Ruth’s Redemption by Marlene Banks

Ruth's Redemption
Author: Marlene Banks
Publisher: Lift Every Voice; New Edition edition (February 1, 2012)
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 9780802402172

This book may be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

Set in the 1800s, Ruth’s Redemption, depicts slave life in the south. Bo, the main character who was educated while a slave is a freedman who now owns a farm and buys slaves for the purpose of giving them their freedom. Bo is also a widower whose life is destined to changed when he meets the stubborn, proud and hard-hearted 20 year old slave girl, Ruth.

Ruth has known nothing but harshness and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding and the enlargement of her master’s slave stock, Ruth struggles to understand the way of her new master. Bo is unlike any master she’s known and what she experiences in his care will leave her forever changed.

A gripping pre-Civil War slave era novel, Ruth’s Redemption is a story of forgiveness, acceptance and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater,Virginia, this novel shines the light of God’s unconditional love in the darkness of the evils of hatred and acts of inhumanity.

My Thoughts:

Marlene Banks paints a heart-wrenching picture of slavery through this beautifully written story. She gives slavery names and faces and brings to life a time period when the worth of human life was based on the color of skin.

With a gift for story telling, Marlene accurately tells of a time period before the Civil War. A time when even when one was a freed slave, that freedom was not always respected. She tackles the subject of breeders and how damaging and degrading it was through her main character, Ruth. She also gives the reader insight on the Nat Turner Rebellion and its outcome.

From the first page, I was hooked and couldn't put this book down. I devoured it in one sitting. This book gripped me from the beginning with the realism in which it was penned. It made me feel like I was actually part of the story as it brought numerous emotions to the surface. The realism of it still has me mortified that humans can treat other humans like animals - something I still cannot grasp my mind around. Ruth's Redemption is going to stay with me for a long, long time!

About the Author

Marlene Banks is a Philadelphia, PA native. She attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA and has an Associate’s Degree in Theology from the Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, VA. She is the director of ministry at Lifeline Mission of the Gospel. Through her writing ministry, Marlene’s desire is to promote the gospel and serve the needs of her community.

To find out more about the author or her work,  you can visit her at:
www.marlenebanks.com
http://www.ruthsredemption.com


View the blog tour schedule at: http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/



I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for this tour. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.

"Gathering of Waters" by Bernice McFadden

Gathering of Waters
Author: Bernice McFadden
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 9781617750311
Paperback 250 pages

About the Book

Gathering of Waters is a deeply engrossing tale narrated by the town of Money, Mississippi--a site both significant and infamous in our collective story as a nation. Money is personified in this haunting story, which chronicles its troubled history following the arrival of the Hilson and Bryant families.

Tass Hilson and Emmett Till were young and in love when Emmett was brutally murdered in 1955. Anxious to escape the town, Tass marries Maximillian May and relocates to Detroit.

Forty years later, after the death of her husband, Tass returns to Money and fantasy takes flesh when Emmett Till's spirit is finally released from the dank, dark waters of the Tallahatchie River. The two lovers are reunited, bringing the story to an enchanting and profound conclusion.

Gathering of Waters mines the truth about Money, Mississippi, as well as the town's families, and threads their history over decades. The bare-bones realism--both disturbing and riveting--combined with a magical realm in which ghosts have the final say, is reminiscent of Toni Morrison's Beloved.

My Thoughts:

Bernice McFadden has a true gift for storytelling. She illustrates it well when "Gathering of Waters" starts out being told from the point of view of the town of Money, Mississippi. Her lyrical prose will draw the reader in from the very first sentence and will captivate the reader all the way to the very last word.

I love Bernice's writing style and I deeply appreciate her gift to weave a story. I have read her books before and this is one is written in the same style and prose. As much as I have enjoyed her work in the past, I have found something has changed - not with her work, but within me and it ended up making me quite uncomfortable with the things that take place in this book. Bernice has always had an edge to her stories - something that I've enjoyed, but this time, it wasn't the same for me.

"Gathering of Waters" is a historical piece, but it also includes some sexual subjects that I found quite repulsive and with that said, I cannot give a unbiased or fair review. I'm torn between the gift McFadden has for storytelling but the content pulls me in another direction.

To learn more about Bernice and her work, you can visit her webpage at: http://www.bernicemcfadden.com

I received a copy of this book from the author to read and honestly review.

Virtual Book Tour & Review: "Buying Time" by Pamela Samuels Young

I am pleased to be able to once again be part of the tour hosting Pamela Samuels Young, author of the legal thriller, "Buying Time". She was kind enough to share a guest post with us last week If you missed it, you can read it here. Today, I'm focusing on Pamela's book - a thriller you don't want to miss!

Buying Time
Author: Pamela Samuels Young
Publisher: Goldman House Publishing
ISBN: 9780981562711
Genre: Fiction, thriller

About the Book: (from PUYB):

"Buying Time" is a scandalous tale of blackmail, murder and betrayal, evoking John Grisham with a dash of Terry McMillan.

Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he’s about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems.

In Waverly’s new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there’s a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker’s fee for himself—in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.

The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General. When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson—who has some skeletons of his own to hide—are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.

