This blog is the place where I post reviews of the books I have read. I review audiobooks, regular books and eBooks for authors and publishers as well as any other book or audiobook that catches my eye.
Something is happening to the residents of Eighth Block Tower….
There’s radiation in the walls. Salt covers the hallways. The food and water are poisonous. The residents are trapped and losing their minds.
Sanity is a myth. Sickness is life.
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MY REVIEW:
I received this book from NetGalley and have to admit that the reason I requested it was because of the genre it was listed as That Genre is Horror.
THE TOWER starts off slowly but immediately the reader realizes that they are not in Kansas anymore. If you enjoy your horror with Sci-Fi elements, you will probably enjoy this book.
With story elements such as a giant green brain 易 and halls that are coated in salt, you know this story is truly strange.
The author may be a bit twisted, but those twisted story elements are exactly what sucks the reader in. William Pauley III has a terrific grasp on human motivation and a true talent for creating three dimensional characters.
All in all, I enjoyed this trip into the fantastical world of THE TOWER, but I definitely think you need to be in the correct frame of mind to delve into the truly weird when you read this book.
I rate it as 3 out of 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
William Pauley III is the author of Automated Daydreaming and Hearers of the Constant Hum.
Dead End Follies recently published an article calling him “one of the most recognizable voices in weird literature.”
He lives in Lexington, KY.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Straight, two-time Hugo Award nominee Chuck Tingle’s first horror novella, is now in audio!
When a strange tear in the cosmos appears within Earth’s annual path, the consequences are disastrous. For one night a year, the vast majority of humans now undergo a frightening mental change, transforming into hateful, rage-fueled zombies who will stop at nothing to satiate their desire for brutality.
While not much is understood about this horrific mass hysteria, the demographic it effects is very specific: cisgender straight people.
A few years after the first of these tragic events, four friends from across the queer spectrum look for safety in solitude, hunkering down in a remote desert cabin for what is now known as Saturation Day. With a vaccine available for straight people to curb their violent episodes, some predict the worst is over. Others aren’t so sure.
As night falls, it becomes clear that survival isn’t guaranteed this Saturation Day.
“STRAIGHT” by Chuck Tingle is a novella, so in audiobook format, it is a quick three and a half hour listen. Despite it’s short length, this story is a fabulous listen which horror fans will thoroughly enjoy.
Issac is a bisexual man who is living in a future dystopian Los Angeles, a world that is different than our current reality.
Set in the third year since the first “Saturation Day,” Issac and three queer friends have made plans to leave the city for the duration of that year’s Saturation Day. They are heading deep into the desert to avoid people, hopefully entirely.
So, what the heck is Saturation Day? Well, for some reason, once a year all cisgender (straight) people are overcome with hatred towards anyone who is part of the LGBTQIA2S community. That hatred causes them to attack and kill any queer person they come into contact with.
I love the premise of this audiobook. “Straight” is a mixture of David Moody’s “Hater” and Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead.”
If you are a fan of horror, you should enjoy this audiobook. The narrator does a fantastic job of keeping pace with the escalation of violence, while also using inflection and tone to engage the reader’s attention.
I rate “Straight” as 4 out of 5 Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with a free advance copy of this audiobook.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Two time Hugo Award finalist Dr. Chuck Tingle is an erotic author and Tae Kwon Do grandmaster (almost black belt) from Billings, Montana by way of Home of Truth, Utah.
He currently resides in the City of Devils (Los Angeles).
After receiving his PhD at DeVry University in holistic massage, Chuck found himself fascinated by all things sensual, leading to his creation of the “tingler”, a story so blissfully erotic that it cannot be experienced without eliciting a sharp tingle down the spine.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
André Santana is a NYC-based audiobook narrator and plastic plant connoisseur on a journey to tell great stories. He’s a Black, Latine, and non-binary voice actor drawing from his background in spoken word poetry, improv, and public speaking to deliver intentional and human performances. Outside of the booth, André is an avid writer, Polaroid photography enthusiast, and a prolific Google Maps reviewer. As a passionate reader, André holds a particular love for 1st-Person and YA novels. However, he finds wonderful stories everywhere and uses his warm, emotionally dynamic voice in titles across Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, and more. With a keen sense for character creation and a genuine love for the work he narrates, André is an inevitable fan of every book he records and shares that excitement through his performances.
