Category: Book Reviews

The Book of David

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Always Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I read the inside cover of this book. I read the back of this book. I immediately knew that I had to read this book. David is a high school senior at Hillside High School, and he is living a great life. He is the running back turned explosive quarterback on the football team. He has to make a decision about offers from Division I universities. He is well-liked by his classmates and teammates. He has a popular girlfriend.

Unfortunately this wonderful life could come to an end due to a secret that he harbors in the depths of his soul. No one knows this secret, not even his family, Tyler, his best friend, or Monica, his girlfriend. He knows that if this secret is revealed, his whole world will change forever.

He is doing an excellent job concealing his secret until Jon comes into the picture. Jon, a new student from Chicago, Illinois, captures his attention and has a profound effect on him. He is the one guy with whom David can see himself, but he has much at stake should he decide to explore a relationship with him; therefore, he has much to think about. What would his family say if they knew? Would they still love him? What kind of effect would this have on Monica? Would Tyler still be his best friend? Would Mrs. Harrison, his English teacher, no longer respect him? How would his church congregation feel? What would they say? Would he lose his scholarship offers? Read this book to find out the answers to these questions and more, should they arise. This is a novel worth reading.  

The Family Business 4 Carl Weber

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Always Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Just when life is once again normal for the Duncan family, trouble looms around the corner. An unexpected foe tests this family beyond limits. Loyalty, betrayal, secrets, strength, perseverance, happiness, and a mother’s love are the explored themes of this book. Because this novel has unexpected twists and turns, readers will keep turning each page until they have finished reading it. 

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Incognegro: An Unknown Superhero

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Always Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Superman. Aquaman. Batman. Black Lightning. You may have heard of these superheroes, but have you ever heard of Incognegro? Like these superheroes, Incognegro fights for truth. His mission is for justice to prevail and racial inequality to cease. However, out of all these heroes, Incognegro has much in common with Superman.

By day, Superman is Clark Kent; Incognegro is Zane Pinchback. Clark Kent works for the Daily Planet as a reporter; Zane Pinchback is a reporter for the New Holland Herald. Just as Superman has special powers, so does Incognegro. However, Incognegro’s power allows him to report gruesome details about the lynchings of African Americans, while being black. Due to his skin complexion, he has the ability to “pass” as a white man. Therefore, without getting caught, he is able to attend lynchings throughout the South. However, there have been times in which his identity has been revealed, but he has managed to escape the lynchers because he knows that if he is captured, then his consequences will be extremely dire.

Growing weary of reporting about lynchings, Zane wants a new occupation, something totally different. He wants to write about the Harlem Renaissance as Zane Pinchback. However, his supervisor has other plans. He wants Zane to travel to Tupelo, Mississippi to complete one last mission. There are only two problems. First, he will be unknowingly reporting about the lynching of his brother, Alonzo Pinchback. Second, his best friend, Carl, decides to travel to Tupelo because he wants to become the new Incognegro. He believes that on-the-job training is the best type of training, but in this case, is it? Will Incognegro be able to rescue Alonzo in time? Is Carl making a wise decision? Read this exciting graphic novel and pay attention to Warren Pleece’s illustrations because they truly capture every word on each page. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

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Naomi M. Moyer

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Black Women Who Dared

Always Forever Reading = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Coloured Women’s Club. Jackie Shane. Sylvia Estes Stark. The Hour-A-Day Study Club. Rosa Pryor. Sherona Hall. The Black Cross Nurses. Mary Miles Bibb. Chloe Cooley. BLOCKORAMA. This book focuses on the lives of ten black women and women’s groups that embodied strength, determination, and character.  They challenged injustices and through their actions, these women changed their communities for the better. These trailblazing, Black women and women’s groups are leaders to which ALL women can relate and continue to carry the torch. If you have never heard of these women, please read Black Women Who Dared because learning never stops. Thank you Ms. Moyer for publishing this inspiring book!! Personally, I am enlightened by the determination and strength of these women, and I know that, even when the road is bleak, my fight for education must continue. 

