I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A group of employees must contend with unruly customers and the legendary Dave Bradley in author S. Atzeni’s “The Legend of Dave Bradley”, the fifth book in the One ’n Done series.
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The Synopsis
This is a story that may be true, partially true, or not true at all.
But it still definitely happened.
An eclectic blend of experiences from the New Jersey Shop ‘NBag, a supermarket at the Jersey Shore, The Legend of Dave Bradley celebrates the horrors that only exist in customer service.
Every day, the employees at the New Jersey Shop ‘NBag take care of customers, clean up the aisles, and try to maintain a personal life. They must also survive Dave Bradley’s very confusing yet effective reign of chaos over the store. Before long, they have to make an important choice: get distracted by Dave Bradley’s antics or get back to work? The answer is obvious.
The Review
This was a short yet powerful and humorous read. The short fiction style of storytelling played well into this narrative. The set-up for the story initially grabbed my attention, as the narrator makes numerous attempts to quantify the validity and reality of the presented story, allowing the author’s wit and unique writing style to shine brightly.
The atmosphere played a significant role in the story. The setting not only brought a sense of reality and relatability to the narrative but how the author captured the experiences so many people in the customer service industry have daily was so engaging and added an outstanding balance to the creative storytelling that the book was building into.
The Verdict
A quick, entertaining, and humorous read, author S Atzeni’s “The Legend of Dave Bradley” is a must-read short fiction read. The witty and imaginative writing style the author brought and the compelling narrative will keep readers wanting more from this fantastic author. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
S. Atzeni is a writer of prose, comics, and academic scholarship. She has a BA in Professional Writing and MA in English from The College of New Jersey. Her most recent work include the graphic novel series The MOTHER Principle, the first volume of which, MOTHER Knows Best, was released in August 2015 with the second volume, MOTHER May I, slated for release in 2019. She is a regular contributor to Read Furiously’s One ‘n Done series which has featured her stories Breath, The Legend of David Bradley, and the upcoming Beauty. S. Atzeni has been a writer for The Mary Sue and for Bustle. Her scholarly work has been published by the Sequart Organization, and she has been a presenter and panel chair at academic conferences throughout the East Coast. She is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Read Furiously and currently teaches post-modernism, Holocaust studies, superheroes, and pop culture at The College of New Jersey.
S. Atzeni lives in New Jersey with her husband, comic writer Adam Wilson, their son, and their cat Alaska who has yet to become internet famous, despite their best efforts.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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Retired police chief turned author Tim Eggebraaten shares personal stories and words of wisdom gained from a long and stressful career in his book “Find Your Beat: Walk in the Rhythm of Life”.
The Synopsis
In the rhythmic pages of “Find Your Beat,” Tim Eggebraaten, a retired police chief turned messenger of optimism, invites you on a journey through the melodies of life. With heartwarming stories and practical wisdom, he reveals the power of finding beauty amidst the chaos, the rhythm in everyday moments, and the resilience within.
Tim’s candid tales take you behind the badge, sharing the highs and lows of a high-stress career, personal struggles, and the healing power of music, friendships, and love. From the depths of personal challenges to the heights of realistic optimism, he weaves a tapestry of hope.
Discover how one man found his beat through positivity, learned to hush the cacophony of negativity, and embraced the symphony of gratitude. With warmth and humor, Tim illuminates the path to improving your own realistic optimism and rediscovering the beauty around you.
“Find Your Beat” is more than a book; it’s a guide to transforming your life’s soundtrack. Let Tim’s inspirational journey help you find your rhythm, tune into the positivity surrounding you, and dance to the melody of optimism.
Join Tim on this remarkable odyssey and unlock the music of your soul. Your journey to finding your beat begins here.
The Review
This was a thoughtful and engaging read. The author did a remarkable job of writing in a way that allowed the reader to feel connected to the author’s story, creating a relatable atmosphere for the reader to absorb. The simple yet thought-provoking stories the author tells the reader about his life and the experiences and people that changed him will keep readers invested as the story progresses.
