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Fathers Present or MIA, Engaged or Remote


 


Father’s Day recognizes and honors the unique contributions of men as parents and parental figures. Among its many overt themes, Crossing the Line also indirectly addresses the ways in which women, children, families and communities improvise and compensate for the absence of men and fathers.

On this celebration of the first Juneteenth as a U.S. federal holiday, let's honor the faith, integrity and stamina of our enslaved ancestors while recognizing how much work is still needed to make the American Dream equally accessible for all. 


Crossing the Line, A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever

Kareem Rosser

Creative non-fiction memoir

St. Martin’s Press, February 2021

The Bottom is a neglected (except by police enforcement), under-resourced community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s where Kareem Rosser and his brothers stumble upon an unexpected oasis: the Work to Ride stables, a safe space in the midst of an assortment of threats. Stepping into Work to Ride opens up previously unimagined possibilities for the author, his brothers, neighborhood residents, and ultimately, the world. In an engaging narrative voice that invites readers to recognize and appreciate the treacherous circumstances of daily life in The Bottom, K.R. tells his daunting coming-of-age story with an unsentimental, yet emotionally rich depth reminiscent of Mark Twain, and with the gritty pragmatism of Chester Himes. Memoir, underdogs sports story, family saga, socioeconomic and racial commentary, cautionary tale, memorium, and victorious triumph, Crossing the Line is all of these things and more. Its composition moves with the flow of an adventure novel and a suspenseful mystery thriller, only it’s real life—with inescapably real consequences in a society that is too often an intentionally hostile environment for Black and Brown human beings. This powerful story offers proof that investing in people in a healthy, proactive manner generates exponentially more profitable returns than treating them as expendable.  

 

The Devil Comes Courting (Worth #3)

Courtney Milan, author & publisher

Historical romance, April 2021

In the way that Dua Lipa translates romantic heartbreak into irresistible dance tunes, Courtney Milan has composed an ultimately upbeat dirge. The Devil Comes Courting explores grief and grievances, absences, loneliness, and homecomings in individuals, families, communities, cultures, and global society. Amelia’s and Grayson’s separate and overlapping story threads create a compelling three-dimensional tapestry. Universal cultural touchstones such as the Chinese aunties who resonate as familiar to all ethnicities as no-nonsense elders who dispense reprimands, wisdom, encouragement and (occasionally) praise to the younger generations.

Charming, amusing, profound cultural exchanges; layered historical context in facts and sensory details; and riveting emotional complexity and sensitivity make this a masterpiece worth the author’s immense efforts. (Read the Thank You, Author’s Note, and Acknowledgments for those interesting details.)

A memorable line: ā€œā€¦You’ll have that long to decide if you want to change the world…Or if you’ll let the world change you instead.ā€

 

How to Find a Princess (Runaway Royals) by Alyssa Cole

Contemporary romance, Avon Books, May 2021

From last page: ā€œThis feels like my kind of happily ever afterā€¦ā€

Exactly.

Generational friction, humor, high-jinx, fakery, emotional depth, assorted charming oddballs with unconventional skills, dastardly villains, sarcasm, cultural Easter eggs, sexy times, resilience, and triumph

 

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (Feminine Pursuits) by Olivia Waite

Historical romance, Avon Books, July 2020

From chapter 26: ā€œā€¦Did you two think you were being subtle?ā€ Agatha laughed until her sides ached.*

Political unrest, government tyranny, fears of imminent disaster and personality friction generate plenty of heat and drama beneath an overall narrative buoyancy anchored in documented history and emotional complexity.  

 

*See remarks about elders in the above review for The Devil Comes Courting. ;-) 

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