Shamontiel's Bookshelf & Author Interviews
I am the author of two fiction novels, "Change for a Twenty" and "Round Trip," available on all major book outlets.
Scroll down to see what authors I've interviewed and what books I recommend. Additional book reviews I've written for the Chicago Tribune are here.
Scroll down to see what authors I've interviewed and what books I recommend. Additional book reviews I've written for the Chicago Tribune are here.
Karen Siplin
E. Lynn Harris
Sister Souljah
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Steve Harvey
Ekiuwa Aire"African history through the eyes of a child ~ How Ekiuwa Aire and ‘The 1619 Project’ educate all from childhood to adulthood" (Featured in Substack's "I Do See Color"
Dr. Natalie Wilson
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Christopher Herz
Kevin Alan Milne
Erin O. Patton
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LATEST BOOK REVIEW
October 6, 2024 Note: The latest review (below) will be typed in maroon. Once a new book is recommended, that review will be deleted, and the next one will be posted. |
Recommended FREE Amazon KindleTitle: Green Spaces, Clear Minds: Eco-Friendly Home Organization and Mindfulness Strategies for Remote Workers
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Recommended Purchase:
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FICTION
Bland, Eleanor Taylor "A Cold and Silent Dying: A Marti MacAlister Mystery"
NEW! Brown, Sandra "Smoke Screen"
Britt Shelley is really attractive.
Men really are attracted to Britt Shelley.
Unless you're gay, you're going to do a onceover for Britt Shelley.
A man cannot even be in a room with Britt Shelley, so he must make sure to drive into public spaces.
I bring this up because author Sandra Brown wouldn't STOP bringing it up. From talking about her nipples in shirts to how pretty she was in plain clothes to her blonde hair to how every man she encountered looked at her, readers were reminded of this. It made sense to tell us she was attractive at first, considering it would be harder to stay incognito around men. Then, it started getting cringy.
But we oddly barely knew what any of the men looked like. We knew Jay Burgess was a smooth talker and had to be fairly OK looking to pull so many women, but I can't really picture him. I can't really picture ANY of the characters in the book, including Raley Gannon. I know he shaved, and that's where it ends.
Strangely, Sandra Brown elaborated on how ugly Pat Wickham Jr., Cassandra "Candy" Mellors and Delno Pickens were to the point of being revolted by them. So it's not like the author doesn't have it in her to explain a character's appearance outside of looking "tough." But this was such a good book that this one flaw was distracting me from giving it 5 stars.
The book itself was about a reporter who woke up next to a dead man: a police man. He'd been suffocated, and they were sure that she was the culprit. No matter how much she loudly insisted that she'd been drugged and didn't know what happened, law enforcement, her own news publication and the court of public opinion believed she did it. And when she came up missing, they assumed she fled. Only she didn't flee willingly. She was too loud-mouthed, opinionated and annoying to lay low. She was kidnapped by Raley, who was also set up the same way (with a dead woman beside him and not knowing what happened). And both were wondering why this setup had happened twice.
The dialogue, the pacing, the storyline and all the characters were a fun read. I was so engrossed in some chapters that I read them while walking my dog because I just couldn't wait to sit still at home. But I kept checking the copyright date throughout the post. I couldn't wrap my mind around not only why this journalist talked so much and disclosed information that would've made her impossible to ever get unnamed sources. She would answer questions people didn't even ask but then be oddly defensive about SIMPLE questions like, "Are you on birth control?" Britt was beyond weird.
I think if I hadn't worked in a newsroom for several years, I probably wouldn't have picked up on how bad of a journalist she was. Her behavior was more like a reality star looking for social media likes instead of someone who covers hard news. I couldn't wrap my mind around why a camcorder was even humored in a smartphone era where burner phones can easily be bought and videos can be uploaded to streaming sites. Technology was discussed was like it was the 1980s instead of 2008.
