Let’s begin this review of Schism by Clabe Polk with what it isn’t: conventional. Because Schism involves people raised in the poorer black areas of the US, Polk has decided to add to the book’s authenticity by using dialogue between black gang members in a...

Done Running is a sleuth mystery novel written by Helen Bea Kirk. Porsha was fifteen years old when her family fell from financial grace and moved from their palatial digs in Hilldale into much more modest accommodation. As the movers packed away the last of...

Jerusalem Stone by Susan Sofayov is an inspirational and engaging story that follows one woman’s journey in search of meaning after being struck by tragedy and loss. Twenty-three-year-old Julie Wasserman loses her job the same day her twin brother and best friend, Jack, is brutally...

In The Shadows Of The City by James Jewell is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of an unforgiving society that can mercilessly break budding souls. We meet Jack Wallace, a young man struggling to handle his high school education while trying...

Beyond: A Short Story Collection by Alanah Andrews consists of 29 stories that validate the title of the collection through different themes, including the first chapter of Andrews’ novel, Eve of Eridu. The collection starts with John Doe, where a jailed drunkard named Toby tries...

The Potato Thief: A Mercy Row Prequel by Harry Hallman is set in a time when Ireland is under grueling British colonial rule. After his father dies of consumption, the strenuous burden of providing for the family rests on the shoulders of eighteen-year-old George Graham....

Hard Choices: Three Short Stories by Lakshmi Karra is an inspiring collection of three beautifully crafted stories, involving strong characters of Indian origin faced with difficult relationship choices, stories that invite readers to think about the traditions and customs against which the characters evolve. In...

Sam's Theory by Sarah Mendivel is a tale of domestic child abuse, trauma, healing, and empowerment, a story of fifteen-year-old Sam who is given away to a foster home by parents who don’t seem ready for her and her sister, and she gets horribly abused...

Two Days at the Asylum: Inspired by True Events is a powerful narrative by clinical psychologist Frederick S. Walborn that explores the perils of asylum politics, a narrative that reflects the author’s wide experience in dealing with severely and chronically mentally ill patients. The story...

Could you imagine your wife or husband suggesting, out of the blue, that the two of you should have an “open relationship”, enjoying sexual flings with no guilt and only 3 conditions, one of which is not to discuss your current hookup? That’s what Julia...