Bad Americans Part II

Bad Americans Part II by Tejas Desai

Reviewed by Christine Kinori

What if, during a global lockdown, a reclusive billionaire invites 12 people to a luxurious Hamptons mansion for an elite dating app competition? Better yet, they cut off the Internet and force the group to share stories every night to survive the social isolation. Well, that is the premise of Bad Americans: Part II.  Purchase Here.

The book is basically the literary equivalent of a reality TV reunion show, if a mastermind of psychological satire and dark humor directed it. While Book I was a critically acclaimed slow burn, Book II amps up the psychological tension until everything comes to a head in the climactic finale.

The book plays out like a modern, hyper-realistic Decameron. During the day, it is all about flirting, gossiping, and dining while actively plotting your arch-nemesis’ takedown. However, the real tea is served at night when the storytelling begins. Each tale acts as a catalyst, sparking fiery arguments, massive debates, and shifts in people’s perspectives on many issues.

What I love about this sequel is that Desai remains unapologetic and true to himself as a writer. His experimentation with style is clear in this book. He doesn’t stick to one prose style. In one chapter, he uses neurotic noir to highlight the frantic, hilarious romantic comedy that some of the characters are experiencing.

In another chapter, he uses Sylvania’s unfiltered nature to deliver a brilliantly sharp, satirical look at identity and transformation that leaves you laughing while also making you truly contemplate these issues.

The highlight has to be the “Dope Double Ditty” chapter featuring a rap challenge battle. It is the absolute crown jewel of stylistic fun, as Angela and Darnell use rhythm to tackle heavy topics like community friction and structural racism without ever losing their entertainment value.

It is impossible to discuss this book without mentioning the realistic dialogue. Desai outdoes himself in how well he makes all these 12 characters seem as authentic as possible. He perfectly channels real-world observations of urban tension, micro aggressions, cultural pride, and linguistic rhythms straight into the characters.

Thanks to this unique style, the conversation and intense debate between the characters feel like real, messy human discourse. For a second, it takes us back to those family dinners that feel like a minefield, as everyone has different perspectives on life and experiences.

In this sequel, Desai completes the narrative arc, which mirrors the entire 2020 pandemic lockdown experience. Together, the two books form a singular “masterpiece” of social commentary. Unsurprisingly, this second book is unflinching and unforgiving in how it magnifies the underlying fractures of modern America.

In its essence, Part II is a riveting masterclass in the psychological toll of social isolation. The book unmasks how pandemic-driven social claustrophobia changes how we interact with each other.

As a reader, it was fascinating to watch the dynamics between the characters shift during dinners. The dinner debates play out like an ideological boxing ring where one statement can deliver a knockout punch.

The book perfectly captures the political and social polarization we are currently witnessing in our society. It truly proves that some of these deep ideological divides aren’t just internet talk.

In his own style, Desai uses these characters to expose America’s fractured identity. The book effortlessly exposes the emotional and psychological toll of the immigrant experience.

Simultaneously, it directly confronts structural inequalities, racial tensions, and class barriers many Americans currently face.

Bad Americans: Part II feels like a deliberate channel for literary voyeurism. Through its reality-TV surveillance structure and the confessional nature of the stories, readers feel like flies on the wall, prying into private human chaos.

The book exposes all the human vulnerabilities, flaws, and the disintegrating social and moral decorum that people normally try to hide from the public eye. Ultimately, Desai uses this voyeuristic format not just to entertain us, but to call us out.

Overall, we can’t help but praise Tejas Desai’s mastery. It takes mad skills to write a high-concept book that is deeply intellectual, fiercely critical of modern American subcultures, and yet consistently, wildly entertaining from start to finish.

Once again, Desai proves that he is a literary chameleon who uses dark humor and sharp satire to push the envelope and provoke readers to confront uncomfortable societal mirrors.

 

 

 

What Will I Do with My Love Today

What Will I Do with My Love Today by Kristin Chenoweth

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

What Will I Do with My Love Today? is a picture book about kindness, family, and love. The author gives examples of how a young child could show love to animals and family.  Maine Diaz’s illustrations are full of color, making each page feel welcoming and easy for young children to connect with.  Purchase Here.