Raley, on the other hand, could've been a firefighter, doctor, journalist, cop and (apparently) a decent fashion designer. For all of his bad luck, he definitely had all kinds of buried talent and life dealt him a bad hand. But for someone who can steal license plates so easily, he never bothered to correct Britt on other car parts. Taking valve stem caps does not flatten tires! I know this because I had an old car with two missing caps ... and NEVER had a flat.
These two together were a little draining. I saw Raley's POV 99.9% of the time and Britt's view ... not even 0.01%. The wild part was I was delighted to read chapters with Candy because at least she was funny!
So there were parts of this book that just didn't make much sense to me from a news perspective and a digital perspective (and a car owner), on top of Britt constantly doing something dumb to get herself into more trouble. She couldn't get through one page without saying or doing something so painfully unnecessary. I honestly wished somebody would just "off" her so we could focus on Raley. The book's ending was partially what I guessed would happen (specifically who the four people were) with one stunning admission (Bunch & Sundance) that I never suspected at all.
Overall, I give it four stars for a solid, engaging storyline. My main two gripes are world's most annoying journalist and ignoring literally everything about technology (and the basics of how car tires work) in 2008. Still, I'd highly recommend this book.
Carter, Ernessa T. "32 Candles"
Cleage, Pearl "Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do"
Coleman, Andre "A Liar's Tale"
Coleman, Andre "Blackbirds: Volume I"
Curnyn, Lynda "Engaging Men"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Chasing Destiny"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Drive Me Crazy"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Friends and Lovers"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Tempted by Trouble"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Thieves' Paradise"
Draper, Sharon "Tears of a Tiger"
Files, Lolita "Scenes from a Sistah"
Flake, Sharon G. "Begging for Change"
Flake, Sharon G. "Money Hungry"
Flake, Sharon G. "The Skin I'm In"
Flake, Sharon G. "Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories About Girls and Boys In Their Lives"
Going, K.L. "King of the Screwups"
Grant, Donna "Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made"
Green, Carmen "Atlanta Live!"
Griffin, John Howard "Black Like Me"
Han, Jenny "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
Han, Jenny "To All the Boys I've Love Before"
Han, Jenny "P.S. I Still Love You"
Harmon, Byron "All the Women I've Loved"
Harris, E. Lynn "A Love of My Own" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "In My Father's House"
Hayes, Lee A. "Passion Marks"
Herz, Christopher "The Last Block in Harlem"
Hill, Ernest "A Life for a Life"
Hill, Ernest "Cry Me a River"
Hill, Ernest "It's All About the Moon When the Sun Ain't Shining"
Hughes, Langston "The Simple Omnibus"
Hughes, Langston "The Ways of White Folks"
Hunter, Travis "A One Woman Man"
Hunter, Travis "Something to Die For"
Hunter, Travis "Trouble Man"
Hyzy, Julie "Buffalo West Wing" (Part 4)
Hyzy, Julie "Eggsecutive Orders" (Part 3)
Hyzy, Julie "Hail to the Chef" (Part 2)
Hyzy, Julie "State of the Onion" (Part 1)
Johnson, Freddie Lee "Bittersweet"
Johnson, Dana "Break Any Woman Down"
Johnson, Mat "Hunting in Harlem"
Johnson, RM "Dating Games"
Johnson, RM "The Harris Family"
Johnson, RM "Love Frustration"
Johnson, RM "The Million Dollar Divorce"
Jones, Solomon "Pipe Dream"
Jones, Solomon "The Bridge"
Jones, Tayari "Leaving Atlanta"
Jones, Tayari "Silver Sparrow (Chicago Tribune review)" or "Silver Sparrow"
Martin, Ann M. (Every single "Babysitter's Club" book she's written was beneficial to me as a pre-teen, and I'd stand by them all. I had 81 of her books.)
