Underrated Reads

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

An UnderratedRead Revisited:Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement – Frederick Douglass Reynolds

Posted on February 11, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) Each person in life faces many crossroads. From the day we’re born, to the day we die, we are faced with decisions. Each choice can influence our life’s journey. Which direction we take has an impact. At each opportunity we have a chance to make a choice - large or…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged autobiography, corruption, drugs, police, race | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson – Tara T. Green

Posted on February 7, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) #CommissionsEarned 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. Green. The biography is very detailed and complete, not just a brief summary of…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged African American history, biography, New Orleans | Comments Off

Central Places – Delia Cai

Posted on January 30, 2023 by J D Jung

(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 witty and handsome man from a wealthy family. In contrast, Audrey is from Hickory Grove,…

Posted in Immigration, Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged immigrants, relationships | Comments Off

A Death in Valencia – Jason Webster

Posted on January 26, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I visit a city for the first time, I like to go to a local English-language bookstore---if I'm lucky enough to find one--- to discover novels featuring the town, incorporating its culture into the story. A Death in Valencia does just that as it combines the history and culture with…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged corruption, crime fiction, gentrification, murder, Spain, Valencia | Comments Off