To learn more about this Narrator visit the following links:
Founded in 1980, Tor Publishing Group has been at the forefront of the science fiction and fantasy genre for decades and has won every major award in the SFF field.
In addition to the eponymous imprint Tor Books, Tor Publishing Group includes a number of specialty imprints, all driven by the editorial passion that has always been Tor’s signature.
Forge Books is committed to publishing quality thrillers and mysteries, speculative fiction, contemporary fiction, and media-related nonfiction.
Nightfire publishes horror books across the breadth of the genre.
Tor Teen and Starscape are dedicated to publishing a select list of quality science fiction, fantasy and contemporary fiction for young readers and teen. Tordotcom Publishing specializes in original science fiction and fantasy, both in novella and novel length.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
Macmillan Audio was founded in 1987 as Audio Renaissance. With more than twenty years in the business, Macmillan Audio continues to publish audio editions of the best fiction and non-fiction books from our fellow Macmillan trade publishers, as well as many other publishers outside the Macmillan family.
In 2001, the company was acquired by Macmillan, and in 2007 it took on its current name.
That same year, Macmillan Audio launched a children’s imprint, Macmillan Young Listeners, which has been going strong ever since.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
TWO CANADIAN AUTHOR’S BOOKS APPEAR ON THE LIST OF THE MOST BANNED BOOKS OF 2022 – 2023
It disgusts me that people are still banning books in 2023. Haven’t we become a more enlightened society since the Book Burning events of the Nazis in 1933 and onward until their eventual defeat?
Books and writings deemed “un-German” are burned at the Opernplatz (Opera Square). Berlin, Germany, May 10, 1933. Photographs Obtained from the Holocaust Encyclopedia.
Public burning of “un-German” books in the Opernplatz (Opera Square). Berlin, Germany, May 10, 1933.
Germans crowd around a truck filled with “un-German” books, confiscated from the library of the Institute for Sexual Science, for burning by the Nazis. The books were publically burned at Berlin’s Opernplatz (Opera Square). Berlin, Germany, May 10, 1933.
WHAT’S NEXT? Are we going to start burning libraries? Schools?
Censorship is a slippery slope in my opinion. What do you think?
An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss.
In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. In 2020 she published Dearly, her first collection of poetry for a decade.
Atwood has won numerous awards including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019 she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She has also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, librettist, playwright and puppeteer. She lives in Toronto, Canada. PHOTOGRAPH BY LUIS MORA
Georgia Williams’ murder at the hands of college pal Jamie Reynolds was a crime that shocked the nation: chillingly executed and horrific in its sexual depravity.
But when Georgia’s devastated mother, Lynnette, and father, Steve, questioned the events leading to their daughter’s death, they discovered it was also entirely preventable.
At the time of Georgia’s disappearance, Steve was – ironically – a highly-commended murder squad detective serving with West Mercia Police.
The same force, Steve and Lynnette discovered, had had Reynolds in its sights for years before Georgia’s murder, but let him slip their net.
Drawing on Steve’s inside police knowledge, the couple exposed the litany of failures that let Reynolds infiltrate their daughter’s life, and allowed him to kill.
Now, in her powerful and moving memoir, Lynnette tries to get beyond the platitudes of ‘mistakes made and lessons learned’ to effect real change, and also details the heartbreaking aftermath of a crime that should never have happened.
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MY REVIEW:
This heart-wrenching memoir written by her mother begins like this:
“In memory of Georgia Lynette Williams, a beautiful human being, loving, caring, full of life, who would help anyone in need. She deserved a long, happy life, but was let down by the careless.”
That is the most succinct, and truthful description of this book that I could hope to provide.
Georgia was born in 1995 – the same year my oldest child was born. I cannot help but think of the milestones her parents and older sister have been deprived of when a POS (Piece of Shit) cut her life tragically, and horrifically short.
OUR GEORGIA is part true-crime story, part biography, part memoir, and part enumeration of the litany of ways the police and other government officials screwed up.
