Nicholas McCane

Earlier this year I read Buck, by the same author. That book was a masterpiece, but it left me with a few questions. The book, Buck, was about a teenager named Malo, whose older brother (Uzi) went to the penitentiary. His dad ended up leaving, and his mother went through severe depression. I was so glad to hear that the author followed it up with “Nephew”.

This book contains a series of letters from Malo to his brother’s 18-year-old son Nasir, who was shot nine times and lay unconscious in a hospital.

This book has the same premise as “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin and “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I gave both five stars.

This was a good read, but I had one issue with it. Sometimes it wasn’t clear who the author was talking to. It was supposed to be addressed to Nasir, but it felt like he was talking to the reader. There were a lot of memorable parts, but some felt regurgitated from Buck.

I'll leave you with a quote.

“It isn’t actually Mississippi; it’s America. There’s no Mason-Dixon Line—it’s America. There’s no such thing as the South—it’s America.”

I’m no stranger to D. Watkins. “Black Boy Smile” was the book that got me back into reading. I gave it five stars. I also read “The Cook UP” which I gave three and a half stars.

This one started out really well. He talked about bad things that affect black people in their everyday lives. How alcohol is bad for them, how men degrade women (outstanding chapter), how rap music poisons the minds of children, the corrupt school system, and bad food options (food deserts).

But then somewhere in the middle, he goes on this wild rant about how all police are bad, especially the black ones. He has a chapter titled “Black Cop Down”. I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I understand his pain; I've been there. It’s the reason I decided not to be a doctor, and chose law enforcement instead. The neighborhood needs to see people who are from there and who look/think like them. And who can stop, de-escalate, report, terminate, and/or arrest racist cops. And again, I’ve been there too.

In order to make a change, we need black police officers. And it’s hard out here for us. We catch hell from all sides. Yes, there are corrupt officers, racist officers, and terrible black officers too, but this is not the majority. But as an author, it’s his responsibility to research and tell the entire story. We are out here fighting the fight too.

I love this author’s street-level storytelling. It’s what I enjoy most about his writing. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the book.

“Even though I was born in America, and my ancestors built its infrastructure for free, I’m not a part of the “Our” when they sing, “Our flag was still there!”… I feel like the “our” doesn’t include blacks, most women, gays, trans, and poor people of all colors.”

Wow, Take my Hand sheds light on forced sterilization in America. Medical racism. The main character is Civil, who is a nurse. We follow her as she forms a relationship with two young sisters who have just experienced the unthinkable. True events inspired the book. What happens when two sisters and a nurse take on the government?

This is one of those books that will stay with you. It made me angry, sad, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

“Their bodies were not theirs to give, yet they were taken anyway.”

“History isn’t as far away as we want to believe.”

This was an absolute masterpiece. To prepare for James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although you don’t have to read either, I strongly recommend reading Huck Finn first.

I really enjoyed reading Huck Finn through the eyes of Jim (James). Percival Everett gave Jim the voice he deserves. This was more than a retelling. All my emotions paid me a visit reading this one, and there was a twist that I never saw coming. Because of the hype, this book sat on my bookshelf for a very long time. I just knew it had to be over-hyped. But no, I agree with this being 2024’s book of the year and with the author winning the Pulitzer. The writing was excellent, and the pacing was smooth. The readers needed this book. As expected, there are some heavy scenes. But overall, I highly recommend it.

The only thing I had an issue with was how fast Huck turned anti-slavery. I say that because he was off the chain in the original.

To prepare for reading James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and now The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book was first published in 1884. The book follows Huck as he runs away from his abusive father. He travels with Jim (James) who is a runaway slave. They both encounter a series of incidents as they travel along the Mississippi River. This story is heavy on racism and slavery. They both wanted freedom, which looks completely different for the both of them.

I have avoided this book my entire life, and wouldn’t have read it if I hadn’t wanted to read James so badly. The constant use of the n-word was a bit much, though I expected it. Overall, the story was just okay. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Yes, it captured the time, and yes, it did what it was supposed to do. But it just felt like another American classic that catered to white children. Can’t wait to see what Percival Everett has added to this.

Overall, it was a decent read, but I was so glad when it was finally over. A memoir or autobiography shouldn’t make you like someone less, but it did here. I always liked Will as a TV and movie star, but he appeared extremely arrogant in this one. He repeatedly reminded us of how famous he is. He kept saying, “I’m the biggest movie star in the world”. And I cringed every time he said it.