Mason, J.D. "Don't Want No Sugar"
Mason, J.D. "One Day I Saw a Black King"
Massey, Brandon "The Other Brother"
McCarthy, Susan Carol "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands"
Mckinney-Whetstone, Diane "Blues Dancing"
Meriwether, Louise "Daddy Was a Number Runner"
Merullo, Roland "American Savior"
Messina, Lynn "Fashionistas"
Messina, Lynn "Tallulahland"
Meyer, Stephenie "New Moon"
Meyer, Stephenie "The Short Second Life of Bree Turner"
Meyer, Stephenie "Twilight"
Miller, Mary "Biloxi"
Miller, Moses "The Barack in Me"
Milne, Kevin Alan "Sweet Misfortune: A Novel"
Monninger, Joseph "Whippoorwill"
Monroe, Mary "God Don't Like Ugly"
Moses, Shelia P. "I, Dred Scott"
Moses, Shelia P. "Joseph"
Mosley, Walter "Blonde Faith"
Mosley, Walter "The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray"
Mosley, Walter "The Man in My Basement"
Murphy, Richard "Confessions of a Contractor"
Myers, Edward "Far From Gringo Land"
Naylor, Gloria "The Men of Brewster Place"
Packer, ZZ "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere"
Perkins-Valdez, Dolen "Wench"
Picoult, Jodi "Change of Heart" (Page 1, Page 2)
Picoult, Jodi "Keeping Faith"
Picoult, Jodi "Leaving Time"
Picoult, Jodi "Nineteen Minutes review" or "Nineteen Minutes"
Picoult, Jodi "Salem Falls"
Picoult, Jodi "Small Great Things"
Picoult, Jodi "The Tenth Circle"
Ptah, Heru "A Hip Hop Story"
Rhodes, Jewell Park "Douglass' Women"
Rosenberg, Joel C. "The Auschwitz Escape"
Senate, Melissa "The Breakup Club"
Senate, Melissa "The Solomon Sisters Wise Up"
Senate, Melissa "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"
Shotz, Jennifer Li "American Dog: Poppy" (Click here for the "Black Girl In a Doggone World" review.)
Shotz, Jennifer Li "American Dog: Star" (Click here for the "Black Girl In a Doggone World" review.)
Sinclair, April "Coffee Will Make You Black"
Singer, Gammy L. "A Landlord's Tale"
Siplin, Karen "Such a Girl"
Siplin, Karen "Whiskey Road"
Souljah, Sister "The Coldest Winter Ever"
Sparks, Nicholas "Two by Two"
Stead, Rebecca "Goodbye Stranger"
Stovall, Taressa "Proverbs for the People"
Thomas, Angie "The Hate U Give"
Tyree, Omar "Flyy Girl"
Tyree, Omar "Single Mom"
Tyree, Omar "Sweet St. Louis"
Weber, Carl "A Dollar and a Dream"
Weber, Carl "Baby Momma Drama"
Weber, Carl "Married Men"
Weber, Carl "Player Haters"
Weber, Carl "The Preacher's Son"
Youngblood, Shay "Soul Kiss"
NEW! Brown, Sandra "Smoke Screen"
Britt Shelley is really attractive.
Men really are attracted to Britt Shelley.
Unless you're gay, you're going to do a onceover for Britt Shelley.
A man cannot even be in a room with Britt Shelley, so he must make sure to drive into public spaces.
I bring this up because author Sandra Brown wouldn't STOP bringing it up. From talking about her nipples in shirts to how pretty she was in plain clothes to her blonde hair to how every man she encountered looked at her, readers were reminded of this. It made sense to tell us she was attractive at first, considering it would be harder to stay incognito around men. Then, it started getting cringy.
But we oddly barely knew what any of the men looked like. We knew Jay Burgess was a smooth talker and had to be fairly OK looking to pull so many women, but I can't really picture him. I can't really picture ANY of the characters in the book, including Raley Gannon. I know he shaved, and that's where it ends.
Strangely, Sandra Brown elaborated on how ugly Pat Wickham Jr., Cassandra "Candy" Mellors and Delno Pickens were to the point of being revolted by them. So it's not like the author doesn't have it in her to explain a character's appearance outside of looking "tough." But this was such a good book that this one flaw was distracting me from giving it 5 stars.