These were NOT small, harmless screw-ups.
If the police had done their jobs in the days, weeks, months, and years leading up to the night Georgia was murdered, it is an almost certitude that she would be alive today.
I am not just saying that. Once you read this book, I am convinced that you will agree with my assessment. The fact that Georgia’s father is a police detective makes this all the more poignant and inexcusable.
Having Georgia’s mother as the author, imbues this book with a special gravitas. Those of us who are mothers and fathers can only imagine how devastating losing a child is, and losing a child to murder is unimaginable. To have that loss compounded by the realization that her death could have, and should have, been avoided.
If you have any interest in True Crime and/or any interest in police and policing, this book must be added to your library.
5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Georgia with her parents in an undated photograph
Lynnette Williams is chair of the Georgia Williams Trust, a charity established in Georgia’s memory which enables young people to access adventure and the outdoors.
She also speaks in schools about violence and extreme pornography.
To learn more about the GEORGIA WILLIAMS TRUST, click on the following links and read more information below this book review.
Magic is real. Those immune to its effects, known as Dis-cons, are considered extremely dangerous threats to society. They are hunted down and killed by an elite terrorist organization known only as Trackers.
Ella is a Dis-con. She’s spent her entire life trying to hide and fool the world around her, pretending she has magic. But when a Tracker finally discovers what she truly is, Ella knows she has to take action—
—but she needs help.
And there’s no one more motivated than Wren. Her mother was also a Dis-con—murdered by Trackers. Ever since that day, Wren’s mission has been to kill every last one of them. When she discovers Ella and her similarities to her mother, the two girls join forces, vowing to take down the Trackers at any cost.
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Books by Author Becca C. Smith
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MY REVIEW:
In an alternate version of the world we live in, magic is a normal part of everyday life. Well, it is a normal part of almost everyone’s life. Everyone that is, except Ella.
Ella, a 17 year old high school student, has a dangerous secret. One that, if discovered, would lead to her gruesome death.
Ella is a Dis-con. This means that spells won’t work on her, nor can she cast spells. In our world this would make her normal. In hers, this makes her an enemy of society.
“Being a Dis-con meant Ella was immune to all spells, and since spells pretty much ran the world, that made her dangerous.”
Regular people are taught from a young age to follow the rules of the three ‘R’s’ when they come across a Dis-con – Recognize, Run, and Reach out.
“Only Trackers had a worse reputation than Dis-cons.” Trackers are terrorists that kill Dis-cons on sight. Those Trackers seem to enjoy their jobs a little too much.
Despite the drama that is inherent in her Dis-con status, Ella is a normal teenager in many ways. She is in her senior year of high school and has a serious crush on a classmate named Ash. She just wants to graduate high-school and move on with her life.
Wren is a new student in Ella’s class. Wren’s use of a memory spell convinced her classmates that she has attended school with them for years. Ella, however, is immune to all spells and she knows the truth. But, why is Wren deliberately deceiving her classmates?
It turns out that Wren, just like Ella, has something to hide. Her mother was a Dis-con who was decapitated by Trackers and Wren is tracking the Trackers. She has vowed to kill every Tracker.
The two young woman will have to team up if they hope to survive the rest of the school year.
Young Adult author Becca C. Smith has created a convincing world that is an alternate reality to our own. Her descriptions are subtle and utterly believable.
The motivations behind the character’s actions make complete sense and readers are able to put themselves in Ella’s or Wren’s shoes. This makes the story relatable.
Any book that keeps me awake and reading long into the night deserves 5 out of 5 Stars. THE SEVERED AND THE HUNTED is un-put-downable. The action starts immediately and never lets up. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in THE HEXSPHERE CHRONICLES.
*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Becca fell in love with storytelling at an early age. The first book she ever read was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and she’s been looking for the door to Narnia ever since!
She’s a passionate reader, consuming anything sci-fi or fantasy, mix it in with YA and she’s a fan for life. So it’s no surprise that she writes in these genres as well.
When Becca is not writing, she loves to sew, from cosplay to elaborate magical creature bags, she just loves to create!
