Anthem Recommends Books in Honor of May Day

International Workers Day, May Day, Workers Day, whatever day you are observing here are some great reads by Latin writers. 

By Anthem Book Review

In honor of May Day 2017 Anthem Books & Writing would like to recommend a few of our “Top Shelf Books” – so, if you are staying home in protest,  Anthem Books & Writing highly recommends relaxing and reading the following books:

This is my personal copy and as you can see
I've read it to physical book exhaustion.

The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. This is a beautiful true story of 26 Mexicans in search of a better life that attempt to cross the Arizona desert. Urrea beautifully weaves together the lives of these men and takes you on their journey; it is a journey you will never fully return from. The Devil’s Highway grabs your soul and fills your mind with such understanding of why many make the trek through a diabolical desert for America.

All They Will Call You by Tim Z. Hernandez.  28 Mexican farmworkers being deported to Mexico are killed when the plane fails. Beautiful Hernandez, as always, writes a heartbreaking, informative true story of the Los Gatos Plane Crash. He recreates the past for us; he brings back the dead through vivid careful storytelling and introduces the reader to 28 hardworking individuals that will remain with the reader long after the book is closed. Hernandez is from the Central Valley, and one of our finest investigative writers.

A Thousand Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The best book on earth- If you haven’t read this book, you haven’t lived. Read this book. Then reread this book at a slower pace, savor the written word. Then, learn Spanish, if you don’t already and read it in its original language. And thank me later for encouraging you to read this masterpiece. J  

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, film review

Watch Oprah shine in the new HBO special!

by Anthem Book Review 

I purchased the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks some time ago. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was not as I expected at all. I imagined it would contain plenty of science writing and lingo with a bit of a memoir feel to it and I would be completely lost. I had read past reviews of the book and I was intrigued, so I gave it a look. Boy was I mistaken. The book reads like a long, detailed, lovely explanation of what happened with this one woman- Henrietta Lacks and how that affected the lives of her children, and O what lives they lived minus a mom. It also is full of science facts, cells, justice, racism, and so much more. I was not able to put it down. The memory of the life and cells of Henrietta lived on in me long after I had closed the books cover.

Today, I just finished watching the HBO movie version of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfery and Rose Byrne. I must say, it can’t get any better than this. I’m typically a skeptic when it comes to books to film versions; I always watch with cynical eyes. Yet, once Oprah became “Oprah the actress”, “Oprah the Cillie” from “The Color Purple” all doubt, all cynical view flew away to the highest heavens, never to return.

The film is heart wrenching. Oprah gives a moving performance; I would venture to say that she saves the film. All the other actors and actresses were well played, Rose Byrne really holds her own alongside Oprah Winfery. But good god, Oprah steals the scene, the movie; I for a second actually forgot I was watching a book to film.

I still recommend reading the book, there is so much detail left out of the movie, so much vital information that should be known and that the film in less than three hours could not properly explain. However, with that said, I encourage a viewing of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack on HBO now, and have some tissues ready, it is a tearjerker. Also, pay close attention, it is not a book, where you can go back pages and reread something missed.

And keep a close eye on Oprah Winfery as she magically, powerfully does her acting magic. 

Closed for Submissions

A huge thank you to all those that sent us a request to review your book; I sincerely hope each of you find a reviewer and achieve success with your work.

With that said, Anthem Book Review has now closed Book Review Requests. We have picked three books to read and review and they are- a memoir by Keith Lawton, some fiction from Irish writer Benny Neylon and a book from local Madera writer, Glenna Jarvis.

Below are the books and if you want to pick up a copy and read along that would be great.

Stay tuned for the review.

1.)  NSA by Benny Neylon, Duplicator Books

2.)  No Accountability by Keith Lawton, Push Publishing

3.)  Sandmann by Glenna Jarvis,  Fusion Press

For more information on submitting your book for review, Please review the book review policy before inquiring @  http://anthembookreview.blogspot.com/p/anthems-top-shelf.html.

Happy Reading!

Anthem Book Review 

A Russian Journal, aged to perfection

A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck 1948

A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck is gem of a book with pages that smell of heaven. I purchased this book last weekend from, “Friends of the Library” at the Madera County Library “Local Author & Artists Event”.

Written in 1948, Steinbeck stated that the purpose of writing this book was to offer the world, “honest reporting, to set down what we saw and heard without editorial comment, without drawing conclusions about things we didn’t know sufficiently.”

A Russian Journal is such a lovely read, complete with great reporting and wonderful photographs of what life was like for Russians during the Cold War. All the photographs in the book were shot by war photographer Robert Capa.

I am looking forward to finishing the book this weekend. Although, I will not be reviewing this book, this is just a good fun read for me in-between my books for review.  I must say this paperback book is so old, it was published by The Viking Press as a Bantam edition in 1970, its yellow pages are perfectly aged that each time I turn a page; I am permeated with the loveliest of all scents- aged book.

