Touchstone Books

Platinum

barbara — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

One thing to know about Platinum is that it’s about women in the hip-hop industry—several types of women. To narrow it down, there are four voices compiling the novel, each one narrating a different perspective of the industry, each one fulfilling a particular role. There’s the rapper’s devoted wife who turns a blind eye and tolerates STDs due to his infidelities. We have the powerful mogul who has everything in life (including a koi pond in her home) but only longs for a child. There’s also a hip-hop diva whose retirement at thirty throws everyone by surprise. Lastly, we have the woman supposed to be our heroine, a music journalist involved in a secret engagement to an up-and-coming hip-hop artist. Yet for every heroine there’s a villain and in this case the villain is Cleo, a promiscuous woman who has slept with almost every man in the hip-hop world, including the men involved with each woman mentioned above. The catch? Cleo is writing a tell-all book about her affairs. As she describes in the introduction to her own book, Cleo separates herself from all the “other women”:

“Being with me is an honor. I’m not a commoner. And contrary to popular belief, I don’t have sex with everyone. If you’ve been with me, you’ve achieved something. I’m a benchmark. Like going platinum.”

Platinum gives great insight to the hip-hop world. It describes a tense atmosphere filled with social climbing schemes from four different perspectives. As entertaining as these intertwining plots are, however, the pace is slow and the individual stories an ounce too overdramatic. One problem is that although there are several women, they all sound exactly like one voice. Whether deliberate or not there’s still a feeling of stagnation with all the story lines. All of the women suffer due to their relationships, men being their common woe. Even if they deal with their issues differently, it all narrows down to infidelity and their power to forgive.

With so much drama and so many characters it would be easy to get caught up in the pace. However, it’s difficult to really care about any of the individual women. Cleo in particular appears one-dimensional: she’s a woman who has pride and joy in wreaking chaos and devastation, yet as readers we never see why since there’s no background to her story and we don’t know why she takes so much joy in inflicting pain. Although she claims to never have been molested or had a troublesome youth it seems unrealistic that a well-adjusted woman would invest all her energy using her sexuality to humiliate women in particular. This is problematic as she catapults the whole novel.

As a whole, Platinum is entertaining in the sense that it describes an exclusive world, the hip-hop world explicitly. This novel is the type of book to read at the beach or during a very long plane ride, almost like a bad (but entertaining) movie that you will never think of or pick up again.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, December 9th 2010

Law of Attraction

admin — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Allison Leotta

Touchstone Books

As far as my taste in reading material goes, I tend to avoid genre books, particularly cookie cutter thrillers and mysteries as many most often lack originality, societal observation, and genuine writing skill. Alison Leotta’s novel Law of Attraction, however, manages to be the exception to the rule, creating a mystery that adheres to the genre standards but also manages to transcend them through tackling the heavy hitting topics of domestic abuse and power struggles within heterosexual relationships.

The novel’s protagonist Anna is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington DC; many of the cases that come across her desk are domestic violence cases in which she observes women suffering through the cycle of abuse at the hands of their husbands and boyfriends. Anna seems to identify readily with the women she helps, and through a series of flashbacks it is slowly revealed that Anna’s own mother was a victim of domestic violence.

Among her cases is Laprea, a woman who seeks legal help to escape abuse at the hands of her boyfriend D’marco, only to continually drop the charges and let him into her life. The day after Valentine’s Day, a bloody Laprea enters Anna office seeking to press charges, sure that this time she is done with D’marco. At the same time, Anna also reconnects with Nick, a former law school classmate who has long been holding a torch for Anna. Sparks fly between the two until it is revealed that Nick is D’marco’s lawyer. Things get messy when Anna begins an impassioned relationship with Nick. While their relationship initially seems to be an idyllic one, Nick is quickly shown to be a man of questionable character when he cajoles Laprea to change her testimony and claim D’marco’s innocence. Things take a turn for the worse when shortly after Nick’s release Laprea’s bloody body is found in a trash bag.

