African American women – Cannonball Read 17

She was “Sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

The Story of Fannie Lou Hamer: An Inspiring Biography for Young Readers (The Story of Biographies) by Margeaux Weston

March 26, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

She was born Fannie Lou Townsend. She became Fannie Lou Hamer after marrying. She would be born to a large family (20 children) run by sharecropper parents. She did as much schooling as she could, leaving school at a young age, but continuing to read and learn whenever she could. As she grew she felt that having to work so hard for little results, the discrimination, having to struggle to take care of a family, and having no rights because she was a black woman […]

Superhero 101

Naomi Season One (TV Tie-In by Brian Michael Bendis

June 13, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I am glad I was not the only one who was not completely taken with this graphic novel. The Goodreads reviews were averaging two and three for scores. Naomi Season One has almost nothing original to it. It was created to have representation of a person of color as the main character. It is filled with clichés, and steals Superman’s origin story (alien from another world, left on Earth). Naomi even learns of her alien heritage in a cave. Her white adoptive parents are typical, […]

R-E-A-D Please!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford

April 23, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I had hoped to like R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford a bit more than I did. Perhaps my desire to like it “a lot” made it impossible for the result to live up to my expectations. Yet in the end, I enjoyed reading this glimpse into Franklin’s world. It just will probably not be on my top ten of favorite picture books I read this year list. This book is simple, but not simplistic. We see the life and […]

Lady Day Lived the Blues

Blues for Lady Day: The Story of Billie Holiday by Paola Parisi,

March 17, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I know a few Billie Holiday songs. Not enough to say “X, Y and Z are hers” but if they are on the radio or such, I can say, “Sounds like her” and I am usually right. I recently learned a bit about her (well on song) and wanted to read more. When I saw that there was a graphic novel biography done by Paola Parisi, I thought I probably should find it. And yesterday, it was being placed in the “to be return to […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

Help Our Mission