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
An eye-opening firsthand account of the ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be watching.
Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of women and girls in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful sexual abusers—including a popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long time coming, between battles against its own deeply patriarchal society as well as combating stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination.
Now, author Hawon Jung will show the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames.
Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces full of spycams, and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect themselves from criminals and authorities alike.
Jung, the former Seoul correspondent for the AFP, draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders, from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography and revenge porn. Their stories, though long overlooked in the West, mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault, tech-based sexual abuse of women and girls, and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and predators’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary success. In Flowers of Fire, Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality.
The women written about in FLOWERS OF FIRE embody this quote.
Maya Angelou once said: “Develop enough courage to stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” The women whose stories are highlighted in this book are the living embodiments of that famous quote.
I don’t think any of us who were born in Canada and who have grown up with the knowledge that we are valuable and that we can be, and do anything, could possibly understand the world of misogyny that is the norm in South Korea. Yes, the patriarchy exists in North America, but not to the extent that it exists in Asian countries.
When the #MeToo movement swept through the United States and Canada, women felt empowered to stand up for themselves and to say “NO MORE.” But, what about women in other countries? What about women who, because of government censorship, had no idea what was happening around the world?
Who was brave enough to stand up and to be the very first woman to tell her story? And, what would happen to her after she came forward? The fear would have been crippling. There was a very real chance that those women would be shunned, shamed, and would be branded as sluts and liars.
I am in awe of the women in this book. They are BRAVE … truly brave in a way that transcends time. Their stories are IMPORTANT.
FLOWERS OF FIRE – The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement And What It Means For Women’s Rights Worldwide is not only an enthralling read, but also an extremely important one.
If you think of yourself as a feminist, or even if you don’t, if you care about human rights at all, then you simply MUST Read this book.
FLOWERS OF FIRE is being released on March 7th, 2023 and can be pre-ordered now. I have a feeling that this book will sell out quickly, so I suggest that you preorder it to avoid being disappointed.
I would love to hear back from people after they read this book to discuss the details. I did not want to include any spoilers in my review, but I am dying to discuss it.
5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5 out of 5 Flames
*** Thank you to #Edelweiss for providing me with a free advance review copy of this book. ***
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More than 200 female protesters gather in central Seoul on Feb. 27, calling for women’s representation in South Korea’s presidential election. (Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hawon Jung is a journalist and former Seoul correspondent for the AFP news agency with more than a decade of experience writing about the two Koreas.
She covered the 2011 death of then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-un, the junior Kim’s first summit with Donald Trump, South Korea’s historic presidential impeachment, and K-pop’s rise on the world stage.
Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted in the 2019 Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia.
Born and raised in South Korea, she currently lives in Germany with family.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Kim Ju-hee protests in August 2021 in front of the National Assembly in Seoul with a sign that reads “Democracy without woman is not a democracy.” ( Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)
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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:
BenBella is a marketing-focused, author-friendly publishing house whose success is based on a few simple principles. We select our titles with care. We provide authors with first-class service and genuine partnership. And we provide aggressive, creative marketing for each title we publish.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
Go behind the scenes inside the nation’s preeminent Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where good people fight the good fight amid the tragedies and absurdities of our age.
Perfect for fans of Michael Lewis and David Simon (Homicide, The Corner, The Wire, We Own This City)
Real life is different from what gets depicted on procedural crime dramas.
Equipped with a journalist’s eye, a paramedic’s experience and a sardonic wit, Bruce Goldfarb spent ten years with Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where every sudden or unattended death in the state is scrutinized.
Touching on numerous scandals, including Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd and the tragic killing in police custody of Freddie Gray, Goldfarb pulls back the curtain on a pioneer institution in crisis.
Medical examiners and the investigators and technicians who support them play vital roles in the justice and public health systems of every American community. During Goldfarb’s time with the Maryland OCME, opioid-related deaths contributed to a significant increase in their workload. Faced with a chronic shortage of qualified experts and inadequate funding, their important and fascinating work has become more challenging than most people could ever imagine.