While Law of Attraction has all the ingredients of a typical genre thriller, it somewhat transcends the genre. Leotta’s obvious writing skill is apparent and the characters and scenes are more richly developed than is commonly seen in other thrillers. Many of the legal details and scenarios throughout the course of the book ring true, which can be credited to Leotta’s employment as a federal sex crimes prosecutor. The novel’s exploration of domestic violence and the psychological implications of it are also handled well by Leotta. Much like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this subject matter elevates the novel as it provides valid societal observation and insight, often into the inequalities that frequently exist in heterosexual relationships.

While Law of Attraction may be more a fun thriller than a substantial work of literary merit, it is nonetheless a joy to read. Those readers who often pass over the thriller genre may find Law of Attraction to be more cerebrally stimulating.

Written by: Adrienne Urbanski, October 12th 2010

Sins of the Mother

annette — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Victoria Christopher Murray

Touchstone Books

Will we eventually be accountable for the decisions we made in the past? This is essentially the idea that Murray explores throughout her book Sins of the Mother. Through the use of multiple first-person narratives, Murray follows the actions and reactions of her characters after the young daughter of her protagonist and converted sinner, Jasmine Bush, is kidnapped.

I only realised half-way through reading the book that Sins of the Mother is the fifth instalment by Murray to follow Jasmine Larson Bush. Though I consider it a stand-alone book, and have not read any of her previous work, many of the references to Jasmine’s “sin-filled” past, without much follow-up substantiating these references, led me to believe that there were earlier instalments.

Sins of the Mother explores the struggle of faith that Jasmine Larson Bush and her family encounter upon the abduction of her young daughter. Primarily a Christian book, Murray’s characters have their faith, their relationship with God and with each other, put to the test as they search relentlessly and almost hopelessly for Jacqueline. As this book is a continuation of Jasmine’s life, it is predominantly a story of her spiritual development.

I found this book gripping, and quite a page-turner in its suspense, and the strength of the characters born out of their faith, quite admirable. However, I found a lot more aspects of the book frustrating and lacking. One of the most notable aspects of this book is its reference to an African-American, Christian community in New York City. Jasmine is the wife of the pastor of one of the largest churches, and because of this status has the respect and awe of her community. It was frustrating that there were multiple references to money, opulent lifestyles and spending habits, and importance put on status in the community as opposed to character development. Jasmine came off as a fickle woman, who thrived in her role as the wife of an important pastor and the mother of his children. Jasmine’s success was that she was the wife of someone important. Her character was shallow and after the abduction of her daughter, the stereotype of the neurotic damsel in distress who depends on the comfort and strength of men to console her.

Murray writes this book from several character perspectives, allowing for the “development” of several characters whose lives are intertwined and immediately impacted by Jacqueline’s abduction. However, the characters weren’t very complex, their reactions to their circumstances predictable and their roles stereotypical, and I found the multiple first-person narratives made the story drag on for much longer than it needed to. The emphasis on a glitz and glamour lifestyle as adding value to one’s life, particularly for up and coming Christians, limited character development, and the incessant references to sex, money and the status that comes with having it, is the biggest shortcoming of this book. Women in this book are mothers, partners and wives. Other than the character Alexis, who tries to exert her autonomy, but to little avail, women are as strong as the men who support them, and their identities thusly defined.

Written by: Toni Francis, October 1st 2010

'Til Death

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:49:00 +0000

By Miasha

Touchstone Books

In 'Til Death, the third and final installment for bestselling series Secret Society, Miasha takes us on a whirlwind adventure of sex, drugs, fame, and money. 'Til Death picks up where its predecessor Never Enough left off, and now fans can follow Celess and Sienna (better know as Si-Si) as they travel the world trying to avoid police who have accused them of murder and the psychopathic murderer who wants Si-Si dead. This fast-paced story takes you to places such as Rome, Italy; Cape Town, South Africa; and Dubai as our two leading ladies live off of rich men while building up an extremely successful escort agency.

I wanted to read the other books in this series so I would have a better sense of the current plot and background. While I love the storyline for its realism and energy and how it gives women power, I can't say I enjoyed the book as much as I would have liked to. Using the style of slang commonly found in R-rated gangster movies, 'Til Death is crudely written, making it difficult for a person not completely familiar with it to read the book without having to re-read, as much of it feels as if it hasn't been edited very well.

