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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Author Archives: J D Jung
Dying For Gold: The True Story of the Giant Mine Murders – Lee Selleck & Francis Thompson
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) This is an exhaustive book…but it needs to be to properly tell the story of one of the worst labor disputes in Canadian history. In the early 1990s, the remote town of Yellowknife, in Canada’s … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tagged Canadian history, labor
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An UnderratedRead Revisited – They Got Daddy: One Family’s Reckoning with Racism and Faith – Sharon Tubbs
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “This story would reveal parts of who I am, as a Black woman in America, by discovering who my grandfather was.” This was not her original intention though. She wanted to learn more about her grandfather’s … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged African American history, Alabama, race relations, racism, social justice
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We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders – Linda Sarsour
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) The title of this book calls each of us, doesn’t it? “What does it mean when we say we are social justice activists, and organizers committed to justice and equality for all people?“ I asked … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Social Justice
Tagged Islamophobia, Palestine, racism, Xenophobia
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The Sable Cloak – Gail Milissa Grant
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South, readers are first taken to Greenston, South Carolina, in 1934. We meet Big Will who upon turning eighteen, must join the neighborhood’s vigilante group to keep justice … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged African American history, family, Jim Crow, racism, segregation, St. Louis
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You: Stories – by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “In New Orleans, culture doesn’t come down from on high, it bubbles up from the street.” – Jazz Pianist Ellis Marsalis (1934-2020) This quote that opens the book epitomizes these stories, as we meet New Orleans residents … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged African-American, gentrification, horror, New Orleans, race relations, society
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The Wind on Her Tongue – Anita Kopacz
(Reviewed by JD Jung) 1872 -Yemaya, who now lives in Cuba, is well known for possessing healing powers inherited from her Nigerian Yoruba Orisha lineage. Her eighteen-year-old daughter, Oya, as the Orisha of storm, wind and weather, also possesses intense … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged African-American, class, Historical fiction, New Orleans, racism, San Francisco, voodoo
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Lost Treasures of R & B – Nelson George
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “They were both Golden Gloves boxers and had that good foot work. They both did splits. Weren’t afraid to get on the floor. Not spinning like hip hoppers but they would get on their knees to sell … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged corruption, crime fiction, Hip hop, music, poverty, rhythm and blues
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience (Truth to Power) – Diya Abdo
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “When refugees leave, it is rarely, if ever, happy. And it is never something they choose to do. Their bodies, finding no other way to survive, split themselves from their souls, wave goodbye to them, on … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged immigration, refugees
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An UnderratedRead Revisited:Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy – Brian Tyler Cohen
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “You can’t understand the Trump phenomenon unless you understand the role that independent media on the right has played in terms of social media, in terms of amplification of his message, in terms of getting his … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged democracy, Democratic Party, media, social media, Trump
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An UnderratedRead Revisited- Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility – by Rebecca Solnit
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Nothing is inevitable, and that’s crucial to remember in this fight.” Personally, I have felt both hopeless and helpless when it comes to preserving our planet and fighting climate change. Not Too Late convinced … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged climate change, colonization, ecology, Indigenous peoples
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