#goodblackreads

Yes to all this juicy goodness 😋 Reposted from @goodblackreads Some of our favorite Afrofuturism reads on the @goodblackreads bookshelf. What is Afrofuturism? It's a movement in literature, music, and film featuring fantasy and science fiction themes rooted in Black history and cultural aesthetic. #goodblackreads #blackauthors #blackliterature #bookstagram #afrofuturism #SistahScifi (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnA8L2Ipyw6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

THE SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!!!As we move into the final quarter of ‘22, it’s the perfect time to spotlight the great Rickey Henderson. And what better way to do this, then through the consistent considerable writing of Howard Bryant . Everyone of his books has been top notch. About this one 🖕🏾I wrote ✍🏾 Absolutely well done by Howard Bryant. A very delightful mix of Oakland history, Rickey’s rise and the capriciousness of the Major League Baseball world. Howard Bryant is so clear, efficient, and effective with his affable prose that all the ingredients meld together to make this an alluring read. He delves into the Rickeyisms and does an excellent job of parsing the apocryphal tales that made people view Rickey as “stupid” at times. But Howard Bryant insures the reader that Rickey more often than not, was well aware of the difference of being laughed at, as opposed to being laughed with. Rickey Henderson is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play baseball, and Howard Bryant excellently discloses the evidence through the use of game statistics and contemporary player interviews. A highlight of this great biography is the unmasking of how media can affect the perception of a player to the general public. It’s fascinating to clearly see how Rickey was often victimized by vicious writers, seemingly intentionally to paint an unflattering portrait of Rickey Henderson. In the final analysis this is a five star biography that details Rickey’s life from talented youngster to big league baller with all the trappings of a determination that was singular and focused. I highly recommend this comprehensive biography. #rickeyhenderson #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #ownvoicesreviews #goodblackreads #netgalley #blackbooksmatter #blackbibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #marinerbooks (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjNb6FYgs2o/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

