Book Review: "The Revelation of Dionne Daphne" by Mara Brock Akil

Speaking of revelations, this book was truly fantastic. Mara Brock Akil is the creator of television programs like Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane, but unbelievably, this is her debut novel. I’m so grateful to Storehouse Voices for the advance copy of this!

“It’s like this idea that if you heal yourself, you heal a bunch of generations behind you and in front of you. We’re all just glints in the dirt, waiting for someone to reveal us.”

It’s 1991. Dionne Daphne seems to have it all. She’s the associate beauty director at Essence magazine and she’s in the running to succeed her boss and mentor as director. She’s stunning and smart, and men want to be with her.

But her whole life changes with a late-night visitor. Her ex-boyfriend Darren shows up at her door around 5:00 am, desperate to talk to her. What he tells her threatens to upend everything she’s worked for and, perhaps more importantly, her life as she knows it.

The more she tries to reconcile this disclosure from Darren, the more she starts thinking about childhood trauma that she’s kept hidden all these years. But now, in the wake of all that might change for her, she needs to speak up. She decides to go visit her mother and stepfather in Kansas City and share the secrets she’s kept hidden. Will the release of this trauma help her find peace?

The book is told over a two-week period. It’s a heavy story that might be triggering for some, but it’s also powerful and insightful. Dionne is a character I’ll be thinking about for a long time!

Book Review: "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez

Alex Sanchez's Rainbow Boys takes me back to those angst-filled high school days...

Jason is a star athlete and has a promising future ahead of him. He’s not above making or laughing at the occasional gay joke or slur with his friends. But why is he having intense dreams about guys? He has a girlfriend and they have sex, so he can’t be gay.

Nelson is openly gay and he’s lucky to have such a supportive mother. It’s tough being out in school, though, facing taunts and bullying and even threats of physical violence, and even the school administration doesn’t care. Luckily he has his best friend, Kyle, to commiserate with.

Kyle has always known he was gay but he’s been afraid to tell his parents. He knows that by associating with Nelson everyone assumes it anyway, but there’s something to actually saying the words out loud. Of course, he has a huge crush on Jason, but Jason is straight. Right?

Rainbow Boys, the first in a three-book series, so perfectly captures the feelings associated with coming to terms with your sexuality. How do you tell your parents? Will it jeopardize your future? Does having sex mean you’ll get HIV? What do you do when you’re in love with your best friend and they don't seem to feel the same way about you?

This book came out in 2003 and I totally missed it then, but it sure did bring back memories for me! I really enjoyed this story and the characters were all pretty authentic for the time period. Even though you pretty much knew what would happen, I was totally hooked, and the emotions it generated were very familiar.

Once again, I’m so glad this generation has books like these to help them feel better about themselves. This was another great selection for Pride Reads!!

(Yes, that’s a before-he-was-famous Matthew Bomer on the cover!)