“Behind Her Lives” by Briana Cole

Briana Cole’s “Behind Her Lives” elicits the plural, as the word “lives” may suggest. I kept waiting for the hammer to drop as Kennedy’s lives unraveled to the point of a woman ending up on the autopsy table from an apparent suicide as our opening chapter reveals.  As old friends and less-than-stellar, drop-by-boyfriends kick this story off, each page turn was a twist waiting to slam into me. … More “Behind Her Lives” by Briana Cole

“Disrobed: How Clothing Predicts Economic Cycles, Saves Lives, and Determines the Future

In “Disrobed: How Clothing Predicts Economic Cycles, Saves Lives, and Determines the Future,” Syl Tang has asked readers to considering a thought provoking and highly overlooked question: “What do my clothing choices say about my individual identity, the culture I belong to, or the future I want to make for myself?” … More “Disrobed: How Clothing Predicts Economic Cycles, Saves Lives, and Determines the Future

“Honor the Earth” by Phil Bellfy

This collection serves multiple purposes: 1. To call direct attention to how western capitalist initiatives have been dooming our planet from the early days of colonization and 2. To highlight how by collaborating with other cultures, populations and entering into constructive discussions about these environmental problems is the only way to come back from the brink of environmental disaster. … More “Honor the Earth” by Phil Bellfy

The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K’inuuw Mat of Palenque by Leonide Martin

In this novel, Leonide Martin sets out to tell the story of a young woman whose clairvoyant abilities have shown promise to a future calling for the Priestess she admires. Soon she learns that there is more to her calling than what she has envisioned. Readers are brought along for a journey filled with every imaginable emotion in the course of a heroine’s lifetime. As a result, a world that is stunningly beautiful and complete without ours—but intractably connected—surges through the pages of the book. … More The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K’inuuw Mat of Palenque by Leonide Martin

Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert by Erica M. Elliott

In her memoir, “Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life Among the Navajo People,” Dr. Erica Elliott takes readers to a place where most non-indigenous readers have never been. She invites readers to join her on an apprentice’s journey to Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico in the 1970s & ‘80s. As a young woman learning about her limits and strengths, Dr. Elliott’s journey teaches readers about the value of developing a strong work ethic on the path to personal and professional success. … More Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert by Erica M. Elliott

The Dung Beetles of Liberia by Daniel V. Meier Jr.

“The Dung Beetles of Liberia” by Daniel V. Meier, Jr. is about a young underclassman, Ken Verrier, trying to figure out his life. On the outside, Ken appears as if he has it all together – he is attending a prestigious college to obtain a degree in physics and has a very attractive and attentive girlfriend by his side. What not everyone may know is that Ken has had a traumatic experience take place that has caused him to rethink his life decisions and choose to shift his aspirations to different avenues in order to do some self-discovering. … More The Dung Beetles of Liberia by Daniel V. Meier Jr.

“#Snapshot” by Hannah Harris and Marcus Harris

#SNAPSHOTHannah Harris and Marcus HarrisCreateSpace (2018)ISBN 9781984331434Reviewed by Marjorine Castillo for Reader Views (10/19) Hannah and Marcus Harris’ book “#Snapshot” uses poetry to convey personal, social, and political issues American adolescents may be facing in the current social media-driven and political chaotic climate. The themes of the poems vary from topics such as self-esteem, interactions … More “#Snapshot” by Hannah Harris and Marcus Harris

“America Deconstructed” by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin 

AMERICA DECONSTRUCTED Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin Motivational Press, Inc. ISBN 9781628655520 Reviewed by Skyler Boudreau for Reader Views (1/19) “America Deconstructed” is a collection of non-fiction stories chronicling the journeys of sixteen different individuals as they immigrate to and settle down in the United States. As of February 2018, immigrants and their children make … More “America Deconstructed” by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin 

Minorities Deceived: The Sherman Turner Story Part I by Sherman L. Turner

Minorities Deceived: The Sherman Turner Story Part I Sherman L. Turner AuthorHouse (2010) ISBN 9781452043890 Reviewed by Joseph Yurt for Reader Views (5/11)   “Every time I went to a new town or village (in Buffalo, NY) on a contracting job, I had to take the Master Plumber test again; each location in the suburbs … More Minorities Deceived: The Sherman Turner Story Part I by Sherman L. Turner

Many Blessings: A Tapestry of Accomplished African American Women by Sonnee Weedn, PhD

Many Blessings: A Tapestry of Accomplished African American Women Sonnee Weedn, PhD Chispa Publishing (2011) ISBN 9780983277606 Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/11)   When I moved to the USA a good decade ago, I got immediately immersed in the African-American community. Living in New Orleans will do that to you for sure, … More Many Blessings: A Tapestry of Accomplished African American Women by Sonnee Weedn, PhD