The book itself was about a reporter who woke up next to a dead man: a police man. He'd been suffocated, and they were sure that she was the culprit. No matter how much she loudly insisted that she'd been drugged and didn't know what happened, law enforcement, her own news publication and the court of public opinion believed she did it. And when she came up missing, they assumed she fled. Only she didn't flee willingly. She was too loud-mouthed, opinionated and annoying to lay low. She was kidnapped by Raley, who was also set up the same way (with a dead woman beside him and not knowing what happened). And both were wondering why this setup had happened twice.
The dialogue, the pacing, the storyline and all the characters were a fun read. I was so engrossed in some chapters that I read them while walking my dog because I just couldn't wait to sit still at home. But I kept checking the copyright date throughout the post. I couldn't wrap my mind around not only why this journalist talked so much and disclosed information that would've made her impossible to ever get unnamed sources. She would answer questions people didn't even ask but then be oddly defensive about SIMPLE questions like, "Are you on birth control?" Britt was beyond weird.
I think if I hadn't worked in a newsroom for several years, I probably wouldn't have picked up on how bad of a journalist she was. Her behavior was more like a reality star looking for social media likes instead of someone who covers hard news. I couldn't wrap my mind around why a camcorder was even humored in a smartphone era where burner phones can easily be bought and videos can be uploaded to streaming sites. Technology was discussed was like it was the 1980s instead of 2008.
Raley, on the other hand, could've been a firefighter, doctor, journalist, cop and (apparently) a decent fashion designer. For all of his bad luck, he definitely had all kinds of buried talent and life dealt him a bad hand. But for someone who can steal license plates so easily, he never bothered to correct Britt on other car parts. Taking valve stem caps does not flatten tires! I know this because I had an old car with two missing caps ... and NEVER had a flat.
These two together were a little draining. I saw Raley's POV 99.9% of the time and Britt's view ... not even 0.01%. The wild part was I was delighted to read chapters with Candy because at least she was funny!
So there were parts of this book that just didn't make much sense to me from a news perspective and a digital perspective (and a car owner), on top of Britt constantly doing something dumb to get herself into more trouble. She couldn't get through one page without saying or doing something so painfully unnecessary. I honestly wished somebody would just "off" her so we could focus on Raley. The book's ending was partially what I guessed would happen (specifically who the four people were) with one stunning admission (Bunch & Sundance) that I never suspected at all.
Overall, I give it four stars for a solid, engaging storyline. My main two gripes are world's most annoying journalist and ignoring literally everything about technology (and the basics of how car tires work) in 2008. Still, I'd highly recommend this book.
Carter, Ernessa T. "32 Candles"
Cleage, Pearl "Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do"
Coleman, Andre "A Liar's Tale"
Coleman, Andre "Blackbirds: Volume I"
Curnyn, Lynda "Engaging Men"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Chasing Destiny"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Drive Me Crazy"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Friends and Lovers"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Tempted by Trouble"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Thieves' Paradise"
Draper, Sharon "Tears of a Tiger"
Files, Lolita "Scenes from a Sistah"
Flake, Sharon G. "Begging for Change"
Flake, Sharon G. "Money Hungry"
Flake, Sharon G. "The Skin I'm In"
Flake, Sharon G. "Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories About Girls and Boys In Their Lives"
Going, K.L. "King of the Screwups"
Grant, Donna "Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made"
Green, Carmen "Atlanta Live!"
