follows a man’s search for his birth parents, brothers and sister. Touching and direct!

Grade: SOLID B

A CHANCE IN THE WORLD: AN ORPHAN BOY, A MYSTERIOUS PAST, AND HOW HE FOUND A PLACE CALLED HOME
Thomas Nelson
2012

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GATHERING OF WATERS, by Bernice L. McFadden

July 27, 2012

ELEGAIC, MOVING RE-IMAGINING of the lives of Emmett Till, the girl who loved him, and her family. A triumph.

Grade: A MINUS

GATHERING OF WATERS
Akashic Books
2012

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