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Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me: A Memoir by John A. Stokes

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It is the era of Jim Crow, and segregation is rearing its ugly head. From transportation to education even to drinking from water fountains, there is a division between blacks and whites; in other words, everything is separate.

John Stokes chronicles his experience of racism growing up in Kingsville, Virginia, which is located in Prince Edward County. Stokes focuses his attention on education because he and his sister, Carrie, “walk four and a half miles to attend school in Farmville, Virginia.” In contrast, white students ride the bus to a nearby school, a whites only school. The “separate but equal” law is not only in effect but also strictly enforced.

It is 1927, and Prince Edward County finally builds its first high school for black students. Robert Russa Moton School provides education for students in grades 8-12, and they walk to school until “their” bus service begins in 1939. Ironically, the school board opens another Robert Russa Moton School, and the first building becomes an elementary school. Sadly, the school is not large enough to educate over 180 students. “The white school board’s solution to this overcrowding was to add three wood-frame structures with tar-paper walls…it is heavy paper covered in tar that is used for waterproofing and wind proofing buildings. No brick, mortar, or wood covered the wall. Tar paper provided the only insulation.” (Stokes 50). Unfortunately, when it rains, more problems exist; the building leaks. “They are inadequately insulated. There are not toilet facilities in them. We have an enrollment of more than 450 students in a school that was set up for 180 students.’” (Stokes 51).

Fed up with Jim Crow Laws influencing their education, on April 23, 1951, students of Robert Russa Moton School decide to take a stand and fight the powers that be! These “good troublemakers” fight for equality in education in Prince Edward County, Virginia, more specifically, in Kingsville, Virginia. Due to the racism that exists and being tired of it, the students execute the “Manhattan Project.” Read about how these students fight the school board in search of a better educational system for black students.

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Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Grand Opening: A Family Business Novel by Carl Weber

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How It All Started

In Grand Opening: A Family Business Novel, readers are introduced to Lou, L.C., Larry, and Levi – the infamous Duncan brothers. There is also a story line focusing on Chippy, Donna, and Alejandro Zuniga. Overall, I like the novel because I now know how the Duncans got started with their businesses and how L.C. and Chippy’s relationship began. However, I hated reading about cockfights, dog fights, and helpless piglets because I am an animal lover.

#carlweber #africanamerican #author #authorlove #bet #afamilybusinessnovel #thefamilybusiness #blog #blogger #bookblogger #bloggerlife #bookcover #bookreview #favoriteauthor #mystery #newblogpost #ontheblogtoday #read #urbanfiction #alwaysforeverreading #foreverreading

Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Adventures with Liyah Presents: Colors at First Sight by Vallean Jackson

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Are you a parent who wants to teach your child about colors? Are you an educator who wants to teach your students about colors? Whether you are a parent, an educator, or both, Adventures with Liyah Presents Colors at First Sight is a book that all children should read. Just as the title suggests, this book focuses on Liyah’s adventures through the world of colors. Whether primary, secondary, or tertiary, Jackson’s book brings colors to life so much that young children will want to read it. In fact, it could be the book that children will continuously want to read for their bedtime story or during story time at school.

Liyah, the main character, loves colors, and no matter where she goes on her journey, she sees an item that represents its particular color. For example, when the story opens, readers see Liyah sitting at her bedroom window, looking upward. Readers do not know what she is viewing, but they do know that she has a smile on her face. When they turn to the next page, readers discover that Liyah is viewing the sky, and it is the blue sky that makes her happy. Similarly, each page in the book follows this format. Readers will view an illustration of Liyah in a different location (her adventure), then read about it, which features a new color.

Navi Robins, the illustrator, brings Liyah’s adventure to life. On the first page, readers see Liyah surrounded by the colors that are featured in the story. Each page’s background is in color, and the words are written in white. However, the featured color is written in its particular color. For example, when Liyah tells readers about the color red, every word with the exception of red is written in white. This is an excellent strategy to use because readers can visualize the difference between the colors. In addition, because the illustrations are so detailed and vivid, young readers will not have to guess what the pictures are about. Hence, these illustrations will strengthen readers’ learning because they will be able to identify the pictures and colors as they see them in their every day lives. 

