Book Review: "I Finally Bought Some Jordans" by Michael Arceneaux

“No matter how bad things get, if I feel my hair is together, I believe more firmly that I can deal with what is thrown at me.”

Can I get an amen? I believe I’ve actually spoken these words (albeit less articulately) before, because I do feel better when my hair doesn’t look like an overgrown shrub.

As it was with his first essay collection, I Can’t Date Jesus, Michael Arceneaux imbues his writing with sly humor, wry observations, rich emotions, and thought-provoking ideas. There were definitely instances throughout this book when I felt truly seen, and identified with the feelings he was expressing.

Whether he’s talking about the realization that trolling celebrities on the internet sometimes comes back to bite him, his fear that no one would show up to his book signings, his working on his relationship with his parents during the pandemic, or finally feeling secure enough financially that he can splurge every now and again, Arceneaux is thought-provoking and at times either side-splittingly funny or poignant.

Sometimes an essay collection is a great change of pace for me, and I’ve found some great writers over the last few years. If you give this a chance, you may find yourself wiping away a tear one second, and laughing out loud the next. I don’t know about you, but that’s what makes reading fun.

Book Review: "Great Expectations" by Vinson Cunningham

No, this isn’t a retelling of the Charles Dickens classic. (I’ll admit, that’s what made me first pick up the book.)

It’s February of 2007 when David, a young Black man from New York, hears the Senator from Illinois declare his candidacy for President of the United States. David is fascinated by the Senator and the hopeful vision for the future he conveys, but he cannot believe that a Black man would be taken seriously as a credible candidate for President.

Thanks to a connection, David lands a job working for the Senator’s campaign. It’s a low-level job helping collect contributions at events, but it’s not long before the Senator notices him, and little by little, David becomes a more integral part of the fundraising operation.

While “the Senator” is never referred to by name, it’s obvious that he is based on Barack Obama. David is a fictionalized version of the author, Vinson Cunningham, who worked for the Obama campaign and at the White House.

While today’s political climate makes me ill, I’m fascinated by the behind-the-scenes of campaigns and presidential administrations. There are glimpses of that in this book, but this is more of a meditation on religion, identity, fatherhood, and race. Cunningham is a talented writer, but this book never quite grabbed me.

Book Review: "One of Our Kind" by Nicola Yoon

If you’re looking for a book sure to get your book club or buddy reads group all riled up, here’s one for you. And if you’re looking for a book you can’t stop thinking about and wondering what the author trying to say, here’s one for you as well.

Jasmyn and her husband King have finally made it. They have enough money to move out of Los Angeles to Liberty, an all-Black utopia, where they don’t have to worry about the police, where they can raise their young son Kamau without fear he’ll meet a tragic end. Every single professional, every teacher, every business owner is Black.

A public defender, Jasmyn feels a little bit guilty about moving out of the city and into the grandeur of Liberty. But she’s still putting in the work every day to try and right as many wrongs as she can. And the murders of innocent Black men by police keep happening in the world outside Liberty, so her work is important and never done.

But why is it that in an all-Black neighborhood, very few people care about the fate of those less fortunate? Why do they close their eyes to what is going on outside the gates of their community? Jasmyn can’t understand what it is that is making the residents of Liberty so complacent, and why are those she felt a kinship with dropping their passion for social justice? Who's making this happen and why?

Part Get Out, part The Stepford Wives, this is a creepy yet powerful book. But the ending? Read it and let’s discuss.

My thanks to NetGalley and AA Knopf for the complimentary copy. The book publishes 6/11/2024.

Book Review: "Maame" by Jessica George

Jessica George's debut novel is moving, thought-provoking, and just so good.

FOMO hits hard on Bookstagram from time to time. I saw this book since the end of 2022 and heard so much praise, so I couldn’t wait to read this. I love it when a book lives up to the hype!

Maddie is a dutiful daughter. She’s currently the primary caregiver for her father, who has Parkinson’s. Her mother mostly lives in Ghana, but that doesn’t stop her from haranguing Maddie about finding a man to marry or asking Maddie—who has to pay all of the bills—to send money. She also gets no help from her older brother, who always has an excuse to not be around or contribute financially.

At the same time, Maddie is struggling with motivation at work, where she is tired of being one of the only Black people, and she’s dealing with loneliness. When her mother decides to move back to London for a year and promises to take over her father’s care, Maddie is ready to move out and start living the life she should at 25.

But although she has decided to embrace saying yes to new opportunities—including drinking and dating—she still finds herself mired in unhappiness and dealing with similar issues at her new job. And after a tragedy and a betrayal set her back on her heels, she finds herself lost, yet afraid to actually speak her mind and admit she’s struggling.

I thought this book was excellent. It captured all the challenges of family, career, friendship, love, and responsibility. Maddie was such a fantastic character and I really felt for her. It’s amazing that this was a debut novel—I can’t wait to see what George does next!!

