RaveBookPageExcellently crafted ... Scary enough to satisfy horror fans, particularly those who revel in disturbing images and suffocating settings ... An excavation of tense and toxic family dynamics, Just Like Home uses atmospheric scenes of supernatural horror to unpack the impact of a traumatic event. And Gailey goes even further, observing throughout their terrifying tale that any of us could be haunted—whether by gender ideology, the weight of secrets or the actions of our family members—while bravely refusing to offer clear-cut answers about the nature of good and evil.
Gretchen Felker-Martin
PositiveBookPageFelker-Martin highlights the people that gender-based dystopias generally gloss over ... explicitly depicts harrowing scenes of rape and bodily harm, but it is also at times incredibly tender ... Original and unabashed, Manhunt is unafraid to be messy as it cultivates a flawed and intriguing cast of characters, centering voices that have been previously unheard in dystopian fiction.
Nicole Jarvis
PositiveBookPageNicole Jarvis’ debut fantasy, The Lights of Prague, welcomes readers into an arresting and vivid historical fantasy world ... Jarvis’ careful and effective world building suggests an abundance of research and showcases her descriptive skill ... The story unfolds at a measured pace, submerging the reader into moments of reflective exposition or lush descriptions of Prague. The book clocks in at more than 400 pages, and some of these passages can drag. Readers hoping for a fast-moving adventure might be left a bit wanting, but those interested in a story that’s meditative will enjoy spending their time in the world Jarvis has built. The Lights of Prague is an impressive and mature feat from a debut novelist.
Jennifer M. Silva
RaveForeword ReviewsJennifer M. Silva’s We’re Still Here is insightful, thoughtful, and necessary for anyone trying to understand contemporary American politics, especially in the wake of the 2016 election ... While We’re Still Here‘s quality prose and engaging structure hold interest, its tender, deep dive into people’s lives is what makes the book spectacular. Silva collects bleak anecdotes from the people of Coal Brook, illuminating the constant suffering that occurs in areas like it ... Rather than attack the community, many of whom voted for Trump or otherwise express problematic views, Silva engages it, treating its people as people instead of political research subjects. The result is a particularly thoughtful, enlightening study that sheds light on today’s perplexing political realities. Silva strays from other mainstream work about white working class America to unravel the complexities of race in places like Coal Brook, making sure to give voice to marginalized identities in her narratives. We’re Still Here combines sociological theory and intimate, personal research for a revealing look at the heartbreak in one of America’s forgotten communities.
Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
PositiveForeword ReviewsRiveting ... Though it starts off a little slow, House of Stone quickly reaches an engaging tempo to tell an important, complex story ... The eloquent narrator, Zamani, provides tangible details and stories that come together to paint a picture of a vibrant, struggling country. Tshuma completely inhabits her obsessive narrator’s voice, allowing for total immersion. Her prose flows easily. It is simultaneously realistic and literary, pulling you into a family as it falls apart ... The careful opening plunges deeply into Zimbabwean culture and life before the story picks up, transforming into a powerful meditation on identity, politics, and what makes a nation.
Eve L. Ewing
RaveForeword ReviewsWhat do school closures and their disproportionate clustering in communities like Bronzeville, tell us about a fundamental devaluation of African American children, their families and black life in general?\' is the underpinning of Eve L. Ewing’s new book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side. The Chicago educator, poet and author of the evocative 2017 poetry collection Electric Arches crafts a powerful account of the battle that pitted beleaguered educators and working-class parents against the snarl of political machinations ... Ewing’s poetic powers radiate throughout this otherwise academic book, as it absorbs the indignation of downscale African Americans in Chicago, a population perpetually on the receiving end of many of the city’s injustices ... Ewing gracefully melds reportage, heartbreak, ire and history in a book that showcases the city’s education and racial tensions as a microcosm for the nation’s amalgamated woes.
Anabel Hernandez, Trans. by John Washington
PositiveForeword ReviewsA Massacre in Mexico exposes a startling level of corruption, violence, and struggle in that country. Hernandez’s writing shines brilliantly as she unearths the personal elements of the story. Interviews with survivors of the massacre, with victims of government corruption, and with political officials themselves come together for a vivid reconstruction of the events of that day. The prose often churns with passion ... However, the sometimes minute-by-minute rundown of events reads like a police report at times and less like a compelling story. This is sure to be a controversial, significant work, one that might anger more than a few powerful people in Mexico.
Elliott J. Gorn
PositiveForeword Reviews...an engaging, comprehensive account of Emmett Till’s murder and its aftermath ... Till’s story is a symbol of racial inequality in the South, but there was so much more about his life, his death, and his impact that is not known. Elliott J. Gorn’s Let the People See changes that ... From illustrating racial tensions present in Mississippi to sharing the history of Till’s family multiple generations back, Gorn misses nothing ... The book’s lengthy bibliography points to immense research. Let the People See meticulously depicts the setting and the era.
Kirsten Imani Kasai
RaveForeword Reviews\"Kirsten Imani Kasai weaves a spellbinding tale in The House of Erzulie, intertwining elements of horror and erotica expertly. Purposeful discomfort abounds in this eerie novel that brims with masterful, uncanny language ... The novel’s strongest asset is its magical, breathtaking writing. Every page is rife with powerful metaphors and lyrical prose that grab the reader by the throat and don’t let go ... Kirsten Imani Kasai makes the macabre beautiful. She crafts a story that explores superficial scares while also delving into more complex topics like generational trauma and the horrors of slavery. The House of Erzulie makes you wonder what truly haunts our history, and how, if ever, we can escape it.\
