Several years ago, in 2016, after Philando Castile was murdered by police in St. Paul, Minnesota, I wrote an essay further inspired by Between the World and Me by Ta- Nehisi Coates. It was so raw, real, revealing too much of my gut that I opted not to put it here, out into the world. … Continue reading Living While Black – Even after the publication of Between the World and Me
anThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews I think I read somewhere that The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was considered a horror story. If I did - I'll check around for that reference - it's the most incorrect assessment of this story. Perhaps … Continue reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Goodreads began their yearly Reading Challenge yesterday and, as usual, I'm in. Last year, I surpassed my goal of 10. Not as much of a lofty number as I wanted to set, but with work, parenting, marriage, and writing my own stories, that to me was the best and safest number. So, this year, I'm … Continue reading My Reading Challenge for this year
Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem by Arthur Miller My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews The saddest thing one can do is to spend his or her life in a job that is completely counter to the makeup of his existence. Sometimes we may … Continue reading Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews This was a powerful, yet emotive story about Tony who thought, for over sixty years, he'd been going along in life pretty much without a care in the world. One day, one unexpected piece of mail forces … Continue reading The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
A keen and insightful story. Song of Solomon is about personal and familial acceptance. It spans the life of Macon "Milkman" Dead; actually from just moments prior to his birth. Those events somehow foreshadowed the unrest he would always feel and Morrison takes us with him through his journey of self-discovery. Seems that everyone told Milkman why he existed, … Continue reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews (originally published in my now-defunct blog, "Tonya Rice - Writer": 11/22/2011) After all this time, I finally got to one of Faulkner’s books. I thrive returning to the classics which seem to be wordy to many, but … Continue reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews I just love the way Faulkner uses his words. They give me the feeling of rolling down a hill and back up again, only to know you're going to roll down again, quickly. The momentum of his prose … Continue reading As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Wife: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews I must admit that at one point I figured out what had happened to piss off Joan Castleman, the narrator, enough for her to leave her award-winning novelist husband, Joe. It's what kept my nose in the book - … Continue reading The Wife: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer
Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary by Jasmine Guy My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews When I got to the last paragraph of this book, I wept. Even though I was moved many times by Afeni’s wisdom, I didn’t expect my own tears. Just as Jasmine Guy, who wrote this with … Continue reading Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary by Jasmine Guy