Griffin, John Howard "Black Like Me"
Han, Jenny "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
Han, Jenny "To All the Boys I've Love Before"
Han, Jenny "P.S. I Still Love You"
Harmon, Byron "All the Women I've Loved"
Harris, E. Lynn "A Love of My Own" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "In My Father's House"
Hayes, Lee A. "Passion Marks"
Herz, Christopher "The Last Block in Harlem"
Hill, Ernest "A Life for a Life"
Hill, Ernest "Cry Me a River"
Hill, Ernest "It's All About the Moon When the Sun Ain't Shining"
Hughes, Langston "The Simple Omnibus"
Hughes, Langston "The Ways of White Folks"
Hunter, Travis "A One Woman Man"
Hunter, Travis "Something to Die For"
Hunter, Travis "Trouble Man"
Hyzy, Julie "Buffalo West Wing" (Part 4)
Hyzy, Julie "Eggsecutive Orders" (Part 3)
Hyzy, Julie "Hail to the Chef" (Part 2)
Hyzy, Julie "State of the Onion" (Part 1)
Johnson, Freddie Lee "Bittersweet"
Johnson, Dana "Break Any Woman Down"
Johnson, Mat "Hunting in Harlem"
Johnson, RM "Dating Games"
Johnson, RM "The Harris Family"
Johnson, RM "Love Frustration"
Johnson, RM "The Million Dollar Divorce"
Jones, Solomon "Pipe Dream"
Jones, Solomon "The Bridge"
Jones, Tayari "Leaving Atlanta"
Jones, Tayari "Silver Sparrow (Chicago Tribune review)" or "Silver Sparrow"
Martin, Ann M. (Every single "Babysitter's Club" book she's written was beneficial to me as a pre-teen, and I'd stand by them all. I had 81 of her books.)
Mason, J.D. "Don't Want No Sugar"
Mason, J.D. "One Day I Saw a Black King"
Massey, Brandon "The Other Brother"
McCarthy, Susan Carol "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands"
Mckinney-Whetstone, Diane "Blues Dancing"
Meriwether, Louise "Daddy Was a Number Runner"
Merullo, Roland "American Savior"
Messina, Lynn "Fashionistas"
Messina, Lynn "Tallulahland"
Meyer, Stephenie "New Moon"
Meyer, Stephenie "The Short Second Life of Bree Turner"
Meyer, Stephenie "Twilight"
Miller, Mary "Biloxi"
Miller, Moses "The Barack in Me"
Milne, Kevin Alan "Sweet Misfortune: A Novel"
Monninger, Joseph "Whippoorwill"
Monroe, Mary "God Don't Like Ugly"
Moses, Shelia P. "I, Dred Scott"
Moses, Shelia P. "Joseph"
Mosley, Walter "Blonde Faith"
Mosley, Walter "The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray"
Mosley, Walter "The Man in My Basement"
Murphy, Richard "Confessions of a Contractor"
Myers, Edward "Far From Gringo Land"
Naylor, Gloria "The Men of Brewster Place"
Packer, ZZ "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere"
Perkins-Valdez, Dolen "Wench"
Picoult, Jodi "Change of Heart" (Page 1, Page 2)
Picoult, Jodi "Keeping Faith"
Picoult, Jodi "Leaving Time"
Picoult, Jodi "Nineteen Minutes review" or "Nineteen Minutes"
Picoult, Jodi "Salem Falls"
Picoult, Jodi "Small Great Things"
Picoult, Jodi "The Tenth Circle"
Ptah, Heru "A Hip Hop Story"
Rhodes, Jewell Park "Douglass' Women"
Rosenberg, Joel C. "The Auschwitz Escape"
Senate, Melissa "The Breakup Club"
Senate, Melissa "The Solomon Sisters Wise Up"
Senate, Melissa "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"
Shotz, Jennifer Li "American Dog: Poppy" (Click here for the "Black Girl In a Doggone World" review.)
Shotz, Jennifer Li "American Dog: Star" (Click here for the "Black Girl In a Doggone World" review.)
