Urban Reviews - Your Source for the Best in AA Fiction!

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4 out of 5 books This story is the first I’ve read from Gwen. This read was well written and the storyline well thought out. Lloyd Palmer, a reporter for the Houston Ledger was dissatisfied with his mundane existence. The zeal he had when beginning his reporting career; waned due to the limits placed upon him by his bigot of a boss, Ed Jackson. Lloyd went from a non-existent lackadaisical reporter who was stuck in between the next black on black crime and something big. Lloyd worked faithfully in a job that he wasn’t fulfilled in until he was sent on a job where there was a kidnapping in the affluent part of the city.   Lloyd wanted more than to be a lowly reporter good enough to cover only what was happening with the blacks in the city. Ed, the editor at the Houston Ledger was not only arrogant but prejudiced. He refused to entertain topics that could bring a positive light to what was happening and that it wasn’t only the doom and gloom of blacks killing blacks or blacks kidnappi...

  Coming soon! 12 days of Christmas book giveaway returns on 12/13/24! The contest will be held in the Urban Reviews Facebook Group, and the Radiah Hubbert IG, Urban Reviews IG & Threads pages. You can donate one or more physical or e-books. The authors are responsible for mailing the books to the winners.  If you’re an author and would like to participate, please contact me at  info@urban-reviews.com. Radiah Hubbert

4 out of 5 books It is June 1950 in Gracetown, Florida. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys. Robbie kicked the son of a white landowner while defending his older sister Gloria. But the nightmares are just beginning when Robbie is sent to the school called The Reformatory. Robbie can see ghosts or haints. But this talent is exposing the real horrors and crimes that has happened to the former students who have gone missing. Gloria is still trying to come up with a plan to get Robbie away from The Reformatory before it’s too late. Tananarive Due brings a classic horror novel with a good mix of the horrendous history of the real Dozier School for Boys with The Reformatory . This story makes you want to delve into more of the background of the school. Robbie is a character that you will root for throughout the story. There’s also Robbie’s friends that help him along way while in The Reformatory. Due paints such a vivid picture wi...

3.5 out of 5 books Shauna Robinson’s “The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster” is a heartwarming and insightful novel that delves into family dynamics and personal identity. The story follows Mae, a bi-racial woman who has spent much of her life feeling disconnected from her father’s Black family while being more integrated with her maternal white relatives. As her wedding day looms, she is concerned because her father’s side of the family has not replied to her wedding invite. When she receives word that her paternal grandmother passed, she decided to attend the funeral and reconnect with that side of her family. As Mae seeks to reconnect with her estranged Black family in the South, she faces the chaos of a family barbecue that stirs both laughter and deep emotional reflections. Robinson masterfully blends humor with emotional depth, presenting Mae’s journey with a mix of introspection and comedic inner monologues. The novel addresses complex themes of familial and racial histories, ...

4 out of 5 books Taylor Johnson is a Black student at a predominately white private school. Vying to fit in with her friends at her school, she is caught up in a shoplifting incident with her wealthy White classmates. Taylor is left to take the blame and is sent to Camp Lanier as part of a community service program for at-risk youth. Taylor’s summer at Camp Lanier quickly turns into a nightmare as she encounters strange hallucinations, hears mysterious crying at night, and learns about the camp’s dark past. Taylor’s determination to uncover the truth about Camp Lanier and this drives the story forward. Her interactions with other camp members, particularly Liam and Mia reveal the present-day horrors that are taking place at Camp Lanier. In a quest to save her life and her friends at the camp, Taylor had to give audience to the horrors of the campsite and learn from the ancestors of Oscarville, an all-black town buried under the waters of Lake Lanier. Sylvester Barzey’s  “Camp Lanie...