At the heart of this story is a beautiful balance of nonfiction storytelling and philosophical themes that speak to the core of what it means to be human. The contrast in who the author is as a person and the mentality that a person gets the longer they work as a police officer was felt immediately in this book and spoke to the idea that people, in general, cannot allow circumstances to alter who they are at their core, lest they lose themselves to the influences that throw us off. Yet it also showcased what it means to allow yourself to be open to new ideas and let chance encounters with people show us new paths, as it did for the author when they met people like Norman, a lone man who altered the author’s world view at a pivotal moment in his life.
The Verdict
Remarkable, enlightening, and relatable author Tim Eggebraaten’s “Find Your Beat” is a must-read nonfiction memoir and a beautiful journey to explore our humanity. The hope and honesty with which the author wrote this book and the impactful statements that the author’s experience left us will keep readers coming back time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Tim Eggebraaten, with nearly 28 years in the Criminal Justice field, brings a wealth of experience to his role as a captivating national speaker. From his beginnings as a correctional officer in 1989 to his tenure as Chief of Police, Tim’s journey is a testament to his expertise in “working the beat.”
Retiring from law enforcement in 2016, Tim embraced the title of “Off Duty Chief,” passionately taking his message, music, and talent to the streets. His compelling storytelling and witty perspective on balance, growth, leadership, and life make him a sought-after keynote speaker on the national stage.
Tim’s unique approach combines his love for music with his motivational message, taking audiences on an emotional roller coaster. From light-hearted anecdotes to profound insights on loss and mental health, Tim engages and inspires.
Based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Tim shares his life with his wife, Denise, relishing the outdoors, friendships, and family moments with their adult children and two grandsons.
Discover your rhythm of life through Tim’s unique perspective and powerful storytelling.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Kendra Q. Dodd, MHRD, shares a guided ournal that hopes to give people a fresh perspective on others who may have one label but embody something else completely in the book “Perspectives”.
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The Synopsis
Perspectives is a guided journal to help you become a better human. In times like these, we should all work on unifying and relating to each other. This book awakens you to another level of awareness, realizing that human beings are more profound and more complex than the labels prescribed to us. This book will help you embrace what we call “bridge moments” to courageously speak up while connecting with people different from you and building a better relationship with them.
Being understood is a basic human need. We all have a right to express our voice. Conscious efforts are needed to advocate viewpoints. Perspectives will help you realize that simply a person’s existence can cause misunderstandings, and a guide is necessary to help you navigate to understanding. If you want a resource to shed some light on removing the barriers that can divide us, this book is it.
This book will help reward you through a journey of the following:
Assess and process with self-reflections the core of your perspectives Explore the various ways in which we are different and how it can cause misunderstandings Address how to communicate your voice while empathically listening to others effectively Practical, hands-on exercises and tips to having successful real-life interactions
The Review
This was an insightful and engaging journal. The emphasis is on putting readers in an interactive space to grow and engage with the prompts that the author gave throughout the journal. Examining different viewpoints and mindsets in this book allows the reader to put the book’s purpose into practice.
That purpose is the driving force behind this book. Often, we end up viewing the world only through our lens. Yet, the world’s population comprises so many different perspectives that the ability to step back from oneself and look at things through another person’s viewpoint allows us to connect to the world at large and, at that moment, connect even more profoundly with ourselves.
The Verdict
Engaging, thoughtful, and interactive author Kendra Q. Dodd’s “Perspectives” is a must-read and must-use journal. The everyday questions and perspectives the author gives readers to ponder upon and write about will provide insight into those around them and how to connect with the world. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Kendra has devoted her life to creating environments of belonging, inclusiveness, and personal progression. She understands the importance of continuous development and has a passion for consistent learning. Clients admire her energetic demeanor, positive candor, and strategic mindset. Kendra brings authenticity to those she helps because she shares her life with transparency, thus ensuing hope. Her clients are left feeling motivated and equipped.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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In this alternative history story, a Viking King and his band of broken warriors head to new lands in search of something more than a kingdom in author Brent Olson’s “Between the Helpless and the Darkness”.
The Synopsis
HARALD SIGURDSSON, King Harald Hardrada of Norway, King of the Vikings, was born to rule. He embraced that birthright, dominating his world with the strength in his arm and the power of his will. In an instant, one brutal mistake and a shattering wound took all he valued from him.But what if . . .Harald Sigurdsson fled his disgrace with a band of equally broken warriors still holding tight to his leadership. They ventured West, to Iceland, Greenland, into the darkness, to a land known only through legends and lies. A land with no need of a king, no room fora ruler. A land where a king could hope to become something more.This enthralling, thought-provoking story begins a thousand years ago on a battlefield outside York, England, and then moves across the North Atlantic to Iceland and beyond. Brent Olson’s biggest, boldest, and best book yet is a stunning work of alternative history. By moving the path of one arrow one inch, Olson has achieved an entire new script for the world.
The Review
This was a vibrant and captivating historical fiction novel. The exploration of Norse culture and the history of King Harald was fascinating to read, as the novel explored a time and alternate history that shows what the man behind the legend would have done had he survived his final battle. The atmosphere and pacing of the novel were captivating, as the story showcased this unique culture both in victory and defeat.
The character development of this book was incredible. The complexity of Harald as a character, both the legendary warrior others viewed him as and the flawed man beneath the legend, made this an in-depth and memorable story. The concept of Norse warriors and people arriving in what would later be North America and encountering the continent’s indigenous people was thought-provoking and kept the reader engaged in this book’s more creative and personal storytelling.
The Verdict
Adrenaline fueled, thoughtful, and entertaining, author Brent Olsons “Between the Helpless and the Darkness” is a must-read historical fiction and alternate history read. The wealth of world-building and imagery in the writing and the twists and turns in the epic story made this a great novel. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Brent Olson has lived 64 of his 66 years on a small farm
in Big Stone County, on the edge of the prairie in western
Minnesota.
But in his life as a working journalist he’s filed articles
from 20 countries on six continents. This has led him
to want to change the world he lives in, through his
work as a county commissioner, and create new worlds
in his two recent novels, “Angr”
and “Between the Helpless and the Darkness.”
In this time of news and information tailored so everyone
can hear only what they want to hear, he presents
information that will leave everyone just a little unsettled.
Working with a warm heart and a cold eye, he dissects
what works from what doesn’t in our individual lives, our
institutions, and our country.
He has served on dozens of boards and committees—as
varied as the Big Stone County Pork Producers, and the
Minnesota United Methodist Board of Ordained Ministry.
In his time as a short order cook at his very own Inadvertent
Café he has learned to make fluffy scrambled eggs,
and the best omelets on Main Street in Clinton, Minnesota
(Population 453).
Olson is a Big Stone County Commissioner and a 2012
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
TW: Discussions surrounding the topic of Suicide are prevalent in this book. Reader Discretion advised.
Author Betsy Gall shares the painful truth behind the tragic loss of her husband in the book “The Illusion of the Perfect Profession”.
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The Synopsis
Betsy Gall was living the American dream. Married to an oncologist with three healthy children; life was pretty darn good. That all changed on Thanksgiving Day of 2019 when her “life of the party” physician husband took his own life. Matthew Taylor Gall, M.D., M.S., who had devoted his entire life to saving lives, was dead at the young age of 49. The Illusion of the Perfect Profession is a culmination of Betsy’s journals, letters to God, and her journey with faith throughout this horrific traumatic experience that left her family shattered and asking how could this happen. Through reading and research, Betsy discovered that physician suicide is a trend. One million patients lose their doctors to suicide every single year. This is a subject matter that, unfortunately, needs to be widely discussed to help change a system that is undoubtedly broken. This book is one wife’s story about love, physician suicide, and finding comfort and purpose in the aftermath.
The Review
This was an authentic and heartbreaking read. The author brilliantly blended original writing with her personal journal entries to make the experiences and life of their family feel more connective and relatable. The detail the author gave of the life that she and her husband built together, from the moment they met to the tragedy that would befall them decades later, allowed the reader to visualize and become immersed in their story.
Yet it was the emotional and heartbreaking experiences of the author’s life and the loss of her husband that made the reader feel that sense of loss and confusion, something the author illustrated expertly through her writing. The shocking realities of what physicians go through and the rate at which they take their own lives are surprising, and the research the author presented in the wake of her own husband’s battle with depression was thoughtful yet saddening. The mixture of faith and resilience the author leaned upon allowed the reader to vividly feel the heart of the author’s struggles.