I also didn’t like the way he treated women (especially his wives), his family, or his fans. And I think he wanted the reader to sympathize with him. The book was enjoyable, but I think it was too early for him to write a book. Seems like he needs a little more self-reflection. I think he was really being honest, but this was too soon. I used to think Jada was the problem, but no, she’s the victim. By the end, I was exhausted. Sorry, Will, but I couldn’t get jiggy with this.

At least once a month, a try to read a memoir. It’s my favorite genre. This is by far the best one I’ve read in 2025. Her story is raw and heartbreaking. I couple read this one with my chapter mate and page partner (my wife). We listened to the audiobook while we read along with physical copies.

This book will grab you from the first paragraph. It’s raw, honest, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and inspirational. We follow Viola Davis’ life from her impoverished childhood to her rise as an award-winning actress. The writing was amazing, and she narrated the audiobook, giving it the cherry on top. This book was incredible. I’ve always been a fan, but I now have an insane amount of respect for her. Check your triggers for this one, please.

Quote: “I owned every single piece of my story. And the moment I claimed it, I was free.”

I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called the Back of the Yards (the streets call my neighborhood Moe-Town). It’s right next to Englewood. I was born in 1980. I grew up during the crack epidemic in a neighborhood run by the notorious Almighty Black Peace Stone Rangers. Since drugs, gangs, and crooked police surrounded me, I spent my time dodging bullets and handcuffs.

I had no time to focus on politics, and why Chicago was this way. I just wanted desperately to survive and get out. Author Natalie Y. Moore is a Chicago native (and lifelong south sider) who has written several books about this. Payback (Southside Collection), The South Side, and The Almighty Black P. Stone Nation are a few.

In this book, she gives us the rundown of Chicago. It is told as a blend of memoir and investigative journalism. She talks about the Al Capone days, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, food deserts, poverty, racism, politics, projects, stereotypes, and the beloved Mayor Harold Washington. I read the physical copy as a listened to the audiobook.

I felt like she was talking to me, giving me knowledge that I had always wanted to know. I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to read her other works.

In my preparation for the book “James” by Percival Everett, I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I will also read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I get started. I understand it’s not needed, but I decided to anyway.

This book was published in 1876, but its setting is in 1845. It’s about a young boy full of imagination, mischief, and the thrill of adventure. I enjoyed the way he outsmarted other kids and how he fell in love with Becky Thatcher. The book made me laugh and also frustrated me, but overall, it was okay.

This book mostly sets up Tom and Huck’s characters. Jim (James) has a very minor role in this one. Up next is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Lehane takes us back to 1974, where there was a ruling by the district court to desegregate the city public high schools. Roxbury High School was a black school, and South Boston High School was mostly white. Half of the white kids would have to take the bus to Roxbury and vice verse. They had 90 days to prepare.

The book mostly takes place in South Boston. An Irish-American neighborhood that they refer to as Southie. The Irish mob runs this place. About half of the people there are racist as hell, and the other half are poor and just didn’t want to bus their kids to Roxbury. Either way, it was a very dangerous place for an African American.

In the middle of all this tension, someone murders a black male in South Boston (Augustus “Augie” Williamson). We, the reader, follow Mary Pat Fennessy, who is a foul mouth, chain-smoking, alcoholic, racist, single mother of a 17-year-old (Jules). One day, her racist daughter Jules is hanging out with her racist friends, and she comes up missing on the same day of Augie’s murder. So now we (the reader) have to go along with the racist mom as she does whatever to find her racist daughter.

This book has taught me something about myself. I’ve never disliked a character as much as this one. There were plenty of times that I wanted to DNF this. I hung in there because history is history. I love how the author kept Mary Pat's character real. This is an actual place with real people like this. However, I found it hard to root for a person who wouldn’t piss on me if I were on fire. Also, some scenes at the end didn’t seem realistic, but were still entertaining. There was a lot of hatred and racial tension in this book. I can’t count how many times the n-word with the hard R was said. I’m putting my personal feelings to the side and grading this book based on the writing. Four stars, but would not recommend.

