Low-Hanging Fruit: Sparkling Whines, Champagne Problems, and Pressing Issues from My Gay Agenda – Randy Rainbow

Posted on November 1, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

Exceptional
Who would write a Dear John letter to social media in order to get control over his attention span and basically his entire life? And how do you even navigate the damn thing? Or how about a poem on internet trolls?

Comedian Randy Rainbow of course, in his hilarious collection of essays, Low-Hanging Fruit: Sparkling Whines, Champagne Problems, and Pressing Issues from My Gay Agenda.

He feels that “…complaining has become intensely stigmatize”, as he taps into relatable annoyances such as those captcha tests that he can’t seem to get correct, just to order a dumb product on the internet. How about the iPhone dictation that always gets the message wrong? Does the massive amount of paper receipts we accumulate bother you? And why is all news “breaking news”? The only difference between me grumbling about all this and Randy Rainbow complaining, is that the latter manages to make it hilarious.

It’s hard to pick a favorite story, as there’s so much to love here. From the dating scene, problems with neighbors and touring, to a day in the life of his cat, an interview with his mother, and more. He uses self-depreciating humor to express his anxieties since childhood, including body envy along with his ongoing attempt to achieve a healthy relationship with food.

We all need this in such serious times. My only suggestion is that you not read this in public. You’ll be laughing so loudly that it could be quite embarrassing.

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Still a Grim Favorite! Revisited: Mygale – Thierry Jonquet (translated by Donald Nicolson Smith)

Posted on October 29, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

Ah, revenge can be so sweet. Now mix it with obsession and a touch of madness, and it turns utterly twisted and bizarre.  Such is the case with the intense and fascinating novel, Mygale, written by the late French crime novelist Thierry Jonquet.

Richard Lafargue, a successful, well-respected plastic surgeon carries a dark secret.  He locks Eve, the stunning woman he lives with, in her bedroom.  If that isn’t enough, he forces her to turn tricks in a Paris apartment once a month while he watches. As you can assume, she despises him as much as he does her. Acquaintances would never figure out their sordid life as they both seem so content at the lavish parties, they attend with the Paris elite.

In the underbelly of society, we meet twenty-one-year-old Alex Barny. Though he has never been in prison or even in front of a court, he made a living by thumping people for his ’employers’. Strong and impulsive, he figured that he could make more money by committing his own crimes. But now he’s on the run. While robbing a bank he killed a cop and, in the process, caught a bullet in his thigh. He keeps scolding himself, not for the crime, but for his stupidity. If his longtime friend, Vincent, was around, he would have thought things through and planned the perfect bank robbery.  However, Vincent was nowhere to be found.

The lives of Alex, Richard, and Eve intertwine but not in the way that you would expect. Jonquet takes the reader back in forth between the three and their stories and you shudder as you begin to figure it all out. Though the ending makes perfect sense, it is hardly what you expect.

Mygale takes the psychological thriller to an entirely new level. This novel is so unique, seedy and gritty, that you won’t be able to put it down.  It will also linger in your mind long after you’ve read the last page. Surprisingly, at only 120 pages the narrative is concise but with elaborate detail while the characters are completely fleshed out.

This translated version of Mygale is part of the City Lights Noir collection. It’s a perfect read for this time of year. Still one of my favorites!

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Send Her Back and Other Stories – Munashe Kaseke

Posted on October 26, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

This collection will captivate you as soon as you start reading. “Send Her Back” is just one of twelve riveting tales centering around women who immigrated to the U.S. from Zimbabwe. In that specific title, a young woman who has just been accepted into medical school is in fear of being deported.

But each of these works of fiction is so different from one another. Some elaborate on cultural differences. One woman doesn’t understand issues of race in America. She wants to stand out, so she becomes a Trump supporter. After working in the U.S., another woman goes back home to visit family and realizes that even though she misses her homeland, she and the country have changed. A U.S green card holder from Zimbabwe visits Mozambique and gets a big culture shock. Some of the women who experience bad behavior from their American boyfriends, incorrectly chock it up to cultural differences.

Some stories are so heart wrenching that you’ll think about them for days. One woman works four jobs and sleeps in her car, just so she can send money to her ungrateful family. In another story, a single mother can’t relate to her American-born teenager who thinks life would be better in another family.

One story that may seem familiar is the adult who arrived in the U.S. at the age of five but can only stay if she remains a student. This is a problem in the U.S., and the author personalizes it by adding depth and nuance as she does with every story.

There’s the abused wife who anxiously awaits the death of her elderly Zimbabwean husband. A successful stockbroker sends home for her husband only to be humiliated by him once he arrives. Then there’s the cold Minnesota winter that acts an abusive partner. These stories take place in diverse American states and cities, such as North Dakota, Indiana, San Francisco, and Baltimore.

Though these women may live lives quite dissimilar to your own, you’ll find certain aspects that you can relate to. The characters are painted with color and emotion and are very real.

These stories are so engaging that you can’t wait to discover what events the next one unfolds.