The Verdict
Tragic, engaging, and thought-provoking author Betsy Gall’s “The Illusion of the Perfect Profession” is a must-read nonfiction book that readers cannot put down. The emotional connection between the author and her story, as well as the realities of depression and suicide and the suddenness of it all, made this a compelling book to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Betsy Gall and her three children, Grady, Gavin, Sophie, and their dog Liberty, split their time between Charlotte, NorthCarolina, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she focuses on faith, family, and friends. In addition, Betsy is an active real estate agent, investor, landlord, and habitual remodeler.Betsy is speaking all over the country about physician suicide after her oncologist husband, Dr. Matthew Gall, tragically and unexpectedly took his own life on ThanksgivingDay in 2019.In her spare time, Betsy loves to downhill ski, spend time at her lake home, and exercise. In addition, she continues to giveback to Angel Foundation and the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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Author Gretchen McCullough explores the lives o people in modern Cairo in the short story collection “Shahrazad’s Gift”.
The Synopsis
Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo—magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough’s Confessions of a Knight Errant, before their escapades in that story. These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights.
The Review
One of the beautiful things about fiction writing is how it allows readers from one part of the world to explore and gain insight into how people live in other parts. This collection of short stories is no different, as the author wonderfully showcases the rich tapestry and vibrant life that breathes into the city of Cairo. The thoughtful imagery allows the setting and atmosphere to appear on the page.
The connectivity of the cast of characters and the ode to the classic tale of A Thousand and One Nights made this collection truly shine. The humor and wit that these characters exuded, the exploration of the city’s lesser-known corners, and the emphasis the author put on stories of love and self-discovery made this a gripping and compelling read that readers will return to time and time again.
The Verdict
Creative, insightful, and entertaining author Gretchen McCullough’s “Shahrazad’s Gift” collection is a must-read short story. The various cultures and histories of the characters and the melding of worlds within this one city made the story feel transformative and engaging and is not to be missed by readers. Be sure to check out your own copy of this fanstastic book today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997-1999.
Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Story South, Guernica, The Common, The Millions, and the LA Review of Books. Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation, World Literature Today and Washington Square Review with Mohamed Metwalli. Her bi-lingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories from Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo.
Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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A therapist reeling from the loss of a patient must work to help a fractured family facing new changes and growing LGBTQ+ driven hate crimes in their local area, and the therapist must choose to save them or her own marriage in author Dawn Reno Langley’s “Analyzing the Prescotts: A Novel”.
The Synopsis
Cotton Barnes, a Raleigh, NC, therapist, leveled by a client’s recent suicide, is struggling to resume her practice when she begins working with the Prescotts, a family fractured when the father comes out as transgender and begins transitioning. They relate their stories in their chosen voices, each family member’s narrative in a different format. Journals, social media, and other nontraditional narratives challenge Dr. Barnes’ therapeutic skills. While each member of the Prescotts dodge land mines behind the closed doors of her therapy office, the Raleigh, North Carolina area is rocked by a series of LGBTQ+ hate crimes. As Cotton finds herself stalking the family, worried that she might not be able to “save them,” her husband slips away, and Cotton is forced to make a decision that will determine whether she saves her own marriage or the Prescotts.
The Review
This was such an engaging and thought-provoking story. The tragedy and heartbreak that becomes the running theme in the protagonist’s life was both insightful yet heart-wrenching to behold. The story speaks to our connections in our families and with others.
Yet the strong themes this narrative took on made this story shine brightly. The lines that often blur when we become integrated into other people’s lives can turn care and concern into obsession, and the hardship that comes from trying to live our most authentic lives in a world that hates and shuns those people all played a significant role in this story. The careful and moving attention to detail the author paid to these characters made the story feel more connective for readers.
The Verdict
Memorable, heartfelt, and engaging author Dawn Reno Langley’s “Analyzing the Prescotts” is a must-read LGBTQ+ driven narrative that readers won’t put down. The twists and turns in the story, the emotional weight of the characters and their journey, and the mesmerizing tale that comes to life on the page will stay with readers long after the story ends. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Dawn Reno Langley writes extensively for newspapers and magazines, has published more than 30 books (nonfiction, children’s books, and novels such as The Mourning Parade (Amberjack, 2017)), dozens of award-winning short stories, essays, and poems in journals such as Missouri Review, Hunger Mountain and Superstition Review, as well as hundreds of articles, theater reviews, and blogs. A Fulbright scholar and TedX speaker with an MFA in Fiction from Vermont College and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (concentrations in gender studies and creativity) from The Union Institute and University, she lives on the North Carolina coast. She offers writing retreats for other women and teaches for Southern New Hampshire University’s MFA program. Her latest book, You Are Divine: A Search for the Goddess in All of Us (Llewellyn) was released nationally and internationally in January 2022.ADD AUTHOR BIO
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the launch of Dawn Reno Langley’s novel Analyzing the Prescotts. Read an interview with the author and enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.
Visit Joy’s blog for a guest post by Dawn Reno Langley on the challenges of writing using multiple points of view. You can also read an excerpt of Langley’s novel Analyzing the Prescotts.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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A detective must work to solve who was responsible for the car bombing that nearly took his life in author Dan Flanigan’s “On Lonesome Roads”, the third book in the Peter O’Keefe series.
The Synopsis
SOME ROADS MUST BE WALKED ALONE
As private detective Peter O’Keefe continues to heal from the burns he suffered from the blast of a car bomb, neither he nor the police can prove who his assailants were. The media speculates that “The Outfit,” a mafia group in the city, is to blame. O’Keefe isn’t so sure, but he means to find out – and fast.
Terrified of another attack, O’Keefe’s ex-wife, Annie, won’t allow his eleven-year-old daughter near him except under the tightest security, including an armed guard. He can’t blame her. It isn’t safe for Kelly, or anyone else he cares about, to be near him while his attacker is on the loose.
In a desperate effort to keep his family safe and restore his life to some measure of normality, O’Keefe becomes consumed with solving the mystery of who is hunting him. Along the way, he’ll be forced to negotiate with The Outfit – a “devil’s bargain” that just might cost him everything.
The Review
The level of depth and development that this cast of characters took on was incredible to see come to life on the page. The intricacies of the corruption and violence that the protagonist came across both within the confines of The Outfit and the politicians that keep crime circulating were well developed and allowed the reader to feel the tension and heavy atmosphere the author created.
The complexities of the protagonist and his mindset were insightful and thoughtful. The balance the author struck between the investigation as a whole and the protagonist’s desire to repair his relationship with his family was remarkable to see come to life on the page. The suspicion and paranoia that come with an investigation like this and the personal nature of the case for Peter made this story fly by.
The Verdict
Memorable, thought-provoking, and entertaining author Dan Flanigan’s “On Lonesome Roads” is a must-read entry into the Peter O’Keefe series! The twists and turns in the story and the thoughtful approach to the noir thriller genre made this a gripping narrative that readers won’t put down. Be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Dan Flanigan is a novelist, playwright, poet, and practicing lawyer. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Rice University and J.D. from the University of Houston. He taught Jurisprudence at the University of Houston and American Legal History at the University of Virginia. His first published book was his Ph.D. dissertation, “The Criminal Law of Slavery and Freedom, 1800-1868.”
He moved on from academia to serve the civil rights cause as a school desegregation lawyer, followed by a long career as a finance attorney in private law practice. He became a name partner in the Polsinelli law firm in Kansas City, created its Financial Services practice, chaired its Real Estate & Financial Services Department for two decades, and established the firm’s New York City office and served as its managing partner until October 2022.
Taking a break from the law practice for two years, he and his wife, Candy, founded Sierra Tucson, a prominent alcohol and drug treatment center located in Tucson, Arizona.
Recently, he has been able to turn his attention to his lifelong ambition—creative writing. In 2019 he released a literary trifecta including “Mink Eyes,” the first in what has become the Peter O’Keefe detective series, which was a 2023 Best Book Award Legacy Fiction Finalist, “Dewdrops,” a collection of shorter fiction, and “Tenebrae: A Memoir of Love and Death.”
“Tenebrae” is a bracelet of verse and prose poems dedicated to his wife, Candy, to honor her last illness and death and their 40-plus years together, a work that has been described as “celebratory” and “heartbreaking and exquisite.” It was a Finalist for both the 2022 IAN Book of the Year in Poetry and in the 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award in the Legacy: Autobiography/Memoir category.
“The Big Tilt”, the award-winning second book in the Peter O’Keefe series, was published in 2020 and has been described as “deft, hard-boiled, but literary prose that’s reminiscent of Raymond Chandler’s best work.” The Big Tilt won the 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Crime Fiction and was a Finalist for the 2022 Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year in Thriller/Suspense. Most recently, “The Big Tilt” was a Legacy Fiction finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award as well as making the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List.
“On Lonesome Roads,” published April 26, 2022, is the third book in the series and continues in the award-winning tradition of its predecessor. Honored as a Notable 100 Book in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition, “On Lonesome Roads” has more recently been a finalist for Crime Fiction in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards (after “The Big Tilt” won the award in 2022), a silver medalist for the 2023 IPPY Ebook awards, and winner of the 2023 American Fiction Awards in the Mystery/Suspense category.
Dan has also written stage plays including “Secrets” (based on the life of Eleanor Marx) and “Moondog’s Progress” (inspired by the life of Alan Freed), which was awarded the 2022 Honorable Mention in the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition for “Script.”
His novella, “Dewdrops,” was originally written for the stage and enjoyed a full-cast staged reading at the Theatre of the Open Eye in New York. The short story collection comprised of “Dewdrops,” “On the Last Frontier” and “Some Cold War Blues” was a Finalist in the 2022 Independent Author Network Book of the Year for Short Story Collection and a 2022 American Book Fest “Best Book” Award Finalist in Fiction-Short Story.
Dan serves on the Board of Directors of Childhood USA, the U.S. arm of the World Childhood Foundation, established by Queen Silvia of Sweden, working to end child sexual abuse and exploitation everywhere. He divides his time among Kansas City, New York City, and Los Angeles.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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Authors Lori Ann LaRocco and Abby Wallace share the story of four families who all depended from slaves and reflect on the journey their families have taken in the book “Embracing Your Past to Empower Your Future: Four Families Descended from Slaves Reflect on Stories of Strength, Love and Gratitude”.
The Synopsis
In Embracing Your Past to Empower Your Future, descendants of four prominent Black families whose ancestors were enslaved tell readers what life was like for those ancestors, and how their experiences shaped and influenced future generations. Their experiences had a profound impact on each of these families—and the wisdom, traditions, and values that have been passed down from generation to generation. The authors worked with family historians, gathered volumes of historical documents, and worked with historians from Montpelier, Mount Vernon, and Africatown to ensure its accuracy
The Review
This was a compelling and thoughtful nonfiction read. The exploration of the history, culture, and journey of these four families and the trials these enslaved people faced was heartbreaking yet inspiring. Seeing and reading about the contributions these individuals made and the horrifying hurdles they had to overcome not only puts into perspective the darker aspects of American history but showcases the drive to provide a better future for the future generations of these families.
The amount of detail and depth the authors put into the research and interviews with these families was remarkable. The honesty and inspiration that these individuals provided and the balance the authors struck between the history of these families and what they endured, with the impact that can still be felt in these modern times, made the book feel alive and remarkable to learn about.
The Verdict
Engaging, thoughtful, and vital reading material to understanding the history of our nation and the harrowing journey for many black families in the United States, authors Lori Ann LaRocco and Abby Wallace’s “Embracing Your Past to Empower Your Future: Four Families Descended from Slaves Reflect on Stories of Strength, Love and Gratitude” is a must-read nonfiction and historical read. The detail and insightful nature of the book, and the way the authors highlight both the horrors of slavery and the challenges many families still face in the wake of racism, as well as the light that hope and all that struggle has brought to future generations of these families, making this a remarkable book to read. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Lori Ann LaRocco is an American Journalist and is also the best-selling author of Trade War Containers Don’t Lie: Navigating the Bluster (Marine Money 2019), Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers (Marine Money, 2018), Opportunity Knocking (Agate Publishing, 2014), Dynasties of the Sea: The Shipowners and Financiers Who Expanded the Era of Free Trade (Marine Money, 2012), and Thriving in the New Economy (Wiley, 2010
Abby Wallace is an advanced placement History and English student in New Jersey. Abby enjoys writing, reading, drawing, riding horses, and performing on stage. Abby loves to give back to others and enjoys volunteering at Pony Power Therapies. She hopes to one day have a therapy barn of her own.
