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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
We Are Bridges: A Memoir – Cassandra Lane
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “We are bridges made of blood and water, soil and skin.” Yes, we are bridges: connecting our present to our past and to our future. Cassandra Lane’s great-grandfather was named Burt Bridges. He was lynched … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged book reviews, family, police brutality, racism, social justice
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A Sunday in Ville-d’Avray – Dominique Barbéris (Author), John Cullen (Translator)
(reviewed by JD Jung) “My sister had always been incapable of choosing. She was also incapable of breaking off the relationship…She was yielding little by little—I see that now, and something in me understood her—to the novel-like element he imported … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature
Tagged Paris, short books, suburbs
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The Man Who Lived Underground – Richard Wright, Afterward by Malcolm Wright
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…even though his entire body was drenched in what seemed to him a cloud of hot vapor, even though his throat gagged at the reeking odors, he felt that he was safe for the first time … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Lost and almost forgotten, Reviewers' Top Picks, Social Justice
Tagged ethics, police brutality, racism, Religion, violence
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A Pocketful Of Confidence: Self-help for the confidence-challenged – Nancy Lombardo
(Review and poem by Betty Jo Tucker) A helpful book to live by, folks. filled with secrets and even jokes. “A Pocketful of Confidence” Includes great tips that make good sense. Easy reading and lots of fun Your life will … Continue reading
Posted in Non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, Your Best Self
Tagged psychology, self-help
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Revisited Again – Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The militias referred to in the Second Amendment were intended as a means for white people to eliminate Indigenous communities in order take their land, and for slave patrols to control Black people.” American historian Roxanne … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged gun control, gun violence, mass murders
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The Last Twist of the Knife – João Almino (Author), Elizabeth Lowe (Translator)
(reviewed by JD Jung) “Pieces of the past arrive that either frighten me or invite me to a reunion. It’s what I see, what I hear. The rest I imagine…” A seventy-year-old lawyer decides to abandon his current life in … Continue reading
Posted in Latin American Literature
Tagged Brazil, Crime, jealousy, revenge, short books, translated world literature
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Shackles of the Storm – D. Kardenal & L. Kardenal
(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Shackles of the Storm is the first book in the Spirits of Seiran series. The story is set in the seaside port city of Kahlaran. The story begins with Zaira, the adopted daughter of a perfumer … Continue reading
Posted in Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Death in a Bookstore: An Inspector De Vincenzi Mystery – Augusto De Angelis
(reviewed by JD Jung) Inspector Carlo De Vincenzi is faced with one of his toughest assignments yet. Senator Prof. Ugo Magni was found shot to death in a Milan antiquarian bookstore. On the shelf just above the body, a book … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Italian Literature, Lost and almost forgotten, World Literature
Tagged golden age, Italian literature, Milan
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The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi – Richard Grant
(Reviewed by JD Jung) I admit that I have never been to Natchez, Mississippi, but it seems to be a town full of contradictions. British travel writer Richard Grant accentuates this superbly as he relays his accounts and interviews with … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Travel
Tagged American South, culture, history, racism, slavery
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