Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Acevedo ILLUSTRATOR: Andrea Pippins GENRE: Illustrated Spoken Word Poem PUBLICATION DATE: May 3, 2022 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: An illustrated version of the author's famous spoken-word poem. Didn't get much of the poetic merit (no surprises there, given my lack of fondness for poetry), but liked the powerful message and the vibrant illustrations. Might work differently for readers more impacted by this format of poetry. I have wild hair. Though thinner now with age and hormonal upheavals, my hair still looks like I forgot to brush it after I woke up. Over the years, many friends have asked me to straighten my hair. They claim it's easier to manage. No one asks me whether I'm bothered by my messy waves or if I prefer straight hair to curls. They just assume that their straight hair IS better. ( Fact: I think straight hair is boring. I love curly hair as it has a personality of its own! I am very jealous of women who have ringlet curls .) Isn'...

AUTHOR: Shauna Robinson GENRE: Contemporary Romance-Drama. PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2022 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary romance-drama, though the romance is secondary to the drama. Book about books. Annoying main character. Straightforward plot with some loopholes and some convenient developments. Plenty of humour and heart, but also plenty of judgement and aggravation. A decent pastime option when you want a light read that doesn’t tax your brain. Plot Preview: When twenty-eight-year-old Maggie, frustrated at not having a successful career path, gets a call from her best friend asking for help taking care of her bookstore for a few months while she goes on maternity leave, Maggie accepts, even though she isn't fond of reading. It’s not just this lack of interest in books that makes Maggie’s task difficult. The bookstore is one of the central attractions in a town with a strong literary history, and as such, its governing body, the Bell Society, doesn’t all...

AUTHOR: Wilfrid Lupano ILLUSTRATOR: Stéphane Fert GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: February 11, 2025 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel about the first Black girls’ school in the USA. Great historical insights, but too short to do justice to the storyline. Still, worth a pick for the light it shines on a relatively unknown part of history. Better suited to older teens and adults as it is quite dark and upsetting. Plot Preview: 1832. Canterbury, Connecticut. When young Sarah has questions about the oddities she sees in nature, she goes to Prudence Crandall, a young white woman who runs a boarding school, for clarifications. Seeing Sarah’s curiosity sparks an idea in Prudence and she takes Sarah as her first Black student. She is motivated enough to advertise for more Black students to join them. Thus, thirty years before the abolition of slavery, in a place where Blacks were legally free but practically without civil rights, fifteen girls become a happy part of the...

AUTHOR: Colson Whitehead GENRE: Historical Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: August 2, 2016. RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction (or perhaps I should say, historical fantasy) set in 1820s USA, focussing on a young woman who slogs her way to freedom. I struggled with this book in almost every way: geography, historical research, characters, plot, writing. The geography issue was due to my shortcoming; the rest, I don’t know. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: 1820. Georgia, USA. Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation, has already faced every kind of abuse. Though she is a strong woman and able to hold her own against *some* atrocities, she is still tempted when Caesar, a new arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad. Together, they take the risky decision of escaping. But such a plan is obviously fraught with uncertainties, and Cora finds herself handling far more than she had bargained for. The book comes to us in alternate long and short chapters...

AUTHOR: Nnedi Okorafor GENRE: Literary Science Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: January 14, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices literary fiction with sci-fi elements, NOT science-fiction with literary elements. Story within a story. Interesting disability representation (but mild vibes of ableism), great character detailing (but mostly unlikeable characters), unusual combination of futuristic elements with traditional family drama (but the two don’t blend well), good use of Nigerian + American setting and immigrant experience (no buts here; this was great). Plot Preview: Zelu’s life has not been easy. Disabled since her teen years, unexpectedly fired from her university job, and facing rejection yet again for her latest manuscript, she’s the least successful in a family of high-achievers. In frustration, she decides to write a book that is unlike her earlier works and isn’t even in a genre she likes. She pens a science fiction novel titled “Rusted Robots” about an apocalyp...

EDITOR: Dapo Adeola GENRE: Middle-Grade Anthology RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An anthology aimed at Black middle-grade readers, telling stories of joy, imagination, and creativity of Black people. Has a mix of stories, poems, nonfiction essays, and recipes. I am obviously outside the target audience, but found some good content herein. Will work even better for the right segment. Just a few days ago, I had read a short fantasy story about a Black character’s experience under a white colonial regime. In one of the Goodreads reviews for that story, a female Black reviewer bluntly stated that she was tired of reading Black stories with the same old themes of slavery, racism, and injustice, because though one cannot deny the trials and tribulations of Black history, contemporary Black experiences aren't restricted to only the negative episodes. I found that sentiment thought-provoking and honest. Until I read her words, I hadn’t realised just how much of Black writing is focuss...

AUTHOR: Sadeqa Johnson GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 3.5 Stars. In a Nutshell: Works in bits and pieces but I wanted far more. Quite predictable. Covers important themes and certain elements of African-American history that I wasn’t aware of. Story Synopsis: 1948. Philadelphia. Fifteen year old Ruby, the illegitimate child of a self-obsessed single mom and raised by her grandmother, dreams of going to optometry college. However, when she meets a white Jewish boy, her future threatens to spill away from her grasp. Can Ruby take a chance at forbidden love while retaining her ambitions? 1948, Washington. Eleanor has joined Howard University with great dreams. After all, her working class parents have slogged to send their only daughter for further studies. When she meets the rich and handsome William Pride, she falls for him despite the huge difference in their status. But to become the wife of the wealthy Mr. Pride while coming from a poor family isn’t going to be a cakewalk. What wi...

AUTHOR: Lesa Cline-Ransome GENRE: YA Historical Drama. RATING: 4.25 Stars. In a Nutshell: Slow but hardhitting. This is one YA book that will work wonderfully even beyond its target age group. Good for literary fiction lovers who like character-oriented fiction. Story Synopsis: Late 1930s. Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb is a young studious girl who is protected at every step by her mother Marion and brother Simeon. Marion is a hardworking seamstress while Simeon is a clever boy who has earned a college scholarship on his own merit. All three of them however have their major flaws. Lamb is naïve, Marion is dominating, and Simeon is impulsive. When Lamb allows a white girl to offer her friendship, their lives will change in an irreparable manner. The story is written in the first person perspective of various characters. Note: Don’t read the blurb if you don’t like spoilers. It reveals almost the entire story! Where the book worked for me: 😍 Have you ever experienced a book that leaves you ...

AUTHOR: Jas Hammonds NARRATOR: Tamika Katon-Donegal GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary Drama RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: I can see why the YA audience will go gaga over this. I can also see why some adults will love this. But mine, yet again, is an outlier review. Sigh. Story Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Avery is moving with her parents from Washington to Bardell, Georgia, in order to take care of her terminally ill maternal grandmother, Mama Letty. She isn’t happy about the sudden move, especially when her mother doesn’t even have a good relationship with Letty. Moreover, there is some past secret that they refuse to talk about. As Avery settles into her new school and makes new friends, more secrets come tumbling out, and Avery is left wondering if resolving past issues is more important than maintaining present relationships. The book comes to us in the first person perspective of Avery. Where the book worked for me: 😍 Such a gorgeous cover! And it fits the book perfectly! 😍 The...

Author: Suzette D. Harrison Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A great read for historical fiction lovers, as long as you can forgive the excessive coincidences in the final quarter. Story Synopsis: 1935, Oklahoma. Fifteen-year-old Faith, along with her five-year-old sister Hope and the rest of her family is on her way to California in a bid to escape the heat of the Dust Bowl. When a “black blizzard” comes along their path, the two girls are separated from their parents and brother. As girls of mixed Black-Native American origin, how will they ensure that their skin colour doesn’t endanger them? Will they be reunited with their family? Present day, California. Zoe Edwards is struggling to mend her heart after the death of her newborn and the infidelity of her soon-to-be-ex husband. As she throws herself into her work cataloguing old photographs for a museum exhibition, she comes across a photo of a teenage girl with a startling resemblance to her. Who is this...

Author: Bernice L. McFadden Sugar Lacey Book 2. Genre: African-American Fiction Rating: 2.5 stars. I am disappointed enough to not write a full-length review. This is the sequel to Sugar . The first book, while having an outstanding ending, left plenty of threads dangling. If you feel like you want to know what happens next, only then pick up this sequel. If you were somewhat satisfied with the way things were left in Sugar, you can safely skip this. The first book was pretty nuanced in its writing and character development. The sequel goes OTT and tries too hard. It's almost as if the author listed out the incomplete tracks of the first book and made sure she plugged all the gaps in this volume. Of course, it was good to see the guilty get their just dues, but I sure would have appreciated a different approach towards the same. On the positive side, it is a very quick read. The 290-odd pages just whoosh by! Not really recommended, except for those seeking closure.

Author: Bernice L. McFadden Sugar Lacey Book 1 Genre: African-American Fiction. Rating: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: I liked this quite a lot. Though it has a few flaws, considering it was written 22 years ago and was a debut work, it is very impactful and thought-provoking. Story Synopsis: After the brutal death of her daughter Jude fifteen years ago, Pearl, a faithful Christian, loving wife, and kind neighbour, is wrapped in grief. But when Sugar shifts into the opposite house, Pearl is as curious as the rest of the small town of Bigelow. Their connection gets off to a rocky start but soon transforms into an unlikely friendship. Unlikely because it is very clear to almost everyone that Sugar is a prostitute. Is such a friendship sustainable over the long run? Where the book worked for me: ✔ Loved the truthful depiction of a small town Black community in 1950s America. An OwnVoices book, the author doesn’t resort to an extremely positive or stereotypical portrayal but sticks to what is ...

AUTHOR: Jason Reynolds ILLUSTRATOR: Alexander Nabaum GENRE: Middle-grade story collection. RATING: 4.5 stars. A wonderful collection of ten stories all set around a common theme of children walking home from school. The characters overlap in a few of the stories but the main character(s) are distinct for each tale. This isn’t a typical children’s anthology and these are the reasons why: 👉 So many authors steer clear of "taboo" topics -- parental illness, deaths, abuse, bullying, homosexuality -- and make children's fiction goody-goody happy experiences. Not Jason Reynolds. 👉 So many authors will try to incorporate higher level vocabulary in their works so that the book ends up as an "educational" experience for its young readers. Not Jason Reynolds. A tardigrade isn't called a tardigrade, it's a water bear. That's indicative of an author who knows what his readers enjoy. 👉 Show me one author who can write a story around boogers and still make it ...

AUTHOR: JFAM Johnson GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: November 24, 2020 RATING: 2.5 stars. JFAM Johnson is the collective name of the 8 siblings who have written this book. They range in age from 4 to 13 years old. So I think I need to be a bit lenient in my rating here. The entire book is shorter than its summary on Goodreads. It is written in poetic style, with a nod to hiphop and the hair textures of the usual artists involved in this style. The book is too specific in its content and target audience. I had assumed that it would go beyond the title; it doesn't. On the plus side though, it will connect with its target audience to a great extent. I loved one of the lines from the book: "My hair defies gravity but I'm more than just my hair!" I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Renée Watson GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: February 14, 2017 RATING: 4.25 stars. Jade, a 13-year-old underprivileged and overweight black teen, gets accepted at an almost-white school on a scholarship. She must now prove her potential so that she can escape her neighbourhood and poverty. She is chosen for a mentorship programme, where a successful black woman is allotted to her for "support". But does Jade really need support? Does her mentor truly understand her or do they only have their skin colour in common? What's the borderline demarcating assistance from charity? This is such a well-written book, I wonder why it is not more popular. It shatters assumptions and breaks stereotypes. Renée Watson deftly shows us how we look at a particular class of people with a certain preconception and why we can be terribly wrong. The book also shows how everyone has some kind of bias or the other. Jade is awesome as a teenager with a clear idea of what she w...

AUTHOR: Sharon M. Draper GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: October 30, 2018 RATING: 4 stars. Eleven year old Isabella has a black father and a white mother. Her parents are divorced and each is now involved in a new, serious relationship. Isabella's life is already divided between the two parents, two houses, two nicknames,.... How would her life change with potential stepparents coming in the picture? If the book had stopped only at narrating the ordeals of a child caught in a divorce battle, the book would have been a 5/5. But Sharon Draper tries to include every possible issue in the book: racial bias, skin colour, marital issues, stepparent problems, gun shooting, police discrimination,... After a point, the book feels like it's going overboard with the social causes. The last few chapters are absolutely over the top with a completely unnecessary twist. I wish Draper would have stuck to 2-3 major plot points and developed a story revolving around those.  But ev...