African-American – Page 4 – Cannonball Read 17

That one could time travel within his own lifetime…..

Big Papa and the Time Machine by Daniel Bernstrom

March 6, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Big Papa and the Time Machine had an odd journey to my reading stack. Daniel Bernstrom’s story was not in play (yet) it was that cover by Shane W. Evans. It looked surreal, awkward, ironically a combination of extremely young and a lot of text. It actually did no look “fun” or that I would “like” it. Then, the other night, it found its way back on the stack. I still was unsure but decided to give it a shot. And as the old say […]

Quickest, tallest, most fearless athlete

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl by Megan Reid

February 4, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I knew of Althea Gibson but did not know much (if anything) about her. In Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl, Megan Reid uses highlights of Gibson’s life to tell her story. Gibson was not only a female pioneer but a black female pioneer as well. What you might know is that she had many firsts in tennis (winning Wimbledon as the first black, male or female, person; winning in doubles with a Jewish woman at Wimbledon) but also in golf as well. […]

Rocking your love

Love and the Rocking Chair by Diane Dillon

December 12, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

According to the jacket, Love and the Rocking Chair was the last collaboration of husband and wife team Leo and Diane Dillon. I am not exactly sure how that happened, as Leo Dillon passed in 2012, but I am sure it is true. After all, the signature style of both is plainly there. While the story is simple and we have seen parts of it before, the illustrations are pure gold. They outdid themselves again! The story is a young couple who got married, soon […]

When “smell the gunpowder you swallowed” hits you harder than you thought

Still Can’t Do My Daughter’s Hair by William Evans

October 29, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Still Can’t Do My Daughter’s Hair is another collection from the Button Poetry company. And while not all collections are for everyone and William Evans’ collection might not resonate with everyone, it probably has a broader appeal. Evans work is straight forward and (obviously) is poetic it is not “flowery” to not being able to understand the point. You see the amazing images come to life as he writes of life, death, love and being a black man in America. He speaks about his father […]

The other side of the camera

Black Movie by Danez Smith

October 10, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

All I really can say is that, Black Movie by Danez Smith is not an easy read. Which really is an understatement. It needs to be read slowly and without distractions. And a reread could be helpful. This book, no matter how much you like poetry, will not be for everyone. You might empathize but you probably will not be able to relate to many subjects presented. Again; this is not an easy read. The format of the poems can be awkward. There is literally […]

Black Lives Matter

Stay Woke by Tehama Lopez Bunyasi

September 12, 2019 by Classic Leave a Comment

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Please note this book will be released on September 24, 2019. So I read this book a while back when I got it via NetGalley. I honestly just wasn’t in the mood to review it though. Not because it wasn’t a good primer about systematic racism and why black lives matter. But because I am just sick of justifying my existence to people out there. I don’t know […]

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.

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