The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable – Rosa DeLauro

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Morally speaking, the social safety net acknowledges that we are accountable to one another. It originated from our recognition that the vulnerable and the poor are not alien populations; they are us, in certain times and sometimes unforeseen circumstances.” So, what happened? Why did a bipartisan agreement for this safety net…

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Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Politics and Social Justice, Reviewers' Top Picks, Social Justice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way – Ryan White

(Reviewed by Don Jung) There are so many interesting tidbits in this book about the life of Jimmy Buffett, but it is different than most biographies. It’s written by an outsider who has been fascinated by this man, since both of their lives have been dominated by one word, “change”. Jimmy Buffett-A Good Life All…

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Raising a Hand: A Photographic Music Festival with a Cause – by Dave Clements

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “What you are about to see is a collection of…entertainers representing all genres of music from around the world, coming together abstractly “in concert” for the first time.” If this were an actual music festival instead of a photographic music festival, it would go on for months! There are over 200…

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American Rococo: Essays On the Edge – Isham Cook

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Isham Cook advises teens to get rid of their smartphones. He equates Airbnb with an upgraded way of couch surfing. He’s obsessed with big breasts and younger Chinese women. By the way, he currently lives in China. He’s an atheist, but has problems with them as a group. After all, they’re…

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Into Autumn: A Story of Survival (Four Seasons Book 1) – Larry Landgraf

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Into Autumn is a science fiction story written about a man named Lars Lindgren. An apocalypse has happened ending any electricity, water, services, and gasoline. Life is hard for everyone, and Lars is able to somehow survive by planting vegetables on his 40-acre land and eating off the fish and animals…

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Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Lost Innocence, Modern Day Slavery & Transformation – Barbara Amaya

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I was a survivor. A survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of my loved ones. A survivor of human trafficking under the belt of one of the most evil men I had ever met. A survivor of an aftermath so long and horrible that it threatened to swallow me whole."…

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Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows – Balli Kaur Jaswal

(Reviewed by Ishita RC) Everyone sees Nikki as the wayward daughter without any responsibility, but the truth is far from it. With visions of emancipating the women of the Sikh community she left behind as a self-important teenager, Nikki is shocked to find her creative writing class is a group of barely literate women who…

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Adua – Igiaba Scego (Translated from the Italian by Jamie Richards)

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “In Somalia I was a young girl who was full of dreams and wanted to see the world. In just a few months they’ve manipulated, abused, used, transformed me. It feels like years, not months, have gone by. I feel so old, practically decrepit.” “I wish I could ask Marilyn, but…

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what if i got down on my knees? – Tony Rauch

(Reviewed by JD Jung) a series of romantic                                              misadventures                                             and  …

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Elle – Philippe Djian

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “It’s this other me coming out, though I fight it tooth and nail. It’s a me that invites confusion, flux, unexplored territories. I don’t know. I can’t screw open my head and take a look inside.” Michèle can’t always understand her feelings and actions. In her late forties, and co-owner of…

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