Sinclair, April "Coffee Will Make You Black"
Singer, Gammy L. "A Landlord's Tale"
Siplin, Karen "Such a Girl"
Siplin, Karen "Whiskey Road"
Souljah, Sister "The Coldest Winter Ever"
Sparks, Nicholas "Two by Two"
Stead, Rebecca "Goodbye Stranger"
Stovall, Taressa "Proverbs for the People"
Thomas, Angie "The Hate U Give"
Tyree, Omar "Flyy Girl"
Tyree, Omar "Single Mom"
Tyree, Omar "Sweet St. Louis"
Weber, Carl "A Dollar and a Dream"
Weber, Carl "Baby Momma Drama"
Weber, Carl "Married Men"
Weber, Carl "Player Haters"
Weber, Carl "The Preacher's Son"
Youngblood, Shay "Soul Kiss"
NONFICTION
Altman, Susan "The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage"
Anderson, Maggie "Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy"
Ardis, Angela "Inside a Thug's Heart"
Asante, Molefi Kete "Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation"
Bahr, Iris "Machu My Picchu: Searching for Sex, Sanity, and a Soul Mate in South America"
"Barack H. Obama: The 44th President of the United States" (Conde Nast Special Editions)
Bell, W. Kamau "The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian"
Biden, Jill "Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself"
Bollinger, Michele and Dao X. Tran "101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History"
Boyd, Herb "The Harlem Reader: A Celebration of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood, From the Renaissance Years to the Twenty-first Century"
Braxton, Toni and Michelle Burford "Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir"
Brian Smith and Robin Bronk "Art & Soul: Stars Unite to Celebrate and Support the Arts" (Chicago Tribune review) or "Art & Soul"
Brown, Bobby and Nick Chiles "Every Little Step: My Story"
Campidonica, Anthony C. "Outsmarting the System: Lower Your Taxes, Control Your Future, and Reach Financial Freedom"
Carlos, John Wesley and Dave Zirin "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World" (Chicago Tribune review) or "The John Carlos Story"
Cline, Elizabeth L. "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion"
Crowder, David and Andrew Bailey "Creating Web Sites Bible" (2nd Edition)
Earl, Sari "Benjamin O. Davis Jr. : Air Force general & Tuskegee Airmen leader"
Ebong, Ima (edited) and A'Lelia Bundles (foreword) "Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture"
Ellis, Shaun and Monty Sloan (photography) "Wolves: Capturing the Natural Spirit of these Incredible Animals"
Eve "Who's That Girl?" (I Do See Color book review)
Folan, Karyn Langhorne "Don't Bring Home a White Boy: And Other Notions That Keep Black Women From Dating Out"
Gibson, Tyrese and Rev Run "Manology: Secrets of Your Man's Mind Revealed"
Golden, Marita "It's All Love" (Chicago Defender review) and "It's All Love" (Kindle)
Good, C. Edward "Who's/Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? All the Grammar You Need to Succeed In Life"
Gorman, Hogan "Hot Cripple" (Kindle)
Harper, Hill "The Conversation: How Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships"
Harper, Hill "The Wealth Cure" (Chicago Tribune book review) and "The Wealth Cure" (Kindle)
Harriot, Michael "Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America" (Click here for the "I Do See Color" review.)
Harris, Kamala "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey"
Harrison, Sam "Idea Spotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea"
Haygood, Wil "The Butler: A Witness to History"
Henson, Taraji P. "Around the Way Girl" (Kindle)
Hughes, Langston "Langston Hughes and the Chicago Defender" (Chicago Defender review)
Jean, Wyclef "An Immigrant's Story: Purpose" (Kindle)
Kerman, Piper "Orange Is the New Black: My Year In a Women's Prison"
Krensky, Stephen "Biography Barack Obama ~ A Photographic Story of a Life"
Livingston, M.D., Gordon "Too Soon Old: Too Late Smart, Thirty True Things You Need to Know"
Lyons, Dan "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble"
Merritt, Jennifer and Roe D'Angelo "13 Things Rich People Won't Tell You: 325+ Tried and True Secrets to Building Your Fortune No Matter What Your Salary"
Morris, Monique W. "Black Stats"
Noah, Trevor "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" (Kindle)
NOLO "Represent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case" 11th Edition (Kindle)
Norwood, Mandi "Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion"
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex "Spare" (Kindle)
Ro, Ronin "Have Gun will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records"
Simmons, Rev Run and Justine "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents" Page 1, Page 2 (Chicago Defender review) and "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents" (Kindle)
Smith, Will and Mark Manson "Will" (Kindle)
Souza, Pete "Obama: An Intimate Portrait"
Stodghill, Ron "Where Everybody Looks Like Me: At the Crossroads of America's Black Colleges and Culture" (Kindle) (Note: The Higginbotham-Brooks part went on way too long. Skip those parts.)