The public gets a skewed view of the relationship between police and medical examiners from procedural crime dramas, Bruce Goldfarb writes of his work inside one of America’s most storied forensic centers. We aren’t on the same team . . . We aren’t on any team. The medical examiner’s sole duty is to the deceased person. We speak for the dead.
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MY REVIEW:
Exquisitely readable and surprisingly relatable, OCME Life in America’s Top Forensic Medical Center is a book I read in a single sitting. Despite needing sleep, I was unable to put this book down.
Author Bruce Goldfarb brings readers along with him for a detailed look at what life is really like in the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Think this book would be too macabre to read? You would be massively wrong. OCME does NOT rely on the glorification of blood and guts to sell books. It is so interesting that it simply doesn’t need to.
Full of eye-opening facts and fascinating details, OCME will open the eyes of its readers to the ridiculousness of red tape in any and every bureaucracy; even the bureaucracy of death itself.
Although this might not have been the author’s goal, he has nevertheless succeeded in bringing to light the horrific statistics surrounding many of the most concerning ways in which people have died over the past decade. Granted, the statistics used in this book only represent the state of Maryland, however, these are the same issues faced by most other states and cities in North America. For example, the author highlights the alarming number of people who have died due to the Opiod Epidemic.
This book will open people’s eyes to the importance of having skilled and highly trained medical examiners. The result of this will hopefully be that both taxpayers and politicians will allocate more money in their budgets to the OCME in their respective jurisdictions.
Some of the most shocking, and frankly disturbing, information contained within the pages of this book are the following facts:
[ ] “About half of the US population is under the jurisdiction of coroners and lacks access to qualified forensic pathologists…”
[ ] “In states including Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Idaho, Georgia, Colorado, and Nevada, elected coroners aren’t required to have ANY medical or legal training before they can certify the cause and manner of death.”
[ ] In Missouri, to serve as a coroner, the requirements are minimal. You only have to be 21 or older, and have to get more votes than anyone else. There is absolutely NO MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY. That is ridiculous. “If a person is elected coroner, they can crack open a beer and start signing death certificates.”
I rate OCME as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I recommend this book not only to fans of True Crime, but also to everyone who wants to be more informed about Public Health, Politics, and/or general nonfiction enthusiasts.
Reading this book and spreading the word about it could be the difference between a murderer being caught or going free. It just might be the reason a killer is caught and the lives of future potential victims are saved.
*** Thank you to #NetGalley and #Edelweiss for providing me with a free advance review copy of this book. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo by Jennifer Bishop
Bruce Goldfarb was the executive assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Maryland, US, where the ‘Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death’ are housed.
He was the public information officer for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and trained as a forensic investigator.
Bruce began his career as a paramedic before becoming an award-winning journalist reporting on medicine, science and health. Through his work with the Nutshell Studies, Bruce earned the trust of Frances Glessner Lee’s family and caretakers of her estate, and was designated Lee’s official biographer.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Since 1994, Steerforth Press has sought to publish books that are written well, intended to engage the full attention of the reader, and have something new or important to say. Our active backlist features timeless works of fiction and poetry, but our current program focuses exclusively on works of narrative nonfiction.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
The Hollywood style sign above Trinidad, Colorado. Photo By: Matt Lemmon
DESCRIPTION:
For more than four decades, between 1969 and 2010, the remote former mining town of Trinidad, Colorado was the unlikely crossroads for approximately six thousand medical pilgrims who came looking for relief from the pain of gender dysphoria. The surgical skill and nonjudgmental compassion of surgeons Stanley Biber and his transgender protege Marci Bowers not only made the phrase “GOING TO TRINIDAD” a euphemism for gender confirmation surgery in the worldwide transgender community, but also turned the small outpost near the New Mexico border into what The New York Times once called “the sex-change capital of the world.”
Publisher: New Orleans Times-Picayune Date Issued: Jan. 27, 1985 These articles are no longer available on the newspaper’s websites. They would probably have been lost to time if not for the amazing work of the ‘Digital Transgender Archive’ website. Click on the above article to be taken to the archive site.
Publisher: Mobile Register Date Issued: Jan. 27, 1985 These articles are no longer available on the newspaper’s websites. They would probably have been lost to time if not for the amazing work of the ‘Digital Transgender Archive’ website. Click on the above article to be taken to the archive site.
