Cardyn Brooks's Blog, page 16

Reclaiming HERstory: Fact-inspired Fiction & Love Games

 

The Sky Worshipers [sic] a Novel of Mongol Conquests by F.M. Deemyad*  speculative historical fiction  History Through Fiction, March 2021  
This epic saga sweeps across the northern and eastern hemispheres with a propulsive mix of cultural grandeur, aggressive conflicts, and intimate specificity in its central characters. Make sure to savor every tidbit offered in the introduction, all four books of the richly layered narrative, and epilogue. Recommended resources and acknowledgments will likely add multiple titles to each reader’s TBR list.  
In the introduction the author states an intention, “… not to write a book of horror but one resembling ‘One Thousand and One Nights' that would be enjoyable to read.”  
Mission accomplished.  https://www.historythroughfiction.com/theskyworshipers


Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson  historical fiction with romantic elements  William Morrow Paperbacks, August 2021  
Sisterhood in many forms guides Grace Steele and Eliza Jones from the United States to Europe as members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The “Six Triple Eight" was the first all-black Women's Army Corp battalion during World War II. Along with joy, personal crossroads, and success, Grace and Eliza experience anticipated and unexpected challenges and hardships in a racist, sexist, classist environment that's a microcosm of the broader society. This author uses those facts as a setting to feature and honor the emotional and physical stamina of people who refused to be defeated and learned to forge paths into hostile territories of all kinds to emerge victorious.  
The documentary about the actual 6888th is worth watching more than once. womenofthe6888th.org  

The Freedom Race (Dreambird Chronicles #1) by Lucinda Roy  speculative literature  Tor, July 2021  
Ji-ji Lottermule’s journey is biblical in scope—both heavy and hopeful. It's not an easy read with its themes on assorted forms of violence used to oppress and enslave. Beautiful language composition describes the ugliness of humanity’s disregard for the equal intrinsic value of all its members. Possibilities for transformation run throughout her trials and tribulations, and that saves this cautionary modern fantasy from being a dirge. Fans of Chester Himes, Lilith Saintcrow, and Nalini Singh may feel especially drawn into this fantastical world anchored in brutal sociopolitical realities.  

Have We Met? by Camille Baker*  contemporary romantic New Adult fiction  Lake Union, July 2021  
Corinne is going through some things. Will changing her geographical location improve her emotional health and her overall balance? She's going to discover the answers with the help of unexpected interventions from new friends and a mysterious app. Grief, transitions, de ja vu, leaps of faith, laughter, sexy times, more laughter, and six degrees of connections that overlap to create a vibrant patchwork of friendship and family make Have We Met? a charming, tenderhearted tale.  
camillebaker.com  

Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert  contemporary romance novella  Nixon House, July 2021  
Fighting the good fight against Fake News takes an ominous turn for political campaigner Nina Chapman in the aftermath of her impulsive steamy interlude with kickboxing mechanic James Foster, her older brother’s best friend. This author's signature blend of hot romance in a relevant sociopolitical context ends with poignant commentary in the epilogue when Nina thinks: Sometimes I think black women in particular are seen as ‘strong' in a way that removes our humanity.  

*participating author in TWWBF2021 thewritewomenbookfest.org    

Books with Tricks & Treats

 

Weathered Fragments Weathered Souls, Poems by J.L. Smith chapbook Opus, 2018 
This collection of reflective, melancholy two dozen poems starts with "The Fragments You Carry" and ends with these lines from "Rocks (A Country in a Box)": the fragments you hold on to-- /the ones you did not want to leave behind. In these two poems and each one between, J.L. Smith travels across geographical and emotional terrain to excavate and catalogue her discoveries through countries, continents, seasons and phases of life. Readers are encouraged to do the same. The poet mixes mundane language with powerful imagery to conjure tension between life's daily grind and dreams. 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris fictionSimon & Schuster Audio, June 2021 
The Manchurian Candidate, Stepford Wives and When No One Is Watching had a brilliant meta book baby about publishing, identity and life. 

Me, My Hair And I by Elizabeth Benedict, editot + multiple contributors (including Prince George's County's own Marita Golden) non-fiction essay anthology 
Different points of view regarding overlapping themes of identity, expectations of conformity and assimilation, narrowly defined standards of beauty and worthiness... Reading this text while listening to the audio book of The Other Black Girl soon after having read Dead Dead Girls generated interesting thematic parallels and intersections across generations, social strata, geographical locations, and ethnicities. 

