The Tricky Thing about Short Stories...

is that sometimes they are uneven, especially when written by different authors.  I have to say that was NOT the case with Black Enough:  Stories of Being Young and Black in America.  It was edited by Ibi Zoboi and I have read two of her books and one of her short stories and I loved them all.  I also loved so many of these stories...like the guys growing up the south and falling in love.  This was just such a great collection of voices that not only need to be heard but man...the world is so much better when they are. 

While I Didn't LOVE

Robert B. Parker's Colorblind, I had to give it the five stars because I am just so darn proud of Jesse Stone.  I just love that he went to rehab and I just love that Jen is no more.  I just really, really love that.  And that made all the difference.  Yes, Reed Farrel Coleman writes a different Jesse from Parker's Jesse, but Jesse is still a great guy.  This one just didn't grab me like some have.  But still, you go, Jesse.  I love you. Long may you run. 

How Long, O Lord, How Long?

until all are liberated?

It used to be that I would read historical or period fiction or history and think, "We have made improvements, we still have a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction.  We must keep going."  But these days...sadly, sadly...we are not just pulling over to the side, we are regressing.  And it is frightening.  And while I always have been a Heaven person, not so much a Kingdom on earth person, though I try to be, now it is much harder.  I don't know...will liberation come on earth as it is in Heaven?  Will equality come on earth as it is in Heaven.  Yes, I must, we all must, keep trying.  But things do not look good at all.

The Liberation of Gabriel King takes place in the summer of 1976.  I was four years old that summer and didn't know much, of course and this is the first period or historical fiction I have read that focuses on racial inequality and prejudice.  It is very, very well done.

Slump is BROKEN!

Maybe it was my attitude, or maybe it was the books, but I have to tell you, if it was my attitude, The Parker Inheritance is a book I would have loved anyway!  What a wonderfully written, fantastic book.  Just the perfect example of a book that is more than one thing and also another great example of excellent middle-grade fiction.  Varian Johnson has written an excellent mystery book, an excellent "guy" book, an excellent "girl" book, an excellent LBGTQ book, an excellent book about race, an excellent book about friendship, an excellent book about history, an excellent book about divorce.  He has written a wonderful stand-alone book.  He has written a wonderful first book to a series.  He has written my pick for the Newbery, if the Newbery picks a good book this year.

Paranormal Historical Fiction of a Horror

The Rattled Bones was excellent.  I wonder if everyone who reads it knows that it is based on a true, horrorific tragedy, an example of human's inhumanity to other humans.  I first read about it another excellent book.  Excellent.  Who says you can't learn from fiction! Now if only we will REALLY learn from it. 

Why?

I know there is no point in asking why we do horrible things to one another.  Human nature is prone to such horrors.  Ones that sicken us.  Horrors done to groups of people, horrors done to individuals.  The essays in Not That Bad:  Dispatches from Rape Culture show this to be true with each account.  It is edited by the incomparable Roxane Gay. 

I don't know how to comment on these stories.  Some of the writers say that they don't want to be called "brave" or a "survivor" and some don't want to hear that people are "sorry for what happened" but some do.  I want to respect that.  I want to just give to them as much respect as I can.  So all I can say is that I am very thankful for their words and willingness to share.  I simply want to offer to them all that is within me and that my heart and soul can give, as respectfully as I can.  I absolutely recommend this book.  

REALLY good

I was so glad that my turn for Where the Line Bleeds finally came up from the library.  Man.  This book was just excellent.  Jesmyn Ward is just such an incredible writer.  This story unfolds so so so well and just sucked me in and really speaks volumes about the "land of opportunity" that is our country.  And man, it is even worse now than when this was written!   What a book. 

Sadly, This is America

An American Marriage is one of the best books I have ever read.  It is sad that we who work in libraries don't let people know about the databases we have.  In our county we have two eAudio sites, Hoopla Digital and Overdrive.  We have another one, but it is terrible.  Anyway...with Overdrive, there are a set number of copies and only one patron can listen or read a book at one time.  So there are waiting lists.  Right now on Overdrive there are about 100 holds for An American Marriage on audio download.  But with Hoopla, I can listen, you can listen, we all can listen at the same time.  No waiting.  So I was SO fortunate to check both resources and listen to this incredible book.  And then I got to hear Tayari Jones on this podcast and this one!  Simply excellent.  Must-read.  And it is Oprah's Book Club pick, currently! 

Any book that Jason Reynolds recommends...

is probably going to be amazing.  I heard him talk about his newest book on MashReads and he recommended Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.   It won the National Book Award this year and as far as I am concerned, I can't imagine a better choice.  I listened to her on the New York Public Library's podcast, which was recorded on the day before the book came out and just found her to be fascinating.  It was neat, too to to hear that she hopes one day to write a middle grade fiction book!  Can you imagine?!
Excellent.

A Disco Inferno

Once I saw the Burn Baby Burn was written by Meg Medina who wrote Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass.  I bought it.  And I am so glad that I did.  I didn't know anything, really about 1977 in New York, and that is to my embarrassment.  There was the black out, and Son of Sam.
I knew about Son of Sam, but not that much.
Burn Baby Burn isn't about the Son of Sam or about the Black Out, per say, it is the story of a young girl, Nora, and her senior year in high school, her father who has a new family and seems to have forgotten is first family, except that he is sometimes on time with the rent check, even though he is very financially well off, her brother Hector who has serious anger issues and violent tendencies and now a drug dealing and drug using problem, and her first experience with love.
The ERA movement is also a back ground to Burn Baby Burn and while the 70s usually leave me a little cold, not sure why, this book was one I couldn't put down.  Medina is just such a great storyteller and Nora is so real.  Excellent.

If I worried

that I would find a "dud" in Jewell Parker Rhodes books that I quickly bought on audible and blew through, I need not have done so!
But I didn't!  So that is good!
And there was no need to worry because they were all fantastic!
Sugar was wonderful!
The only bad part is that I think I have read all of the children's/tween books that she has written so far!
So I look forward to her next!
Another thing to totally love about JPR's books is that now I have some fantastic and different historical fiction to recommend to kids and tweens!
I also love the setting of this one and Bayou Magic and Ninth Ward as I am totally mesmerized by New Orleans and the LA bayous.  It was so interesting to me that Sugar's River Road Home was inspired by the Laura plantation, where my mom and I visited.
I also learned about society before the Chinese Exclusion Act and what led to this and want to know more about this time in history.  Man, again, an excellent, really compelling historical fiction read!

Must Be Hard

It has to be hard for Gustavo Arellano to read some of the letters written to his syndicated column Ask a Mexican.  The book of the same name was painful to listen to for a lot of reasons- NONE of them related to Arellano. Wait.  I can't figure out if Ask a Mexican is still going on.  I mean, it is still going on, but I guess Arellano isn't do it?  I am so confused!
Anyway--people ask the dumbest, rudest questions.  And I know that it is great to see these stupid idiots ask these questions and then see Arellano really make fun of them and point out how stupid they are, even though they are probably too stupid to realize that he is making fun of them, because this guy is really funny and smart.  But still, I mean, should people this stupid be allowed to ask the stupid things that they ask?  Yes, of course.  We all have the right to be wrong.  But really.  Blah!

It Only Takes a Second

In an instant life can change.  For the good and the bad.  Of course, as quickly as things can change in an instant, I am not a believer in the idea that things are then set in stone.  The story is never over. Every Single Second is a good example of that.  Here are two instances in which lives were changed in an instant.  But it wasn't the end of the story in either case.  Tricia Springstubb is a new author for me and I want to read another book by her because I really thought this was super well written, I just really didn't like the main character and I really didn't like how the book ended!  Which probably means that it was a super great book because it made me think a lot. This is a very timely book and I think it is well done, I just REALLY didn't like how it ended!  I also like that it is about Roman Catholic schools.  There just aren't a lot of books written about Roman Catholic schools.  I gave it three stars at first, but I am moving it to four, now that I have had a day to think about it.  And I would 100% recommend it.

A Tale of Two Young Men

Anything that Nikki Grimes writes is going to be "Christian."

Even if it isn't cataloged as such, or published by Zondervan or the like.

That's because (I think- I mean, I don't know her and I haven't read anything about her faith) she is a Christian.

Being a Christian is in all that Christians do, right?  Like being Jewish is in all that Jews do, or being Hindi is in all that Hindus do.

This was the first Christian-labeled Nikki Grimes book I have read and I loved it just as much as I have loved her other books.

Christian or not, writing about God or not writing about God, Grimes is an incredible writer. Just so gifted and insightful and fresh and- blessed.

This is the story of two boys who grown into young men.  Two men of faith.  One you know, Ishmael of the Bible.  And one you don't know, but will love as soon as you meet him, Sam, whose father has fallen in love with another woman, has divorced Sam's mother and is marrying this new woman.

The parallels between Ishmael and Sam are clear.  Sam's father's new wife is white.  Ishmael's mother, Hagar, is black.  They both become old step-brothers.  They both feel (and are) left by their fathers.  And they both have amazing faith in their Father.  But very real faith, one that questions Him, and the great thing we know is, God is okay with that!

Fantastic book.