Along with this, the descriptions could use some cutting as they drag on needlessly, such as in Rome when Celess and Si-Si have multiple outfit changes. Miasha sees fit to take us from head to toe of everything the girls change into. While I understand that Celless is a shallow, money-obsessed woman who defines a person's wealth by what they wear, descriptions of all things Gucci that are a bit much for those of us who buy Levi's jeans. A simple and quick description would do just fine. The dialog also needs to be trimmed, such as when Si-Si, Celess, and Andrew go to a Roman night club to make a business deal and when Andrew finds the girls in Dubai. The reader is subjected to needless and sloppy segments of dialog that review what the reader already knows or can be pieced together from contextual clues.

All in all, the story itself was enjoyable but the way it was laid out left much to be desired. I wouldn't recommend 'Til Death to someone who isn't familiar with the author.

Written by: Nina Lopez-Ortiz, August 6th 2010

Uptown

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant

Touchstone Books

The dark psyche of greed gone wild is at the heart of Uptown. In this energetic and sexy page turner of a story about the high stakes world of Manhattan real estate, winners take all—but the price turns out to be far more than they negotiated for... and this is before the real estate market bubble burst!

In a nutshell, Uptown tells the story of the Dixon family’s real estate empire and its controversial plan to develop the Dixon Plaza on Central Park North. The Plaza, a high-rise luxury building, is certain to change the face of Harlem forever.

Not everyone is happy with this idea, especially Avery Lyons, whose cousin, Dwight Dixon, has inherited his father’s share of the family empire. Dwight is eager to catapult the family’s Harlem-based real estate empire into the uber-luxury market, while Avery is concerned with preserving the close-knit feeling of the Harlem she knew as a child. Since Avery holds a significant share in the Plaza property, she is a potential obstacle in the path of Dwight’s greed, which is, as the reader soon learns, rapacious and reckless.

I liked Avery a lot; she comes across as a strong woman with a conscience without sounding like a naïvely provincial childish scold. At first willing to sell her share, Avery soon discovers that there are problems galore with the complex: backroom dealings, cheap fixtures, and flagrant disregard for sound structural building codes and more problems. Avery worries about what to do: let it go or blow the whistle?

The Plaza is a metaphor for the Dixon family, as secrets and lies threaten to shake the foundation of both structures. The story examines which is more important: Family loyalty or money? Politics or truth? Integrity or underhandedness?

This is whip smart writing that is fast-paced, emotionally deep, and timely in this modern era of the real estate hustle in all its bloated glory. Uptown is a good story, not your garden variety mass market, frothy paperback that is full of stereotypical characters. The dialogue is rich, real, and witty. This is one of those books that makes you want to keep reading even when you know you need to shut off the light and go to sleep. Instead you’ll be thinking, "just one more page!"

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, March 2nd 2010

The Lute Player: A Novel of Richard the Lionhearted

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:04:00 +0000

By Norah Lofts

Touchstone Books

Like an exquisite medieval tapestry, The Lute Player, a novel of Richard the Lionhearted, has a bit of historical truth and a good measure of romantic fiction. There is historical evidence of the existence of Richard, Berengaria, Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the leading power figures of the day. However, the lute player, Blondel, is mentioned only in legends. The true reason for Richard’s indifference to his wife is subject to the author’s imagination.

With well-crafted writing, Norah Lofts takes the reader to the time of the Third Crusades, to the medieval castles of Europe and to the sun-drenched landscapes of Palestine. This is the tale of Richard Plantagenet, son of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The story of this legendary soldier of the Crusades and future king is told from the prospective of three very different individuals: Blondel, the lute player and Richard’s close companion during the Third Crusade, Anna Apieta, the illegitimate half-sister of Berengaria, princess of Navarre and Richard’s wife, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

This is a tale of love. Berengaria falls in love with Richard at first sight of him during a tournament at her father’s castle in Navarre. She will not consider marriage to any other suitor. After much pleading with her father, a suicide attempt, and many delays, Berengaria succeeds in her plan to become Richard’s bride. But the marriage is ill-fated.