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That Librarian – Amanda Jones

Posted on October 17, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

Exceptional

“We are just collateral damage to them in their quest, and so are the students who do not fit into the mold of what they deem acceptable which is white, straight Christians. I pray for the hate, lies, and attacks to end for the sake of our profession, my friends, and our marginalized community members, but the haters just keep spewing their hate.”

On July 19, 2022, librarian Amanda Jones spoke against book banning and censorship at a Livingston Parish Library Board meeting. She wanted to advocate for children and those from marginalized sectors such as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth. Little did she know that the meeting would change her life, physically, mentally and emotionally. Jones relates her ordeal and the threats that libraries face all over the nation in her memoir, That Librarian.

She has lived in her small Louisiana town her entire life, but soon after that speech, she received death threats accusing her of acts such as teaching eleven-year-olds about anal sex and giving erotica to six- year- olds. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

She filed an unsuccessful anti-defamation lawsuit against members of Citizens for a New Louisiana, a book-banning group, who spread these lies through social media. This was to regain control over her life and take back her reputation.

What I particularly appreciated was her honesty. I could feel her pain throughout the book. Those who she thought were her friends, turned against her. However, she did find support through fellow librarians throughout the country.

I also appreciate that Jones gives advice on how other librarians can fight censorship, and online bullying. Her 2022 speech that started all of this is included at the end of the book. You will be astonished on how this speech promoting love and inclusion, could have been met with such hate from those espousing to be devout Christians, like herself.

Jones could have simply recoiled and given up, just to make her life bearable. Instead, she chose to fight for what is just and right—racism and homophobia. Amanda Jones is a true hero, and we can learn a lot from her. A must-read!

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants – Orlando Ortega-Medina

Posted on October 14, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)


“We were a family of emigrants, on the move from generation to generation. Forced to flee our homes because of intolerable situations imposed on us by those in power. The United States was meant to be the last stop on that journey.”

Such is the case of thirty-six-year-old attorney and recovering addict Marc Mendes. His father is Rabbi Gabriel Mendes who fled Aleppo, Syria with his grandmother in the late 1930s to escape violence against Jews. They ended up in Cuba, and twenty-three years later his parents left Cuba due to religious intolerance and settled in Los Angeles in a Sephardic community.

Marc later moved to San Francisco with his partner, paralegal Isaac Perez, a refugee from El Salvador (which is a heart-breaking story of itself). In 1997, six years into their relationship, Isaac is threatened with deportation. Will Marc help him fight it, or move back with him to El Salvador, or possibly request asylum in another country? Remember, this is before same-sex marriage was legal in the United States.

There’s more to it though. A handsome former client stalks Marc and challenges his relationship with Isaac as well as his sobriety. But Marc carries another dark, painful secret that we slowly learn the truth about.

There are so many layers that add depth to this story. It may sound like there’s a lot here, but all elements are interwoven flawlessly. From religion to addiction to immigration, to social commentary, they’re all deeply thought out. This is especially true of the family dynamics that play out in unexpected ways. And we can’t forget that’s it’s also a riveting thriller.

Author Orlando Ortega-Media started writing a memoir but came to the realization that “a memoir forced in anger made for an unpleasant read.” Twenty years later he reimagined it as a novel. Perhaps this is the reason that the story seems so personal.

In any event, The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants is a must-read for those who wish to delve into the human condition, as well as enjoying an exciting thriller.

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The Propagandist – Cécile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer

Posted on October 10, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)


Our protagonist had to navigate between truth and lies, reality and denial for her entire childhood. Now as an adult and a historian, she must face these truths and the role her mother played in Fance during the German occupation.

Growing up in the 1960’s, she remembers her mother Lucie gossiping with family members and other women, but also speaking in soft voices about the past. What she later discovers is that her mother was nicknamed “The Propagandist”, for designing Nazi pamphlets and posters and demonstrating solid dedication to the cause.

Our historian tries to learn why her mother became antisemitic and embraced Nazi ideology. She remembers her fondly reminiscing about her earlier life and Friedrich, her first husband. As we read further, we discover that he studied genetic biology and was fascinated with racial science. He maintained “Jews, no better than laboratory mice.”

This autobiographical novel will keep readers glued to each page. We learn the family dynamics, such as how some family members promoted the Nazi cause, but would have been the first to be exterminated, and how our protagonist’s father Charles showed no resentment of his wife’s continual love for Friedrich.

Our protagonist tries to remain objective as her role as historian, but we see glimpses of this cracking. From her account, I saw her mother as evil, but I don’t know if that was her intent. Still, how does a daughter reconcile how her mother betrayed her Jewish neighbors and felt no remorse decades later, even at the point of stealing their property?

Author Cécile Desprairies is a historian specializing in the Nazi occupation of France. Readers of WWII history will find The Propogandist fascinating; however, the personal views of these conspirators and how it impacted the lives of those close to them will be of even greater interest.

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Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World – Anne Applebaum

Posted on October 7, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

Exceptional

“The autocracies want to create a global system that benefits thieves, criminals, dictators, and the perpetrators of mass murder. We can stop them.”

Historian and journalist Anne Applebaum, suggests what democracies can do to save their political systems and why we should fear these present-day autocracies in her latest book, Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.

Totalitarian governments have changed since the last century. The world economy is so much more complex now. Today’s dictators have become allies regardless of ideology –both communist and fascist – with the quest to destabilize democracies throughout the world.  These kleptocracies realize that by working together they can gain constant wealth for their leaders. They don’t care how they are perceived throughout the world; the goal is self-enrichment. Many countries have governments that are not complete democracies or autocracies, but their leaders are not immune from this behavior. Look at Erdogan of Turkey and Orbán of Hungry, and specifically Erdogan’s involvement with Maduro of Venezuela.

Though I have just summarized this, Applebaum provides in-depth, well-researched history with specific examples. She explains how countries, such as Russia, China, Venezuela, and Iran collaborate to achieve their goals. She reveals the tactics used such as money laundering, smear campaign. Also, she provides proof of how these often-legal acts continue to negatively affect countries such as the United States and Britain. Her proposed solutions are solid and make sense.

No one is unaffected by these dictatorships, Autocracy, Inc. We must resist any politician who praises autocrats, or believes that they can do business with them. This book is a must-read for all who care about their neighborhood, country and the world they live in. A real eye-opener!

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White Robes and Broken Badges: Infiltrating the KKK and Exposing the Evil Among Us – Joe Moore

Posted on October 4, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)

Exceptional
I’ll admit that as a crime writer, I’m a sucker for ‘under the radar – dual life’ narratives, and Joe Moore’s, White Robes And Broken Badges, certainly hit the mark for me.

An ex-Army sniper with a valuable skill set, Mr. Moore found himself in a unique position of being accepted into – and being able to infiltrate, one of the most notorious organizations in America: the Ku Klux Klan. I won’t give away the key accomplishments of Mr. Moore’s years-long penetration into this secretive society, other than to say that several people’s lives were saved due to his efforts. And, that history could have been written very differently had he not intervened.

I learned a lot from this book: FBI protocols (of whom Mr. Moore was working undercover for), the Klan’s hierarchy and its ceremonies, as well as assessment and situational awareness techniques courtesy of Mr. Moore’s training as a sniper.

But what I enjoyed most about the book was the palpable tension that the author so beautifully crafted into the prose. During some of the dicier moments of the book, the ones where Moore literally found himself in situations where his cover could have been blown and his life abruptly ended, you can almost feel the sweat trickling down your back as your turn the pages.

I hope to read many more books from this author.

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The Scale of Time: From the Beginning – Joseph Lanzara

Posted on September 30, 2024 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. This isn’t just a book you sit down and read. It is a creation that is meant to convey the history of the universe from its start to today, with a glimpse into billions of years of the possible future. It comprises graphics, a book-length timeline, pages that read one way and then upside-down and the other way. It’s fun, it’s chock-a-block with facts. Names are dropped: Woody Allen, Stephen Hawkings, Raquel Welch, Clarence Darrow. How do all these connect? You’ll have to get the book to find out!

How many zeros in a googol? How far is a light year? What are the chances that two snowflakes would be alike when one septillion (1 + 24 zeros) flakes fall in a winter? These and many other juicy questions are answered in the book. The creator delivers a huge amount of information in 67 pages (127 when you turn it around and read it the other way), in easy-to-follow language, with a touch of whimsy here and there.

I love this book, the idea of it and the execution. It would make a great gift to anyone interested in science, including yourself. I watch a lot of YouTube videos on the latest in science, including quantum physics and space exploration. Even though some of the information here was not new to me, the presentation and the concentration of it all in one place kept me interested throughout.

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Tales from Beyond the Closet – Dalton Primeaux

Posted on September 25, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

Exceptional

These sordid tales of horror are weird. Not in a Trump/Vance creepy way, but in an eclectic, frightening, and entertaining way.   The kind of weird I like.

There are stories encompassing sci-fi and lots of horror: a haunted wooden coffee table, a strange boba shop, wicked wigs, killer vines, and retaliating trees. A once tolerant community that all of a sudden becomes violently homophobic. Let’s not forget perhaps the most unsettling for me, the seven-year-old girl who becomes a serial killer. After finishing one story, I couldn’t wait to read the next.

Why is author Dalton Primeaux so successful in capturing the shock and tone of the horror genre? He explains in the “Author’s Note” chapter, “I felt the pain of the villains because I lived my whole life being villainized. I was always the bad guy in other people’s stories.” As a gay teenager, this was how his peers, family and church treated him.

He further writes,
“I became comfortable and familiar with the devil and the monsters that I was supposed to live out eternity with. They didn’t scare me like everyone else because they were me.” Readers will also learn his motivation for creating some of these stories.

This chapter is near the middle of the book, instead of the end. Make sure you read it to further discover his motivations for writing some of the stories, before embarking on the following two must-read pieces.

Primeaux weaves in some social commentary is these tales, from accepting your true self, to acknowledging the kindness of strangers versus the intolerance of one’s own family.

Most of these well-written disturbing tales feature those from the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, he dedicates the book to these youths, though I wouldn’t recommend this book to children.

Tales from Beyond the Closet is a collection that will be difficult for readers to put down. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

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