Author Archives: J D Jung
The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine – Alexander Vindman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Without Ukraine, Russia is a country; with Ukraine, it’s an empire.” Without an independent Ukraine we will see an acceleration of authoritarianism. This war is a fight between authoritarianism and democracy. So how did we get … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, History, Non-fiction, Our Best, Politics
Tagged authoritarianism, democracy, Russia, Ukraine
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Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly – Hannah Selinger
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Hannah Selinger graduated from Columbia University but found herself working as a server at a hometown dive. She eventually moved back to New York and found employment at some of the most trendy, high-end restaurants. First … Continue reading
Posted in Non-fiction
Tagged abuse, memoirs, New York City, restaurants
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An UnderratedRead Revisited:Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World – Anne Applebaum
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The autocracies want to create a global system that benefits thieves, criminals, dictators, and the perpetrators of mass murder. We can stop them.” Historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, suggests what democracies can do to save their … Continue reading
My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift – Harold Phifer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Hal endured a tumultuous upbringing under the cruel hand of his Aunt Kathy. While his mother suffered from severe mental illness, it was Aunt Kathy who had to step in to raise him and … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction
Tagged abuse, death, family dysfunction, mental illness
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Ugliness – Moshtari Hilal, Translated from the German by Elisabeth Lauffer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this deeply personal book, author Moshtari Hilal interweaves memoir, history, and sociology to explore the painful realities of feeling “ugly” in a world that prioritizes symmetry and Eurocentric beauty standards. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History
Tagged Afghanistan, beauty, culture, Eugenics, fascism, Middle East, plastic surgery, ugliness
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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, Our Best
Tagged African American history, family, Jim Crow, racism, segregation, St. Louis
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