THE SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT is shining on The Ballad of Perilous Graves. Gives new definition to the term, “inventive novel” I wrote ✍🏾 I’m torn about my true feelings on this one. I must be careful to not let my disdain for magical realism and/or fantasy bleed into this review. So, let me say, this was a bit of a slog in the beginning, but the story had energy, much like the city of New Orleans and though I had some thoughts of giving up, I kept going because I wanted to see where all this was going. Was my perseverance awarded? Yes, in the sense that as an engaged reader, I never want to be defeated. I never want to conclude that I was too confused, bewildered or overwhelmed. I think Alex Jennings has captured that feeling one has as they walk the streets of New Orleans, that there is something else going on besides what they see. There may even be a shadow city that mimics the city. Alex Jennings may confirm those feelings in you, and in those shadows there are haints, songs as people, graffiti that comes alive, and of course spells, magic and voodoo. Oh my, an adult novel that often feels like a YA offering. Fantasy and magical realism fans will absolutely love this, but for me it was just ok. I still recommend for the absolute thrill of the journey through the worlds of New Orleans! #balladofperilousgraves #ownvoicesreviews #pushingbooksainteasy #bookpusher #goodblackreads #bibliophile #blackbibliophile #neworleanslife #redhookpublishing #bookreview #bookstagram #readmorebooks #blackbooksmatter #makereadinglitagain (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci7n4J6rIjs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT!!! Yes, and today we are spotlighting the only short story that the inimitable Toni Morrison has ever published. The ONLY one. This story is available to read online and you can find plenty of commentary and analysis also on the internet. I wrote ✍🏿 She did what she proposed. Write an experimental story removing all explicit reference to race. So the reader is left to ponder if Twyla is Black, or is Roberta the Black one. It’s interesting because you have to check your own perceptions and stereotypes that you have bought into at different points in the short story. And ultimately does it matter? Does knowing who is Black or not change the story? Does it change the relationship? Was Morrison proving to the literary world she can write without centering Black folk? And if so, why? What makes this a five star read is the reader can’t get away from trying to figure out who is who, even though we know the story doesn’t change. It’s not like you’ll say, “well Twyla being Black just makes me….. or “Roberta acting like she did, make this story….” Just enjoy the story for what it is and examine your own racial perceptions that you may find you don’t know so well. #ownvoicesreviews #tonimorrison #recitatif #goodblackreads #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #blackbooksmatter #bibliophile #blackbibliophile #reading #bookblogging #bookstagram #readingislife #makereadinglitagain #bookstagrammer # (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgHZz4DrdLM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Another Sunday! So you know the Spotlight is shining. And today it is Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm. I wrote ✍🏿 It’s hard to really nail down what this book is about. Is it the dangers of loving a jazz musician? Well, yes a little of that. How about a father-daughter relationship dynamic? Yep, some of that. The life of a jazz musician that is a constant struggle for relevance? In a nutshell, the writing is good enough to keep you connected to the novel, but the story is so scattered that at times it seems like short stories with jazzman Circus at center. But the book taken as a whole leaves much to be desired. The story never congeals to the point of a cohesive focused narrative. Ultimately the story mirrors the central character, Circus. A fading jazz trumpeter who hits the wrong notes in life, and his music suffers because of it. This jazz novel is off key in a way that challenges its own relevance. Thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for an advanced DRC. Book will play everywhere September 20, 2022! #ownvoicesreviews #pushingbooksainteasy #bookpusher #bookstagram #goodblackreads #goodreads #sweetsoftplentyrhythm #makereadinglitagain #laurawarrell #readingislife #houstonreads #blackbibliophile #bibliophile #pantheonbooks #penguinrandomhouse #bookstagrammer #bookreview (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3ApZsr4qG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Good Day Bookstagram. We are back with another Sunday Spotlight and it’s a wonderful read. Two Lives Of Sara! I wrote ✍🏿 Oooh. So good. Some flat moments, but this one is a winner. Apparently, there was a book before this one that perhaps has the answer to my most burning question. What happened in that house, Sara? Catherine Adel West does an absolute excellent job of showing, not telling! That is supposed to be the number one calling card of great fiction. In fact, the allusions are so strong as to what went on, but I want certainty. Sara has left Chicago for Memphis in an attempt to forget the old Sara and start anew. She is somewhat surly, and unlikeable but grows on you, as you move through the story and her mental state. Catherine Adel West crafts some beautiful sentences and when she writes of grieving I may have dropped a tear or it could have been allergies. Sara is a complicated character but she found a place in my heart and is one of those fictional characters you tend to think about long after the book is closed. She is the definition of perseverance and resilience and although I disagreed with some of her choices, I found understanding without having to dig deep for it. Sara has seemingly turned a difficult corner and she met a young man, through whom she sees the possibility of finding her way back to love. Love of not only others, but love of herself. Tragedy strikes. “Loss no matter how it’s experienced takes something from us. Opens something aching and jagged. And why is this sensation, this mournful dance, something I almost welcome? Because it’s expected. I know pain and hurt. We are comfortable enemies. And I think maybe Momma always told me to watch where I was, take note of my position, because knowing where I am and who I am no matter how ugly, is better than wondering who I could’ve been.” I thank Park Row and Edelweiss for an ARC and the book will be published Sept. 6, 2022. #ownvoicesreviews #twolivesofsara #catherineadelwest #goodblackreads #blackbooksmatter #bookpusher #pushingbooksainteasy #parkrowbooks #makebookslitagain #blackbibliophile #sundayspotlight #bibliophile #houstonreads (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlQP_rrIJu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I know, it's been a minute. But I've been doing some things but I'll be back soon, I promise! I just wanted to drop by and say thanks to @delacortepress for sending me a copy of The Gilded Ones #2: The Merciless Ones Book by Namina Forna. I'm excited about the follow-up to book one. Plus, we always need more Black fantasy and magic for young and adult readers! #blackgirlmagic #blackbooks #blackbookstagram #goodblackreads #blackgirlsreadbookstoo #blackfantasy #sistahscifi #diversitymatters #diversespines #blackfantasyauthors #blackfantasybooks #blackbooktok #thegildedones #readsoullit #readblackbooks #readblackauthors #MySuperheroesAreBlack #bookrecommendations #bookmail #bookshelfies #bookclubofinstagram #bookcovers #bookish #blackscifi #blackbookworm #bookrecommendations https://www.instagram.com/p/CdW3azgNDbY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT! Yes. Have you ever imagined a society without police and prisons? Today’s book in the Spotlight walks us through such a possibility. I got my copy @kindredstorieshtx I thought ✍🏿 Derecka Purnell really gives the reader an intimate peek at what the abolition of the prison industrial complex might ultimately look like. When we hear abolition and policing in the same sentence, there is a tendency to think, impossible. Derecka Purnell makes the impossible seem not only possible but probable if properly planned and efficiently executed. Her experience and involvement in abolition activism illuminates the way for those new to abolitionist activism. The major hiccup in this work is Ms. Purnell’s way of writing is disjointed. It very often reads like a personal diary. I was here, I was there. I was on this panel and I brainstormed with group x. I understand the need for her to solidify her bona fides, but I believe it distracted from her discussion of ideas and possibilities. Why abolition and not reform? “Reforms only make police polite managers of inequality. Abolition makes police and inequality obsolete.” Through her examination of 911 call data and the constant study of pertinent texts the path to an abolitionist framework is clear. It is very inspiring that she is committed to dogged pursuit of this path and never does she lose sight of the necessary growth required. “Growth requires us to constantly evaluate the ideas we hold dear.” When you see the way 911 calls are widely used for things other than serious crime, you can begin to question why we call police? And is there an acceptable less harmful alternative? Well Ms. Purnell will have you believe there most definitely is. Ultimately, you must start with this text, if you envision a world that is less harmful and more justice centered. Well done. Derecka Purnell. #ownvoicesreviews #pushingbooksainteasy #bookpusher #becomingabolitionists #goodblackreads #blackbooksmatter #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #bookreview #bookstagram #astrahousebooks #dereckapurnell #r4 #sundayspotlight #houstonreaders #blackbibliophile (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcK8NQ9LNm5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=