Book Review: "Don't Cry for Me" by Daniel Black

Don't Cry for Me is a beautifully written, poignant book, full of regret.

“No one should diminish themselves to prove their love.”

This one hurt my heart. I got it as a Book of the Month add-on in March because I had FOMO after not ordering it in February. But I don’t necessarily agree with BOTM’s classification of it as historical fiction, because while it does recount some older events, the book is set in (relatively) present day.

Jacob is dying, and he’s mostly alone. He decides to write to his estranged son, Isaac, to ask for forgiveness for how he treated him through the years. And as he tries to explain why he is the way he is, he goes back to his childhood, where he was raised by his grandparents in rural Arkansas and never got more than an 8th-grade education.

Jacob writes about the way boys and men were expected to act, particularly Black men, during that time, and details a number of incidents through his life in which he acted less than honorably, toward fellow classmates, impaired people from his town, and his ex-wife, Isaac’s mother. And while he now realizes that the things he did were wrong and he regrets them, he feels his actions were more a product of his time and his upbringing.

But Jacob’s biggest regrets are for the way he treated his son, whom both he and his wife could sense was different even early on. Isaac’s biggest sin was not being a “real man,” not being masculine, not liking sports, and ultimately, his sexuality. Jacob’s detailing of his cruelty toward his son certainly hit close to home, and the deterioration of their relationship will feel familiar to those who found themselves treated similarly.

This is certainly a powerful book. It made me sad and angry, sometimes simultaneously, and at times I wished the book was more of a give-and-take between the characters rather than Jacob’s letters. But perhaps Don't Cry for Me can provide comfort or explanation as well as an example of sheer poetry in storytelling.

Book Review: "The Violin Conspiracy" by Brendan Slocumb

When a gifted musician’s priceless Stradivarius violin disappears before a prestigious competition, who is responsible?

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, there didn’t seem to be a lot of options for Ray. And when he discovered his talent as a violin player, the chance of him succeeding was almost zero. His mother wanted him to "stop that racket" and get a real job, and he couldn’t afford a real violin to practice on, not to mention the racist way people in the classical music world treated him.

But when his grandmother gave him a fiddle belonging to his great-great-grandfather, he was hooked. He caught the eye of the right teachers and started to get the training he needed to hone his talent. And then he discovered that this beat-up violin was actually a Stradivarius worth millions of dollars. Suddenly not only did his family want to get their hands on it, but so did the family whose ancestors enslaved Ray’s great-great-grandfather. They claim the man stole the violin from their family and are suing Ray.

As Ray prepares for the prestigious Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, his violin is stolen, with a ransom note in its place. Who stole the violin—his family, the family suing for the return of what they claim is theirs, or someone else? Can it be found before he has to compete with another violin in its place?

This was a fascinating story. While I figured out the mystery part pretty early, I really liked Ray’s character and the book’s discussion of racism in the world of classical music. Since the author is a classical musician, this felt very authentic.

NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Anchor Books provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The Violin Conspiracy publishes 2/1/22.

Book Review: "If You Love Something" by Jayce Ellis

Jayce Ellis' If You Love Something is a sweet, sexy, and thought-provoking M/M romance!!

Thanks to my friend Phil for putting this one on my radar.

DeShawn Franklin is the executive chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington, DC. Everyone wants him—he’s a media darling and VIPs stop by the restaurant to meet him all the time, but what he’d really like to do is cook. But he keeps getting pulled away from the kitchen.

One day he gets summoned home by his grandmother, who raised him. She tells him she no longer plans to continue her cancer treatment. She also tells him that while she’s leaving him her house, she’s leaving the assets of her estate to Malik, DeShawn’s ex-husband, with whom she’s still very close. Oh, and their divorce apparently never went through, so they’re still married.

Of course, this throws DeShawn for a loop. He loved Malik but as DeShawn’s star rose, Malik was less enamored of a life in the spotlight, especially when he wasn’t out yet. But both regretted the end—even though both have moved on. Kind of.

When DeShawn’s uncle starts legal action to get what he believes is his rightful inheritance away from Malik, DeShawn and Malik decide the best course of action to defend themselves is to pretend they’re reigniting their marriage. (And rom-com fans, we know what happens with pretend relationships, don’t we?)

I thought this book was terrific. A sexy rom-com with two somewhat older Black men is a rarity and I just loved the story, the relationships, the supporting characters, and the steam!! (Plus, a book about a chef? You know I'm there!)

Book Review: "Busy Ain't the Half of It" by Frederick Smith and Chaz Lamar Cruz

Frederick Smith and Chaz Lamar Cruz's Busy Ain't the Half of It is a sexy, thought-provoking, emotional story about two queer Black men struggling with career and romantic crises and seeking their happy endings.

