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BROTHAS BE, YO LIKE GEORGE, AIN’T THAT FUNKIN’ KINDA HARD ON YOU? by George Clinton

February 27, 2015

THE LEGENDARY GEORGE CLINTON, father of funk, speaks his mind in an insightful, improvisatory memoir. B PLUS

BROTHAS BE, YO LIKE GEORGE, AIN’T THAT FUNKIN’ KINDA HARD ON YOU?
Pocket Books
2014

Grade: B PLUS

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DREAMING OF THE DELTA by Perla Suez

February 25, 2015

A FAMILY CONFLICT ECHOES the divisions of power, class, and race in 1970s-80s Argentina. Spare and allusive. B PLUS

DREAMING OF THE DELTA
Texas Tech University Press
2014

Grade: B PLUS

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A SCOOP OF LOVE by Unoma Nwankwor

February 23, 2015

ABUJA, NIGERIA IS the setting for an elegantly written Christian romance between two driven entrepreneurs. B PLUS

A SCOOP OF LOVE
None
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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THE GUARD by Peter Terrin

February 20, 2015

HYPNOTIC, UNSETTLING PARABLE about paranoia and conformity, set in the wake of an unspecified disaster. B PLUS

THE GUARD
Maclehose Press Quercus
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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ARROWS OF RAIN by Okey Ndibe

February 18, 2015

TERRIFYINGLY BLEAK, GORGEOUSLY written novel of life in an African dictatorship evokes both Kafka and Achebe. A MINUS

ARROWS OF RAIN
Soho Press
2015

Grade: A MINUS

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GROWING UP GANGSTER by Gregory Marshall

February 16, 2015

SEARING, INSIGHTFUL MEMOIR paints a vivid picture of old-school thug life in L. A. Eloquent and devastating. A MINUS

GROWING UP GANGSTER: THE RISE, FALL, AND REDEMPTION OF A NOTORIOUS HUSTLER
Brown Girls Publishing
2015

Grade: A MINUS

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A CHOSEN EXILE by Allyson Hobbs

February 13, 2015

BRILLIANT HISTORY OF “PASSING” across racial boundaries in the US, rich in research, moving personal stories. A MINUS

A CHOSEN EXILE
Harvard University Press
2014

Grade: A MINUS

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THE COST OF CUTTING by Paul A. Ruggieri

February 11, 2015

A SURGEON’S CHALLENGE to the big business of American healthcare is thoughtful, timely, and sobering. B PLUS

THE COST OF CUTTING
Berkley Publishing Group
2014

Grade: B PLUS

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THE CROSSING HOUR by Quoleena Sbrocca

February 9, 2015

AN INGENIOUS TIME TRAVEL yarn stars Harriet Tubman, waking up in 2014 with all of her trademark courage. B PLUS

THE CROSSING HOUR
None
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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THE BROTHERHOOD OF BOOK HUNTERS by Raphaël Jerusalmy

February 6, 2015

AN EPIC MEDIEVAL ADVENTURE follows the French scoundrel-poet François Villon on a risky quest to Jerusalem. B PLUS

THE BROTHERHOOD OF BOOK HUNTERS
Europa
2014

Grade: B PLUS

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