No spoilers

This is some of the best storytelling I’ve ever experienced. It grabbed my attention immediately. The author developed the characters very well. Every single one of them had something that they were dealing with. And when shit hit the fan, they had to make emotionally tough decisions based on their individual circumstances. Because the author gives us a great foundation, readers also become invested. Very well done.

This is more than a book about slavery and vampires. It is about people who seized an opportunity for revenge. You know this book is saying something when vampires aren’t the worst monsters around.

This is a historical fiction horror that takes you to the 1700s. Markus Redmond doesn’t hold back. We get a peek at some horrors many of our ancestors had to endure. It’s raw, so check your triggers.

This is the vampire book I didn’t know I needed. I spent half of the year bragging about “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones (which was a great read also), but this one is slightly better. And included Native Americans. It receives a perfect score.

I buddy read this with my wife. We both loved it and couldn’t put it down.

I put this book in the same category as Ring shout (P. Djeli Clark), The Reformatory (Tananarive Due), and The Ballard of Black Tom (Victor LaValle).

This was a breath of fresh air. A fast-paced original story by an indie author. This book is funny and kept me laughing throughout. It’s perfect for someone like me, who may need a break from depressing heavy reads. It sucks you in from the beginning and never lets go.

This book is about scientists who accidentally brought God to Earth. When all hell breaks loose, Alex (a middle school science teacher) and friends have to figure out a way to bring back peace on Earth.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of the audiobook, and it did not disappoint. Sasha DeVore (the author) is the narrator. She has the perfect voice for this, and it fits her characters very well. This book belongs in the same category as Project Hail Mary. It has a science theme, a funny main character, and an outstanding narrator. I highly recommend this book. Did I mention that she’s an indie author?

This book is about a Chinese family that illegally enters the United States. The story is told in 1st person from the eyes of 7-year-old Qian Wang. Both of her parents were professors in China. They moved to New York expecting America to be this wonderful place. However, the family experiences racism, poverty, and discrimination.

There were things I enjoyed about the book. But to be honest, this experience is typical for many minorities in this country, not just immigrants. I guess the only difference is, minorities born in America are not scared of being deported (or are they🤔).

I kept waiting on something unique to happen, but it didn’t. I did relate to one scene that got me in my feelings. I’m glad I read the book, but I won’t be recommending it to others.

This is a powerful historical fiction based on an actual reform school in Florida. This takes place during the 1960s. In the book, the school is called the Nickel Academy. The actual name was the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.

Elwood Curtis, a black teen, was unjustly sent to the Nickel Academy. While there, he meets another black teen named Turner. Many horrible things occur there, which forces them to act like men.

Knowing that some of these things actually occurred is awful. However, it was hard for me to connect with the characters. I read this immediately after The Reformatory (which was probably a mistake). The Reformatory was a masterpiece. The Nickle Boys is a great story, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel like I was there with them.

This is not only my first Sarah Pinborough book, but it’s also the first book that was extremely close to a DNF but redeemed itself. The book is about a married couple who move into a large home. The wife is recovering from a serious injury and is now suffering from post-sepsis. Because of this, she is prone to hallucinations. The wife hears and sees things in the home, but her husband doesn’t seem to notice anything wrong. Her sepsis leads her to question whether the house is haunted.

Things I didn’t enjoy:

1. The first 50% of this book is very slow.

2. I didn’t enjoy any of the characters. Both of the main characters were toxic and selfish. I didn’t even like the side characters.

I almost didn’t finish, but a friend urged me to continue.

Things I enjoyed:

1. The second half of the book was great.

2. It had a great ending, which brought the entire book together. Very well done.

The ending took my rating from 2 stars to 3.75. I couldn’t put it down towards the end.

This book is about a 17-year-old girl named Enchanted, who has a passion for singing. She meets a 28-year-old predatory R&B star named Korey Fields. He grooms and manipulates her. She quickly finds herself trapped in an abusive, controlling relationship. After Korey turns up dead, all eyes are on Enchanted.

This book is raw, and Tiffany D. Jackson doesn’t hold back. This story is beautifully told. It’s YA fiction, but it has a lot of triggers. This book mentions sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction to opioids.

This book sheds light on how some men prey on teenage girls. The book also highlights how blame often falls on the victims, not the guilty men, who are fully aware of their actions. This book will remind you of people like R. Kelly and P. Diddy.

