Book Reviews – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell

A Black woman's hand holds up the Kindle cover of The Wildest Ride, depicting a very handsome Black cowboy, in front of a weathered white wooden fence.

(Rope a copy of this book for yourself here.) This rodeo romance is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy. Lil Sorrow(that’s her real name) is a former teen rodeo champ sidelined for years by sexism and family obligation. AJ Garza is a bull riding circuit superstar trying to take home one last prize pot before retiring to focusContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell”

[REVIEW] The Truth of the Aleke, by Moses Ose Utomi

The Kindle cover of The Truth of the Aleke, depicting four young Black people in traditional garb standing upside down beneath a clay fortress, takes up the entire screen.

(Buy this book here.) Somehow, this sequel to my favorite fantasy book of 2023 manages to be both entirely the same and completely different from its predecessor. Once again, a beautifully written story set in a Nigeria-inspired fantasy world revolves around a boy hero, although this time around instead of sweet teachable Tutu we haveContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Truth of the Aleke, by Moses Ose Utomi”

[Review] Snowglobe, by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort

A Black woman's hand holds up the icy Kindle cover of Snowglobe in front of a laptop background displaying a frozen mountain range.

(Buy this book here.) This was…cute. That’s not really what I was expecting when I cracked open this Korean YA novel that’s been billed, somewhat stereotypically, as The Hunger Games meet Squid Game. Really, it’s more like Snowpiercer meets Mean Girls meets The Parent Trap. Korean teen Chobahm lives in one of many tiny villagesContinue reading “[Review] Snowglobe, by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort”

[REVIEW] Man, F*ck This House, by Brian Asman

A Black woman's hand holds the Kindle cover of Man, Fuck This House, depicting a line drawing of a house on a black background, up in front of a rundown shed somewhere in the suburbs.

(Buy this book here.) Let me pause for a second while you all finish giggling the way I did when I first saw this title. Okay, done? Giggles out of your system? Then here are the basics: this is a very self-aware indie horror novella that plays with a lot of classic tropes, mainly theContinue reading “[REVIEW] Man, F*ck This House, by Brian Asman”

[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila

The paperback cover of A Fledgling Abiba, which depicts a person surrounded by geometric patterns, is held up by a Black woman's hand in front of a handmade upcycled mural displayed in Roslindale Substation.

(Buy this book here.) Sometimes a writer has to work really hard to take the reader into another world, crafting and creating wonder out of both imagination and the collective fantastic. Other times all a writer has to do is write what is familiar to them for an unfamiliar audience. I think this novella actuallyContinue reading “[REVIEW] A Fledgling Abiba, by Dilman Dila”

[REVIEW] Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder

In front of a half gallon and a gallon container of plant-based milk, the Kindle cover of Milk Fed is propped up. It depicts a dear God is that a nipple? I just realized that's an art deco nipple!

(Buy this book here.) Rachel is a non-religious queer Jewish woman in L.A. By day she works for a talent agency. By night, she’s a stand-up comedian. She dresses well, goes to therapy, is politically progressive, and is probably the coolest person a lot of her friends know–at least until you factor in her toxicContinue reading “[REVIEW] Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder”

[REVIEW] Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham

The Kindle cover of Lunar New Year Love Story, depicting a young Asian couple in front of a pinkwashed sunset sky, is propped up in front of a lily plant and surrounded by wooden hearts and wrapped chocolate hearts.

(Buy this book here.) Valentina Tran loves the holiday she’s named after. Every year she makes heart-decorated cards for all her classmates, and an extra special one for her dad, who’s still trying to cope years after his wife’s death. To the disgust of her realistic bestie Bernice, Val maintains a belief in romance soContinue reading “[REVIEW] Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham”

[REVIEW] The Mountain In The Sea, by Ray Nayler

The Kindle cover of The Mountain In the Sea, depicting a giant octopus floating in the ocean, is propped up on a cafe countertop, an empty mug behind it.

(Buy this book here.) Ha Nguyen is many things; a brilliant researcher who studies octopi, the best-selling author of a book on cephalopod thought, an orphan, and the latest addition to a small team assembled on a near-future Vietnamese island to study strange activity in the local tentacled sea life. The local octopodes, protected asContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Mountain In The Sea, by Ray Nayler”

[REVIEW] Worm, by Edel Rodriguez

The Kindle cover of Worm, depicting a small boy in a Communist Party hat and tie, all drawn in red and green and black. In the background the spine of the famous Che biography can be seen.

(Buy this book here.) If you haven’t heard the name Edel Rodriguez before, you’ve almost certainly seen his work. Think back to the bright orange cartoon of a melting Donald Trump on the cover of Time magazine in 2016, or subsequent images of the former president holding the severed head of Lady Liberty or drapedContinue reading “[REVIEW] Worm, by Edel Rodriguez”

[REVIEW] Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear, by Mosab Abu Toha

The Kindle cover of Things You May Find HIdden In My Ear, depicting a home viewed through a shrapnel hole blown in another home's wall, held up in front of trees at sunrise.

(Buy this book here.) On November 19th, 2023, the poet Mosab Abu Toha was detained by IDF forces while attempting to evacuate Gaza with his wife and children. 200 others were also taken. Two days later, after extensive news coverage and outcry in the international literary community, Abu Toha was released and immediately hospitalized forContinue reading “[REVIEW] Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear, by Mosab Abu Toha”