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia literary historical mystery fiction Berkley, June 2021 
from chapter one: If she wanted to stand out, like on the dance floor, she could. But otherwise, she was invisible. 
This complex tale of style and substance could easily double as providing multifaceted biographical sketches of the subjects of James VanDerZee's photographs while also resonating as relevant to current public conversations about missing and murdered Black and Brown people. 

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho New Adult speculative fiction Ace, May 2021 
from chapter 23: He looked Malay. But she had learned by now that in this part of the world being the follower of any given religion didn't exclude a healthy respect for other gods.  
It's a dangerous adventure that defies the limitations of genre told in succulent language. 

Witch Please (Fix-It Witches #1) by Ann Aguirre paranormal romance fictionSourcebooks Casablanca, September 2021 
Together, Danica, Titus, their families and friends create a tenderhearted adorkable love story with spice. 

Complications by Danielle Steel "contemporary" romance Delacorte Press, August 2021 
Context: The blurb generated the sense of strangers converging in one location for a short time as in the old 20th-c. shows like Love Boat and Hotel with an updated spin, my throwback tv shows sweet spot linked with good memories of watching them with family and friends. (Every few years a compelling blurb lures me to pick up a D.S. book, and EVERY TIME it feels like a bait-and-switch. D.S. fans, should probably stop reading this review now.) 
By chapter three I started reading only Gabrielle's thread because multiple themes in other characters' threads read as extremely outdated--Gabrielle's, too, but in less unbearable ways. (Giving up on a book is my choice of last resort when a story isn't working for me.)   
in chapter six: "...never suspecting that his sexual preference was men..." had me skimming until chapter nine, then skipping forward to read the last chapter. (I almost always need to know what happened!) 
Many of the attitudes in Complications are consistent with common 20th-c. tropes like the tragic closeted gay person, the slutty young homewrecker, etc. Maybe this is a reissue from the 1970s or 80s?  
Fool me once... 
   

The Write Women Book Fest 2021 Is HER/THEIR/ZE/OURstory!

 

The 4th annual The Write Women Book Fest is scheduled for Saturday, October 8, 2022! Meanwhile, TWWBF2021 participants have plenty of bookish goodness to satisfy you until next year.











Experience TWWBF2021 at your leisure. https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-event-schedule.html 

Panels and interviews too! https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-panel-discussions.html 

https://youtu.be/dQ5lIMx66Vo 

https://youtu.be/Y36NtkC-aZk   

Buy our participating authors' books at your favorite bookseller and/or borrow them from the nearest branch of Prince George's County Memorial Library System pgcmls.info if you're a resident of Prince George's County (or an "interlibrary loan" through Marina for Maryland residents outside of P.G. County). 




Jayne Allen Eden Appiah-Kubi Camille Baker Pamela D. Beverly Cardyn Brooks C. X Brooks H.L. Brooks Patricia A. Crews F.M. DeemyadTia Fanning Marita Golden Selina Goodman Mijiza Green Guy G. Gunn Andrea Hylen Karen Janowsky Keturah Kendrick Thien-Kim Lam Anita Nahal (coming November 2021) Saralyn Richard Saeida Rouass Summer Amaya Kumari Talley Cecilia Tan Lynn Thorne Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks 

The Write Women Book Fest 2021 Is HER/THEIR/OURstory!

 














Experience TWWBF2021 at your leisure. https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-event-schedule.html 

Panels and interviews too! https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-panel-discussions.html 

https://youtu.be/dQ5lIMx66Vo 

https://youtu.be/Y36NtkC-aZk 

The Write Women Book Fest 2021 Is HERstory!

 










Experience TWWBF2021 at your leisure. https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-event-schedule.html 

Panels and interviews too! https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-panel-discussions.html 

https://youtu.be/dQ5lIMx66Vo 

https://youtu.be/Y36NtkC-aZk 

And So It Begins: Origin Stories from TWWBF2021 Adaptations Panelists

  W.I.S.E. Men (The Persistence of Memory #4)  Karen Janowsky, author & publisher   Speculative fiction  December 2020 
W.I.S.E Men is the fourth installment of this genre-defying Persistence of Memory series but functions as a prequel that lays the foundation for the World Intelligence Security Endeavor. It's a romance as character study told on a sliding timeline between the 1990s and early 2000s moving between Somalia, across the United States, and other locations around the world.  
Why is Kevin such a tool?  How did Rob Fischer amass his power?  
These questions and more are answered through this author’s signature blend of emotional complexity, gallows humor, historical and pop culture context interspersed with a few high-stakes action scenes. W.I.S.E. Men is a true origin story that brings readers full-circle to the beginning of Déjà Vu. In some ways it works well as a stand-alone romance featuring multiple couples. Moments of superheroic campiness as inspired by the era of Super Friends, Six-Million Dollar Man, and Batman add nostalgic charm.   https://karenjanowsky.com/