Things I loved:

1. Reads like a murder mystery and kept me wanting more.

2. The author never babies the reader. She kept it raw, honest, and real. Dealing with topics like grooming, abuse, and power.

3. I loved that the victim was a young black girl. Don’t see them as much in YA thrillers.

Things I didn’t like:

1. All police are dumb and/or lazy troupe. I’ve worked crimes against children for over 16 years. While you may have some detectives/investigators who victim blame, this is not the majority.

2. It was hard picturing the victim as a 17-year-old, because she acted more like she was 13 or 14.

I’m giving this book 4 1/2 stars. Highly recommend it. All older teens should read this.

I have never been so immersed in a book. I went through every emotion I can think of right now. This is the best writing I’ve seen so far. I felt as if I were there. The book transported me to Florida during the Jim Crow South. I could picture everyone and every setting. It was amazing!

This was my first book by this author, but I will read much more of her work. This book was a masterpiece.

It’s a shame it sat on my bookshelf for so long. Perfect score!

Chicago Police Department Commander Jon Burge’s state-sanctioned “interrogation” ring that operated within the department for decades brutalized more than one hundred African Americans. This is a collection of five true stories about racism and reform, crime and corruption, justice and injustice in Chicago.

This is a 35 page short story written by Natalie Y. Moore. The whole time I was reading this, I had flashbacks. I was born and raised here. And I will never forget. I remember how they beat us and harassed us. How they would stop me for no reason and illegally search me. This would occur about three times a day. I will never forget how many times they arrested me for nothing. For walking to the store with my brothers to get groceries. They would tell us that three or more in a group was mob action. They charged me with ridiculous offenses like huffing paint, gang loitering, and or course mob action. I remember how they would put me in the back of a police car and take me to an empty field. They made me sit in the car and watch a bunch of them form a circle around someone and beat whoever was in the middle of it. And how they would tell me I was next. I had to be no older than 11 or 12. I remember in 1995 when they snatched one of my 15-year-old friends (who had done nothing wrong). They charged him with R*** and mur***. They gave him a 40-year sentence. After 17 years inside, DNA proved they had the wrong guy. I have many stories and still carry many scars, physically and mentally. I even remember when they tried to say I r***ed a white woman. But thank God she told the truth and said it wasn’t me. As you can see, this book was very triggering. I’m so glad I read it and will read any and everything I can find by this author.

This is a modern day (2014) retelling of Steven King’s Carrie. A biracial girl, Maddie Washington, lives with her racist father. Because of his racism, he wants her to be perceived as white. This takes place in a fictional sundown town of Springville, Georgia. Once she’s outed as black, all hell breaks loose.

The book summary doesn’t do the book justice. The incredible writing hooked me from the first chapter. I loved this book. It’s a great YA horror.

The audiobook brought the podcast segments of the book to life. Can’t recommend it enough. This is the third book I’ve read by Tiffany D. Jackson. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

No Spoilers

The book is about a 24-year-old female named Nic who is not doing so well in life. She lives alone in a dinky apartment and works at a dead-end job she’s been at since high school. She has also just gotten arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Everyone has felt sorry for her ever since her older sister (Kasey) disappeared without a trace.

On the night Kasey went missing, her vehicle was discovered over a hundred miles from home. The only clue to her disappearance is another female named Jules. She disappeared from the same area in the same way two weeks earlier. With very little evidence to go on, the case went cold.

One day, Jules’ sister (Jenna) finds Kasey’s sister (Nic). They team up to find their missing sisters.

This is my first book by Ashely Flowers, and I really enjoyed it. I finished it in one sitting. Every time I thought I had this mystery solved, the twist kept on twisting. I loved the pacing. It was a fun read and I recommend it. Those last few chapters were insane.

My only issue was that there were a few subplots that were only put in there, so you couldn’t predict the ending. And although nothing is wrong with that, the subplots remained unresolved.

This book is about a 12-year-old girl named Felicia (FeFe) Stevens and her three friends Stacia, Precious, and the new friend Tonya. Most of this book takes place in Chicago during the summer of 1999, but will later show how she ended up. The location being the notorious Robert Taylor projects just before their demolition. The book shows how each girl’s summer differed completely from one another. This book is raw. The Author Toya Wolfe doesn’t hold back giving you front row seats into these drug and gang infested buildings. This should be a gut punch to city officials.