Blondel, the lute player to Berengaria and the King of Navarre, longingly loves the beautiful princess. He becomes lute player to Richard. Upon Berengaria’s request to watch over Richard and as an escape from the life as the royal ladies’ minstrel, Blondel joins Richard on the quest to liberate the Holy Land from the infidels. Anna Apieta, the physically deformed illegitimate daughter of Sancho, King of Navarre, loves Blondel but knows that it is a love that can never be fulfilled.

It is a tale of betrayal. Richard is determined in his pursuit to march triumphantly into Jerusalem. He is betrayed by his allies, Philip of France and Leopold of Austria. While on campaign in Palestine, Richard is betrayed by his brother, John, who is left to rule England during the king’s absence.

The main characters in this novel evolve, the seemingly acquiescent become resolute and the tenacious become weak. The exceptions are Richard and Anna. The conclusion of this novel is very poignant. “But you come in the end to the place where your heart is, that is, if you set your heart in an attainable place. And it occurred to me that of them all I [Anna Apieta] was the only one who had done that.”

Written by: Maryann Gromisch, January 30th 2010

I’m Perfect, You’re Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah’s Witness Upbringing

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:07:00 +0000

By Kyria Abrahams

Touchstone Books

Kyria Abrahams’ searing, if flawed, memoir about growing up in a deeply-observant family of Jehovah’s Witnesses calls to mind Karl Marx’s quip that “religion is the opiate of the masses.” Her original voice is by turns funny, whiny, clear-eyed, and churlish as she chronicles the Witness’ blind obedience to religious dogma.

Abrahams’ writing is deft, even evocative, as she vividly describes the purple haze in which her community languishes. As she tells it, Witnesses are oblivious to history and remain untouched by the feminist and civil rights movements of the past four decades.

It’s Ozzie and Harriet, without the heartwarming laughs. Although Witnesses throughout the world pray and preach as they have since the sect’s founding in 1914, the book zooms in on the Abrahams, spotlighting a family that buries its troubles in simplistic discourse about sin and worldliness. Rather than openly communicating, regular Watchtower reading sessions bring the family together for a forced exegesis of that week’s tome. Meanwhile, dad is often out of work, mom is visibly miserable, and neither parent pays much attention to the children they’ve sired.

While Abrahams’ brother is mentioned, he’s merely a blip in the landscape, an odd omission given the siblings’ closeness in age. Yet this is Kyria’s narrative and she is comfortable in center stage. Readers will watch her tumble from early academic promise—special classes for the gifted—to adolescent self-loathing and mental illness.

When she ultimately withdraws from high school to marry a twenty-four-year-old Witness she barely knows and doesn’t love, the story becomes cringe-worthy. Still, Abrahams’ sass in extricating herself from this morass is fascinating, if sketchy.

That is, the process of disfellowship—think Catholic excommunication or Jewish shiva—that results from her divorce could have been more graphically described. At the same time, her account of the problems endemic to entering secular society is powerful: “For the past twenty-three years, I’d been told that it was not possible to survive outside the safety and guidance of God’s organization. Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be like leaving the haunted cabin in the woods to check on that strange noise. Never again would a disfellowshipped person find caring friends or experience true love, as these things do not exist in Satan’s world.”

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed gives the lie to these absurdities. What’s more, it sheds light on a religious group—some say cult—that is basically unknown to those outside its reach. Abrahams painstakingly demonstrates how Witnesses manipulate members into abject fear of life beyond Kingdom Hall. Small wonder that few members leave, no matter their doubts. This makes Abrahams’ book especially important.

That said, she’s an uneven tour guide—simultaneously bold and quirky and desperate and demanding. Nonetheless, readers will find much to cheer in her ascension. Left to fend for herself—with little-to-no contact with family or former friends—she is the proverbial stranger in a strange land. Alone, she is forced to confront adulthood without the opiate-like promise of everlasting life. As she succeeds, she becomes a phoenix, scarred and trembling, but aloft.

Written by: Eleanor J. Bader, June 30th 2009

Mommy's Angel

admin — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:30:00 +0000

By Miasha

Touchstone Books

Most savvy feminists can argue their way through complex social problems such as sexual violence, poverty and drug use. Most savvy feminists, though, could not articulate those issues though a fast-paced, sharply written story like Mommy’s Angel. Dubbed as “a writer to watch” by Publishers Weekly,” Miasha tells the heartbreaking story of one fifteen year old girl’s steel gut and courage in her battle for survival with a heroin-addicted mother and a web of deceit and manipulation.

Miasha depicts some of the most pressing issues of feminism by mixing city street vernacular into the cycle of modern day oppression that fuels the most heated debates in western feminism. Can forms of sex work and stripping be considered modes of empowerment for young women? What forms of intervention can adeptly disrupt the cycle of addiction, rape and teen pregnancy? This work of fictional brilliance is a succinct glimpse into the heart of young girls who seek family redemption, reliable and safe options, and relief from domestic hell.

This jarring novel is loaded with emotion as it takes the reader through the struggle of one woman who is, chronologically, a teen, but takes on adult responsibilities and choices as she hopes, torments and fights through the vicious hands of urban poverty and rape. With a smart-mouthed younger sister, a loving boyfriend, an abusive employer, and a handful of irresistible page-turning characters, Miasha has constructed a feminist rollercoaster that serves as an important catalyst to explore the painful intersection of social issues facing young women today.

This novel, like everyday life, reminds us that our discourse and intentions must be inclusive, updated and knowledgeable of the realities plaguing our inner-city communities. It serves as a wake-up call that concerned readers must be able to adequately recognize the strategic anti-poverty agendas from the blithe political plans that are often addressed in binary jargon that do little to alleviate the suffering of the oppressed.

After completing the novel in one sitting combined with a stunning ending that left me staring, non-blinking at the ceiling, Mommy’s Angel will haunt your conversations and linger in your personal thoughts for days after the last page is turned.

Written by: Lisa Factora-Borchers, June 7th 2007

Living on the Edge of the World: New Jersey Writers Take on the Garden State

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Edited by Irina Reyn

Touchstone Books

Infused with identity politics and a love and loyalty that become proprietary to New Jersey natives, Irina Reyn’s edited collection Living on the Edge of the World offers readers a fractured and contemplative tour of the state. The concept for the book is superb—that locals know their relationship with this often unpopular state better than anyone—and Reyn follows through on her promise of a variety of perspectives that all cling to similar iconic references. There is a universal melancholy throughout these tales, but don’t feel sorry for these who hail from New Jersey; they wear their troubled and complicated relationships with their roots very well.

The unfailing references to the “Garden State” jokes we may have all heard (particularly from Gracie Hart, the haphazard FBI agent in Miss Congeniality, who notes that “Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State” won’t fit on a license plate) come together in this volume to remind outsiders that New Jersey is complex, and, lest we forget, Reyn’s writers deliver a multitude of memories, identities and histories as evidence.

From tales of the Jersey shore and youthful bliss, to family histories playing out in one large farm, to lawsuits and millions of dollars, this collection of essays offers readers not only a better understanding of the offerings of one of our least regarded states, but also deeper insights relevant to us all.

Grodstein’s “Notes on Camden” shines as an adventure through an aquarium and a disregarded crime capital all at once and Lissner’s retelling of a teen’s summer of poverty and ingratiating work at Great Adventure amusement park reminds us all of being an underdog from an underdog place. Each author places him or herself in relationship with the state while simultaneously placing themselves in a unique symbiosis with the strange combination of tourism, farming, suburbia and industrial production New Jersey offers. Some essays reflect on a life many years removed and admit it continues to haunt and intrigue them, while many of the authors hail from local colleges and universities and their entrance into such hallowed halls is cause for contemplating their dual identities within the single state.

This collection serves as a lesson in identity construction, and - whether you hail from Jersey or not - the tales of life, love and loyalty can touch us all.

Written by: Dr. Julie E. Ferris, April 25th 2007