Only HueMan (Prequel to HueMan Nature)  Uzuri Love, author & publisher  Romance April 2019   
Heartbreak hardens Naomi's resolve to focus on her friendships and her career goals—until she crosses paths with Connor, who makes her question her fundamental beliefs about romantic relationships. Who is appropriate to love? Where should her loyalties lie? Is it selfish to choose her own happiness over the expectations of other people in her life? 
Only Hueman starts as a sweet courtship story that develops into a sexy erotic romance set against the backdrop of the U.S. nation's capital, HBCU grads, identity politics, and personal crossroads. The ambiguous ending is consistent with an origin story and more grown and sexy goodness to come. The potential for storytelling greatness is obvious. 
Memorable passage from Chapter 2: … a black woman's health and beauty regimen. It required strategic and complex tasks in order to ward off the spirit of ashiness and hair breakage.  
[Minor proofing oversights sprinkled throughout don't lessen this story's charm.] https://www.kaleidoscopewojo.com/writers-spotlight/2021/1/17/why-we-write-lp-kersey#

Happy Release Day for BGMDE by Jayne Allen

Here's my review of BGMDE's first publication by Quality Black Books near the end of 2018. http://blerdybingereader.blogspot.com/2018/11/snapshots-of-lives-real-and-imagined.html Today's release is in hardcover from Harper. https://www.amazon.com/Black-Girls-Must-Die-Exhausted/dp/0063142996/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1632797801&sr=1-1   
The third annual The Write Women Book Fest is pleased to have received BGMDE swag that has been included in the 50 swag bags to be given away on a first come, first served basis at TWWBF2021 on Saturday, October 9th from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at Marietta House Museum, 5626 Bell Station Road, Glenn Dale, Maryland 20769.  
Scroll to the bottom of the TWWBF2021 Shop page for more information about Jayne Allen. https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/2021-shop.html  

If you're in Prince George's County, Maryland with a busted book buying budget, borrow it from pgcmls.info, then write an honest review for your favorite review site, which helps spread the good word about worthwhile reads.  

Happy reading! 

Political Intrigue, Mystery, Bondage & Superhero Drama: TWWBF2021 Adaptations Panelists Bring It

 

Eighteen Days of Spring in Winter by Saeida Rouass Literary fiction Impress Books, 2015 
It's 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Khaled Said's unjust murder by police months after a desperate man in Tunisia immolated himself in hopeless protest of injustice propels the Arab world closer to political implosion. One modestly privileged Egyptian family with two physician parents, an eleven-year-old son, and an eighteen-year-old Sophia, whose narrative begins, "This is the only story I know to tell... the voice is a unique battle cry of love." all draw readers into the personal reverberations of a cultural shift. 
As a university student of comparative literature, Sophia spends much of her time escaping reality by immersing herself in books. Yet the clamor for change swells around and within her until she can no longer ignore her volatile environment. Poetic sensibilities, gritty circumstances, family friction, and internal angst set against the backdrop of a pivotal historic moment. This author excavates the personal and cultural layers of shifts in consciousness that gradually accelerate in momentum and lead to revolutions both intimate and global. 


Assembly of the Dead by Saeida Rouass Literary historical mystery fiction Impress Books, 2017 
Assembly of the Dead begins with the poem "Ajax" by Al-Moghreb Al-Aksa in 1900. It poses questions about duty, tradition, ownership, and legacies, which sets the tone for this atmospheric mystery. Farook al-Alalmi arrives in Marrakesh, Morocco from Tangier in early 1906. He's an outsider who's been tasked by the sultan to investigate the abrupt disappearances of young women. The evolution of his mission reveals a tangled mess of bureaucratic apathy, political gamesmanship, abuse of power, patriarchal misogyny (Is that redundant?), xenophobia, and resistance to choosing scientific advancement over superstition. Add rich characterizations and a fraught, forced professional partnership to nuanced cultural immersion to create a compelling dramatic saga in three parts. Although it's inspired by actual events from the early 1900s there are unfortunate present-day parallels to the recent Gabby Petito case and the numerous unfound and unnamed people currently missing, particularly according to a sliding scale of human valuation by society. Be sure to read the glossary of terms and the historical note to further illuminate this moody tale. Its ending generates hope that this is the first in a series. 