The book shows us that it is not only important to feel love but also to show love.  The book accomplishes this goal by providing ways kindness plays a part in showing love.

Another important theme is adoption. Chenoweth, who was adopted herself, shares this part of Kristi Dawn’s journey in a way that feels honest and hopeful. Family here is about love and caring, not just biology. Knowing that Chenoweth’s own experience with adoption and her rescue dog, Thunder, inspired the book makes it feel even more heartfelt.  The rhymes make the story fun to read aloud and help keep young children interested. The colorful illustrations by Maine Diaz add to the story’s cheerful feel and make the characters and their experiences easy for children to connect with.

What Will I Do with My Love Today? encourages kindness.   It encourages kids to think about how they can show love in their everyday lives, not just say the words. The message is simple, positive, and easy for both children and adults to take to heart. After reading, you might find yourself thinking about all the little ways you can share your love, too.

To All the Men I've Killed Before

To All the Men I’ve Killed Before by Katy Brent

Reviewed by Ephantus Gold

“We’re here for revenge. And the revenge I have in mind isn’t going to be sweet. It will be brutal.”

This phrase in “To All the Men I’ve Killed Before” by Katy Brent, introduces the reader to a story heavily driven by the desire for retribution, by characters who do not forgive easily – in fact, who do not forgive at all. The phrase further primes the reader for a journey that will keep them on the edge, turning pages, while remaining conflicted about the character’s central morals.  Purchase Here.

Kitty Collins, a thirty-year-old serial killer who kills only the “worst men who absolutely deserve it,” and her twenty-year-old half-sister Antoinette, arrive in Los Angeles to find and kill Aidan Ward, a British therapist who beat Kitty’s friend Tor almost to death, before fleeing to LA. Tor barely survived and was left with a swollen face, a closed eye underneath a couple of bruises, and a lingering trauma that makes her unable to sleep. But as Kitty and Antoinette settle in and search online for Aidan, Antoinette comes across information regarding a serial killer right at the heart of Los Angeles who is brutally murdering women who are found sexualizing themselves, women who, according to Kitty, are only exercising agency over their own bodies. Antoinette wants Kitty to hunt down the Los Angeles serial killer as well, especially because the police have not so far acknowledged his presence, even as the number of those slain continues to rise.

The story also captures the interruption of the sisters’ evening meal at a restaurant in West Hollywood by an A-lister movie star who wants them to join him for a “little party” in his room that night. Kitty recognizes him, remembering that several women have previously sued him for sexual misconduct, although the cases were dropped for lack of evidence. After dismissing him, Antoinette hisses across the table that they should kill him, too. But Kitty doesn’t realize the weight of Antoinette’s words until the following day, when she finds her resting her feet on the dismembered naked torso of a man right there at the center of their room.

This story involves two protagonists whose discovery that they share a parent felt, to me as the reader, like a nuclear bomb of a plot point. This was made worse, especially by my discovery that one of them had committed an unforgivable act against the other’s family, raising the question in me of whether she was justified or merely monstrous.  Kitty – the main protagonist’s repetition that she had killed a lot of people, most especially primed me for a journey that initially felt wrong, but gradually emerged as more complicated than I thought, a journey that made me question what I thought about right and wrong. But what made the story deeply engaging was the half-sister’s involvement as Kitty’s “an assassin-admin assistant.” Her entrance pointed to a coordinated, systematic operation that was ideologically driven by individuals who saw themselves as avengers for women wronged by men.

Brent used humor that made the dark violence not just palatable, but engaging and almost enjoyable. For instance, she told of a jaw that hung out like a scream mask, a massacred movie star who looked like a sad, aging pirate – specifically like Captain Hook but in need of a midlife health check, and a lip-less, dead individual who the main protagonist thought was looking at her. This humor allowed me to break the tension, made the protagonists more relatable, and, at times, made me question my moral responses. “To All the Men I’ve Killed Before” by Katy Brent is a book I would recommend to readers who enjoy dark, morally complex thrillers served with a side of sarcasm and humor, as well as to readers who enjoy books about complex family dynamics. Kitty and Antoinette are exactly the kind of characters these readers will enjoy, even though they know they probably shouldn’t.