Overall, this book is definitely worth purchasing. It promotes learning, it is well-written, and the illustrations are easy to understand for the targeted audience. It is evident that Jackson devoted much thought about the content of this book and had fun writing it, and Robins’ illustrations clearly depict the words on each page. Hence, children will have fun reading while learning.

     Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Harlem Hellfighters by J. Patrick Lewis and Gary Kelley

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I had never heard of the Harlem Hellfighters until I came across an article on the Internet. This article prompted me to want to learn more about this group of men. Therefore, I went to the library, one of my favorite places, to look for and to check out a book on this subject. J. Patrick Lewis and Gary Kelley’s book, Harlem Hellfighters, is a great and informative read.

Although this book targets the middle high and high school population, anyone can read it. Written in free verse, there are illustrations on every page that brings the story to life. Even though this is the second book that I have read about these fearless men, I learned more valuable information. Given the name Harlem Hellfighters by the German soldiers, because it was was not expected for them to know how to fight, they donned other monikers. They are also known as Men of Bronze and the Black Rattlers. They are not only fierce warriors on the battlefield but also musicians who can make any instrument sound like angels from heaven or your favorite singer singing to you at a concert.

Pages 12-13 immediately capture my attention. They focus on the Harlem Hellfighters sailing on the Atlantic Ocean heading to a war on a different continent, in a different country, on different soil. While Lewis references the Middle Passage, Kelly brings it to life with his illustrations of slaves on a cargo ship sailing to America to be sold into bondage. As I viewed these pages, I could not help but to wonder if the Harlem Hellfighters were thinking about how their ancestors sailed from their homeland to the unknown land that they were forced to call home. These pages really touched me as it made me think of my own ancestors who sailed across this body of water that separated two continents, Africa and America.

If you want to learn or learn more about the Harlem Hellfighters, then please do not hesitate to read this book. Although it is a quick read, it is an enlightening read. One can never learn too much about history, especially his or her own history.

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Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Carl Weber’s To Paris With Love

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Paris Duncan is away at school, and a break has finally arrived. She is ready to come home, but there are circumstances preventing her from doing so. Instead of going home for this much wanted school break, Paris has to vacation in Spain at the request of her family. London, her big sister, is pregnant, and Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, their parents, do not even want these sisters to be near each other in the same household. Their relationship is so strained that they constantly quarrel with one another. Therefore, L. C. and Chippy want London to be far away from all drama so that her pregnancy will not be in any jeopardy, and yes, this drama includes Paris. If you are familiar with Carl Weber’s A Family Business Novel series, then you know that Paris lives, breathes, and eats drama, and she knows how to irritate anyone and everyone.

While in Spain, being typical Paris, she finds adventure by way of Niles Monroe. Niles is a handsome man who immediately catches Paris’ attention. He is a man whom Paris can see herself marrying, and she is the kind of girl whose heart is not easily captured by love. Niles and Paris are truly smitten with one another, and their relationship is heaven on earth. Sadly, she finds out some news that could wreak havoc on this new relationship. When she learns that Niles has been contracted to kill her father, she must make the most important decision of her life. Will she choose her father or assassinate the true love of her life? Read To Paris With Love to find out how Paris deals with her dilemma. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

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Carl Weber: The Family Business 3

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This third installment presents readers with more drama for the Duncans. Vegas Duncan is finally home from prison, and he gets right back to Duncan “business” without a missed step. Junior Duncan wants to propose to Sonya, his true love. However, his love for Sonya causes a war with a powerful enemy, her husband, Brother X. Also, L. C. Duncan is shot by an unknown enemy, and Chippy, his wife, must remain strong and keep the family together during these crises. However, don’t think that the other family members are without issues of their own; they have them. To find out how the Duncans will overcome this new set of challenges, read this novel.

#carlweber #africanamerican #author #authorlove #bet #afamilybusinessnovel #thefamilybusiness #blog #blogger #bookblogger #bloggerlife #bookcover #bookreview #favoriteauthor #mystery #newblogpost #ontheblogtoday #newblogpost #read #urbanfiction #alwaysforeverreading #foreverreading

Forever Reading’s Rating = 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