Hard Rhythm (Secrets of a Rock Star) by Cecilia Tan Erotic romance Hachette, 2017 
Private sex club hostess, vlogger, aspiring journalist Madison Rofel and high-profile drummer Chino Garcia keep circling each other. One night they collide, igniting their explosive sexual chemistry and compatible kinks. They also tripwire each other's unresolved past traumas although their hardcore BDSM encounters are rooted in voluptuous pleasure, respect for consensual agency, and emotional intimacy, not sadness or dysfunction. That fundamental truth distinguishes Hard Rhythm from many books in this genre. Madison and Chino are complicated without being caricatures and volatile without being bombastic. They're irresistible to readers who enjoy explicit BDSM scenes with as much romance as sex. According to the author, the U.S.A. National Domestic Violence Hotline number of 1-800-799-7233 given from character to another is real. 


W.I.S.E. Men (The Persistence of Memory #4) by Karen Janowsky Speculative December 2020 
Currently binge reading and very much enjoying W.I.S.E. Men as of this Saturday, September 25th blog post in preparation for prerecording our #TWWBF2021adapt panel discussion early next week.  
Will share my review of the fourth installment of this captivating series next weekend. My reviews for volumes one and two were reposted here: http://blerdybingereader.blogspot.com/2021/09/twwbf2021-celebratinglove-adaptations_4.html  
[I need to locate my earlier review for #3.😍]   

The Strong Black Woman by Marita Golden

 

The Strong Black Woman, How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women by Marita Golden  Non-fiction  Mango Publishing, October 12, 2021  https://maritagolden.com/

With a mix of surgical precision, lyrical phrasing, keen observations, testimonies, and profound insights from the author, experts in assorted fields of study, and a broad spectrum of other Black women, The Strong Black Woman challenges and deconstructs pervasive stereotypes superimposed upon them to reveal the inherently valuable and complicated humanity of Black women as worthy of consciously choosing to prioritize their own physical, medical, mental, and spiritual health.  
Fat. Ugly. Loud. Angry. Wrong. Crazy. Lazy. Jezebel. Bitch.  
In “We Wear the Mask" the first of twelve thought-provoking chapters, the authors writes:  All life begins with, is defined by, even ends with a story. The stories and myths we create and repeat become sacred… But stories are elastic, and require revision over time or they risk becoming brittle, dissolving into crumbs that leave us famished rather than fed.  

What false and distorted and incomplete narratives have been constructed about Black women—by whom and for what purpose? The Strong Black Woman delves into the historical, cultural, sociopolitical, and socioeconomic factors that contribute to this entrenched myth of the invincible, indefatigable defender of and provider for her family, her community, her culture, and any/everyone who needs her.  
“Both Sides Now" outlines the ultimate goal of reconfiguring the myth to reflect a healthier objective:  
The New Age Strong Black Woman gives herself permission to say no and make it a one-word sentence and makes self-care a regular part of her life.  

Black women tell their own stories in their own words in “Through the Fire” and a creative filter is applied to the reminiscing of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Fanny Lou Hamer, and Patrisse Cullors in “The Reimagined History of My Heart" that acknowledges and examines the emotional vulnerabilities of these civil rights and social justice icons.  
“The Story of My Body" translates words as weapons and shields while the physical body functions as repository, target, chalice, temple, fortress, home.  
“Me Too" discusses sexual assault and the traumas it generates in the moment and over time.*  
Colorism, prioritizing superficial traits, physical and emotional weight as cumbersome burdens for the body, mind, and spirit to carry are dismantled in “Fear Loathing Love: Our Bodies Inside Out" and “Falling: Days of Dying, Rage and Redemption” addresses the simultaneous pandemics of Coronavirus and racism as opportunities for transformation.  
“Another Mourning in America” spotlights the aftermath of the public murders of Black people by racists, and the epidemic of mass killings in the United States.  
The final two chapters of “Say My Name” and “Healing Stories" offer suggestions and strategies for expecting recognition as a unique individual and unearthing the core truths of one's multifaceted, complex identity.  
The Strong Black Woman packs considerable intellectual and emotional substance into a relatively short and accessible text that entices readers to take note of other books mentioned and to revisit and ruminate on various passages. Threads of advocacy for normalizing consistent, easy access to the services of medical and mental health professionals run throughout the text. Written during the spring and summer seasons of 2020, and with Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and other prominent Black women who are promoting the importance of self-care, the release of this book is serendipitously timed.  
The Write Women Book Fest is pleased and thankful to have been granted access to an ARC in preparation for our upcoming chat with the author for #TWWBF2021 #CelebratingLove, to be available for viewing during the first week of October.  https://www.thewritewomenbookfest.org/  