 

 

Looked Down Upon

Looked Down Upon: The Exiled Kin by Jordan Lopez

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“Looked Down Upon: The Exiled Kin” by Jordan Lopez follows sixteen-year-old Lucas “Luke” Ramirez, who lives in an old, small cottage at the heart of Blackroot town, Tennessee, together with his thirty-seven-year-old mother, who is a nurse, and his seventy-two-year-old grandmother. He has autism, a condition that makes it extremely difficult for him to make friends or cope with change. His grandmother, on the other hand, is fighting liver cancer as well as COPD, an illness that affects her lungs, requiring her to rely on an oxygen tank for breathing. Luke grows up knowing that his father, a successful mechanic, died in a car accident when Luke was three. He was told his father wasn’t big on taking pictures, which is why there are no photos of him in their house.  Purchase Here.

Luke starts his sophomore year at Princeton County High School and almost immediately notices Natalie Brown, a new student. He keeps to himself, but with Brown, he feels different. They meet over lunch. But some bullies, led by Rob, interrupt their warm conversation, creating a scene by mocking Luke’s condition and leaving him deeply shattered. He imagines having beautiful times with Brown. But we know that underneath all that lies a chilling, recurrent nightmare that involves a masked haunter who lunges at him in his sleep, sometimes mocking his worth and reminding him that he doesn’t deserve to be loved.

Luke’s story explores, among other themes, identity and self-acceptance. This theme ideally forms the backbone of the story. Self-acceptance, especially, emerges as an often painful struggle, worsened by constant reminders that you are different; this often leads the victim to hide their authentic self, even as they believe they are broken or that a large part of them is out of sync with the world.

“Looked Down Upon:  The Exiled Kin” is a story where the hero spirals, cries, withdraws, and tries to fight back, showing us how deeply he is hurting. His struggles pull us right into his world, a world where systems meant to protect him often fail, and where survival seems like a daily battle for someone like him.  By writing Luke’s story, two-time published author and autistic self-advocate who was often misunderstood in his tender years by many of his peers and teachers, Jordan Lopez manages to show us that autism doesn’t place any limit on an individual’s purpose. His writing style keeps emotions close to the surface, so you don’t struggle to feel the story as it happens. The mystery of the masked haunter is one of his most compelling creations and a major source of psychological unease that keeps you guessing and turning pages as you wonder what that creepy figure is all about.

“Looked Down Upon: The Exiled Kin” is without a doubt a story that anyone who has ever felt like an outsider will resonate with. It is a book that offers insight into what it is like to raise or support an autistic child. It makes you understand autism easily, and on the other side, the impact of bullying and how it can shape a child’s self-worth. This makes it a great read for parents, teachers, and caregivers. Readers who love stories about courage and justice shouldn’t miss it either.

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Deadly Dilemma

Deadly Dilemma: Suicide, Faith, and the Search for Identity and Purpose by Anthony Gurley

Reviewed by Christine Kinori

It takes a lot of courage to write a deeply personal memoir about the darkest moments of your life. Anthony Gurley’s Deadly Dilemma: Suicide, Faith, and the Search for Identity and Purpose is an incredibly raw and intimate memoir that does not shy away from a struggle most people are constantly battling.  Purchase Here.

The book opens with a profoundly poignant suicide letter that Anthony never sent. In that moment, he had decided to end it all. However, he chose not to act on his plans but rather to examine his entire life with unfiltered honesty.

What follows is a gripping memoir that emotionally dives into his poverty-ridden childhood in a North Carolina housing project. His first brush with abandonment which came when his father left, followed by academic failures and years spent navigating the complexities of faith, marriage, and career.

From the start, Gurley approaches this memoir with a radical vulnerability that will surprise you. As one reads through the chapters, the book starts to feel like a late-night conversation where there is room to safely discuss traumas—a safe space of sorts.

The balanced retrospective, as Anthony exposes every emotional and traumatic wound, feels authentic. Thanks to this, even the dark themes of the book don’t feel completely overwhelming or hopeless.  Instead, we get a sense of hope as the book becomes an impactful testament to his daily mental health struggles and his endurance through faith—a reminder that we can weather life’s worst storms and that sometimes our greatest victories are silent but powerful.

Don’t get us wrong, this is a heavy book to read. The raw confrontation with psychological, intergenerational trauma and the weight of silenced depression in this book is not easy to read. However, by grounding the book in reality, the intentional pacing keeps the heavy themes from dragging the reader down.  Nonetheless, this is one reason to read the book. Uniquely, it provides a realistic blueprint for others walking through the dark.

The book also does a perfect job of destigmatizing faith and mental health. It bridges the gap that many who have deep faith while struggling with severe mental crises refuse to talk about. Anthony shows that these are not mutually exclusive realities and there is no shame in openly talking about it.  For so long, religious communities have wrongfully treated mental crises as a spiritual failure. It is about time someone tears down this dangerous narrative to the ground. The agonizing guilt these narratives perpetuate has only made matters worse.

Anthony stresses that fighting clinical depression doesn’t diminish one’s faith. He reframes mental health as a medical reality that requires real, professional care alongside spiritual support.

Anthony’s story also proves that there really is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, mental health is a daily struggle, but the little triumphs that come along the way help people build meaningful lives.

At the end of the day, life is a choice; one can choose to stay and anchor oneself to things that help make one better. It can be family, friends, faith, or a hobby. Whatever it is, as long as there is hope. For Anthony, his two biggest grounding anchors are his 50-year marriage and 30-year career.

Deadly Dilemma is a necessary, life-saving read for anyone navigating the quiet intersections of depression, identity crises, and faith. It is unflinching and strips away the taboo surrounding the intersection of faith and mental health.

Anthony’s story is not only beautiful because of his unabashed authenticity and honesty. It is a life-affirming reminder that even when plans change, we can discover new purposes in life. It is a celebration of a man who bravely fights and learns to tame the internal dragons in his mind.

My Inner Child Wants to Kill

My Inner Child Wants to Kill by Karsten Dusse

Reviewed by Ephantus Gold

I read My Inner Child Wants To Kill not too long ago, and it’s one of those books where the title makes you think it’s going to be wacky, but it actually ends up being a lot heavier than you expect. Björn is a lawyer who’s been trying to keep himself together with concentration because his wife basically told him he was slipping. And it helped him calm down a bit, but you can tell it didn’t fix whatever was beneath the surface. It just made the noise quieter.  Purchase Here.

The book starts with him deciding not to kill this gangster, Boris, even though he has every reason to. And the way it’s written, it doesn’t feel like some big moral moment. It feels like he’s just worn out. That kind of sets the tone for everything else. Most of the story comes out in therapy sessions, and the way he talks about these completely wild events, with a calm, almost flat tone, is weirdly funny and unsettling. Even a family trip goes off the rails in a way that made me stop and think, “Okay, this is not normal vacation chaos.”

The whole inner‑child thing becomes a lot more literal than I expected. It’s not just a metaphor he’s supposed to think about — it’s something he actually has to face, and once he does, you start to see how much of his adult behavior is tied to stuff he never dealt with as a kid. The book doesn’t sugarcoat any of that. It’s not the usual “heal your inner child, and everything magically improves” message. It’s more like: here’s the stuff you’ve been dragging around for years, and here’s what happens when you finally stop pretending it’s not there.

As it goes on, you see how much of him was shaped by old wounds and beliefs he didn’t even realize he had. And the book doesn’t pretend that self‑awareness automatically makes someone better. Sometimes it just makes you more aware of the chaos you already have. I actually liked that honesty, even though it’s not exactly comforting.

If you enjoy psychological stories or narratives that challenge the usual self-help tropes, this book stands out. Its dark humor and unsettling moments force you to confront just how chaotic inner struggles can be, which is at the heart of its message. It’ll leave you thinking long after you finish.

 

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You'll Be Sorry

You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner

Reviewed by Ephantus Gold

“You’ll Be Sorry” by Lisa Gardner starts by following Dog, a stray who never had a family until he meets Dave Dixon, his wife Janet, and their four kids. In their home, Dog finally finds love and quickly becomes part of the family. But one stormy night, everyone except Dog vanishes, leaving only bloody footprints behind. Thirty years later, a young couple from Boston buys the Dixons’ old house, surprising the locals who wonder why anyone would want to live where such a terrible crime happened. The new owners, Theo and Raquel, know the Dixons’ story and can’t understand why no one ever figured out what really happened.  Purchase Here.

One of the most memorable scenes is when a mysterious four-legged visitor shows up on their porch. “No collar – No tags.” They let him in, and soon he runs to a certain spot and digs something up. By now, readers know who this dog is and feel he has returned to deal with something that still haunts the place.

The story flows smoothly from one scene to the next.  The pacing feels right, so it’s easy to follow, and it still keeps the mystery going. I liked how Dog adds warmth to the story, even when he comes back years later. I often tried to guess what would happen, but the twists kept surprising me.

The story kept me interested with its clues, misdirection, rising tension, and flashbacks. The flashbacks made it feel as if something dark were still lurking beneath the surface. “You’ll Be Sorry” really shows how skilled the author is at turning crime and suspense into a gripping story. I enjoyed the steady plot, strong characters, and the exciting ending, and now I want to read more from this author.

Homes

Homes: A Novel by Hayden Thompson

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“Homes” by Hayden Thompson is the story of a man who wants to be a good father, but life keeps throwing him curveballs. We follow him into new countries and new ways of living, even as he constantly adjusts and tries to find that sweet spot where everything clicks.  Purchase Here.

Dr. George Harrington, a single father who lives with his twelve-year-old son in Auvers-sur-Oise, Paris, understands that a single life is all we get, and that it is not something to be wasted on routine or the safe and familiar path. We meet him in the story’s first chapter just after he has received official documents for a new job in Asia, an international post that gives him a chance to make a difference in the developing world. He has spent many years standing shoulder to shoulder with the best and the brightest. But currently, what he craves is not human accolades, titles or applause, but relevance, a change of scenery and a renewed sense of purpose.

Their arrival in Farnamlan, Asia, however, is not the warm embrace George pictured. The airport and the traffic are chaotic, and the heat levels are nothing like the mild French mornings they had left behind. Soon, doubts and self-blame start to kick in, leaving him second-guessing his timing and reason for moving. But unknown to him, Farnamlan is already weaving a different story, one that will soon test him in ways he never expected.

Readers will agree that George is a character who spends more time in airports than most people spend in their kitchens. He unpacks and repacks through tearful goodbyes, and then does it all over again. Most times, in later chapters, he travels alone, sits on benches, sips coffee in quiet cafés with nothing but his thoughts and the world passing by. As a travel enthusiast myself, I couldn’t help but feel like his sense of solitude was more like the “ultimate” luxury than about loneliness. He is mostly alone yet never lonely. And in a world that keeps telling us we need to be with someone to be happy, his case is the perfect image of having myself as my own “enough” companion.

“Homes” is not a loud book, yet it is profoundly gripping. Its emotional weight doesn’t come from what happens externally in the protagonist’s life but in what happens inside of him. The book’s pauses, silences, quiet reflections, and moments that naturally seem insignificant gave me the space to feel, reflect, and connect with his emotional journey. Although the book mentions medicines, diseases, and public health work, it made clear that its focus was not medical content but George himself — what drove him as a single, aging individual and professional.  Medicine serves the story, not the other way, and because of that, I never felt lost. This is a book that will be enjoyed by anyone who believes that home is not a place on a map but rather a feeling in their heart.

 

So You Want To Be A Dinosaur Hunter

So You Want To Be A Dinosaur Hunter (Paleontologist) by Linda Soules

Reviewed by Diana Coyle

Are you interested in hunting for dinosaurs and making a new discovery? In “So You Want To Be A Dinosaur Hunter (Paleontologist) by Linda Soules readers learn just what it takes to become a paleontologist. This nonfiction career guide is the perfect book for any reader to see exactly what a paleontologist does and just how intricate their job truly is in discovering not only dinosaurs, but other things like shark teeth, or even fossilized plants. Do you have a sense of wanting to discover something no one else has before? Then this job might be the perfect fit for you!  Purchase Here.

