Thank you to The New Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Indie Bookstore.

A mix of political science, history, editorial and creative nonfiction, "Let's Talk About Your Wall" is an interesting collection that focuses on the Mexican-American border wall from the Mexican and Mexican American perspective. The essays are thought provoking, emotive and scathing in their collective disapproval of the wall as well as eye-opening on the impact of the wall in ways big and small. For example, one essay might focus on the Honduran ghettos in Mexico created by the caravan while others talk more broadly about the concept of rape in the history between the United States and Mexico. While I greatly appreciated reading this collection, one of the things that makes discussing migration so difficult is that the situation is constantly evolving. No longer has the author's pen dried on the page and a new policy has popped up. It would be interesting to see a follow up to this piece now after COVID19 pandemic as well as the news report on forced sterilizations in the Georgia ICE Detention facility.

Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Nov 2nd 2021

It is impossible to think of contemporary Hinduism and not know about gurus. Yet how are gurus created? What is the faith that holds us together? S J Sindu's Blue Skinned Gods aims to examine Hinduism from the unique perspective of Kalki Sami, a 10 year old who believes he is the next incarnation of Rama. Leading a sheltered life in his ashram, Kalki's faith is tested as he starts to perform his three great trials, leading to the fulfillment of his prophecy. Straying from the watchful eye of his Ayya, Kalki begins to question his faith as he makes friends with others visiting the ashram.

Ultimately, Kalki must answer the question we all face - just what is the meaning of it all? And how do we hold onto faith when all else is doubtful? Throughout the story, Sindu questions Hinduism's limits on sexuality, gender and caste. A really interesting and addictive read!

Thank you to Astra House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available October 26th

Coasting in a surreal landscape, Melissa Lozada-Oliva's collection "Dreaming of You" tackles everything from relationships to family and identity, with a strong dose of Selena Quintanilla. Much like the beloved songs, these poems are timeless and memorable.

Thank you to Thread Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy! Available April 2022 Tender and precocious, Sharon Jo Maas's memoir describes her upbringing in tumultuous British Guyana in the early 70s. Led by two brilliant parents, Maas had a life of relative independence. The story unfolds in two parts - her early life in BG and her later adventures in England. Preoccupied with ideas of race, class and ponies, Maas paints an endearing coming of age memoir that captures the heart.

Thank you to Catapult, Counterpoint, Softskull and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available April 19th.

Isolation is a term most of us are very familiar with these days. We are told to isolate from our jobs, our elderly, our children, our vulnerable, our schools and institutions. We are told to go into lockdown and quarentines. Yet what do these words really mean?

The Lonely Stories captures the quintessential emotion of our current era, the longing ache, the ugliness, and, in some cases, the relief. Through short stories by masterful Storytellers, the collection shows us that maybe there is beauty and art in being alone, just as there is beauty in finding a community of loners. I throughly enjoyed reading this collection and will remember the stories for a while.

Thank you to Button Poetry and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Kyle Myhre's Not A Lot Of Reasons To Sing But Enough is a divine collection! Set in the distant future civilization, the book seeks to uncover what the truth of poetry is. Through elegies, sololiques, conversations, didactic sessions and more we uncover this world as filtered through Gyre, a robot, and Nary, his human companion. It is playful and challenges the boundaries of traditional poetry. I greatly enjoyed each and every poem, especially the Blessings. Highly recommend!

Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Aug 9th

I've been a huge fan of Kendra Allen ever since her debut poetry collection, the Collection Plate, last year. Fruit Punch follows similar themes of childhood, religion, family and identity. Effortlessly switching between prose and poetry, Allen takes us on a heartbreaking journey as a young Black girl finds her way to womanhood in an often cruel world. This is a tender, truly felt memoir.

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Available Nov 1st.

I had the incredible honor of hearing Franny Choi read a few of these poems last week as part of the Juniper Writing Insititute at UMass Amherst. The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On is poetry for our dystopian present, a little sexy, a lot sad, and a moderate amount of hope in community and each other. Choi has this incredible ability to capture exactly what lies at the heart of some very complex issues, such as the poem in ode to Grace, a Black girl imprisoned for not finishing her homework. She treats every subject with such care and dignity. It was an honor to hear her read and an honor to exist at the same time as such incredible writing.

Slim but effective, Valeria Luiselli's Tell Me How It Ends is a sharp incrimination of America's juvenile immigrant docket, a controversial policy that forces child asylum seekers to advocate for themselves or risk being deported. Working as a translator, Luiselli captures the sheer magnitude and insanity of this system. How can you, for example, ask a seven year old why they decided to come to America or how they had dealt with gang violence? As a mother, this book broke my heart. I don't know how to wrap my mind around the huge trauma and displacement that continues to take place today, the notorious gangs and border patrol, the immense threat of violence that seems to feed on the spector of Black and Brown children. These are just children, just children, just children who never had a chance of childhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

If you are a fan of Ziwe's incisive comedy and commentary, like I am, then you'll definitely want to read Black Friend. With snippets from Ziwe's iconic interviews, ruminations on her life and cultural phenomenon, and plenty of asides, this book has it all. In particular, I loved the levels of complex analysis Ziwe uses to look at the absurdity of American life, the ill-logic of racism, and the dire yet hilarious mishaps of the elite. Simply couldn't put it down!