*Survivors of sexual assault may want to skip our skim this section if details of others’ ordeals trigger painful responses that negatively impact their healing process.     

TWWBF2021 Honored Guest Marita Golden: The Wide Circumference of Love & Us Against Alzheimer's

 

My review of The Strong Black Woman by Marita Golden will post next weekend. Mango Publishing Group, October 12, 2021 https://maritagolden.com/
It's available for pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Black-Woman-Endangers-Physical/dp/1642506834/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=marita+golden+the+strong+black+woman&qid=1624986173&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-catcorr&_encoding=UTF8&tag=maritagolden-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=568907488ca8dd534d79610d5db6f9b5&camp=1789&creative=9325

The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden Literary fiction Arcade Publishing, 2017 
What happens when life throws a family off their chartered course?  The Tate family learns how to navigate unfamiliar terrain while revisiting the sign posts of their individual and collective pasts. It's a rough and enlightening journey. Lovers, spouses, parents, offspring, siblings, birth order, gendered expectations met and defied and reconfigured. Generational trauma and denial and recovery examined from different points of view. Threads about various degrees of loss, denial, rage, surrender, and acceptance entwined with medical, mental, and spiritual health challenges bound within the nuances of assorted kinds of privilege, their advantages and pitfalls. Melodious language offers readers a narrative of soaring scope and intimate emotional details. 

Us Against Alzheimer's, Stories of Family, Love, and Faith Marita Golden, editor  Non-fiction (mostly) Arcade Publishing, 2019 
Similar to the progressive phases of Alzheimer's as a degenerative illness, Us Against Alzheimer's unfolds in four sections: "Turning Points" examine moments of inescapable truths and seemingly insurmountable challenges; "All That Remains" strips the assorted human consequences of the disease to their essential, enduring elemental foundations; "I Won't Forget You" explores all sorts of legacies and inheritances; "Stranger Than Fiction" uses facts as springboard for haunting, inspired, imaginative riffs that echo the suffering, rage, grief, resignation, and grace of people who are living with Alzheimer's and other dementia--patients, their loved ones, caregivers, and the scientists who are developing effective treatments while working to find a cure. 
Short story, excerpt or poem, United States, Haiti, Italy, and elsewhere, from agnostics to the devout, seasoned/senior citizens to young grandchildren--each piece exposes various points of view and angles of approach in experiencing Alzheimer's and dementia. Marita Golden's "The Way In" and "Be Here Now" address two aspects for people with the luxury of choosing whether or not to engage to suspend their egocentric concerns. The narrative arc of the O'Briens is distinctive in its poignancy. To read Greg O'Brien's three excerpts from his memoir On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's, then his daughter Colleen (O'Brien) Everett's and his son Brendan McGeorge O'Brien's excerpts a few stories later is heartrending, illuminating, and encouraging. Wren Wright's two pieces honor mundane rituals and rites offered in service and respect to loved ones even--maybe especially--when they're unable to acknowledge their awareness and appreciation. In "Out of Time" by Sallie Tisdale, when sharing some of her experiences as a visiting nurse for a palliative care agency, she writes, "The world I see is far more nuanced than the commentary surrounding it: there is grace... and yes, happiness." This observation is reinforced by the noticeable distinction in overall tone between the three sections of non-fiction pieces and the one section of fiction, which exudes more cynicism and relentless despair. 
Foreword, two introductions, four thematically linked sections each with its own introduction, contributors' brief biographies, acknowlegments, and permissions provide a treasure trove of information and resources. 
Two of my favorite passages from "The Way In" by Marita Golden: "That day I learned that Alzheimer's does not rob us of memories as much as it shifts them around in the house we call our mind..." 
from "My First Mentor" by Lenore Gay: "I watched his mind at work by following the trail of edits."  
A relevant blog is The Lost Kitchen by Miriam Green. https://www.thelostkitchen.org/