The Debt Collector – Steven Max Russo

Posted on May 16, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)   The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo is a very good book for readers who enjoy this genre. The basic premise is an unassuming female debt collector, Abigal, comes into a new town to establish herself. Before long, she finds herself in the uncomfortable position of being the prime…

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They All Swore an Oath: Stories from Everyday Heroes in our Midst – Christopher J. Lynch

Posted on May 13, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) They All Swore an Oath is a collection of interviews between author Christopher Lynch and our unsung American war heroes from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the recent Persian Gulf conflict. Lynch randomly selected men and women from various backgrounds who came to serve in our…

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How To Burn A Rainbow: My Gay Marriage Didn’t Make Me Whole, My Divorce Did – Karl Dunn

Posted on May 9, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by John Heilman)   How To Burn a Rainbow is an honest and well-written tale of the author’s journey through the world of divorce. Author Karl Dunn describes the moment he told his husband he wanted a divorce and then takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster through the legal system and through…

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The Deceived Ones – Judith Krummeck

Posted on May 6, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   “Luck always seems to be against the man who depends on it.”-     Ukrainian proverb Vira Blyzinska fled to Poland from her home in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. She brought little with her except for her viola da gamba. Unfortunately, her twin brother, Sevastyan, stayed behind to serve…

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Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres – Charles Jensen

Posted on May 3, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres is structured in essays, each representing a “splice” of writer and cinephile Charles Jensen’s life. Each story is interwoven with a particular film that he studies in its own context and how it relates to a certain event or period in his…

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The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History – Karen Valby

Posted on April 30, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) At the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, five original dancers from the Dance Theater of Harlem formed the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy Council. Lydia Abarca, Gayle Mc-Kinney-Griffith, Sheila Rohan, Marcia Sells, and Karlya Shelton embarked on a journey to reclaim their rightful place in the narrative of ballet. They…

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The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins -Sonny Rollins, Sam V.H. Reese (Editor, Introduction)

Posted on April 22, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In 1959, twenty-eight-year-old tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins disappeared for two years with the purpose of practicing and improving his craft. He wrote down his thoughts on technical aspects of the saxophone, “rethinking musical concepts”, as well as those on perseverance, and self-improvement and control. These notes are at the beginning of…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited -All Who Wander – Joe Clifford

Posted on April 18, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I’ve spent years in therapy pushing dark memories into a black corner where, without light, I though the wild things could not grow. I was wrong. Left alone and ignored, I’ve provided ideal conditions for them to flourish.” And allow others to manipulate us with their “truth”. In All Who Wander, we…

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Benetton: A true story – Francesco della Barba

Posted on April 15, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Benetton: A True Story offers a fascinating journey through the history of one of the most iconic fashion brands of the 1980s. Written by Francesco della Barba, the Executive Vice-President of Benetton USA, this memoir provides an insider's perspective on the rise and evolution of this Italian clothing company. Della Barba…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: January – Sara Gallardo (translated by Frances Riddle)

Posted on April 12, 2024 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) January (Enero) first published in Spanish in 1958, follows the daily life and thoughts of sixteen-year-old Nefer, who finds she is pregnant after a rape. Nefer works on the family farm, and lives in the shadow of her sister and the other girls in the Argentine village. There seems to be…

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