In yet another wonderful book by Linda Soules, she meticulously shared details with her readers on just what it takes to become a paleontologist. As an adult, I must admit, when I hear the term paleontologist, I associate it with dinosaurs only. Was I so wrong in that assumption! I walked away learning that paleontologists discover so much more than just dinosaur bones. They study fossilized plants, ancient pollen, prehistoric shark teeth, insects, and even footprints left in the mud that turned into stone. Their job is more well-rounded than I give them credit for. Just the thought of discovering something that is a million years old gave me the excitement to start paying more attention to the ground that I walk on. You never know what you might find if you pay close attention to your surroundings.

This is just another well-written and wonderfully laid out book for children to learn from if they are interested in becoming a paleontologist. This is one of over 190+ nonfiction career books that Linda Soules has devoted her time and research to writing for children. I must admit, I wish there was such a wonderful series of career books back when I was a child. She has covered so many varying field choices that children are lucky to have such valuable information right at the palm of their hands. Plus, in each book, the author adds sections of Fun Facts, Glossary of Terms, and a plentiful section entitled Want To Learn More in which she lists books to read, websites to visit, things to do to prepare you for that specific career, and even organizations you should familiarize yourself with to gather more information if you truly want to be a paleontologist.

The illustrations provided by Linda Soules were also carefully chosen and perfectly tell the story to readers in picture format. The pictures are just as detailed as the storyline itself. As an adult, I found myself stopping to take in the illustrations just as much as I did the written text.

Linda Soules is an award-winning author of the So You Want To Be…series of career-exploring books. This is a continually growing series aimed at informing children of the various careers that might be available to them as they get older.

Overall, “So You Want To Be A Dinosaur Hunter (Paleontologist) is another one of the fabulous additions to the career series for children. The research she has done on this topic shines throughout the pages, and I’m sure it will spark many children into considering if they want to be a paleontologist. This series is one for your child’s at-home library and would be a wonderful addition to school and public libraries. I highly recommend it!

 

So You Want To Be A Zookeeper

So You Want To Be A Zookeeper by Linda Soules

Reviewed by Diana Coyle

A zookeeper isn’t just someone who wants to play with animals. It’s a job of protecting those animals which is thoroughly explained in “So You Want To Be A Zookeeper” by Linda Soules. As the zookeeper devotes their time, knowledge, and energy into taking care of a wild animal, a strong bond of trust and respect forms between the animal and keeper. A bond that is truly unique and special between the two. In this nonfiction children’s career book, young readers will learn about some of the pros and cons of becoming a zookeeper. Do you have the desire to become a devoted zookeeper?  Purchase Here.

This is another book in this delightful series, So You Want To Be…,and this one is special to me as an adult. I have a deep love for domestic and wild animals, and I was fascinated with all the amazing facts and informational tidbits Soules provided in yet another educational book children can use as a future career reference guide. I was learning right along with the young readers just how detailed a zookeeper’s job really is and how dedicated they must be to keep the zoo animals healthy and happy throughout their lifetimes. One fact that truly left an impression on me was the idea that a zookeeper’s ultimate achievement is to love and care for each individual animal to help them not become extinct in the world.

The detailed and interesting facts the author provided her readers with showed just how much time and research she had put into each book in this series so far. Children will easily walk away learning new facts, like I did, of things they didn’t know prior to reading this informative book.

The illustrations were plentiful throughout this book and fit perfectly telling the story in picture format. Each one was vibrant in color and eye-catching to the readers. You can’t help but stop to take in the complete scope of each illustration provided because it perfectly enhances the story the author has written.

Linda Soules is an award-winning author of the So You Want To Be…series of career exploring books. This is a continually growing series aimed at informing children of the various careers that might be available to them as they get older.

Overall, “So You Want To Be A Zookeeper” by Linda Soules is another career informing book that I think children will love. The information provided is meticulously detailed, allowing readers the full scope of what it takes to be a dedicated zookeeper. The illustrations are gorgeous in design and perfectly fit the written words provided. This is another winner in my eyes, and I feel readers will love it just as much as I did. I eagerly can’t wait to read more books in this educational and fun children’s series!