Soon, a determined federal prosecutor is hot on Waverly’s trail. But when the prosecutor’s own life begins to unravel, she finds herself on the run—with Waverly at her side.

My Thoughts:

I normally don't read thrillers by women, because those that I have read in the past have been, ummm... substandard. Maybe it's just been the books that I've chosen in the past, but they have seemed to lack what most male authors bring to the storyline - something that grips me, makes my heart pound and holds my interest. So, I sat down with this book with that attitude, and was quickly surprised and pleased. This is one gripping story that I couldn't put down.

The characters were wonderful, well developed and quite realistic. They were brilliantly written to allow one to get involved with their lives and caused me to really adore some and hold great disdain for others.

The storyline was exciting and held my interest from the first page.  Pamela Samuels Young writes masterfully and with a passion that makes this book really work. She has a series of books out called the "Vernetta Henderson Mysteries" that have made it to the top of my wish list. After "Buying Time", I can't wait to read these. Pamela Samuels Young is definitely a writer to keep an eye on!!

About Pamela Samuels Young

Corporate attorney Pamela Samuels Young has always abided by the philosophy that you create the change you want to see. Fed up with never seeing women or people of color depicted as savvy, hot shot attorneys in the legal thrillers she read, Pamela decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, Pamela accomplished her ambitious goal by rising at four in the morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing and even spending her vacation time glued to her laptop for ten or more hours a day.

The Essence magazine bestselling author now has four fast-paced legal thrillers to show for her efforts: Every Reasonable Doubt (BET Books, February 2006), In Firm Pursuit (Harlequin, January 2007), Murder on the Down Low (Goldman House Publishing, September 2008) and Buying Time (Goldman House Publishing, November 2009). New York Times bestselling author Sheldon Siegel described Buying Time, Pamela’s first stand-alone novel, as a “deftly plotted thriller that combines the best of Lisa Scottoline and Robert Crais.”

Pamela has achieved a successful writing career while working as Managing Counsel for Labor and Employment Law for a large corporation in Southern California. Prior to that, she served as Employment Law Counsel for Raytheon Company and spent several years with the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers, LLP in Los Angeles. A former journalist, Pamela began her broadcasting career as a production assistant at WXYZ-TV in Detroit, where she was quickly promoted to news writer. To escape the chilly Detroit winters, she returned home to Los Angeles and worked at KCBS-TV as a news writer and associate producer.

Pamela has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from USC, a master’s degree in broadcasting from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received her law degree from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is the Fiction Expert for BizyMoms.com.

Pamela is a frequent speaker on the topics of discrimination law, diversity, writing and pursuing your passion. She is married and lives in the Los Angeles area. To contact Pamela or to read an excerpt of her books, visit www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com.

This book was provided by the author through PUYB for me to honestly review. 

Review: Rosia Lee Ivey's Recipes for Life

Rosia Lee Ivey's Recipes for Life
Author: John Arthur Ivey
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.
ISBN: 9781434901408
Audience: Everyone
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

John Arthur Ivey had a few reasons for writing this book. First, he wanted to share his mother's legacy with the world. He decided the best way to do that was to share his mother's love of cooking by writing her recipes down and sharing them in a lovely cookbook. Second, he wanted to make more aware of African American cuisine which he thinks is much like jazz in art form. Third, he wanted to present the process of cooking African American cuisine, in which he gives his mother's step-by-step instructions. With these instructions the beginner, as well as the seasoned cook, will benefit.

I must say I enjoyed this cookbook and will be using it a lot. I found the recipes easy to use, and loved how the directions were written out. Most were not in the traditional ingredients first and then the direction format, but in a more conversational format like my grandmother used when she taught me how to make some of her recipes. This gave it a nice "homey" feel.

The recipes themselves are delicious! I haven't had a chance to cook everything yet, but the Macaroni 'N' Cheese, Smothered Steak, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Raisin Bread Pudding are definitely yummy. I am planning on making the Fried Chicken tomorrow. This will be my first attempt at any fried chicken, but with these directions, I don't think I'm going to have a problem.

In the last part of the book, John shares recipes from other family members. These are written in the traditional format. Wo's "Creamy Icebox Banana Pudding" is very tasty, and Louise's "Blue Ribbon 7-Up Cake" is not only delicious, but reminds me of something my own grandmother used to make when I was young. With our weather turning warming, grilling season is upon us, and I'm going to be trying Fred Andy Ivey's "B.B.Q. Rib Thang".

This book is a true treasure. It contains so much history. Rosa Lee Ivey has cooked for more than 80 years, starting at the tender age of 13, and learned how to cook out of necessity. She didn't use recipes, but by trial and error, using siblings to test her cooking out on. John has included an interview with his mother that gives just a small look at this lively and spirited woman.

When I compare these recipes to the ones in my own heritage, there are so many similarities, but at the same time interesting differences. Most that I found are in the spicing while many of the ingredients stay the same. I really think John is correct when he states that African American Cuisine parallels jazz. Although each type of cooking is different, it still follows the same rules and "leads to the same place, and that is culinary satisfaction."

In memory of Celia Ivey Brown, Rosia Lee's second-oldest daughter, a $1 donation will be provided to the Leukemia Research Foundation for each book sold.

This book was sent to me by Dorrance Publishing to honestly review.