Underrated Reads

Who Knows You by Heart – C. J. Farley

Posted on November 23, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this multilayered and gripping novel, we are introduced to Octavia Crenshaw—a thirty-year-old Jamaican American software engineer whose journey is as compelling as the technological world that she navigates. A Columbia graduate and New Yorker, Octavia finds a sense of control in coding, especially when her romantic life and personal circumstances…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged AI, computers, ethics, family, gender, race, suspense, technology | Comments Off

Where’s My Fortune Cookie? – Phil Proctor, Brad Schreiber

Posted on November 20, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) This memoir is a dazzling look into the wild and bizarre life of the talented Phil Proctor. While he is known as one of the four founding members of the Firesign Theatre, his story is full of bits of his career where he meets most of the show business celebrities from…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs | Tagged 1960s, cartoons, comedy, entertainment, Firesign Theatre, New York City | Comments Off

After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America – Jessica Goudeau

Posted on November 16, 2025 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) The subtitle of the book refers to “Refuge in America” but is there REFUGE to be found? They are REFUGEES but they are not experiencing the “condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” From before 1933 to today the definition of “refugee” has been altered across…

Posted in Immigration, Non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, World Issues | Tagged immigration, refugees | Comments Off

The Boys Are Back in Town: A Brody James Mystery – Karl Kling

Posted on November 13, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) Brody James leaves the military to get a job in the Police Department of his hometown that he left fifteen years ago after graduating from high school. He reunites with old school acquaintances as he settles down in his new job. The characters vary from charming to evil as he investigates…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged crime fiction, military, police | Comments Off

It Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live: An Italian American story of coming home – Libby Cataldi

Posted on November 10, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Libby’s life was falling apart. Recently divorced, recovering from breast cancer, and struggling with her son’s heroin addiction, she felt lost and desperate for strength. Though she never got along with her own mother, she fondly remembered her loving Italian grandmother, or “Nonna”. Though unable to read or write, Nonna was…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs | Tagged family, Italy, memoir, relationships | Comments Off

Fight Night 1939: The Champ, the Challenger, and a Portrait of America on the Brink – Joseph Monninger

Posted on November 8, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I had never heard of Tony Galento before reading this book—the rough-edged heavyweight best known for flooring Joe Louis in the third round of their championship bout. At first glance, his story might seem like a footnote in boxing history, but author Joseph Monninger transforms it into something far more captivating.…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction | Tagged Boxing, culture, racism, society, sports | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited – Jump: My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom – Larry Miller with Laila Lacy

Posted on November 5, 2025 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “Should I come clean? I was well aware of the risk of unburdening myself to the executive in a public accounting firm, but all signs indicated I was on the path to landing my first big job...I rolled out the armed robberies, my time behind bars, the community-college courses in…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Business, memoir, NBA, prison | Comments Off

An Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisited: Scale of Time: From the Beginning – Joseph Lanzara

Posted on October 30, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “The underlying mission of this book is to render, with accuracy, unimaginably long lengths of time and incredibly vast distances in space, conceivable at a glance.” You’ll note that instead of listing just the author’s name, I have included the phrase as he has it on the front of his book.…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged history, physics, science, space | Comments Off

Best Woman – Rose Dommu

Posted on October 27, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In times like these, when the world feels heavy and overwhelming, many of us crave a light and fun read. That’s what drew me to Best Woman. Yes, it’s light and humorous on the surface, but poignant with honest undercurrents. Twenty-nine-year-old Julia Rosenberg is headed back to her hometown of Boca…

Posted in Romance | Tagged LGBTQ, Romance, transgender | Comments Off

Ham’s Heaven- Ori Gersht (Translated by Joanna Chen)

Posted on October 24, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) Ham's Heaven was a tough book to get through – but not for the usual reasons: poor plotting, pacing, etc. It was tough because it was a very emotional story that needed to be told. The author, Ori Gersht, draws from a great deal of historical facts to create…

Posted in Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature | Tagged animal, NASA, space | Comments Off