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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.
Category Archives: Culture
Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business – Chris Fenton
(Reviewed by Don Jung) So many people graduate from college and think they can get a job in the film industry only to face rejection and disappointment. This is a true story about a Dartmouth graduate who seeks fame and … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Culture, Non-fiction
Tagged China, entertainment, film industry, NBA
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Toubab Tales: The Joys and Trials of Expat Life in Africa – Rob Baker
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “I wouldn’t have missed my time in Mali for all the tea in the world.” “Thinking of the three cups of tea: bitter as death, pleasant as life and sweet as love, makes me realize … Continue reading
Strange Karma – Willow Healy
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “As they progressed higher, she caught her first unobstructed glimpse of Ama Dablam, the mountain she had come to climb. Sun sparkled off the hanging glacier, and the mountain’s two side ridges seemed to reach out … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Culture, Historical Fiction
Tagged adventure, Britain, Himalayans, thrillers, Tibet
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The Black Marketer’s Daughter – Suman Mallick
(reviewed by JD Jung) “And she can never figure out who she is cheating. Is it Iskander, the man she has decided she can only be grateful to? Or is it the man who loves her to distraction and makes … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged adultry, contemporary fiction, culture, immigration, infidelity, Pakistan
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There Has to Be a Knife – Adnan Khan
(reviewed by JD Jung) < “Those pleasures that I always had access to with her—the tactile, her body, food, her laugh—I knew I would have to keep her away from my darkness to preserve them. I wanted too many shallow, … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged Canada, class conflict, grief, Islam, mysogeny, Toronto
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Sins in Blue – Brian Kaufman
(Reviewed by Don Jung) “Audiences like their blues singers to be miserable,” said Janis Joplin. Sins in Blue is a story of an unhappy bluesman who is rediscovered by a young college student trying to revive his career. Willie Johnson … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Historical Fiction, Music inspired
Tagged blues, depression-era, music
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The Museum of Lost Love – Gary Barker
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…the normal state of lovers, of couples, is not together. Together is a transient state. The normal state of things is as much about ending and leaving as it is about beginning and staying. The normal … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged Bosnian war, contemporary fiction, Serbia, Zagreb
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The Everything Girl – L.E. Maleki, Holly L. Lörincz
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Staring at the massive set of doors in the dark grey stone façade, I knew once I entered my life would change. I’d be moving away from regular, clearly outlined banking duties to what sounded like … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Modern Literary Fiction, Romance
Tagged contemporary culture, multiculture, romance. women's fiction
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Are We French Yet? Keith & Val’s Adventures in Provence – Keith Van Sickle
(Reviewed by Don Jung) What would happen if you decided to divide your family life between two countries and live six months of the year in each place? Well, that’s what author Keith Van Sickle has done as he tells … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Culture, Non-fiction, Travel
Tagged culture, France
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A Matter of Conscience – James Bartleman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…Canadians in general are more prepared to help the poor of the Third World than the First Peoples in their own country.” James Bartleman, retired Ontario lieutenant governor and member of the Chippewas of Rama First … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Historical Fiction, Political fiction, Social Justice
Tagged Canada, Indigenous peoples, Ontario, sociology
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