Justin and Elijah are uncle and nephew, but they’re close enough in age that their relationship is that of both father figure/son and friend.

Justin is a successful news anchor raising teenage twins while trying to navigate being a comfortably gay man in the public eye. Elijah is trying to get some traction in his acting career and enjoying his first really serious relationship.

But when new management at the network wants to replace Justin, and Elijah’s boyfriend wants to take the next step in their relationship, both men will face questions about what they want from their future, their men, their friends, and their lives.

I really enjoyed this book and these characters. They’re cocky and vulnerable, brash and sensitive. There’s drama and joy, love and chaos. I don’t find a lot of books with queer Black men at their core, so this was a good read, and it reminded me a little bit of the novels of E. Lynn Harris, which I used to read.

Thanks to Pride Book Tours and Bold Strokes Books for providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "Blackout" by Dhonielle Clayton et al.

In Blackout, even love stories can glow when the lights go out.

I love this concept! Six best-selling Black YA authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—got together and wrote a collection of interconnected stories that all take place when a blackout hits NYC during a heatwave.

Each story focuses on a relationship—a reunion of exes, meeting and being intrigued by someone new, revealing a longtime crush on your best friend, even showing your true self to someone for the first time. Characters in one story are connected to those in another, sometimes significantly and sometimes in passing.

For many authors who usually write heavy, emotional stories, this is an opportunity to share stories of Black joy and Black teen love, and the results are fun, sweet, moving, and hopeful. Jackson’s story, “The Long Walk,” is divided into five parts, and is scattered throughout the book.

I enjoyed all of the stories but my favorites were “Mask Off” by Nic Stone, in which a young man encounters a classmate on a subway train during the blackout and it forces him to come to terms with who he really is; “Made to Fit” by Ashley Woodfolk, about a young woman brooding over an unrequited crush on her best friend when she meets someone new at her grandfather’s senior home; and Nicola Yoon’s “Seymour and Grace,” which recounts the discovery a young woman makes after an intriguing ride share.

You know I love short stories, YA books, and rom-coms, so Blackout was a fun read. Having experienced the NYC blackout of 2003, this brought back some memories!!

Book Review: "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" by Deesha Philyaw

Deesha Philyaw's The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is an excellent, powerful short story collection about Black women who follow their own desires.

Full disclosure: I totally thought this was a nonfiction book until a friend read it. I saw it was getting an immense amount of praise but I just figured it was something I probably wouldn't read. But as soon as I found out it was a story collection I jumped on it and boy, am I glad I did! These stories are truly unforgettable.

The nine stories in this collection are sometimes funny, sometimes frank and defiantly sexual, and sometimes poignant. Philyaw’s characters are daring to live their lives the way they want, but it often takes them a while to get there, and it sometimes requires reconciling their religion with their desires.

I seriously loved so many of the stories but my true favorites were: “Instructions for Married Christian Husbands,” a woman’s rules for the men she plans to sleep with; “Not-Daniel,” about a couple who comes together for comfort in the parking lot of the hospice their loved ones are in; “Peach Cobbler,” in which a young woman is determined not to make the same mistakes her mother did; and my absolute favorite, the luminously beautiful, “How to Make Love to a Physicist,” which tells of a woman who must free herself in order to find what she wants.

I devoured this collection in one sitting and was blown away by Philyaw’s talent. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies was really fantastic.

I know when I post about short stories, I hear from a lot of people that they either can’t get into them or have never read any before. Some say they don't want to get invested in characters for such a short amount of time. I used to feel the same way until I discovered that in the right hands, short stories can be just as powerful as full-length novels.

Give short stories a try!

Book Review: "100 Boyfriends" by Brontez Purnell

100 Boyfriends, Brontez Purnell's new short story collection, is raunchy and frank, poignant and powerful. These short stories look at sexuality, race, lust, addiction, inequity, and the need for connection, be it fleeting or permanent.

With this new book, Purnell hits the ground running on page 1 and doesn’t let up the pace until the very last word. His characters are all Black men of various ages and in various states of fitness—physical, emotional, and psychological. In some cases these men are fully aware they’re a mess and continue to self-sabotage; in others they’re totally (and, at times, blissfully) unaware.

“There are periods of my life that roll through me hazily. Not like an apparition, more like that moment a cartoon villain gets hit in the head with, say, an anvil or whatever, and all he sees is stars — my life was all flashbacks that never materialized.”

The characters in these stories are often searching. Sometimes it’s for their next fix or their next hookup, sometimes it’s for something more, something deeper. At times they find fulfillment—temporary or otherwise—but at other times, they’re still searching.

These stories are often explicit, so they’re not for those who are uncomfortable with graphic language or sexual content. But even when he shocks you, there’s an underlying note of poignancy or emotion in many of the stories, which only increases their power.

100 Boyfriends is definitely not a collection for everyone, but Purnell’s storytelling is a talent to behold.