Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Blackout

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton

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What a great collection. I loved the idea of authors getting together to have characters set in the same place/time/date with them all spinning their individual stories. This was honestly lovely and I had no problem with any of the storylines. To have a young adult romance book starring mostly Black characters was wonderful to read. I started wishing for this to get turned into a miniseries. I miss really good romantic movies/tv shows. It feels like they have gotten out of vogue the past […]

How a victim is made a villain

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Three years ago, I reviewed Tiffany D. Jackson’s YA novel Monday’s Not Coming. It’s one of those novels that stays with you long after you’ve read it due to the tragic subject matter and Jackson’s excellent writing. Grown, published in 2020, is another powerful YA novel that tackles disturbing subject matter taken from today’s headlines. This time, Jackson writes a story inspired by R. Kelly and the abuse of young Black girls at the hands of a powerful and famous man. This is not an […]

White Smoke

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

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So I went back and forth on the rating on this one a few times. I thought that parts of the book just didn’t hang together very well. And the ending was so abrupt. It just didn’t work for me. I think this was a great homage to “Wait Til Helen Comes” though. I am not seeing the whole “Hill House” narrative some people said. The house in the story is not insane. Also quit comparing every black horror novel to “Get Out”. Once again, […]

“Don’t you think it’s possible that this could be good? That maybe this won’t lead to disaster after all? What if we find out that we fit together, like your grandparents and their hands?” (Bingo #8)

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon

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Blackout is a novel comprised of several short stories covering five hours in the course of one night in New York as it experiences a blackout. Tiffany D. Jackson writes The Long Walk which is broken up into five acts, Nic Stone contributes Mask Off (perhaps my favorite of the bunch), Ashley Woodfolk’s Made to Fit, Dhonielle Clayton provides All the Great Love Stories… and Dust, as well as being the person who sparked the project into existence, Angie Thomas’s No Sleep Till Brooklyn, and […]

My fave does it again!

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

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“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” – Malcolm X Tiffany D. Jackson is one of my favorite YA authors. She consistently writes riveting mystery novels featuring black teen girls.  The mystery usually revolves around a particular social issue facing black women, and I’m continually impressed with how her writing immensely satisfies both the mystery component and the social one. I will […]

“But Ma used to say, not everyone circles the same sun. I never knew what she meant by that until Monday went missing.”

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Someone here already reviewed this and I’m kind of sad to submit another repeat review. BUT I read it and I gotta count it! “This is the story of how my best friend disappeared. How nobody noticed she was gone except me. And how nobody cared until they found her . . . one year later.” That’s actually a pretty good summary of this book, supplied by the main character, 14-year-old Claudia.  She and Monday have been thick as thieves most of their lives, other than summers that […]



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