Strauss, Neil "The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships" (Kindle)
Tatum Ph.D., Beverly Daniel "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers "The Emperor of Sound: A Memoir"
Toure "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" (Kindle)
Turner, Tina and Kurt Loder "I, Tina: My Life Story"
Union, Gabrielle "We're Going to Need More Wine" (Kindle)
Union, Gabrielle "You Got Anything Stronger"
Wade, Dwyane "A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball" (Kindle)
Whitaker, Mark "Cosby: His Life and Times" (Kindle)
X, Malcolm "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (Chicago Tribune op/ed piece) (Kindle)
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
Anderson, Maggie "Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy"
Ardis, Angela "Inside a Thug's Heart"
Asante, Molefi Kete "Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation"
Bahr, Iris "Machu My Picchu: Searching for Sex, Sanity, and a Soul Mate in South America"
"Barack H. Obama: The 44th President of the United States" (Conde Nast Special Editions)
Bell, W. Kamau "The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian"
Biden, Jill "Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself"
Bollinger, Michele and Dao X. Tran "101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History"
Boyd, Herb "The Harlem Reader: A Celebration of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood, From the Renaissance Years to the Twenty-first Century"
Braxton, Toni and Michelle Burford "Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir"
Brian Smith and Robin Bronk "Art & Soul: Stars Unite to Celebrate and Support the Arts" (Chicago Tribune review) or "Art & Soul"
Brown, Bobby and Nick Chiles "Every Little Step: My Story"
Campidonica, Anthony C. "Outsmarting the System: Lower Your Taxes, Control Your Future, and Reach Financial Freedom"
Carlos, John Wesley and Dave Zirin "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World" (Chicago Tribune review) or "The John Carlos Story"
Cline, Elizabeth L. "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion"
Crowder, David and Andrew Bailey "Creating Web Sites Bible" (2nd Edition)
Earl, Sari "Benjamin O. Davis Jr. : Air Force general & Tuskegee Airmen leader"
Ebong, Ima (edited) and A'Lelia Bundles (foreword) "Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture"
Ellis, Shaun and Monty Sloan (photography) "Wolves: Capturing the Natural Spirit of these Incredible Animals"
Eve "Who's That Girl?" (I Do See Color book review)
Folan, Karyn Langhorne "Don't Bring Home a White Boy: And Other Notions That Keep Black Women From Dating Out"
Gibson, Tyrese and Rev Run "Manology: Secrets of Your Man's Mind Revealed"
Golden, Marita "It's All Love" (Chicago Defender review) and "It's All Love" (Kindle)
Good, C. Edward "Who's/Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? All the Grammar You Need to Succeed In Life"
Gorman, Hogan "Hot Cripple" (Kindle)
Harper, Hill "The Conversation: How Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships"
Harper, Hill "The Wealth Cure" (Chicago Tribune book review) and "The Wealth Cure" (Kindle)
Harriot, Michael "Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America" (Click here for the "I Do See Color" review.)
Harris, Kamala "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey"
Harrison, Sam "Idea Spotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea"
Haygood, Wil "The Butler: A Witness to History"
Henson, Taraji P. "Around the Way Girl" (Kindle)
Hughes, Langston "Langston Hughes and the Chicago Defender" (Chicago Defender review)
Jean, Wyclef "An Immigrant's Story: Purpose" (Kindle)
Kerman, Piper "Orange Is the New Black: My Year In a Women's Prison"
Krensky, Stephen "Biography Barack Obama ~ A Photographic Story of a Life"
Livingston, M.D., Gordon "Too Soon Old: Too Late Smart, Thirty True Things You Need to Know"
Lyons, Dan "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble"
Merritt, Jennifer and Roe D'Angelo "13 Things Rich People Won't Tell You: 325+ Tried and True Secrets to Building Your Fortune No Matter What Your Salary"
Morris, Monique W. "Black Stats"
Noah, Trevor "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" (Kindle)
NOLO "Represent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case" 11th Edition (Kindle)
Norwood, Mandi "Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion"
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex "Spare" (Kindle)
Ro, Ronin "Have Gun will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records"
Simmons, Rev Run and Justine "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents" Page 1, Page 2 (Chicago Defender review) and "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents" (Kindle)
Smith, Will and Mark Manson "Will" (Kindle)
Souza, Pete "Obama: An Intimate Portrait"
Stodghill, Ron "Where Everybody Looks Like Me: At the Crossroads of America's Black Colleges and Culture" (Kindle) (Note: The Higginbotham-Brooks part went on way too long. Skip those parts.)
