Thursday, June 28, 2012

Out of the Shadow of Poverty by Ruth Jenkins- Oliver and Lakeisha Oliver


Out of the Shadow of Poverty: Living the American Dream Through FaithOut of the Shadow of Poverty: Living the American Dream Through Faith by R. Jenkins-Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Title: Out of the Shadow of Poverty: Living the American Dream through Faith
Author: Ruth Jenkins-Oliver and Lakeisha Oliver
Publisher: Avid Readers Publishing Group
Release date (or anticipated release): 2/28/2012
ISBN: 978-1-61286-083-1
Specs: 230 paperback
Website (optional): http://hstrial-rjenkinsoliver.homeste...
Category: Memoir*

Review Summary:
Ruth Oliver with co-author, Lakeisha Oliver writes about Rudy, an African-American girl, living a poverty-stricken community in McIntosh County, Georgia during the 1950s. It also captures the historical Geechee and Gullah communities in South Georgia, from slavery times, where people believed in their roots and faith in God. Throughout all the hardships, living on a farm, and going through the motions, Rudy still keeps her faith and grew up in a loving family environment regardless of the challenges she had to face.

Dream Moment(s): I loved to see how family lived nearby on the several acres of land that was passed down a generation and always sharing their food. I would love to see families like this, not tit for tat, or only care about them and forget their families when one is in need. There was also a part in the story that discussed bullying and how Rudy and Addie later became friends because Rudy fought back. “Don’t ever close your hands too tight because if you do, nothing will come back to you” (page 105). I always heard a similar phrase, “Closed fists don’t get fed.”

Nightmare(s): There were a few minor grammatical and punctuation errors while reading the book but should not deter you from the actual story. The flow of the storyline was a little bothersome in the first chapter (Eulonia) because it was rather confusing at times when it jumps from scenes of the character’s life without a break to see the transition. Although there were two editors mentioned, a good developmental editor would have helped with the transitions and flow of the story itself and lastly a proofreader to catch these minor errors.

Dream 4 More: Since this story takes place in the 1950s and in the South, I was glad on some terms, the author gave clarification by defining the words and offered a glossary (but most of the Southern dialect, I was quite familiar with it). Ironically, I enjoyed learning about the natural herbs and remedies to cure or alleviate pain, rashes, and illnesses mentioned in the story. There were some moments of inspiration, historical memorable people, and tragic events during the 1960s.

Dream 4 More Reviews has received Out of the Shadow of Poverty by the author for a book review.

Dream 4 More Reviews,
What a Dream!
Adrienna Turner
www.dream4more.webs.com

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Generation of Curses by Patricia Bridewell and Faatima Johnson


A Generation of CursesA Generation of Curses by Faatima Albasir-Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Title: A Generation of Curses
Author: Patricia Bridewell and Faatima Albasir-Johnson
Publisher: NCM Publishing
Release date (or anticipated release): June 19, 2012, ebook is now on Amazon.com Kindle
ISBN: 9780983346135
ASIN (if applicable): B0087B5LBC
Specs: paperback, 240 pages, and available as eBook version
Website (optional): www.patriciabridewell.com
Category: Christian Suspense Fiction

Review Summary:
The prologue is explosive, where we read that Khadesia is marked as a "monster" or simply misunderstood. Was she guilty of a hideous, horrendous crime of murdering her ex-boyfriend? She was unable to convince the detectives, police officers, even her cell-mate; therefore, how will she prove her innocence to the judge while resting behind the prison bars. She fights to keep her sanity, put all the pieces together, and shares her past tragedy—the moment Laron was shot and laid in his pool of blood. Here, we have a woman who has been physically and verbally abused by a man who doesn't trust her, their relationship, and jealous lover who accuses her of cheating and watching her in the darkness. Later, Khadesia has a “Cinderella” lifestyle by marrying the man of her dreams—Malcolm Hill, assistant pastor of Solid Rock Ministries. Regardless of the rivalry between Malcolm and his elder brother, Corbin, in regards to passing the pastor’s baton to the next best man; debate between favored versus oldest. Then, Stacie, Corbin’s wife doesn’t want to be a stay-home mom and neither does Corbin want to step into ministerial leadership—both are pushing each other into roles they do not wish to partake in.

Dream Moment(s): So many woman have similar abusive relationships, and loved how the author(s) wrote the opening chapter with such conviction, emotion-rendered to get into the mindset/feelings of the female character, and brilliantly written to keep us on the edge of our seats with question marks that will hopefully have periods and exclamation points! Suspense and mystery is heightened just from the opening...

Dream 4 More: Mother Hill, first lady, believed in training a child the way they should go in which was her favorite quote/scripture too. However, she didn’t only speak about it or criticize how the young girls acted or dressed and decided to start “Classy Lady” classes for the young girls. We should not just “talk about it” but “do something about it”. These characters were linked so creatively and nearly attached to each one in a different perspective, well-written, and loved the story from start to finish. I hope these authors continue to write together and mesh beautiful, rich stories in the Christian Fiction genre.

Dream 4 More Reviews has received “A Generation of Curses” (eBook/pdf copy) by the author for a book review.

Dream 4 More Reviews,
Wooed Me Dream
Adrienna Turner
www.dream4more.webs.com

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