-
-
About
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
Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker – Maggy Krell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “While a commercial sex transaction may seem consensual on the surface, the lopsided power dynamic, the history of trauma and abuse, and the lack of options often make the consent illusory. And sex without consent is … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, Social Justice
Tagged human trafficking, Non-fiction, rape, sex trafficking, Sexual abuse
Comments Off on Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker – Maggy Krell
Law of the Jungle – Christina Hoag
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Rowena Aldus is an Oxford scholar whose passion is researching the venom in spiders to use for medicinal purposes in humans. Though she finds this fascinating, she struggles to get funding. Author Christina Hoag details the … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged Amazon jungle, crime fiction, short books
Comments Off on Law of the Jungle – Christina Hoag
The Unwanted Dead: The Shocking End of Zorba’s Heretical Author – Yorgos Pratanos
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Nikos Kazantzakis, a popular post WWII Cretan writer, died in October 1957. His works included Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. Many thought he was a Communist and a heretic, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, World Literature
Tagged Greece, Greek history, journalism
Comments Off on The Unwanted Dead: The Shocking End of Zorba’s Heretical Author – Yorgos Pratanos
Wishing you the Best in the New Year!
( by JD Jung) We at UnderratedReads wish all our readers a safe and Happy New Year filled with health, love, and truth throughout 2022. We have discovered wonderful books during 2021 to help us get through these trying times. … Continue reading
Posted in Let's talk
Tagged 2021, book reviews, fiction, Non-fiction
Comments Off on Wishing you the Best in the New Year!
Jazz Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Roaring Twenties – Cecelia Tichi
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned On January 16, 1920, the Volstead Act was enacted, which established Prohibition in the United States. Of course, people found a way around it and alcohol consumption and bootlegging flourished. Jazz Age Cocktails takes an … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tagged American History, cocktails, jazz age, Prohibition, WWI
Comments Off on Jazz Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Roaring Twenties – Cecelia Tichi
The Professor’s Wife – Marina DelVecchio
Reviewed by JD Jung) “She was not what she had promised, what she had led him to believe. And he couldn’t help but feel deceived. Tricked, somehow. Bitterness coursed through his bloodstream like an invisible worm consuming him from the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged mental illness, Romance, sex, short books
Comments Off on The Professor’s Wife – Marina DelVecchio
In Remembrance – Eve Babitz (1943-2021)
(by JD Jung) Author Eve Babitz who wrote about the decadent 1960’s and 1970’s sub-culture of Los Angeles passed away December 17th. Her books were among the “highly recommended” on UnderratedReads. Revisit our reviews of her memoir “Slow Days, Fast … Continue reading
Posted in Let's talk
Tagged 1960s, Los Angeles
Comments Off on In Remembrance – Eve Babitz (1943-2021)
An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Berlin Woman – Alan Kaufman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “She turns her giving of love available to transact with, as a form of punishment, a torment, an affliction, an act of revenge. She replays overtures of love with suffering and pain.” So why is … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged Austria, Germany, history, Judaism, psychological drama, San Francisco, Ukraine
Comments Off on An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Berlin Woman – Alan Kaufman
Five-Alarm Fire (Cat Caliban Series Book 5) – D.B. Borton
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) I have a friend named Dori. We don’t see each other or speak to each other often, but when we do get together, something special happens. We get into a rapid-fire back-and-forth that turns into … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged cozy mystery, light humor
Comments Off on Five-Alarm Fire (Cat Caliban Series Book 5) – D.B. Borton