Strauss, Neil "The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships" (Kindle)
Tatum Ph.D., Beverly Daniel "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers "The Emperor of Sound: A Memoir"
Toure "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" (Kindle)
Turner, Tina and Kurt Loder "I, Tina: My Life Story"
Union, Gabrielle "We're Going to Need More Wine" (Kindle)
Union, Gabrielle "You Got Anything Stronger"
Wade, Dwyane "A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball" (Kindle)
Whitaker, Mark "Cosby: His Life and Times" (Kindle)
X, Malcolm "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (Chicago Tribune op/ed piece) (Kindle)
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
HEALTHY FOOD/FITNESS
"101 Best Vegan Foods" (Flexibound)
Hudson, Jennifer "I Got This"
Leneman, Leah "The Tofu Cookbook" (Kindle)
Obama, Michelle "American Grown" (Kindle)
Parkes, Sally "The Yoga Healing Bible: Finding the best postures, meditations, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises for complete physical and spiritual balance"
Shelf, Angela "The Ethnic Vegetarian"
Snyder C.N., Kimberly "The Beauty Detox Foods" (Kindle)
Straten, Michael van "The Omega 3 Cookbook"
Sussman, Vic "The Vegetarian Alternative: A Guide to a Healthful and Humane Diet"
Hudson, Jennifer "I Got This"
Leneman, Leah "The Tofu Cookbook" (Kindle)
Obama, Michelle "American Grown" (Kindle)
Parkes, Sally "The Yoga Healing Bible: Finding the best postures, meditations, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises for complete physical and spiritual balance"
Shelf, Angela "The Ethnic Vegetarian"
Snyder C.N., Kimberly "The Beauty Detox Foods" (Kindle)
Straten, Michael van "The Omega 3 Cookbook"
Sussman, Vic "The Vegetarian Alternative: A Guide to a Healthful and Humane Diet"
COMEDY/COMEDIANS
DeGeneres, Ellen "The Funny Thing Is"
Goldberg, Whoopi "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?" (Chicago Tribune review) and "Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There?"
Halpern, Justin "Sh*t My Dad Says"
Halpern, Justin "I Suck at Girls"
Hart, Kevin "I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons"
Harvey, Steve "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment"
Kaling, Mindy "Why Not Me?"
Lopez, George "Why You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love and Laughter"
McGruder, Aaron "A Right to Be Hostile: The Boondocks Treasury"
McGruder, Aaron "Public Enemy 2: An All New Boondocks Collection"
Murphy, Charlie "The Making of a Stand-Up Guy"
Wolf, Josh "It Takes Balls: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions"
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
Goldberg, Whoopi "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?" (Chicago Tribune review) and "Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There?"
Halpern, Justin "Sh*t My Dad Says"
Halpern, Justin "I Suck at Girls"
Hart, Kevin "I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons"
Harvey, Steve "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment"
Kaling, Mindy "Why Not Me?"
Lopez, George "Why You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love and Laughter"
McGruder, Aaron "A Right to Be Hostile: The Boondocks Treasury"
McGruder, Aaron "Public Enemy 2: An All New Boondocks Collection"
Murphy, Charlie "The Making of a Stand-Up Guy"
Wolf, Josh "It Takes Balls: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions"
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"