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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: Politics and Social Justice
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 Bios and Memoirs, History, Non-fiction, Social Justice
Tagged African American history, Alabama, memoirs, race relations, racism
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Central Places – Delia Cai
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Twenty-seven-year-old Audrey Zhou is leading a life most of us would be envious of. Living in New York City as a sales rep for a newspaper, she has many friends and is engaged to a … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged immigrants, relationships
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Hotel Splendide – Ludwig Bemelmans
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned The comical 1941 out-of-print memoir of author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans (1898- 1962) has just been re-released by Puskin Press. Bemelmans would later write the Madeline children’s book series. However, this memoir covers his few … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Immigration, Non-fiction
Tagged American History, humor, immigration, memoir, New York
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American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience – 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 Immigration, Reviewers' Top Picks, World Issues
Tagged immigration, Interviews, refugees, resettlement
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Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD – Jason Kander
(Reviewed by JD Jung) One would think that Jason Kander had it all. He completed his law degree from Georgetown University and was married to Diana, a girl he met when they were both seventeen. He served in the U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, Politics and Social Justice
Tagged Afghanistan, mental illness, PTSD, veterans
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They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency – Malcolm Nance
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “We have something new in American history…a political party defined by the terror if feels for its own voters, that’s the Republican party right now” – George Will How was Donald Trump able to transform the Republican … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, History, Non-fiction, Politics and Social Justice
Tagged anti-antisemitism, domestic terrorism, QAnon, racism, Republican party, terrorism, Trump
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The Lisbon Syndrome – Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles (Translated from the Spanish by Paul Filev)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I feel a deep regret for encouraging them to dream, for reinforcing illusions that will lead nowhere, because they’re unattainable, because this county is finished. It stopped existing a long time ago. We are the … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Latin American Literature, World Issues, World Literature
Tagged corruption, Lisbon, political activism, Portugal, Venezuela
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Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson – Tara T. Green
(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) This book was not the biography I expected. Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1875-1935) led an incredible life, full of love and activism indeed. This contribution into the oeuvre of African American history is from Dr. Tara T. … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Social Justice
Tagged African American history, biography, New Orleans, Women's suffrage
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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
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