The full story of that nearly forgotten chapter in gender and medical history has never been told―until now.
Award-winning writer Martin J. Smith spent two years researching not only the stories of Trinidad, Biber, and Bowers, but also tracking the lives of many transgender men and women who sought their services. The result is “Going to Trinidad,” which focuses on the complicated pre- and post-surgery lives of two Biber patients―Claudine Griggs and Walt Heyer―who experienced very different outcomes. Through them, Smith takes readers deep into the often-mystifying world of gender, genitalia, and sexuality, and chronicles a fascinating segment of the human species that’s often misunderstood by those for whom gender remains a mostly binary male-or-female equation.
The stories of Trinidad’s surgeons and transgender pilgrims provide an important opportunity to better understand the millions of complex individuals whose personal struggle is complicated by today’s quicksand of cultural pressures and prejudices. More than six thousand transgender men and women left Trinidad hoping that hormone therapy and surgical relief was the right prescription for their pain. For most it was, but not for all, and their experiences offer important and timely insights for those struggling to understand this sometimes confounding human condition.
“For generations of transgender people, ‘Trinidad, Colorado’ was code for ‘sex-change capital of the world.’ Martin J. Smith brings this somewhat secret history to a wider audience, in an expansive, entertaining narrative chock full of interesting people and previously untold stories.” — Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution
GOING TO TRINIDAD is an intricately researched history of gender reassignment surgery and the surgical pioneers who, despite the opinions of others, cared deeply about the suffering of those who had to live in the body that felt alien to them. This empathy drove Dr. Stanley Biber to become the go-to, preeminent surgeon for gender reassignment surgery.
Dr. Stanley Biber, right, with one of his patients, Marsha Botzer, as seen in a 2020 Legacy Project interview. YouTube
Instead of opening his clinic in an urban city, Dr. Biber established his clinic in an unlikely location – a small town in Colorado close to New Mexico that had previously been a hub for the mining industry; that town was named Trinidad.
This book tells the story of two patients who underwent gender reassignment surgery in Trinidad, Colorado. Both had very different experiences. One was thrilled to finally have the inside match the outside whereas the other patient ended up with very different results.
This book is not a “how to guide,” nor is it advocating either for or against the surgery. Instead, it is a work of nonfiction of a snapshot in time. I think this book is important. I have to say that I learned quite a bit about the details of the procedure itself, as well as about the prevailing attitudes at the time.
I found the empathy and compassion of Dr. Biber for his patients inspiring. Dr. Marci Bowers was his transgender protege who has since taken over his medical practice and has moved its location.
Anyone who is interested in, an ally of, or a member themselves of the LGBTQIA2S+ community should read this book.
I am rating it as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ because once I started reading, I was unable to put it down.
You can watch an interview with Dr. Marci Bowers here:
Martin J. Smith, a veteran journalist and former senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine, is the author of five crime novels and four previous nonfiction books.
He has won more than fifty newspaper and magazine writing awards, and his novels have been nominated for three of the publishing industry’s most prestigious honors, including the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, and the Barry Award.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
As Sukaq’s mother tells him the story of how the raven created the world, he is suddenly whisked away on the wings of the raven to ride along as the entire world is formed!
Sukaq loves to drift off to sleep listening to his mother tell him stories. His favourite story is the tale of how a raven created the world.
But this time, as his mother begins to tell the story and his eyelids become heavy, he is suddenly whisked away on the wings of the raven to ride along as the entire world is formed!
This traditional legend from Inuit storyteller Roy Goose is brought to life through co-author Kerry McCluskey’s jubilant retelling, and illustrated with photographs of Soyeon Kim’s signature three-dimensional dioramas.
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MY REVIEW:
This is a traditional Inuit story from the Northwest Territories in what is now the country of Canada.
With illustrations so beautifully rendered that they could easily hang in any museum, and an Indigenous creation story that explains how the Inuit have historically explained the creation of the world, SUQAK AND THE RAVEN is a feast for both the eyes and the soul.
Canadians who are truly interested in being part of “Truth and Reconciliation,” need to purchase, and/or advocate for books such as “Suqak and the Raven” to be included in all home, school, and community libraries.
This children’s book is being published by Inhabit Media which everyone needs to learn about. Inhabit is the first Inuit-owned, independent publisher located in the Canadian Arctic and publishes books written in English as well as Inuktitut.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and the way it was told. It reminded me of the movie “The Neverending Story” as it is told as a story within a story.
I rate SUKAQ AND THE RAVEN as 5+ out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and I plan to donate a hardcover copy of this book my local library.
*** Thank you to #Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
“Roy Goose,” Inuvialuit Cultural Centre Digital Library, accessed February 1, 2023, https://inuvialuitdigitallibrary.ca/items/show/3710
Roy Goose learned many of the legends he knows from his great-grandmother, Naimee Mammayuk, who left Alaska and came to Canada around 1910 with the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Steffansson.
Roy passed his legends on to his children to teach them important life lessons and morals.
Author Roy Goose was a CBC North Radio One presenter.
Kerry McCluskey is a long-term resident of Iqaluit, Nunavut and has no plans to return to southern Canada.
Kerry and her son River like spending time outdoors, at the rink, and in the kitchen.
To learn more about these authors visit the following links:
Soyeon Kim is a Toronto-based illustrator, art educator, and artist, originally from South Korea.
Her work specializes in merging fine sketching and painting techniques to produce three-dimensional dioramas.
Kim is a graduate of York University and has illustrated several children’s picture books, including You Are Stardust, Is This Panama?, and Wild Ideas.
To learn more about this illustrator visit the following links:
Inhabit Media Inc. is the first Inuit-owned, independent publishing company in the Canadian Arctic. They aim to promote and preserve the stories, knowledge, and talent of the Arctic, while also supporting research in Inuit mythology and the traditional Inuit knowledge of Nunavummiut (residents of Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory). Their authors, storytellers, and artists bring traditional knowledge to life in a way that is accessible to readers both familiar and unfamiliar with Inuit culture and traditions.
Incorporated in 2006, Inhabit Media was born out of a need for Nunavut kids to see their culture accurately represented in the books they read in schools. Inhabit Media has spent the last ten years working with elders and storytellers from across the Canadian Arctic to ensure that the region’s unique Inuit oral history is recorded and not lost to future generations.
Many of the stories that they publish have never been written down before, having existed for centuries as tales passed orally from generation to generation. While many of these stories are ancient, they work closely with elders, contemporary Inuit writers, and illustrators the world over to present folktales and traditional stories in a format that will resonate with modern audiences across North America. Inhabit Media’s books do not simply provide a glimpse into Inuit culture; they also represent the preservation of oral history and traditional knowledge that may otherwise have been lost, in a format that contemporary readers will find engaging, entertaining, and informative.
As the first independent publishing company in Nunavut, they are excited to bring Arctic stories and wisdom to the world!
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales…but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man.
There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them…and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?
All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask.
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MY REVIEW:
ALL HALLOWS is centered around a single suburban street (Parmenter Road) in the year 1984 and the families who live there. The entire tale takes place over a single day – that of Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve.
Not only is ALL HALLOWS a horror story, it is also a drama, as well as a commentary on American life in the mid 1980s.
Set in 1984, this horror novel will have readers of a certain age remembering their own lives during the time period in question. Considering the fact that I was in Grade 7 in 1984, the pop culture references were especially nostalgic for me. For example, I remember watching ‘The A Team’ starring Mr. T on television.
Author Christopher Golden seamlessly alternates between several families. He also alternates between each family member’s point of view. This could easily have become confusing to the reader, but Christopher Golden’s writing is perfection.
In fact, it was only upon reflection and the writing of this review that I realized how difficult this type of narrative would be to create. The ability to craft complex plots so seamlessly that the reader does not realize how complicated they truly are is quite simply the mark of a master storyteller. CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN IS THAT MASTER!
People who have little experience with modern horror writers may think of this genre as being all about blood, guts and shock value. This could not be further from the truth and ALL HALLOWS is the perfect example of that fact.