Happy Readings!

Anthem Book Review  

Upcoming Book Release by Local Writer Tim Z. Hernandez

ALL THEY WILL CALL YOU

Tim Z Hernandez’s book titled, “All They Will Call You” is about the Los Gatos Plane Crash which occurred 69 years ago, on January 28, 1948 and will finally be released this Friday. The book launch is set to take place at the Whitifield Hall, Satellite Student Union Center at Fresno State from 6-8pm.  

The book tells the story of 32 individuals aboard a DC-3 plane that wrecked near Coalinga, CA, County of Fresno, while in route to Mexico. Of the 32 people traveling by air, 28 were from Mexico and had been either recently deported or had their contract terminated with the former Bracero Program.

The names of the pilot, stewardess and officer were initially reported in the newspaper during the time of the accident. However, the 28 non-Americans remained nameless and anonymous at death that is until Hernandez bravely began work on this project.  So who were these 28 deportees?  What were their names?  What were they like, alive, smiling, loving?

In, “All They Will Call You”, Hernandez aims to find the answers to those questions and much more. Hernandez is one of the best writers alive. He writes stories so compelling; he breathes life into the past, giving back humanity to those that gave up the ghost unnoticed, sculpting the past into present, word by word.

Hernandez writes with the diligence of a hungry journalist, and writes sentences with such poignant storytelling it sings to the soul. This is exactly what he did with “Manana Means Heaven”. He resurrected, the “Mexican Girl” in Kerouac’s, On the Road. He gave her breath, again, and told her story with such poetic beauty, after reading the novel,  “the Mexican girl” was no longer a stranger, she became ‘Bea”.  

Hernandez is the finest storyteller of the Central Valley. He restores the history of some of the most unknown and forgotten people of Fresno County with each project he takes on. He gives sound to that which was silenced by time, providing an eternal voice that will echo on in its readers.  

I encourage you to support local writers by attending the book launch of “All They Will Call You” as Hernandez releases the book to the public. It is going to be a great time.  

For more information on Tim Z. Hernandez, please visit https://timzhernandez.com

Happy Reading!

Written by Francine

We are open for Submissions!

Anthem Book Review is open for book review requests. Review our Book Policy and submit your request from now til the end of February via email. 

3 Books will be accepted. Please indicate if there is an upcoming release date. 

#smartpeopleread


Sincerely,

Anthem Book Review

Judge a Book by its Cover

2017 Books Reviews to follow! 

I judge a book by its cover. I admit it. I have had a few misses; I decline to state the names of those few books that just sucked. But there were a few. The cover drew me in and the writing pushed me away. However, I have also picked some of my most beloved books of all time, simply by the books cover. An example of this is when I picked out, Hans Fallada’s Every Man Dies Alone and the current new release, All at Sea by Decca Aitkenhead.

Fallada’s book is on my top shelf, one of the best books I’ve ever read. I have since purchased all Fallada’s books, two times over. Yet,  the cover  of Every Man Dies Alone, still enthralls me- the couple gently embracing one another,  knowing very well that Hitler is in power, that their life is changing, that heartache has gripped their soul, yet together they made a pact, and together they will embark on a journey that will put a dent in German history forever. The book is based on actual events and so brilliantly told. Writers just don’t write like that anymore. Every Man Dies Alone is littered with characters that are unforgettable.

O, I can’t even write about it, without feeling emotional, I want to now, walk into my living room pick the book up, caress the cover, skim the page, read my favorite passages and sigh with love. Now that is the true power of a book.  

My fingers and the stain of coffee also by me. :) 

A good writer is one that is able to shape and sculpt each word perfectly, forming the clearest, most moving sentence for the reader. I ended and began 2016/2017 with books that did just that.  

While in a bookstore, I walked by, All at Sea by Decca Aitkenhead and the ocean caught my eye. I grabbed the book, read the jacket cover, scanned the pages and purchased the book that day. The cover grabbed me and the writing kept me.    

I also finally found and purchased the out of print, Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison by Bill Kinison with Steve Delsohn. I consider this my “fun read” and I usually read this type of book in between the others. Everything tastes better with “Flaming Hot Cheetos” and Sam’s book is my “Flaming Hot Cheetos” type of book. These types of books are fun to read, good as a snack and I usually pick them based on people I find interesting or things that fancy me.     

So the next time you are looking for a good read, follow your instinct and judge a cover, pick a book based on what you like, it need not be one recommended or on New York Times BestSellers List, trust your gut and go with it. You just might find an author or book that is just that good. 

***Note: All at Sea is currently on the Book of the Month pick, that is an online book club that gives its members 3 books in which to chose from. All at Sea is one of them. Although, I am not a member of Book of the Month Club, I prefer to pick my own. but if you are interested check out bookofthemonthclub.com for more info. 

Happy Reading 

 #smartpeopelread   

Written by Francine @ Anthem Book Review