Mr. McCane

First, the book cover sells itself. I need that photo hanging in my home.

We Refuse is the history book that I’ve been looking for. The American school system, they want us to think that the only black heroes are MLK and Rosa Parks. They teach us only about those two because of the nonviolent, peaceful protest approach. America makes us believe that Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Harriet Tubman, and the Black Pather Party are bad and the wrong way to go about justice. And what’s crazy is that many people believe this nonsense.

“Nonviolence never saved anyone.”

“There is no form of protest white supremacy will approve. Whether Black people take a knee or burn down the QuikTrip, the backlash will always be the same. Appeasing white power struggles will not work.”

Kellie Carter Jackson introduces us to many people who chose other ways to say no to white oppression. And no, I’m not only referring to fighting violence with violence.

I’ve learned more about my people’s history from this book, then all my years in the public school system. And there are so many women (who I’ve never heard of before) who were badass. This is a must-read for everyone.

The book has five sections. Revolution, protection, force, flight, and joy. All the sections were outstanding, but the joy one almost brought me to tears.

This book is full of sentences and paragraphs that you could quote. Here’s one:

“Nearly every African American could teach a master class in refusing the terms in our degradation.”

I can go on and on, but just read the book.

This book felt like sitting down with your grandmother while she discussed how she lived through everything. How she reclaimed her power. Now imagine if your grandmother were the iconic Cicely Tyson.

She talks with such grace and integrity that it feels like poetry. This memoir is a celebration of her life. She brings up friendships and relationships with legends such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Pryor, Miles Davis, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Viola Davis, Alex Haley, Coretta Scott King, James Earl Jones, Tyler Perry, and many more.

She shares her struggles, journey through Hollywood, relationships, racism, and some of her darkest secrets. This was a love letter to womanhood for black women. From pain to beauty. I really enjoyed it, and she made me sad, angry, smile, and laugh.

My favorite parts were when she discussed the behind the scenes of the TV series Roots, and her secrets for living a long life. I learned a lot from her. Rest in peace to this legend. She passed away in 2021 at 96.

I just couldn’t get over the pedophilia. It ruined the entire book for me. The only reasons why I didn’t DNF was because

1. It’s an Octavia E. Butler book. 2. It’s our November’s book club pick.

Going from Kindred to this was a major disappointment. I lost interest in the plot, the characters, everything. My worst read of 2025.

I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody. And man, I wasn’t ready for all this church drama. This book is a perfect example of how a nobody can convince a somebody not to tell everybody about anybody in his family. It’s also about why you can’t just follow just anybody. We always hear about how messy first families can be; well, here’s the proof. This book follows two women.

Priscilla, who is the first lady to Reverend Sabre. They have five boys together: Tre and Moshe (twins), Mack, Ivy, the youngest being Emanuel, also known as Wonderboy. Reverend Sabre and Wonderboy are two of the worst people. Priscilla, knowingly or unknowingly, is complicit in a lot of the hypocrisy that is following this family.

Then there is Diamond. Despite everything that she has going on, she is madly in love with Wonderboy.

This book is about how these two women have to go through the unthinkable with these men just to find freedom and peace.

I enjoyed every minute and laughed every time Priscilla spoke. It felt real and believable. This was 228 pages of messy church drama, and it was beautifully done. This is Addie E. Citchens' first novel, and, hell, I need to know if she knows people like this in real life.

This book is about how sacrificing your time, self-worth, and being 100 percent submissive to the wrong person can have dire consequences. It’s about a man who uses religion to justify all of his bullshit.

I enjoyed the cover artwork and can’t wait to see what’s next from her.

I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody. And man, I wasn’t ready for all this church drama. This book is a perfect example of how a nobody can convince a somebody not to tell everybody about anybody in his family. It’s also about why you can’t just follow just anybody. We always hear about how messy first families can be; well, here’s the proof. This book follows two women.

Priscilla, who is the first lady to Reverend Sabre. They have five boys together: Tre and Moshe (twins), Mack, Ivy, the youngest being Emanuel, also known as Wonderboy. Reverend Sabre and Wonderboy are two of the worst people. Priscilla, knowingly or unknowingly, is complicit in a lot of the hypocrisy that is following this family.

Then there is Diamond. Despite everything that she has going on, she is madly in love with Wonderboy.

This book is about how these two women have to go through the unthinkable with these men just to find freedom and peace.

I enjoyed every minute and laughed every time Priscilla spoke. It felt real and believable. This was 228 pages of messy church drama, and it was beautifully done. This is Addie E. Citchens' first novel, and, hell, I need to know if she knows people like this in real life.

This book is about how sacrificing your time, self-worth, and being 100 percent submissive to complicit to the wrong man can have dire consequences. It’s about a man who uses religion to justify all of his bullshit.

I enjoyed the cover artwork and can’t wait to see what’s next from her.

I’ve read quite a few books this year on writing nonfiction. With that being said, I didn’t learn anything new with this one. It was a little dated, but overall, solid book with solid tips.

I recommend starting with this book. It breaks down the differences between autobiography and memoir, what you should focus on before getting started, how to write them, and much more. It’s full of examples. The part I enjoyed the most is that he leaves a list of recommended memoirs at the end of the book.