Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Longtime small time fan reads, enjoys musician’s biography

Space is the Place by Szwed, John

by Leave a Comment

Sun Ra denies being born because being birthed is to ‘be earthed’, or buried. And if you’re buried, you’re dead, so he was not born. On the other hand, his sister said he was born in Alabama at his aunt’s house (by a train station). And so begins John Szwed’s biography of the musician Sun Ra, Space is the Place. The biography was mostly facts. Sun Ra said this, John Szwed found out something else and put the two narratives side by side so the […]

The icon, the myth, the woman

Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono by Lisa Tolin

by Leave a Comment

The spirit of Ono is captured in lovely words and images in the pages of Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono by Lisa Tolin and illustrated by Yas Imamura. Though currently available, I had the opportunity to read it via an online reader copy. And though I might not get a finished copy for myself, I do highly recommend getting a copy for yourself, your child and local library or libraries. This is not just a book about Yoko Ono. It […]

Describe in two words: FREAKING WOW

Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz

by Leave a Comment

The book: Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz One word: WOW. Okay two words. FREAKING WOW I cannot tell you how fantastic this book is. Just read. It is not easy, it is sad, heartbreaking, scary, beautiful, hopeful and more. It covers all the emotions. It shows you a piece of World War II that we don’t know about. Again, WOW and go read. For mature readers at least 12-13 and up, but I would recommend older. But if you read with them, […]

Author Ponweera has you covered for your reading needs

My Best Friend's Bangles by Thushanthi Ponweera

Crossing the Finish Line by Thushanthi Ponweera

by Leave a Comment

After reading I Am Kavi by Thushanthi Ponweera, I decided to look for other books by them. I did not expect a lot as I Am Kavi had a feeling of being a first novel and maybe the start of a promising new author for me. And it was new 2023 and I was lucky enough to be reading it in 2025, therefore, I felt I had a good chance of finding more titles. I found out that in 2024 My Best Friend’s Bangles (illustrated […]

“The power of the white world is threatened whenever a black man refuses to accept the white world’s definitions”

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

by 2 Comments

There is no American truth teller like James Baldwin. I always come away from his writing–whether fiction or nonfiction–changed. I don’t know how he could hold so much clear-eyed rage and pain alongside so much love and dignity. He never spared anyone from the truth, even himself. His book The Fire Next Time is a short book with only two essays, but he packs so much into them. The first essay is a letter to his nephew, called “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew […]

Pretty Weak Essay Collection

How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky

by Leave a Comment

Considering George Watsky’s How to Ruin Everything had a blurb from Lin-Manuel Miranda on the cover, I expected better from his collection of essays. While there were a couple of decent essays, for the most part Watsky’s writing about his life just wasn’t that interesting. And he has had an interesting life–from being a spoken-word poet to a musician to a rapper to a playwright. But his essays fall flat, with little tension or interest. To follow are my unedited notes on each essay. Tusk—Young […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo