Lisa's Review: The Underground Railroad

Author: Colson Whitehead
Series: None
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 320
Obtained: Amazon
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Fantastical and Fabulous.
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

I have not known what to read for some time now and so I have not.  After focusing on academic reading (lots of it) for the last five years, it has been good to take a break.  A short trip to the airport and The Good Girl (I concur with Julie), turned that around.

I came to The Underground Railroad during Seth Myers’ recent interview of Whitehead. So intrigued was I, that two minutes in I popped out of bed to download the book to my Kindle.

It is hard to resist the concept of The Underground Railroad as a literal railroad (something we all believed to be true at some point in childhood or if you are a much older reality star. Ha!)  I have never read Gulliver’s Travels, so that explains why I spent the first half of the South Carolina chapter thinking “Really? South Carolina? During slavery?” before recalling the idea that each state Cora, (our protagonist) “visits” is presented as an alternate state of American history.

Whitehead is right. He puts Cora through a LOT. All of it heartbreaking – none more so than the subtle ironic reveal near the novel’s end. Throughout, I was despondent when Cora was, I cheered when she triumphed, even in small ways and I often wondered “what if?”  

It is not a perfect novel by any means and indeed my quibbles are minor, so to elaborate would be petty.  This is a novel worthy of the attention it is receiving.

Giveaway: ASLEEP

Wendy Raven McNair is kindly allowing us give away a copy of ASLEEP. (Read my review.)


In order to enter, there are a few simple rules:

1. In the comments section, tell us how you follow our blog (Google Friend, Twitter and/or our Facebook page).


2. Tell us what excites you about this book


3. Enter the contest by Friday, May 28th, 2010 at Midnight EST.

Good luck! I can't wait to share this book with you!

Author Interview: Wendy Raven McNair

Yesterday, I posted my review of the fabulous YA fantasy, ASLEEP by Wendy Raven McNair. Today, I'm pleased to say that Ms. McNair took the time to do a Q&A with GJR.

GJR: What made you decide to gear the ASLEEP trilogy towards young adults?

WRM: My teen daughter loves fantasy stories so I knew from the beginning ASLEEP would be a fantasy tale with a teen girl as the lead character. As an African American teen girl, my daughter couldn’t find any age appropriate fantasy stories with that kind of lead character. I wanted her to have that experience so it was very important that I create a character she could identify with in that particular way.

GJR: Did you know at the onset of writing ASLEEP that this was going to be a trilogy?

WRM: Yes! From the moment I conceived the story, I envisioned it as a trilogy, with each book written as a stand-alone story so that readers would have a complete story (with a beginning, middle, and end) in each novel. However, each book deals with a different theme. The subject of ASLEEP, book 1, is discovery; Adisa discovers the super world. In AWAKE, book 2, forgiveness is explored; Adisa comes to terms with her own personal history. And ASCEND, book 3, focuses on trust; Adisa steps into her destiny. Each book stands on its own but also contributes to telling a significant part of Adisa’s journey.

GJR: Micah is very different. Do you find it difficult to write Micah’s character or do you enjoy doing so?

WRM: I love this question! Micah was a challenge that I enjoyed writing. There were two major reasons why I found Micah challenging. First, since Adisa is the narrator, we’re presented with only part of Micah’s story, the part that Adisa knows. There’s so much more to Micah than what Adisa reveals in her limited view of him but ASLEEP is her story so it’s focused on her experiences. The second challenge was showing Micah’s transformation from being robot-like and distant to being a more natural and caring individual. Micah’s story is so much broader than what’s revealed in this trilogy, that I’m actually planning to write a story from his perspective which will definitely be a more shocking read. I’m sure it’ll be extremely challenging but I’m looking forward to it.

GJR: Adisa is a tumultuous teen but she is a strong heroine and very likable. How do you maintain that balance in your writing?

WRM: Maintaining the balance comes by showing Adisa’s negative and positive traits. I like Adisa too and I believe it’s because she embodies the spirit of “girl.” In some ways, she’s naïve but she’s smart and determined, she fights for what she believes in and is passionate in her relationships including family, friends, and boyfriend. She’s also brave, facing up to overwhelming circumstances even though she often feels out of her depths. But despite her many great qualities, she focuses on her faults and can be very negative about herself. I believe these contradictions make her an interesting and likable character because girls all over have experienced these traits and can identify with them.

GJR: I love that you have reading guides for your books on your website! Was that your idea?

WRM: Yes. Readers love to discuss stories and by creating a reading guide, I give readers insights into what I believe are some interesting parts in the book. Plus it provokes readers to think about aspects of the story they may not have considered before and this opens the story up even more which can be fascinating.

GJR: Do you have book plans for what comes after the ASLEEP trilogy? Will you continue with YA or return to writing more fiction for adults like your first novel GIANT SLAYERS?

WRM: Right now, I’m considering a trilogy from Micah’s perspective. So much of his story was left untold because the ASLEEP trilogy focuses on Adisa’s experiences. I’m also considering a graphic novel featuring Micah’s little brother, Jason. So it’s safe to say I’ll be working on YA titles for quite a while.

GJR: Who are your favorite authors to read? Why?

WRM: I shy away from picking favorites because I learn from all authors whether it’s something positive or negative. My advice would be to read the authors you love but also try to add some variety. It makes you appreciate your favorite authors even more and it may also introduce you to new authors that you love as well.

GJR: What are you currently reading?

WRM: Currently, I’m interested in transmedia which is storytelling through several different mediums. For example parts of a single story are told through a book, film, video game, the Internet, etc., in order to create a complete story. One such story I want to check out is the Cathy’s Book series.

GJR: What authors have influenced you?

WRM: The authors who have inspired me include the fearless writers Octavia Butler and Alice Walker however they are not YA authors. I feel encouraged and uplifted by their work.

GJR: If you could pick one superpower, what would it be? Why?

WRM: That’s easy, flight! I’ve always wanted to fly, since I was a small child. I believe it’s because it represents freedom. What could be more liberating than defying gravity?


I want to thank Ms. McNair for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Now not only am I anxiously awaiting the next installment in the adventures of Adisa, I am gidy with anticipation over the possibility of more from Micha's point of view.

Quick! Go read ASLEEP so you can be ready for when AWAKE comes out later this year!

Jenn's Review: ASLEEP

Summary: Adisa Summers doesn't know her boyfriend, Micah Alexander, can fly. Micah's odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are a mystery sending mixed messages to Adisa. When a flash of lightning sends a tree crashing down on her, Adisa is shocked to see Micah actually flying to her rescue!

In an instant, Adisa is in his arms, looking up at the sky over his shoulder as they fly parallel to the ground. Micah shifts, shielding her completely with his body. As the tree explodes against Micah's back, Adisa feels him shudder with the impact and the air fills with wood chips and sawdust. Miraculously, they aren't smashed into the ground. They safely continue flying.

After this dramatic rescue, Micah finally begins to open up to Adisa about his secret life as a superbeing and she discovers another shocking secret. Micah burns for her--literally as well as figuratively.

This African American superhero teen love story is set in modern day Atlanta and is filled with humor, mystery, romance, and suspense.

Review: I was a little... apprehensive about starting this book. I love YA fantasy, but I am -or was, I should say- a fan of Heroes, and I saw first hand that romance and superpowers do not mix. It only took me about thirty pages to realize that apparently, Heroes just did it wrong! Wendy Raven McNair has written a rich and compelling story of girl-meets-boy ...who just happens to be a superhero.


The plot unrolls slowly, but steadily. Not once did I ever feel like it was dragging, nor did I do that 'I'm-bored'-skim-ahead that I am guilty of on many occasions. There was plenty of exposition, but it was engaging and beautifully done. It is our experiences that make us who we are and in this way Ms. McNair allows us to thoroughly get to know Adisa. I loved getting to know her friends and family as well as discovering Micha with her. The only time things felt rushed is when Adisa first gets pulled into Micha's world, but then again, things felt rushed for Adisa too, so in a way, it was kind of perfect.


Adisa is one of those strong female characters that I adore and that lately is severely lacking in YA literature (I'm lookin' at you Ms. Meyer!). Adisa is not without her faults, she is a teenager, yet these are balanced by her virtues. Her temper is quick and her loyalty is fierce. Over the course of the school year, Adisa grows from a self-involved girl with no interest in boys to a responsible teenager with her first love and all the complications that go with it, plus a few extras due to the fact that her boyfriend is just a little unusual. Through a cataclysm of events stemming from her sixteenth birthday Adisa learns that every thing is not always what it seems. She discerns that no one is all villain, or all hero, super or otherwise, and that families and life are complicated.


Ms. McNair has created a fascinating world of supers balanced on the edge of reality. ASLEEP is part of a trilogy and by the end of the novel the action has really started to roll. Though there is much to absorb, she leaves the reader craving more. I cannot wait for the next book, AWAKE to be released sometime this year!

Final Take: 5/5

Julie's Review: The Help

Summary: What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn's new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it. ~amazon.com

Review: The Help will go in my "Why didn't I read this sooner?" category. I've never read anything like this book and I don't think I probably ever will again. The novel is unique, inspiring, and heart-wrenching. This is definitely a book I will be picking up again at some point in the future. It will also be mandatory reading for my daughter when she's grown.

The story is told from 3 different points of view: Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. Each of these characters have their own rich voices, that makes the story come alive. I can't say that I had a favorite character out of the 3 of them, they were all so different, individual and distinct. Each has had different experiences but those different experiences bring them together in ways that no one in the mid 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi could fathom.

There are some humorous points in the book along with the poignant. There are some fantastic secondary characters in the book. My favorite was Miss Celia. I could so picture her in my head and often felt sorry for her. Of course there's the character that you just can't stand and can't wait until she gets her just desserts and The Help definitely has one of these.

Ultimately these women are brave. Each of them risking their lives and the lives of their loved ones to create change. Race relations is the forefront of this book but in the end it's about women. Our relationships and how we are all similar even if we don't realize it.

I don't often read the afterword by authors but I found Ms. Stockett's to be extremely raw and moving. It brought a whole new element of realism to the book for me.

So, run don't walk to your favorite bookstore and buy this book. I don't think you'll regret it.

Final Take: 5/5

Related Links: Lisa's Review

Lisa's Review: The Help

Summary:
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Review:
Well before I got one third of the way through this book, I knew that it would get a rating of 5 from me, unless of course the second half of the book just went horribly wrong. Somehow I just didn't see that happening.

I was skeptical that a white author would truly be able to write in the voice of a black woman in 1960s Mississippi, but write she did and not just one woman but two. Aibileen and Minny are distinctly different women, both funny, smart, sad and ultimately brave. Skeeter was just also a joy to get to know. She's a modern woman torn between expectations and hoping for change until the opportunity presents itself. She teams up with the Aibileen and Minny to work on a project that is dangerous for the three of them. Segregation is still rampant and Mississippi is fighting the inevitable changes.

Race relations takes center stage in the novel. Ms. Stockett did an excellent job of treating the subject with careful respect by combining fact with fiction, pointing out injustices and the irony of it all without condemning either race. Really well done. My only disappointment - the Terrible Awful just wasn't enough of a price for Hilly to pay, evil woman. I shudder to think that people like her existed and likely still do.

Read this book...You will love it.

Final Take: 5/5

Terry McMillan versus Publishers of Ghetto Lit

There's been an email going around for the last couple of weeks in the African-American community that I have debated writing about. Mostly I've just been too busy to write, and I still in some ways feel like I should let this pass without saying anything, however….

Ok, some background – I have long felt that a lot of black authors sacrifice themselves, their integrity and just plain good writing at the altar of money. Lots of people call these books "ghetto lit", I call it just plain trash. I've been biding my time, waiting until I was able to review a few more of these books on the blog before I opined about this phenomenon, which to me seem to be getting worse and worse. Ms. McMillan's email is directed to three women in charge of publishing these books at Simon & Schuster (they are also her ex-husband's publishers) and for the most part I agree with her on just about all of the issues. My issue with this whole thing is quite simple – what took her so long to take this stand? Why now, not more than a week after her ex's book (a fictional tell-all) was released? Makes one wonder.

Lisa's Review: White Lines

Summary:
Jada left home at the age of sixteen, running from her own demons and the horrors of physical abuse inflicted by her mothers boyfriend. She partied hard, and life seemed good when she was with Born, the neighborhood kingpin whose name was synonymous with money, power, and respect. But all his love couldnt save her from a crack addiction. Jada goes from crack addict and prostitute to survivor and back again before she finds the strength to live for herself and come out on top. And her stormy romance with one of the fiercest hustlers on the streets makes White Lines one of the most unforgettable urban loves stories of the year.

Review:
From her highest highs, living the “good” life as the wife a drug lord, to her lowest lows, selling her body for drug money, reading Jada’s story often times left me dirty and pained. You can’t help but feel for her. Born lost his father to the same drug that ravages Jada and somehow begins supplying it to others. When Jada can’t resist temptation, he throws her out – hypocrite though you don't hate him too much for it – and they both have to lose and learn difficult lessons before they can find peace.

It took me a while to get through the first few chapters of this one. It begins slowly. It is tedious, exposition heavy, a little preachy and often repetitious. This one could have easily been a hundred pages shorter.

Ignoring all of that, once things got going, they got going. Some good books make you uncomfortable, truly uncomfortable by exposing hidden truths. White Lines does exactly that. Part love story but more of a gritty urban drama, Tracy Brown spins a tale that puts you in the middle of the crack epidemic that ravaged and still does New York City and countless other urban ghettos in the 80's and 90's. The narrative is so raw and real that I have no doubt that this story was born from experience. Despite the flaws, I enjoyed this one. I chuckled at the epilogue, which featured a hilarious wink and nod to a notorious radio DJ here in New York and I wanted a different pay-off for investing in the love story, but it's a real ending. I’d gladly take another trip with Ms. Brown, but it may a quite some time before I do so, because this was some tough stuff.

Final Take – 4/5

Also recommended – Sistah Souljah’s The Coldest Winter Ever

Lisa's Review: In Another Man's Bed

Summary:
When Justine walks in on her husband with another woman, she flees their cabin, promising a swift divorce. Andrew pursues her in his car, intending to get his wife back. But when his car goes over a cliff, hours later Justine is looking down at her comatose husband, wondering how it ever came to this. Now she is faced with a difficult choice about whether or not to pull the plug. And if she does, is it because of his cheating ways or because it’s the humane thing to do? Should she keep faith for his supportive mother that he’ll revive from his coma? Then, when an old flame resurfaces, will Justine follow her heart or her conscience? ~Book Description

Review:

This is a romance novel in the very basic and formulaic sense, so there were no surprises here. Although I found the coma plotline is a bit soap opera-ish, it presented an interesting moral dilemma. What would you do? Leave? Pull the plug? Decisions. Decisions. Francis Ray did an adequate job of portraying Justine’s confusion and pain, although she remained irritatingly passive throughout the entire ordeal. The secondary plotline featured a “tough cookie” lawyer and Justine's best friend, who resists the charms of a “good” man. When she finally starts to give in, she finds herself delicately off balance and at a loss for what to do next. Ultimately, this was fun and light and exactly what I needed to read at the time so I was entertained throughout and therefore more than willing to look past the ridiculously clichéd characters.

Final take – 3.25/5

Lisa's Review: In Sheep's Clothing

Summary
When Trudy lands a secretarial position at a travel agency, she feels like a new woman. And her warm, friendly personality soon wins her the adoration of her colleagues—with one exception. Ann Oliver is a high-level manager and the only other African American employee. She’s also an extravagant snob who despises the low-income black experience Trudy represents—especially when their white co-workers get the two of them confused. But Trudy keeps her cool. No one is going to ruin her new life. In fact, she’s found a way to make it even better. As the secretary who processes the agency’s bills, Trudy has easy access to company credit cards—including Ann’s.

At first, Trudy’s deception involves a few high-priced lunches—but it soon expands to include cash advances, a dramatic makeover, and weekend “business trips” to exotic locations. And when Ann suddenly resigns, Trudy’s spree goes to the next level. Now she’s leading a glamorous double-life—Ann’s life—complete with a secret apartment where she entertains the men she meets at upscale bars. But their worlds collide the night Trudy brings home the wrong man—one who has an angry score to settle. With Ann. Now, unless Trudy can convince him she’s not the woman he’s after, she may pay the highest price of all…

Review
Identity theft is a difficult subject for obvious reasons. Can you make your protagonist symphathetic enough for us to feel that their actions are justified? Can you make us dislike the antagonist enough, to feel that they are deserving of such treatment? I was interested to see how a story like this would work and where national best-selling author Mary Monroe, would take us in this her sixth novel.

If I had to use one word to describe this effort it would be "What?". It seemed to me that great effort was made to keep the main characters somewhat grey and likeable, instead they were underdeveloped and as a result, completely unsympathetic. I am still trying to figure out what compelling reasons the Trudy had for choosing to steal as she did. The death of her mom sixteen years earlier? Having a boss who acted like a boss and not a sistah girl friend? The antagonist (Ann), who was supposed to be an evil woman, was more a mystery than anything else and in my mind, was someone to be ignored, rather than seek revenge on. Freddie (Trudy's best friend and supposed voice of reason) was simply wishy-washy. The lesser parts the characters had to play, the more stereotypical they became.

Ms. Monroe's writing is plain and painfully convuluted and the story often took off in tangents that neither moved the story along nor provided any insight. The climax was pat and rushed and ultimately there were no lasting reprecussions and no redemption for Trudy.

There is so much lost potential here. The opportunity to go deeper and create a compelling tale was lost. I am truly disappointed and frustrated. This is undoubtedly my first and last Mary Monroe novel.

Final take: 2/5

Lisa's Review: The Savvy Sistahs

Summary
Amber, Carla and Brandy---known as the "ABCs"---are intelligent businesswomen who met in their business support group "The Savvy Sistahs Who Mean Business" and became the best of friends. They've bonded over lost loves, past hurts, and too many lonely nights. . . Amber Stuart escaped an abusive marriage and now finds peace running her small bookstore. But when a man passes out in her establishment, after eating one of her homemade cookies, she'll do anything to avoid a lawsuit, even if it means going into his home and nursing this fine brother back to health. What she doesn't know is that this brother is about to turn her life upside down; Raising a two-year-old son on her own and running the computer business she inherited from her father, Carla Osborne doesn't have time for anything else. Then she finds herself the object of a hostile takeover. And it turns out that she's fighting to save her company from the man she had a one-night stand with all those years ago---the man who happens to be her son's father; After a divorce settlement leaves her the sole owner of the St. Laurent Hotel, Brandy Bennett decides to manage her new business full-time. When she finds herself the object of a deranged stalker her family convinces her to bring in a security expert to help. Enter ex-FBI agent, Grey Masters---and with him a whole lot of drama. Life is dishing it out hard, but these ladies are determined to hold on to each other.

My Review
The Savvy Sistahs disappoints only in one respect. The books title led me to believe that it would be a story of friendship so I was expecting a deeper exploration of the bonds of female friendship, but this was not so. That theme in my opinion was only covered in passing. The story focuses more on each character's journey to finding and believing in love again. The novel is fairly predictable, but still compelling. Brandy gets the juciest and most satisfying storyline of the three main characters, so she emerges (unwittingly, I believe) as the main character and the other two characters and stories suffer a bit for that. The writing can be a bit clunky at times and there are sections that are overly sacchrine. Otherwise, Ms. Jackson delivers a solid romance, make that three solid romances, for the price of one. It has everything, drama, intrigue and sex. So very much sex (I don't want to use the S word or anything, but I really don't know 'bout that Brandy). Best of all, nary a gratitous designer reference anywhere! It's good enough for me to not point out that halfway through, a threatening letter that was typewritten, automatically becomes hand-written. I'm just sayin'.

Final Take - 3.5/5

Lisa's Review: She Creeps

So first up for me is She Creeps, by Alex Hairston.

Summary
You Live, You Love -- Naomi Gaffney was only eight-years-old the day they found her Momma's body -- and a part of her died too. Then the police took her daddy away. It wasn't enough that he was already one of the most hated men in Eden, North Carolina. Now he was also labeled a murderer. Twenty-one years later, Naomi's father remains in jail, and she's still not sure if he's guilty of a crime of passion, or if he's simply an innocent victim of southern justice. In fact, there isn't much Naomi is sure about these days...

And If You're Smart, You Learn... & Raised by a cruel aunt, Naomi married young to escape her bitter household. But all she got was more heartache with her controlling husband. She knows she's too smart and pretty to waste away in a dead small town. Naomi yearns to feel alive once again. Her childhood taught her that adultery can be deadly, but when a handsome young man offers her everything she craves, Naomi finds that some lessons are more easily learned than others...

My Review

Sounds and looks interesting doesn't it? Well ...I've been told that if you can't say something nice say nothing at all... Well I can say something nice.

Nice Thing:
The climax of the book was unexpected.

Not-so-nice Things:

This is a just a tedious book, it took me 10 days to read it. It does not take me 10 days to read 300 pages. The dialogue was drawn out and oftentimes unnecessary. The majority of it was filler, meaningless exposition. The characters are stereotypically ignorant and speak that way. They were not well developed. I did not believe them. I spent half my time staring out of the window on the train or rolling my eyes at a passage. Some of the scenarios were extremely unrealistic. This was neither character driven, nor plot-driven and ultimately I found myself wishing for my money and my time back. The only reason, I didn't put this down because I always try to finish what I start. Only once or twice have I ever stopped reading a book. I suspect Mr. Hairston can do better as this is his third book. This, however, was not a good showing and unless I get an absolutely fantastic recommendation next time, I will think long and hard about purchasing another of his books.

Final Take - 1.5/5