Set in July 2003, Maple Springs, Missouri, is going to be the site of a frightening tornado. Within Everyone Dies Famous, author Len Joy introduces readers to three men who will find themselves working together, but not all surviving the events to come. This story is one that highlight just how uncommon and diverse every person’s life is no matter where they live. Continue reading “Everyone Dies Famous Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Ruth Behar has crafted a story that is based on her family’s history, which celebrates resilience and the ability to preserver in even the most difficult situations. Letters from Cuba focuses on a young Jewish girl named Esther who finds herself fleeing Poland for a new life in Cuba as when it becomes evident that things can only get worse for them as World War II gets closer to beginning. This book is something that will show that anything can be overcome, especially with the love of your family. Continue reading “Letters from Cuba Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Line of Blood: Uncovering a Secret Legacy of Mobsters, Money and Murder is a book that came from the discovery of a newspaper article. Jana Marcus, award-winning photographer and author, found an article about a murdered mobster from the 1940s that was tucked away in a drawer in her grandmother’s home. This led to quest to uncover the history and the solution to the mystery in the article she found. Continue reading “Line of Blood Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Lan Cao has lived in the United States for more than forty years, but she does sometimes still feel tentative about her place in her adoptive country. After coming here at the age of thirteen and after eighteen years of being a mother, she still feels as though she is in a foreign landscape in some capacity. Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter is a dual memoir from Lan and her American teenage daughter Harlan Margaret Van Cao that examines their experiences and interactions with each other. Continue reading “Family in Six Tones Book Review from @kleffnotes”

The Last Sword Maker is a novel from Brian Nelson that showcases the world as we have always known it changing. This though is because of something that may hit very close to home for some readers currently. An outbreak has led to thousands of deaths in Tibet is a rumor that keeps being whispered about. This disease can kill in minutes and the Chinese government is trying to keep it from being discovered. Continue reading “The Last Sword Maker Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Dr. Clemmie Whatley is herself a descendant of the Chubbs family and began the research that resulted in this book when her cousin Henry asked that she work with ESPN on a planned project about his son, Nick. Her mother had been the person keeping the story of the free Black Chubb family alive and Whatley found herself taking over the role. In her search she found her grandparents’ trunk and a bill of sale for the exchange of a slave lady and her son between two men, which led her to try and determine if this was the daughter who had been kidnapped into slavery and the bought back by the family. The Chubbs: A Free Black Family’s Journey from the Antebellum Era to the Mid-1900s is an examination of the Chubb family that begins in the mid-1700s and ends in the mid-1900s. Continue reading “The Chubbs Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Chicken Bone Beach is the culmination of author Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks thesis research that was completed during her time at Pennsylvania State University. This pictorial history showcases the history of Atlantic City’s racially segregated beach, Missouri Avenue Beach. From the 1920s and into the 1960s the beach was tremendously popular and through her research Woodruff-Brooks was able to bring together images and interviews to truly showcase the beauty of the beach. Continue reading “Chicken Bone Beach Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks began working on the research that would lead her to create Golden Beauty Boss while preparing her thesis, which would go on to become the book Chicken Bone Beach. A review is also planned for her first book, but I wanted to begin with the life of Madame Sara Spencer-Washington. Her story is one of tremendous triumph and impressive business acumen that I had never heard mentioned before in any history courses. Woodruff-Brooks shares the impressive story of Apex and the empire that it built not just in the United States, but in the world. Continue reading “Golden Beauty Boss Book Review from @kleffnotes”

I first heard of Keah Brown and her book The Pretty One while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Coming Out with Lauren and Nicole(also known as Coming Out Pod). Her chat with them was just so much fun and I knew I wanted to know about her and spend more time with her voice. Living in the middle of nowhere it takes a bit for some deliveries to make it to me, but when The Pretty One arrived at my door I wanted to start reading it immediately. I brought the book up to my current work from home desk and started reading any time there was even the slightest slow down in my day. Continue reading “The Pretty One Book Review from @kleffnotes”