Underrated Reads

An UnderratedRead Revisited – Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker – Maggy Krell

Posted on March 16, 2023 by J D Jung

(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 rape. The exchange of money doesn’t change that." By 2012, human trafficking was the…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged autobiography, human trafficking, rape, sex trafficking, Sexual abuse | Comments Off

The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)

Posted on March 13, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “A man crushed by reality puts on a show of endurance.” This is exactly the case with twenty-five-year-old Yozo Oba, who is sent to a seaside sanitarium to recover from injuries due to failed suicide attempt. Unfortunately, his girlfriend succeeded. Yozo’s older brother and a couple of friends visit him,…

Posted in Far Eastern Literature, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged Japan, mental illness, short books, suicide | Comments Off

The Lord’s Tusks – Jeffery Ulin

Posted on March 9, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) #CommissionsEarned “…Michael nodded, climbing into his car and silently steering back toward camp. He passed by the troop of baboons, still frolicking in the savanna, slowly making their way back home, oblivious to the powers shaping their future world. Michael looked at them play and longed for the ease of…

Posted in Environmental, World Issues | Tagged Africa, environmental fiction, Kenya, poaching | Comments Off

Russia’s War on Everybody: And What it Means for You – Keir Giles

Posted on March 4, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I started reading Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You, I thought “I know all of this.”, as I considered myself relatively informed on the subject. However, I am so glad that I continued to read this fascinating, but troubling book. There is so much I was…

Posted in History, Non-fiction, Politics and Social Justice | Tagged cyber-crime, disinformation, espionage, media, military, murder, Putin, Russia, Soviet Union, war | Comments Off

A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe – Mark Dawidziak

Posted on March 1, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Edgar Allan Poe’s death continues to be one of the great mysteries, as there are multiple theories on the actual cause. However, we tend to lose sight of an even a greater mystery, his life. It’s difficult to establish a truly accurate story of Poe’s life, as not only did…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction | Tagged biography, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited – The Newlyweds’ Window: The 2022 Mukana Press Anthology of African Writing – Mukana Press (Compiler)

Posted on February 27, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Mukana” is the Shona translation for “opportunity”, and the mission of Mukana Press is to provide the opportunity for writers in underrepresented areas to show their work to a world audience. So, what is the result of this specific compilation? Twelve diverse stories selected out of 512 entries from twenty-three…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Africa, African literature, family, short stories | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited – The Scent of Burnt Flowers – Blitz Bazawule

Posted on February 25, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned It’s the mid-1960s and an African American couple, Melvin and Bernadette are on the run. Melvin sees that their only chance is to flee the U.S. Back in college, Melvin saved the life of a Ghanian student who would later become the country’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. Though Kwame promises…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged 1960s, colonialism, FBI, Ghana, racism | Comments Off

They Call Me Produce Pete: Food, memories, and cherished family recipes from America’s favorite expert on fruit and vegetables – Produce Pete Napolitano, Susan Bloom

Posted on February 21, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) #CommissionsEarned I picked up They Call Me Produce Pete because, like the author, I believe “if you eat right, you’re gonna live right.” I was completely unaware of Pete Napolitano’s status as a beloved weekly personality of the tri-state area for the last thirty years. On NBC New York, he…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Food & Cooking | Tagged cookbook, fruits, memoirs, vegetables | Comments Off

They Got Daddy: One Family’s Reckoning with Racism and Faith – Sharon Tubbs

Posted on February 16, 2023 by J D Jung

(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 legal battles and his subsequent kidnapping, that all started in 1954. Initially this research was…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Non-fiction, Social Justice | Tagged African American history, Alabama, memoirs, race relations, racism | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights – Frank De Blase

Posted on February 14, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned "'Twas the night before the night before Christmas and Jack Frost was pissed." That's the intro to my favorite story, "The Night Before the Night Before Christmas" in Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights. But what does that holiday story have to do with Valentines? Let's just say that all…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged dark, gritty, noir, sordid, Valentine | Comments Off