After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America – Jessica Goudeau

Posted on November 16, 2025 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) The subtitle of the book refers to “Refuge in America” but is there REFUGE to be found? They are REFUGEES but they are not experiencing the “condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” From before 1933 to today the definition of “refugee” has been altered across…

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The Boys Are Back in Town: A Brody James Mystery – Karl Kling

Posted on November 13, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) Brody James leaves the military to get a job in the Police Department of his hometown that he left fifteen years ago after graduating from high school. He reunites with old school acquaintances as he settles down in his new job. The characters vary from charming to evil as he investigates…

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It Takes a Lifetime to Learn How to Live: An Italian American story of coming home – Libby Cataldi

Posted on November 10, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Libby’s life was falling apart. Recently divorced, recovering from breast cancer, and struggling with her son’s heroin addiction, she felt lost and desperate for strength. Though she never got along with her own mother, she fondly remembered her loving Italian grandmother, or “Nonna”. Though unable to read or write, Nonna was…

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Fight Night 1939: The Champ, the Challenger, and a Portrait of America on the Brink – Joseph Monninger

Posted on November 8, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I had never heard of Tony Galento before reading this book—the rough-edged heavyweight best known for flooring Joe Louis in the third round of their championship bout. At first glance, his story might seem like a footnote in boxing history, but author Joseph Monninger transforms it into something far more captivating.…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited – Jump: My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom – Larry Miller with Laila Lacy

Posted on November 5, 2025 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “Should I come clean? I was well aware of the risk of unburdening myself to the executive in a public accounting firm, but all signs indicated I was on the path to landing my first big job...I rolled out the armed robberies, my time behind bars, the community-college courses in…

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An Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisited: Scale of Time: From the Beginning – Joseph Lanzara

Posted on October 30, 2025 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.…

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Best Woman – Rose Dommu

Posted on October 27, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In times like these, when the world feels heavy and overwhelming, many of us crave a light and fun read. That’s what drew me to Best Woman. Yes, it’s light and humorous on the surface, but poignant with honest undercurrents. Twenty-nine-year-old Julia Rosenberg is headed back to her hometown of Boca…

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Ham’s Heaven- Ori Gersht (Translated by Joanna Chen)

Posted on October 24, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)   Ham's Heaven was a tough book to get through – but not for the usual reasons: poor plotting, pacing, etc. It was tough because it was a very emotional story that needed to be told. The author, Ori Gersht, draws from a great deal of historical facts to create…

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The Bolden Cylinder A Bruneau Abellard Novel – Norman Woolworth

Posted on October 21, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I was excited to read The Bolden Cylinder because of its promise of jazz and its New Orleans setting—two of my favorite things. What I got was so much more: a richly layered mystery involving arson, unrequited love, and a fifty-year-old disappearance that ties the past and present together in unexpected…

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A Recommended Read for ‘No Kings Day’: Autocracy Inc. – Anne Applebaum

Posted on October 17, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “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,…

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