ALL HALLOWS contains several twists and turns in the storyline, as well as converging plots. In addition, the characters are so beautifully rendered that I could easily picture them as being real people rather than just literary characters. In fact, several of them reminded me of people who lived in my neighborhood while I was growing up. Each character is exquisitely developed and has their own secrets, motivations, views on right and wrong, and ties (some secret, some not) to the other characters in the book. This makes for a story with depth and believability, and one that I very much enjoyed.
I was given an advance review copy of the audiobook version of ALL HALLOWS which I thoroughly enjoyed. The use of two narrators; one male, one female, was a great idea. Having two very different actors voice the various characters added authenticity, which in turn increased my enjoyment of the experience.
I will be highly recommending this book to my followers, family, and friends.
I rate ALL HALLOWS by Christopher Golden as 5+ out of 5 Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*** Thank you to #NetGalley and to #OrangeSkyAudio for providing me with a free #advance #review #copy of this #audiobook ***
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ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR “WANT TO READ ” LIST ON GOODREADS!
CHRISTOPHER GOLDENis the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands.
With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore.
As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot.
Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene.
In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival.
He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family.
His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards.
For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories.
His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Originally from the Bahamas, Ron Butler (aka Ronnie Butler Jr.) began his acting career in Washington D.C. at the Arena Stage. After studying with the Atlantic Theater Company (William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Scott Zigler), he moved to New York to become a company member. He has appeared in plays and musicals in New York and in regional theaters across the U.S.
In 2002 he moved to Los Angeles, and since has accumulated over a hundred film and television credits, most notably as a series regular on True Jackson VP.
In addition to acting, he’s directed and produced short films, new media projects, an independent feature film, commercial PSAs, and television shows in development.
To learn more about this Narrator visit the following links:
January LaVoy is an Atlanta-based actor, voice artist, and director.
January made her Broadway debut in Lucy Prebble’s ENRON in 2010, and has appeared Off-Broadway in Wings (Second Stage), Coraline (MCC), Measure for Measure (TFANA), Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie (Ars Nova, Lucille Lortel Nomination) Two Trains Running, Home,Funnyhouse of a Negro, and Wakey, Wakey (Signature Theatre).
For her work in Funnyhouse, she was deemed one of two “Actresses to Watch” by Hilton Als in The New Yorker magazine. Selected regional theatre credits include: Mattie Campbell in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Mark Taper Forum, directed byPhylicia Rashad), Kate in Good People (Pittsburgh Public Theatre), Isabella in Measure for Measure (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, Dawn in Lobby Hero, and Portia in The Merchant of Venice (Denver Center Theatre Company) and the world premiere of Native Guard by United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey (Alliance Theatre), which was also recorded by LA Theatreworks in 2018. She is a 2010 alumna of the Sundance Theatre Lab.
She has been seen on television in “Blue Bloods”, “N0S4A2”, “Elementary”, and “Law & Order” (classic, CI and SVU), and in 2007 she created the role of Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on “One Life to Live”, which she played until 2011.
Her voiceover work includes many national commercial campaigns, promos, documentaries, and hundreds of audiobooks. In 2013, she was named Audiobook Narrator of the Year by Publishers’ Weekly. She has been nominated for 18 Audie Awards, receiving 7, and has garnered over three dozen Audiofile Magazine Earphones Awards. In the spring of 2019, she was honored with Audiofile’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Voice. She shares a 2020 GRAMMY nomination with Meryl Streep and the cast of the Charlotte’s Web audiobook, in which she plays the title role of Charlotte.
She received her MFA from Denver’s National Theatre Conservatory, and has taught audition preparation, scene study, and on-camera technique at Emory University.
To learn more about this Narrator visit the following links:
OrangeSky Audio is an audiobook publisher raising the volume on new ideas, favorite voices, and words that may have otherwise gone unspoken.
Our published works are an exploration of new ideas and hidden gems in popular genres, speaking to adults and children alike.
With the widest retail and library distribution network in the world, we connect listeners of all ages with the stories and narrators they love — and encourage discovery of a next new favorite.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
Amie's Book Reviews 