gangs – Cannonball Read 17

“When it seems like brown lives don’t matter “

Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez

October 12, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Barely Missing Everything has a few bumps and bruises in the writing style and subject matter. Matt Mendez has a “this a not an easy read” story for several reasons. First, the points of view can be a little off putting, though they are usually from Juan’s and the subject is how the town Juan, his family, and friends lives in treats people with Mexican backgrounds. Clichés and stereotypes come up often with what happens to the characters (Juan mother is a teenage mom, Juan’s […]

A really long review that has spoilers

Becoming Beatriz by Tami Charles

September 9, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This review is long as this book brought out a lot of feelings. Feelings of remembering books I read as a kid and didn’t get “the point” of. Feelings of current events. Feelings of not liking characters. And a lot more. This is a book you experience and YMMV. Becoming Beatriz is the companion novel to Like Vanessa. It starts on the day Beatriz turns 15 and the night her brother is murdered by a rival gang. Like this incident was a sidebar in the […]

A semi-autobiographical debut novel that opens up a world

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

September 9, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Like Vanessa is a sweet and realistic story of liking yourself, while finding your home, family and who you truly are. Tami Charles bases her character Vanessa on some of her own experiences making this an interesting combination of fact, fiction, history and contemporary issues. In 1983 Vanessa is a dark-skinned girl living in the inner city. Vanessa, her cousin, her beloved grandfather Pop-Pop and her father live in a small apartment. But they could not be farther apart if they live in a mansion. […]

But who in hell was the joke really on?

October 30, 2016 by borisanne Leave a Comment

You know how the school-to-prison pipeline is a thing that people are finally talking about? Welp, back in 1992, this book about a gang of very young men trying to stay alive in Oakland was published, and I totally missed it, and I suspect almost everyone else did, too. It’s a really important topic, and thank goodness people are finally supporting discussion about it in a bigger way. I’m mostly thinking of Anna Deveare Smith’s current Off-Broadway show, but also about it being more prevalent […]

What did I just read?

February 1, 2016 by NVVN Leave a Comment

So, I finished this book this morning and I might have liked it? Maybe? I’m not really sure how I felt about it. It might have been good, but I think I might have simply been trying to figure out WTF was going on. Instead of good, maybe intriguing would be a better description. I’ll try to explain. The book has many viewpoints/location points. There’s some sort of interplanetary organization (John and Quinn work there)where the Chair has died, a successor has been announced […]

Jack Reacher in Europe, with an unexpected twist

July 1, 2015 by Valyruh Leave a Comment

While I won’t claim it’s his best, or even that great, I found this latest (19th) Jack Reacher story an intriguing enough premise, a rapid page-turner (including the ballistics details which others found boring but which I enjoyed), a truly scary bad guy, and an unexpected punch-to-the-gut ending. Someone has taken a long-distance shot at the French president, but special bullet-proof glass protected him from assassination. The CIA decides, along with Europe’s top intelligence agencies, that this was just a practice run aimed at […]

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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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