My mother grew up in these projects, and I was born and raised about a mile west of them. The 1990s were the most violent decade in Chicago. I have terrible memories of this place, and Chicago as a whole. The author brought me back. I grew up on these streets. I had to take breaks while reading just to reflect.

What I liked most is that it was from a female’s POV. I was one of those troubled youths that played in the streets. It was extremely violent for little boys. I never even thought about what it must have been like for girls. This was an outstanding read!

I listened to the audio as I read the physical copy. The narrator Shayna Small did an amazing job, except for one word. She repeatedly mispronounced the word “DuSable” in DuSable High School.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. And I love R.F. Kuang. The writing was remarkable. You can tell that she worked her ass off on this one. If you’re a fan of dark academia, historical fantasy, and want to see what happens when language and power tongue kiss, this one is for you. It will definitely make you think critically about language and privilege. The setting is Oxford during the 1830s.

I have two issues:

I’ve gotten used to her books being a little extra long; however, it felt like this one would never end. The first 300 pages felt like a lecture, but then it picked up. This is a beautiful story, but not an easy read.

There was a lot of over-explaining or telling. I wish she had let the characters develop themselves instead of telling us everything.

Here’s a quote: “Translation is always an act of betrayal.”

Oh yeah, middle fingers to Letty (Babel) and Nezha (The Poppy War series) I haven’t forgotten about you lol.

Non-Spoiler section: All of this part is in the summary (Spoiler section after this).

8-year-old Bela loves her family. It’s her, her mom, dad, and grandma. Oh yeah, I forgot, there’s also “Other Mommy”. Other Mommy is a monster who constantly asks Bela, “Can I go inside your heart”. At some point, Bela understands unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy really needs an answer.

Incidents Around the House is not the best title for this book. This title should have been “Incidents around Bela’s ass” lol. Because the monster went wherever she went. This was a great read, and I enjoyed it. It’s a chilling, slow-burn horror. If you enjoy psychological horror, haunted house stories, and creepy AF, you may enjoy this.

I listened to the audiobook as I read along with the physical copy. Loved the audio!

Spoiler section: Stop here if you haven’t read the book.

Here are a few things I liked and disliked.

I love that “Other Mommy” was visible to everyone, and not just contained within the house.

I’m used to the troupe of the cheating drunk husband/father and the nearly perfect wife/mother. In this one, the wife is the horrible mother and wife. I don’t care for the trope, but it was good to give the men a break.

There were a couple of scary scenes that were very creepy and well written. And I soaked it up like a sponge. It is literally the reason I read this genre.

Things I didn’t like so much.

I predicted the twists early on.

They didn’t explain Other Mommy well. We learned nothing by the end of the book.

Mom was super annoying.

Didn’t like how both parents would get drunk, sit next to their daughter while she slept, then talk about adult stuff.

The ending was just okay for me. I believe grandma became “Other Mommy” earlier than the book led on at the end.

I will never understand how an entire race can come together to exterminate another. However, I can understand how people become monsters when they listen to hate. This is a powerful memoir of a hotel manager who saved over 1,200 Tutsi refugees during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Paul Rusesabagina does not write this memoir as a savior of hero, but as an ordinary person. This book is heartbreaking, and it shows how the world turned its back on Rwanda. This is the book that inspired the movie, “Hotel Rwanda”.

Wow! Wow! Wow! 😢 If you thought the Netflix movie was raw, the book caught the STD. It’s 142 pages of humans at their worst. No spoilers. Everything I’m about to say is in the narrative. After witnessing his father’s murder, a 12-year-old boy (Agu) is recruited into a guerrilla unit as civil war engulfs his country. Boy soldiers make up the unit. The book never specifies which part of Africa, but it really doesn’t matter since you’re in the head of this child. If I had to guess, I would say Nigeria. A guy that goes by the title “Commandant” leads the guerrilla unit, and the book is about Agu losing his innocence. There are many raw and hard to read scenes. I loved that the author wrote the book in Pidgin English. It felt realistic. I recommend reading along with the audiobook. I found the narrator’s voice perfect. Warning: There are a lot of scenes that may trigger you. This book was disturbing, jaw-dropping, and eye opening. If I could compare it to anything, I would say Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane.

Next up: A long way gone by Ishmael Beah and An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina.